Sony today released a software development kit (SDK) for creating games across multiple PlayStation certified devices, such as the upcoming PlayStation Vita and the Sony Tablet.
Developers can create games using C#, a programming language, that will work on any PlayStation-certified device and the PlayStation Vita. This comes after Sony announced it would begin releasing PlayStation games on devices running Google’s mobile operating system Android. Sony already has a PlayStation-branded phone, the Xperia Play, which runs Android.
Developers can only distribute games to the Xperia Play and the company’s tablets, the Sony P and Sony S, as of the launch today. But Sony is working to port those games to other devices in time for the launch of the PlayStation Vita, which will land in Japan in December this year, and in North America sometime in 2012.
The PlayStation Vita is Sony’s next big bet on handheld gaming. While it will still feature blockbuster titles that cost more than typical iPhone games, Sony is making sure the device will also have cheaper bite-size games like those popularized by the iOS and Android devices.
The device features two analog sticks, a 5-inch OLED touchpad screen, a touchpad on the device, six-axis motion sensing technology and front- and rear-facing cameras. It will come in both a wi-fi enabled and a 3G-enabled model. The 3G version of its device will be available on AT&T.