If the current crop of Android-based tablets have been unable to dethrone the iPad, perhaps Sony will succeed where others have failed. That’s the logic behind a pair of tablets launched at a media event in Japan overnight, although you’ll have to wait for the leaves to start falling to get one.

AppleInsider is reporting that Sony held a media event in Japan while most of us were sleeping, showing off what they dub simply as S1 and S2 -- a pair of tablets aimed at chipping away at the iPad’s ever-growing market share, particularly where mobile gaming is concerned.

Both tablets will come packing Google’s tablet-friendly Android 3.0 Honeycomb software when they hit stores in the fall. The S1 is a 9.4-inch slate with a familiar form factor for current tablet users, while the S2 is a fold-out affair featuring two 5.5-inch displays. Both will be compatible with PlayStation games.

“The two devices will be marketed under the ‘Sony Tablet’ brand and will feature heavy cross-promotion of Sony's Qriocity media suite,” AppleInsider reveals. “The S1 will feature a Tegra 2 processor, Wi-Fi and 3G/4G cellular data capability. IT will also include an IR port for AV controls with Sony's line of Bravia televisions and support for the Sony-initiated Digital Living Network Alliance standards. Sony held off on revealing further details on either the S1 or the S2, disclaiming that ‘design and specifications are subject to change without notice.’”

Sony is also working with Google and “other Android handset makers” to introduce the PlayStation Suite, which promises to bring both new and classic games to the platform.  It’s a first for the notoriously proprietary Sony, which further illustrates the challenge ahead as they try to compete with Apple’s wildly popular iOS devices.

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(Image courtesy of AppleInsider)