Will Sony's plans to sell a handheld PDA for the PlayStation2 leave Nintendo's Game Boy Advance, Sega's VMU and the rest of the industry in the dust?When Sony announced during this year's COMDEX conference that they would build their entire product line around the broadband network and the PlayStation2, we just got a glimpse of the company's future plans. Those plans are becoming clearer every day. Take for instance the recent news that Sony is building a PDA (personal digital assistant) that will plug into the PlayStation2 via the IEEE1394 (FireWire or iLINK) port. At first your response may be, "Big deal; I've already seen the PocketStation, and I'm not impressed." But this PDA isn't just the PocketStation; it's something much better. Sony is working on a fully functional PDA with the help of 3Com, the makers of the Palm Pilot. If you're not familiar with Palm Pilots, they are small handheld computers that handle a variety of basic tasks and a growing number of not-so-simple tasks. The latest member of the Pilot family is the Palm VII, which, among other features, provides wireless Internet connectivity.
Sony's PDA will also be able to connect to the Internet, but it is not yet known whether or not the connection will be cellular (like the Palm VII) or whether it will connect to the Internet through another device such as the PlayStation2 (all but certainly the answer will be the former). What is known, however is that the PDA will have wireless capabilities. That means the PDA will be able to work as a remote control for your entertainment system, which is an answer to the prayers of all those who didn't want to run their PS2/DVD player using a Dual Shock pad. This is just one example of how Sony is planning to build the PlayStation2 as the center of its entertainment spectrum.
For gamers the news may seem unexciting, but just imagine how a wireless PDA could make PlayStation2 games even better:
You could receive messages on your PDA from game characters. Imagine getting an instant message during a boring physics class (or work, for those who are so inclined) from a game that you left running during the day. You might have to make on-the-spot decisions to help your in-game teammates who'll continue playing while you go about your business.
You may be able to use the PDA as a text input device. Conversation with games is somewhat tedious unless you have a keyboard. However, your PDA will be able to decipher your handwriting and input into the game. It would also be a great way to scribble notes to your buddies during multiplayer online games.
You may be able to share saves and files with friends. Several PDAs already enable you to do this when you can plug two together (the Dreamcast VMU, for example), but it would be even better if you were able to send your buddy far away a wireless message with your latest save file attached. For instance, you could record an amazing football replay and then send it to your friend who could watch it on his own PlayStation2. And you could do it before Sony's broadband network ever gets off the ground.
You'll be able to download sports scores, rosters and schedules for your games. If, for example, you had the PS2 and the PDA today, you would be able to download the NFL season ending stats and play out this year's playoffs, complete with power rankings, updated rosters and game locations. You could also use it as a play calling device that's far more detailed than what you see in NFL2K.
You may even be able to use your PDA as a working map and inventory system for role playing games. For instance, you could see your characters on screen and read map directions and check your inventory on the PDA.
These are just a few of the possible gaming applications, and there are many more to come.
Will the PDA be a gaming handheld on the same line as Nintendo's Game Boy Advance? No, but the PDA will be a much more sophisticated device when it comes to day-to-day use, and it will, for sure, include some sort of game software. (You can find many games for the Palm Pilot online, although most are below the level of classic Game Boy games.)
The PDAs strength lies in its versatility rather than gaming focus. Just take a look at what you can already do with Palm Pilot software:
Receive E-mail and ICQ-type messages Download Web information Balance your checkbook Chart the stars Watch your diet Store phone numbers Organize your life Navigate your way to Aberdeen TX Download and read your favorite book Learn about and chart your experience performing home appendectomies More stuff we couldn't possibly list If you add this tool to the PocketStation and the WonderSwan (which will connect to the PlayStation2), you have a console that's connected to a lineup of solid handhelds. These handhelds won't compete with the Game Boy Advance in terms of gaming, but you can be all but guaranteed that Nintendo is working on plans to connect its new handheld to the Dolphin, so it can compete at least a little with Sony's PDA in terms of everyday usefulness. Check Nintendo Radar's own ideas on possibilities of the Game Boy Advance and Dolphin here.