PlayStation Vita to Support Android-based Gaming via Special SDK

Sony has revealed that a new PlayStation Suite SDK will enable the development of games that run on both the Vita and Android-based devices.

The announcement came during a presentation at the Tokyo Game Show, during which the company displayed proof-of-concept by showing the same game running simultaneously on the Vita and Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play.

The move is a fairly obvious one, given Sony's strong push into Android with the Xperia Play and its Honeycomb-powered S1 and S2 tablets. Throw in the PS Vita's expansive touchscreen and 3G capablities, and supporting some form of Android gaming on the device seems almost like a foregone conclusion.

With that in mind, it's probably premature to expect that the Vita will be supporting Android software outright. Given the need for a special SDK and the emphasis on the PlayStation Certified branding, it's likely that the Vita will have only access to a small set of approved apps within a walled garden environment.

Sony recently announced that the Vita will be launching in Japan on December 17, with the rest of the world getting the handheld sometime in 2012.