Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play was probably the company’s worst kept secret with numerous leaks to its credit and it last made headlines with the Facebook launch on Feb 13. Sony Ericsson has come out with more on the Android based Xperia Play, the latest in its Xperia range of smartphones. The mobile device merges a PlayStation-like gaming experience with Android smartphone technology.
The Xperia Play that is said to be the first PlayStation (PS) certified phone, will have access to game content presented through the PlayStation Suite initiative which is currently under development. The company has signed on various heavy-weight game publishers such as PopCap, Glu Mobile, Fishlabs, Gameloft and more to provide new titles which will be accessible through the Android Market. The device’s’ slide out game pad shows off a digital D pad, two shoulder buttons, two analogue touch pads and four PS icons including the triangle, circle, cross and square.
“Today is a very proud moment for Sony Ericsson as we bring something truly revolutionary to the market. Living up to our vision of Communication Entertainment, Xperia Play will forever change the way people think about smartphones and mobile gaming.The launch of Xperia PLAY could not have been possible without the close collaboration of both Google and Sony Computer Entertainment. The commitment of so many industry leading game publishers further demonstrates that Xperia Play will deliver on the long-held expectations from consumers the world over,” shared Rikko Sakaguchi, Executive Vice President and Chief Creation Officer at Sony Ericsson.
The phone integrates a 5.1MP AF flash camera with geotagging and touch focus features for users to capture those candid moments. It boasts of a 4” FWVGA capacitive multi-touch screen and runs on a 1GHz Scorpion ARMv7 processor. This device is powered by Gingerbread or Android v2.3, which the latest version of Google’s Android platform. Delivering internal memory of 400MB, the phone is equipped with a microSD card slot for memory expandability of up to 32GB. Other basic features that come packed with this device includes GPS support, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, document editors and readers, a 3.5mm audio jack and more. The network capabilities cover GSM, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA2000 and more. This mobile phone cum gaming gizmo will be available in white or black colors.
Starting from the month of March, Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play will be up for grabs in select markets the world over. Pricing details are yet to be made public.