Sony's PlayStation tablet coming this year

Sony plans to release a tablet computer by the end of the summer, according to the Japanese Nikkei newspaper, which cited the company's CEO Howard Stringer. The tablet will be powered by Google's Android 3.0 (codenamed Honeycomb), and will be sold in the US market first.

Meanwhile, the Japanese blog AV Watch disagrees with the summer timeframe and says Sony will instead have it ready before the end of year. Either way, gamers and PlayStation fans will definitely have something to buy for the upcoming holiday season.

Rumors of a PlayStation Certified tablet started two months ago, and gave it a September 2011 ship date. Codenamed S1, the device will reportedly have a 9.4-inch capacitive touch screen (1280x800 resolution), and will be powered by a Tegra 2 processor. The target price for the WiFi-only version of the S1 is $600.

The device is focused on Qriocity, the company's music, game, ebook, and video on-demand service that recently launched in Europe. The gaming tablet will supposedly come preloaded with Sony PlayStation One games, and a Bravia Media Remote. It also features front- and rear-facing cameras as well as a USB-A port. The physical buttons include volume, on/off, and possibly a Q for Qriocity. There's even an IR port built-in allowing you to control other devices.

While the original rumor had the most information, it's important to note that other sources are also expecting Sony to deliver a tablet. The project can still be scrapped, or completely changed, but right now it's looking slightly more plausible.