Speaking to reporters last week in Tokyo, Kaz Hirai, head of Sony's gaming business, said that if Sony was to compete in the cell-phone gaming market it would be with a device that appealed more to core gamers.

He said the device would carry the PlayStation's DNA and match Sony's vision of gaming, which is different to those of companies developing Android and iPhone games.

Should Sony be about to launch the phone in the U.S., it could make an appearance at next week's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Sony typically uses the annual event to debut products and services that it plans to launch in the U.S. market in the first half of the year.

The IDG News Service