Sony, Skype to bring Internet phone to PSP: Report
Users of Sony's PlayStation Portable game console can soon make free Skype Internet phone calls under a deal struck between the two companies, a news report said on Saturday.
By Agencies |
TOKYO: Users of Sony's PlayStation Portable game console can soon make free Skype Internet phone calls under a deal struck between the two companies, a news report said on Saturday.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc and Skype Technologies SA will launch the service this month on the PSP's latest model released in September, according to a report in the business daily, Nikkei.
The new service enables free online calls between PSP owners and personal computer users, the Nikkei said.
PSP owners can also sign up for a fee-based Skype service that gives them a dedicated phone number for making and receiving phone calls. That service is expected to cost 2,250 yen ($20.60; euro13.99) for three months, the report said.
Users need to download Skype software to their PSPs, and get a microphone designed specifically for online chats and Internet phone calls, the report said.
Phones at Sony's headquarters in Tokyo went unanswered Saturday. Sony's computer entertainment unit has been looking to boost offerings other than video games for its PSP, which faces stiff competition from Nintendo Co.'s double-screened DS console.
In November, the company launched a TV tuner for the PSP in Japan, as well as a slimmer version of the portable console.
Skype, a popular US-based online telephony service, claims 246 million users worldwide. The company was acquired by eBay Inc in 2005.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc and Skype Technologies SA will launch the service this month on the PSP's latest model released in September, according to a report in the business daily, Nikkei.
The new service enables free online calls between PSP owners and personal computer users, the Nikkei said.
PSP owners can also sign up for a fee-based Skype service that gives them a dedicated phone number for making and receiving phone calls. That service is expected to cost 2,250 yen ($20.60; euro13.99) for three months, the report said.
Users need to download Skype software to their PSPs, and get a microphone designed specifically for online chats and Internet phone calls, the report said.
Phones at Sony's headquarters in Tokyo went unanswered Saturday. Sony's computer entertainment unit has been looking to boost offerings other than video games for its PSP, which faces stiff competition from Nintendo Co.'s double-screened DS console.
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In November, the company launched a TV tuner for the PSP in Japan, as well as a slimmer version of the portable console.
Skype, a popular US-based online telephony service, claims 246 million users worldwide. The company was acquired by eBay Inc in 2005.
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