What would happen if two massive time-wasters morphed together to form the ultimate time-waster? British videogamers are about to find out now that British Telecom (BT) has teamed up with Sony to turn the PlayStation Portable into a voice-over-internet (VoIP) calling machine.
The service uses BT-developed software and a Sony PSP camera and microphone accessory. Initially it will work only with British Wi-Fi hotspots, allowing users to call other PSP owners and some phones on BT's VoIP network. But eventually the service will reach land lines, cell phones, and PCs. BT plans to distribute the software to telecoms in 100 other countries.
Sony isn't the first gaming company to offer VoIP. Nintendo DS owners can use the handheld's Wi-Fi connection to make VoIP calls with selected games. Can you resist the Pokémon headset?
editor@dvice.com