Judging by a new batch of leaked patent application images, it looks as though another string could soon be added to the PSP’s expansive multimedia bow. The patent in question, which was filed by Sony Ericsson and dated May 31 2007, shows a PSP mobile phone, with numeric keys and a rotating display.

According to the image above, the screen can be swivelled between landscape mode (for gaming) and portrait mode (for gassing to friends), with alternating game controls and phone buttons appearing as the display is moved.

But is any of this a particularly good idea? Historically speaking, the phone/games console combo has not proven an appealing package to consumers. Nokia’s N-Gage was a flop almost from the start of its short life, while the less said about the - shudder – Gizmondo (which could send SMS messages, though admittedly fell short of being a fully-fledged phone), the better. And what about the sheer size of the thing? Sleek it may be, but the PSP is barely pocket-sized in its current form.

Nevertheless, a PSP-based phone would boast a trump card or two that neither the N-Gage or Gizmondo ever possessed, namely a broad, established software library, the recognised PSP brand, and some pretty meaty technology under its glossy exterior. We shall, as they say, see.