Sony Ericsson’s Playstation Phone is looking pretty real in photos posted by Engadget. Josh Topolsky’s not saying how he got the photos, or whether he’s actually seen the device, but he assures that it’s an authentic prototype, with the final product potentially coming this year, or more likely in 2011.

As previously rumored, the Playstation Phone is an Android handset with game controls that slide out from the bottom side, kind of like the PSP Go. There’s a directional pad, face buttons and shoulder bumpers, plus a multi-touch track pad, which I’m guessing will act in place of analog thumbsticks. Specs include a 1 GHz Qualcomm processor, 512 MB of RAM, 1 GB of ROM, and a screen size of 3.7 to 4.1 inches.

The hardware looks pretty good, but hardware isn’t what will make or break the Playstation Phone. Software will be crucial, and we still don’t know much on that front.

On one hand, I can see the Playstation tie-in as a cornerstone for Sony Ericsson’s smartphones, which haven’t gained much traction on their own. With Android 3.0 as a base, Sony could make the Playstation Phone its premiere platform for portable entertainment, perhaps with tie-ins to Google TV and the Playstation 3. Forget the flagging PSP, which at this point needs a miracle to become popular again.

The other option would be to treat the Playstation Phone as a one-offexperiment, a simple Android build with a few recognizable Playstation games thrown in, and little support after launch. Once the rumored PSP2 is ready, the Playstation Phone will be a forgotten misstep.

At this point, it’s up to Sony to come out and explain its plans for this device. Either that, or we’ll learn every single thing about it through rumors and leaks.

 
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