Following in Nintendo's steps, PlayStation is bringing 10 games to iPhone and Android

When Apple announced its new iPhone in September, the news was overshadowed by a goofy plumber with a bushy mustache and bright blue overalls: Nintendo unveiled its first-ever smartphone game starring its biggest icon, Super Mario himself.

Nintendo/Apple

"Super Mario Run" arrives on December 15 for $10, and it's coming to the iPhone/iPad first thanks to a deal struck between Nintendo and Apple. Nintendo creative director Shigeru Miyamoto even appeared on stage to announce it - Miyamoto is essentially the Walt Disney of video games, having created Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, and many other iconic Nintendo characters.

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For Miyamoto to appear on stage with Apple's Tim Cook was, to put it lightly, a very big deal.

Stephen Lam/Getty Images

Left: Nintendo creative director Shigeru Miyamoto Right: Apple CEO Tim Cook

In a Tokyo event on December 7, Sony's mobile gaming unit made a less splashy, broader announcement about Sony's PlayStation games: 10 smartphone titles are in the works, with six planned for launch in the coming fiscal year.

Unlike Nintendo's approach, Sony's leading with lesser-known games from PlayStation's past - music/rhythm game "PaRappa the Rapper" and tactical role-playing game "Arc the Lad," according to a report from Reuters. Also unlike Nintendo's approach, it appears that Sony's targeting Japan first; the games will arrive on iPhone and Android in Japan and other parts of Asia before going worldwide.

This makes particular sense for the "Arc the Lad" series - it's wildly popular in Japan.

Sony

"Arc The Lad: Twilight of the Spirits" on the PlayStation 2. This game is actually available on the PlayStation 4 as well.

It's unclear if the mobile versions of these games are direct ports of the original PlayStation 1 games; we've asked Sony and not yet heard back, but there's precedent. Sony's done as much in the past - a variety of PlayStation 1 games were sold on mobile phones under the "PlayStation Mobile" name. Sony's Xperia Play phone even had a built-in gamepad specifically for use with these types of games.

Of course, if you're interested in playing classic (and new) PlayStation games on-the-go right now, there's always the PlayStation Vita. Sony's plan is to start selling these games sometime after April 2017 - we've asked for a full list of games and more information, but haven't heard back as of publishing.

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