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[ZealousD]

The Xperia Play is the new Android-based gaming phone from Sony Ericcson. Its key feature is the inclusion of the slide out gamepad that mimics the layout of other Playstation devices. It is also the first "Playstation Certified" mobile device that will support the Playstation Suite framework. This phone is not a PSP. It will not play PSP games. PSone classics purchased off PSN cannot be played on this phone. The Xperia Play is a smartphone first and foremost and is likely no substitute for a dedicated gaming handheld like the 3DS or NGP.

This thread is for all discussion concerning the Xperia Play, whether related to the specific piece of hardware or for the games either optimized for or exclusive to the device. Discussion or questions concerning other Android devices or more general Android discussion should go to the Android Official Thread in the Off-Topic forum.

We all know that emulators are pretty big on Android devices. But as with all NeoGAF discussions involving piracy, please approach this topic with discretion. You should neither post links or instructions on how to obtain illegal ROMs, nor should you condone such illegal acts.
​

• Operating system: Android 2.3.2 (Gingerbread)
• Processor: 1 GHz Scorpion ARMv7, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon
• 3G: HSDPA, HSUPA
• RAM: 512 MB
• Phone memory: 400 MB
• Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32 GB
• Memory card included: 8GB microSD™
• Screen: LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
• Resolution: 480 x 854 pixels, 4.0 inches
• Stereo speakers
• Size: 119 x 62 x 16 mm
• Weight: 175 grams
• WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot

The Xperia Play is currently not available for all carriers or in all regions, and due to delays specific dates and prices are hard to come by. Currently, the phone is out in some European markets. However, the phone should be widely available in all markets by the end of May. Check with your local carriers.

United States

• Verizon - $199 /w 2yr

United Kingdom - £499-£599 unlocked

• O2
• Orange
• Three - £49-£99 on contract
• T-Mobile
• Virgin
• Vodafone

Canada - $549 unlocked

• Rogers - $99 w/ 3yr

Eurozone - 599-649€ unlocked
?

Australia - (Price??)

• Optus
• Telstra
• Three
• Vodafone

Please send me a PM if you have any additions or corrections.
​

The Xperia Play should be able to play most Android games. However, not all games may support the gamepad. Games that include traditional keypad support should work with the gamepad. Some games may be optimized for the device, while others may be exclusive to it. Games listed below are either optimized for or exclusive to the device.

Games available within the first week of launch:

• Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior from Digital Legends (pre-installed)
• FIFA 2010 from EA Mobile (pre-installed** in Europe)
• Madden NFL 2010 from EA Mobile (pre-installed** in USA)
• Sims 3 from EA Mobile (pre-installed**)
• Star Battalion from Gameloft (pre-installed**)
• Tetris from EA mobile (pre-installed**)
• Asphalt 6 from Gameloft (free to download)
• Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave from Trendy Entertainment
• Galaxy on Fire 2 from Fishlabs
• Assassins Creed from Gameloft
• Need for Speed SHIFT from EA Mobile
• Worms from EA Mobile
• Nova 2 from Gameloft
• Modern Combat Black Pegasus from Gameloft
• Guns n Glory from Handygames
• Reckless Racing from Polarbit
• Real Football 2011from Gameloft
• Gun Bros from Glu Mobile
• Racer Luma from Arcade/Unity
• Cordy from SilverTree Media
• Aporkalypse from Handygames
• Brothers in Arms Global Front from Gameloft
• Guerrilla Bob from Angry Mob Games/Unity
• Let's Golf 2 from Gameloft
• Zenonia 2 from Gamevil
• Cyberlords from Handygames
• Guitar Hero™ Warriors of Rock Mobile from Glu Mobile
• Age of Zombies from Halfbrick Studios
• Spectral Souls from HyperDevBox Japan
• Splinter Cell Conviction from Gameloft
• Air Attack from Art in Games/Unity
• Armageddon Squadron from Polarbit
• Uno from Gameloft
• InfeCCt from Handygames
• Spiderman total Mayhem from Gameloft
• Millionaire City from Digital Chocolate
• Avatar from Gameloft
• Raging Thunder 2from Polarbit
• Homerun Battle 3D from Com2us Games
• Aftermath XHD from Jakyl
• I Must Run from GameLion
• Baseball Superstars 2011from Gamevil
• Ground Effect Pro from Jakyl
• ZeNonia from Gamevil
• Super KO Boxing 2 from Glu Mobile
• Farm Story from Team Lava
• Wave Blazer from Polarbit
• Soccer Superstars from Gamevil
• Battle Bears from Skyvu
• Tower Blocks New York from Digital Chocolate
• Super Dynamite Fishing from Handygames
• Iron Sight from Polarbit
• Toonwarz from Polarbit
• Restaurant Story from Team Lava
• Escape from AMA
• Raving Babies from AMA
• Bakery Story from Team Lava
• Denki Blocks! Deluxe from Jakyl
• Rollercoaster Rush from Digital Chocolate

