Unity for PlayStation Mobile released and PlayStation Mobile 2.0 SDK released

 

Thanks to a tip from a reader David I have become aware of the release for PlayStation Mobile and it’s completely free.  Here’s the details from the Unity Blog post.

 

Following hot on the heels of the PlayStation®Mobile (PSM) public preview, we’re proud to announce the full official release of the Unity for PSM build. Hurrah!

Tell me it’s free

Yep, the extremely good news is that, for the first time ever, anyone on the PSM Developer Program can publish their Unity content to PlayStation®Store and target PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) completely free of charge.

There’s no dev kit; there are no fees. What’s more, the PSM build option works with both the free version of Unity and Unity Pro so developing and deploying your PS Vita game need never cost you a dime.

What do I get?

Amongst other things, the Unity for PSM build option features In-App Purchase APIs, so it’s easy to bring free-to-play content to the PlayStation®Store. Plus, you can use the Unity for PSM build option to distribute to the new entertainment system from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE): PlayStation®TV.

If you’ve already downloaded the public preview, you’ll also notice that we’ve been busy fixing bugs, boosting performance and adding on-device script debugging.

Sounds cool, how do I get hold of it?

Download a dedicated version of the Unity engine with the PSM build option here (we’ll be integrating it in the Unity product cycle A.S.A.P.). Note that to deploy to PSM you have to register with SCE – it’s quick and simple. The PSM build option is only available for the Windows version of Unity.

How does PSM deployment differ from Unity’s PS Vita build option?

The PSM build option is designed to provide quick, simple and free access for development on a standard retail PS Vita. Unity’s existing PS Vita build option, on the other hand, gives you full native access to PS Vita and full access to PSN. As part of your PS Vita dev kit, you also get a comprehensive suite of performance and native debugging tools, Visual Studio integration and Razor CPU/GPU performance tools.

Why target PS Vita?

If you’re thinking about making the leap to console development, targeting PS Vita is a great way to familiarize yourself with PlayStation® controls and conventions. What’s more, porting your existing mobile games to PS Vita is extremely easy!

 

Also from Sony we heard that PlayStation Mobile SDK v 2.0 was released:

 

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The official versions of "Unity for PSM" and "PSM SDK 2.0" are now available!
Publish your unique and innovative games and applications!

The official versions of "Unity for PSM" and "PSM SDK 2.0" are now available!
Submission of master packages deployed by the new SDKs has been enabled.

The official version of "Unity for PSM"

We have fixed bugs according to your feedback from the Public Preview to release the official version of "Unity for PSM".
Many thanks for your cooperation!

Here are the differences between the official version and the Public Preview.

  • Added functions to create and submit master packages.
  • Settings to publish PlayStation®TV compatible applications has been enabled.
  • Enabled to use "rear touch pad" feature in your games / applications.

Please refer to the FAQ Unity for PSM Overview for how to set up development environments and the development Flow.

PSM SDK 2.0

"PSM SDK 2.0" is exclusive for PS Vita and was made based on PSM SDK 1.20. PlayStation®TV is also supported with PSM SDK 2.0.

Main differences between "PSM SDK 2.0" and "PSM SDK 1.2" are as below.

  • Enabled to use "rear touch pad" feature in your games / applications.
  • Compressed textures are available.
  • Increased available memory (resource heap memory: 96MiB, graphics memory: 96MiB).

PlayStation®TV with PSM SDK 1.2

An updated version of PSM Publishing Utility is now available for PSM SDK 1.2.
It enables you to publish PSM Applications developed by PSM SDK 1.2 to PlayStation®TV.
Download the update zip package from SDK 1.21.02 tab on the PSM SDK download page .

Please also refer to Comparison between Unity for PSM and PSM SDKs for detailed explanation of the differences.

"PSM Application Development Guidelines" have been updated

With the release of new SDKs, we have updated the "PSM Application Development Guidelines".
https://psm.playstation.net/static/general/all/en/development_guidelines.html

The major changes/modifications are as below:

  • Added requirements for PlayStation®TV support.
  • As PSM Applications developed with "Unity for PSM" and "PSM SDK 2.0" will be distributed to PS Vita store (and as optional to PS Vita TV store) exclusively, some requirements were omitted for those SDKs.
  • Some of the restrictions regarding Networking feature were removed.

 

I’m guessing there are a few things confusing here as the branding is getting a bit muddled at this point, I’ll try to address what I can.

 

First off… what’s the difference between Unity for PlayStation Mobile vs Unity for PS Vita?

Well the most obvious difference is Unity for Vita requires a PlayStation license and developer kit and gives full access to the device.  Unity for PSM on the other hand is completely free and requires only a PSM developer license ( currently free ) and will work on commercial hardware.  The limitations however I am currently unaware of.  Presumably Unity for PSM has the same hardware constraints as PSM 2.

 

What is the difference between PSM SDK and Unity for PlayStation Mobile?

They are completely different things.  PSM for Unity is an additional target for the Unity development environment.  PSM on the other hand is a C# based game development kit similar to XNA.

 

What happened to PSM for Android support?

My guess is they put a bullet in it.  The increased memory constraints is a sure sign of that.  The sad part is, it was the requirement to support ancient phones that handicapped PSM in the first place.

 

Can you recommend a good book for PlayStation Mobile programming?

Why yes, yes I can, one written by yours truly. :)  Of course there is a tutorial series here.  It was written for 1.0 SDK but sadly, not all that much has changed.

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