Sony PSP Can Even Play with Aibo!

Sony’s portable PSP game machine is going mano-a-mano with Nintendo’s cool dual-screen DS for top handheld game gadget on both sides of the Pacific. Nintendo’s two 3-inch screens, touch-sensitive interaction, “Pictochat” instant messaging and WiFi connectivity to other DS machines have made a hit with players. In Japan, Nintendo just released the machine in four additional colors, packaging them with new virtual pet game, Nintendogs. Now WWJ has found out that Sony’s PSP goes one better with a trick that will make technogeeks sit up and beg — the Japanese version of the PSP apparently (and unintentionally) works electronic wizardry on Aibo the wonder ‘bot as well! Japanese entertainment weekly Famitsu put the PSP through its paces in their 15 April issue and sure enough: pressing combinations of buttons on the PSP will make Aibo do different tricks -– no hacking necessary! Sign in for the full skinny on yet another great “Hey, did you know the PSP could…” story.

**UPDATE: The folks at Famitsu magazine get WWJ’s vote for “Best April Fools Joke 2005.” To be fair, since many of our visitors do not have access to the paid subscriber section, we have posted an excerpt from our original story extended text below.

Unfortunately, our request to Sony PR (to put WWJ staff, an Aibo and a PSP into a room together to see what develops) was denied. Nor does Sony plan on supporting inter-electronic-species dating in the near future. Sony Computer Entertainment spokesperson Nanako Kato commented to WWJ in an e-mail: “I’m not sure what exactly you mean by “interactivity,” but if you are talking about remote operation of Aibo via PSP using wireless connection, etc., at this point in time, there are no plans for us to offer such service between PSP and Aibo.” Hmmmmm…. We’ll try to get something (on video, of course) soon, because this sounds like it would be Way Too Much Fun… although our little Kitty-chan might not think so! No matter; where there’s a gaming will there is a way… WWJ assumes no responsibility for any damage or mayhem that may ensue to people, property or electronic puppies.

In the due diligence that defines WWJ’s effort to “get the facts in English from Tokyo ground zero,” we even trudged over to the Sony Style Showroom in Odaiba last week to give this a try. However, for some reason, the staff there were not at all keen on letting us take Aibo for a test drive using the PSP! Gotta wonder now if we’ll see this kind of function on their next-gen PSP 2… fun times indeed.