PlayStation original games:

• Crash Bandicoot® from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
• Cool Boarders 2 from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
• Destruction Derby from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
• Jumping Flash from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
• MediEvil™ from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
• Syphon Filter™ from Sony Computer Entertainment

* In France Syphon Filter™ will be pre-installed on Xperia PLAY.
** Pre-install may vary by territory​

Xperia Play Official Website

NeoGAF General Android Thread

Videos
IGN Preview
GSM Arena Demo
Feature and Performance demo
Phone Arena Video Review
Super Bowl Ad
Gameloft Reel

Reviews
Engadget
CNET
Hemorrdroids
Phone Arena
GSM Arena
TechRadar
PocketNow
​

 

[Corran Horn]

I want one, too bad its verizon :/

 

[Huff]

I want one, too bad its verizon :/

Yeah, I'm currently with Sprint. And thats not going to change anytime soon.

 

[Scuba Steve]

Rollercoaster Rush from Digital Chocolate

Killer app already?

 

[AranhaHunter]

Yeah, I'm currently with Sprint. And thats not going to change anytime soon.

Hah same here, I have the SERO plan and I'm not letting that go. I was actually gonna get a HTC EVO last year when I upgraded by phone, but they told me I had to change my plan so I bought a LG Rumor.

 

[Shanlei91]

Any word on the US release date?

I'm eager to see if the Verizon model (rumored to have a sim card slot) could be unlocked to have the sim slot be used for ATT.

 

[Effect]

Such a shame this is only on Verizon. Even then if I had Verizon I still wouldn't be getting it as I don't have any desire to pay for a data plan. Wifi is good enough for me.

 

[ZealousD]

Any word on the US release date?

The current rumor is the 14th. But we have no official date. Should be available by the end of the month.

 

[lantus]

Such a shame this is only on Verizon. Even then if I had Verizon I still wouldn't be getting it as I don't have any desire to pay for a data plan. Wifi is good enough for me.

I think they said it would launch first with Verizon in the states, they haven't said what other carriers would get it though.

 

[Gravijah]

look at that launch lineup


3ds shamed

 

[ZealousD]

look at that launch lineup


3ds shamed

Most of those games are just existing Android games programmed to work with the gamepad. =P

 

[MMaRsu]

Any word on when this might release in Europe? I'm looking for a new phone in the future because my contract will expire in about six months or something.

 

[reminder]

I love my Xperia Play Maybe other smartphones have better specs, but i don't care.

My only gripe is, that they included FIFA 10 instead of FIFA 11. But it's free, so i can't complain.

 

[Pachimari]

I have the Xperia Play for review and Crash Bandicoot (PSone classic) feels really good with the controller, the buttons are quality and the design of the controller itself is pleasing.

Though the rest of the phone's build feels really cheap with all the plastic going on.

Anyway, the two analogs feels weird at first - and actually still does - it doesn't work well with the two triggers; which in itself is too close to the screen when its slide out. The triggers are actually the worst part and you lose the feel of where they are located sometimes.

I have played FIFA 10, The Sims 3 (is unprecise with the analog) and Crash Bandicoot - has yet to play some of the other games.

 

[plainr_]

Will wait for PS Suite before I jump on board.

 

[Huff]

Most of those games are just existing Android games programmed to work with the gamepad. =P

Still better

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Wait, Gingerbread and Verizon? This is a pretty kickass handset I must admit.

 

[Shanlei91]

Can Tetris be played holding it normally?

I saw a video where the system is held sideways to play it (which looks incredibly silly).

