Despite our rabid suggestions otherwise, it pains us to admit that there is a world of portable gaming outside of Apple’s miniature operating system.  Sure, Nintendo announced their exciting three dimensional microsole at E3 last year, in the form of the Nintendo 3DS, but in a sick twist of fate, Sony’s new pocketsized Ferrari of a device has been getting a tremendous amount of buzz.  The device, codenamed NGP (Next Generation Portable), would seem to some to be a direct shot across the bow of Apple’s hardware suite, touting features such as front and back mounted multi-touch input, internal six-axis gyroscope and GPS, an OLED display with visuals on par with the PlayStation 3, and even 3G functionality.

As you can imagine, a device like that not only turned heads, but also managed to drag attention away from another HUGE announcement for fans of Sony’s enormous back library of original PlayStation titles: The PlayStation Suite.  Initially focused towards taking advantage of the Android phone, tablet, and set top box install base worldwide, the software is a proprietary set of emulation code, used to make a large number of Sony’s original PlayStation library available to the masses, without the necessity of purchasing a Sony device.  This is a big step forward for the company, as they move to further proliferate the already ubiquitous PlayStation brand.

With all of this buzz about the NGP being in competition with existing iOS devices like the iPhone 4, many began to wonder if the PlayStation Suite’s Android focus was in an effort to draw attention away from Apple’s platform.  I was one of those conspiracy theorists, in fact, noting that there was never any mention of iOS throughout last week’s Sony press briefing, while Android was name dropped numerous times.

In an effort to nip such discussions in the bud, when speaking with Andriasang, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai was quoted as saying:

“There are a variety of OSes, but we’re focusing first on Android. There’s also Windows, iOS and so forth, but we don’t have the resources to make it compatible with everything from the start.”

This is hardly a confirmation of the PlayStation Suite landing on iOS anytime soon, but it is good to know that we are at least on their long term radar.  Now the question becomes if and when such a functionality would or could be added, not to mention how long of a head start it will receive on Android.

Unfortunately this will all boil down to a waiting game that no doubt has more nefarious motivations than satiating Cupertino’s fan base.  It will be interested to see how this all plays out moving forward and rest assured that if anything breaks, you will read it here first.

PlayStation fans who can’t stand to be away from their console of choice for even a moment can take heart, as Sony has officially launched the PlayStation iPhone app. Users who download the app can sign in with their PlayStation Network ID and sync their Trophies and friends lists, as well as check out the latest stories from the Official PlayStation blog. That’s not all that’s planned for the app though, as future updates will include the ability to comment on PlayStation Blog posts as well as share news with friends and keep up with new game releases.

“There are tons more features we are planning to bring to this app in the next few months so keep an eye on the PlayStation Blog for further announcements early next year,” Sony said in a statement when announcing the app.

Right now the app is available in Europe, but there’s no word yet on an American launch. We’re expecting it to appear in all iTunes marketplaces eventually, but if you don’t see it yet just hang tight, it should be popping up anytime.

Right now the app has fairly limited functionality and doesn’t really offer all that much excitement for potential users. Sure it’s nice to be able to see your Trophies on the go, but to what end? Are you going to whip out your iPhone at some bar to defend your honor to a fellow gamer who dare doubts your Trophy-hunting prowess? And while it’s nice to be able to read PlayStation Blog posts, you can just as easily do so by popping the URL into Safari and browsing the news that way. With some enhancements this app may be a world beater down the line, but for now it’s not all that terribly exciting. Staying tuned to the app and this website may be the only real answer here.

[via CVG]

What do kids want Santa to bring them this year? According to battery-maker Duracell, iOS machines sit atop the list. Fourteen percent of tykes want an iPhone 4, while 13 percent are wishing for an iPod Touch and 12 percent opine for an iPad. As a point of comparison, Microsoft’s Kinect, the new “controller free” controller, comes in at only six percent.

The survey was conducted with over 2,000 children ages 5-16, and we’re hoping that it was the upper tier of ages which tilted the numbers in favor of the iOS devices. While there’s plenty of reason for a 16 year-old who wishes nothing more than to be cool to want an iPhone or iPad, the machines should really hold little sway over a kindergartner. Then again, Apple’s ubiquitous iOS ads may have made demand transcend age, in which case we can only say kudos to the evil-yet-effective marketing team. Here’s the full top-ten list for those who are curious:

01) iPhone 4 (14%)
02) iPod touch (13%)
03) iPad (12%)
04) Kinect (6%)
05) Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters (5%)
06) Flip Video Camera (4%)
07) Toy Story 3 Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear (4%)
08) PlayStation Move (4%)
09) Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4: The Video Game (3%)
10) Barbie Video Girl (3%)

For those of our readers with kids, how closely does this list align with what your youngsters have been asking for? More importantly, how many of you are thinking about getting your children an iOS machine and how many believe that these are devices really more aimed at adults and should be kept out of the hands of kids? Maybe instead you buy yourself the iPad and let your kids play with it when you put it down — which is never.

[via CVG]