PSM Studio IDE

The PSM Studio is a complete IDE derived from the popular open source MonoDevelop project. It includes a complete code editor, project management system, and integrated debugger. It contains most features you would expect of a modern IDE such as unit testing, code completion, and refactoring.

Compiler and runtime

PlayStation Mobile is built on top of the Mono compiler and virtual machine. In addition to the PlayStation provided libraries, it includes the following .NET libraries:

In addition to those standard .NET libraries, Sony has provided the following libraries:

You can also make use of any existing C# code that does not require native access. We will look at each of these libraries in more detail throughout the book.

UIComposer

The UIComposer enables you to visually create user interfaces. It includes a comprehensive set of widgets including buttons, text fields, progress bars, flip panels, scrolling areas, and more. Ultimately UIComposer is a code generator that will output a .cs file that makes use of partial classes to keep your application logic separate from system generated code. If you are familiar with WinForms, this will be instantly comfortable for you. It is a drag-and-drop environment, enabling you to build your user interfaces in a visual manner:

Other utilities

The SDK includes a number of utilities for importing your various assets for use in your game. There is a command line based model converter for importing your 3D model into PSM’s native MDX format. There are also tools for importing Flash animations, and graphical shaders, as well as a tool for creating on-screen controllers for Android devices. Finally, there is the PublishingUtility, which is used to prepare your application for deployment to the online store as well as for creating downloadable content. Assuming a default installation, all these tools and more are located in the folder C:\Program Files(x86)\SCE\PSM\tools. We will cover many of these tools in detail later in the book.

PlayStation Mobile certified devices

PlayStation Mobile can target the PlayStation Vita, as well as a growing number of PlayStation certified devices. Currently this includes a number of Xperia mobile phones, Sony Android tablets, and a series of HTC phones. You can see a full list of certified phones at http://www.playstation.com/psm/certified.html.

It is hard to believe the level of technology being packed into these devices. Let us now see the specifications for the PlayStation Vita and HTC One X phones, two supported devices.