Spoiler

Tetris with buttons is the only reason I'd trade my iPhone in for one.

 

[ZealousD]

Can Tetris be played holding it normally?

I believe the Tetris that comes pre-installed is just the normal version of Android Tetris and that it doesn't support the gamepad.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

WOW. My iPhone Spiderman: Total Mayhem without a controller is totally jelly.

 

[Zonar]

Day 1

 

[JWong]

You should add GSM Arena's review of the Xperia Play.

It isn't dumb like Engadget's.

 

[Thunderbear]

I want it... I got a crappy old phone since my iphone was stolen. I don't know though, I got plenty of portable gaming and the crappy old phone works...

Wonder what the price will be through Verizon. $200 with contract?

 

[ZealousD]

Wonder what the price will be through Verizon. $200 with contract?

Cheaper than that, probably. The giveaway sweepstakes they did priced the phone at $400. Extrapolating based on Verizon's current phone line up, that turns into about $99-$150 after contract. The Rogers (Canada) price is also $99 after contract.

 

[Jomjom]

Not buying this until it has access to all of my PSN PS1 games that I've bought. I bought the original PS1 release, then the PSN digital release of many of the Squaresoft games, no way I'm paying a third time for the same game.

 

[reminder]

I believe the Tetris that comes pre-installed is just the normal version of Android Tetris and that it doesn't support the gamepad.

Yep, sadly no button controls for Tetris.

 

[olimpia84]

Too bad I got a Droid X a few months ago and still have a long way to go before I'm eligible to change phones at no cost, otherwise I. would have gotten the xperia play.

 

[DrFunk]

It's supposed to be sold unlocked through SonyStyle and on contract through ATT as well: http://pocketnow.com/android/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-coming-to-att, http://pocketnow.com/android/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-confirmed-for-att

 

[AranhaHunter]

Not buying this until it has access to all of my PSN PS1 games that I've bought. I bought the original PS1 release, then the PSN digital release of many of the Squaresoft games, no way I'm paying a third time for the same game.

Yeah I want to know what's up with that also, I have a couple of PS1 games as well and if I can't transfer the license and have to buy back my games then it's a no go. Guess I have to wait to see whether or not that's part of playstation suite.

 

[punkypine]

any reviews on the screen besides from engadget? i wanna hear some other opinions

 

[ZealousD]

any reviews on the screen besides from engadget? i wanna hear some other opinions

A couple other reviews are in the OP. Some of them mention that the screen isn't the brightest in the world. I think the consensus is that it's only a problem if you're trying to play a game in direct sunlight.

 

[Jtrizzy]

How does this stack up with the X and Droid 2 hardware wise? If it functions the same as my droid 2, I'd almost consider giving up the keyboard for a dpad to use with emulators.

 

[Fezan]

So is screen any good some reviews are saying its good while other are saying its bad same with battery life???

 

[BetterWorldz]

[*]Phone memory: 400 MB

Hmm, am I the only one seeing this? That's very, very insufficient. My android phone has 512 MB and it already feels very limiting in what you can install, even when using app2sd whenever possible.

 

[Takao]

Hmm, am I the only one seeing this? That's very, very insufficient. My android phone has 512 MB and it already feels very limiting in what you can install, even when using app2sd whenever possible.

You can use micro SD cards bro.

Edit: I have selective reading problems.

 

[ZealousD]

Hmm, am I the only one seeing this? That's very, very insufficient. My android phone has 512 MB and it already feels very limiting in what you can install, even when using app2sd whenever possible.

Yeah, not fantastic, but there is an 8GB MicroSD card included, expandable to 32GB. They also made it so that you can switch out memory cards without having to remove the battery.

 

[BetterWorldz]

You can use micro SD cards bro.

Have you used an android device? Unless things changed dramatically with Gingerbread, app2sd (the usage of SD for a portion of some compatible apps) does not solve the problem of having such a limited space, which is why modern android phones come with at least 1GB internal.

edit: nevermind then

 

[Takao]

Have you used an android device? Unless things changed dramatically with Gingerbread, app2sd (the usage of SD for a portion of some compatible apps) does not solve the problem of having such a limited space, which is why modern android phones come with at least 1GB internal.

I've actually never owned a smart phone besides a silly Blackberry. Was it like the Wii where in the past you could save files to the SD, but not boot them from the SD?

