Are we moving closer to the official announcement of a PlayStation Phone? Engadget is running images of a device it claims to be the mythical hardware, with a few interesting details. The phone allegedly sports a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and the screen is "in the range" of 3.7 to 4.1 inches.

The hardware is a prototype, so don't expect finalized color or detail work, but you can see the touchpad in the center of the bottom section of the phone, and in other pictures you can see shoulder buttons. It's not a bad looking phone, even at the prototype phase. It's also very close to the mock-up that was created when the rumors first picked up steam.

What's interesting is Sony's response to the images. Sony of Europe first told sites such as Gamasutra that the images were fakes, but now the PR machine has kicked in and changed the responses to a firm "no comment." Engadget has fired back, saying the phone is definitely real.

"We're not saying that because we want to believe or because we're gingerly trying to nab pageviews: we're saying it because we know it to be true," Engadget explained. "This is a device which has been confirmed through multiple, trusted sources. And we're not just talking good tipsters—some of our information comes from people much more closely connected to the project." The phone is said to be code-named "Zeus."

Is this the real deal? Keep in mind that Sony Ericcson recently pulled out of Symbian to move to Android. Android handsets might not be all the electronics giant has in store.