Portable Gaming Revolution

Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) have confirmed their support as a sponsor for this years Handheld Learning 2006, joining Fujitsu-Siemens Computers and Palm.

Handheld learning is an annual conference and exhibition, about how handheld and mobile devices (such as PSP :p)can be used to enhance the learning experience. It had a huge turnout lastyear and is now officially associated with the UK governments Department for Education and Skills (DfES), who will be supporting this years event.

This year gaming is high on the agenda, see below for an extract;

During the past year more handheld gaming consoles such as the Leapster, Sony PSP and Nintendo DS were sold globally than handheld computers. These devices are highly powered with rich feature sets including video, wireless and Internet access. They are highly desirable amongst the young where they are often the “gadget of choice”. What can we learn from this sector and can these technologies be embraced to deliver educational experiences?

Chris Deering, the former Chairman and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment (and now Chairman of Handheld Learning) will be chairing the industry panel during the Conference in October.

This is an exciting turn of events as it demonstrates the overlap between gaming and learning in the home and at School/Uni using the capability of a powerful entertainment device in a learning context. The latest firmware upgrade for the PSP means that its built-in web browser now supports Flash media plus there’s a GPS and camera upgrade just around the corner. It’ll be interesting to see which establishments begin to embrace entertainment devices first and which software developers start to tap into the potential of the education sector.