 

[BetterWorldz]

I've actually never owned a smart phone besides a silly Blackberry. Was it like the Wii where in the past you could save files to the SD, but not boot them from the SD?

Actually, it's just that some apps allow you to move some of the data to the SD card. Some are great and only leave you with 200kb and the rest on SD, some (like Skype) will split 8MB in half, whil others (flash player, fully updated google maps) don't support the feature at all, and eat up to 10+MB of your precious flash memory...

Edit: also, note the Android OS will probably use half or more of the 400MB.

 

[blitz64]

Some additional reviews:

Hemorrdroids: Nice review that shows off emulators and benchmark scores
http://hemorrdroids.net/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-review/

IGN:
http://gear.ign.com/articles/115/1159358p1.html

Cnet:
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-review-50002615/

Electric pig
http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2011/03/30/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-review/

3g
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/April2011/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-review-by-3g-co-uk.html

 

[ZealousD]

Some additional reviews:

Hemorrdroids: Nice review that shows off emulators and benchmark scores
http://hemorrdroids.net/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-review/

IGN:
http://gear.ign.com/articles/115/1159358p1.html

Cnet:
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-review-50002615/

Electric pig
http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2011/03/30/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-review/

3g
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/April2011/sony-ericsson-xperia-play-review-by-3g-co-uk.html

Thanks for these. I added the Hemorrdroids and CNET reviews to the OP, since I found them the most helpful and least redundant.

 

[sonikokaruto]

all the games are cellphone games :/ wasn't this supposed to make me cum when i play it?

 

[Huff]

all the games are cellphone games :/ wasn't this supposed to make me cum when i play it?

It is a cellphone lol

And there are PS1 games there, expect more to come. maybe. If it becomes popular.

 

[ZealousD]

all the games are cellphone games :/ wasn't this supposed to make me cum when i play it?

I don't believe it was ever described as such, no. It's a mid-range Android phone that happens to have dualshock-style controls. Nothing more. Nothing less.

If you're looking for a dedicated handheld gaming device, get a 3DS or NGP.

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

Will this be able to play PSP games off of PSN someday?

 

[ZealousD]

Will this be able to play PSP games off of PSN someday?

Likely not. There's no PSP hardware inside and what does exist is not strong enough for PSP emulation.

Currently, it won't even play PS1 games bought off PSN. They've decided to make the Playstation Pocket app a completely separate market.

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

Likely not. There's no PSP hardware inside and what does exist is not strong enough for PSP emulation.

Currently, it won't even play PS1 games bought off PSN. They've decided to make the Playstation Pocket app a completely separate market.

I guess I misunderstood what this phone was supposed to be.

Seeing those face buttons and a d-pad made me think it was actually a PSP Go phone at first!

I think someday we'll see that.

 

[sonikokaruto]

I don't believe it was ever described as such, no. It's a mid-range Android phone that happens to have dualshock-style controls. Nothing more. Nothing less.

If you're looking for a dedicated handheld gaming device, get a 3DS or NGP.

i already own psp and 3ds, i just find this shit insulting dude. it's the ngage all over again.

 

[surly]

Seeing those face buttons and a d-pad made me think it was actually a PSP Go phone at first!

That's exactly what I thought it was until I read this thread.

 

[BiggNife]

i already own psp and 3ds, i just find this shit insulting dude. it's the ngage all over again.

I wouldn't go that far. The big reason why the N-Gage was such a failure was because the hardware itself was fundamentally flawed in a number of ways - ridiculously small screen, being forced to take out the battery to put in a game, sidetalkin', etc. The Play doesn't have any problem like that. Comparing the Play to an N-Gage is like comparing the 3DS to a Virtual Boy.

I will say that the "Playstation Suite" stuff that Sony has been showing so far has been underwhelming, but there's definitely potential there. If/when we start seeing PSP1 games on the Playstation Suite brand (which I think is definitely a possibility at/around the NGP launch), then a device like the Play would be a lot more tempting to me. As it stands, the Android market just doesn't have the same number of quality titles that the iOS systems have, so I don't know how much use I'd get out of that d-pad and those buttons. It feels like Sony almost figured out how to make an appealing gaming phone and then stopped a centimeter short of the finish line.