Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Summary
Sony Ericsson, the mobile phone maker, announced the release of Xperia Play handset, which is a smart phone that has some of the same features from Sony Corporation’s Playstation gaming console. The phone is expected to reach stores in various markets over the next couple of weeks. All five of the mobile phone networks in the U.K. will carry the handset: T-Mobile, 3, O2, Orange and Vodafone. It will also be available in Canada via the Rogers network.
Xpleria Play has already started selling in some regions, including Germany, the UK and Scandinavia; in the coming weeks it will reach other markets such as France, India and Spain; Sony also added that the phone will be available in U.S. via Verizon Wireless later this spring.
Sony Ericsson is a joint venture between Japan’s Sony and Sweden’s Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson. The announcement of the launch of Xperia Play is an attempt to stake its claim on the consumer electronics market, which is currently dominated by Apple Inc.’s iPad tablet.
Xperia Play will be the first of its kind to meet the standards of Sony’s newly released PlayStation Certified distinction, which are specifications identified by Sony that allow handsets based on Google Inc.’s Android platform. This platform allows older PlayStation games to be played on tablet computers and mobile phones and these devices are becoming more important to the company’s overall mission and strategy.
Sony Ericsson announced that it has formed joint ventures and partnerships with approximately 20 different gaming developers, and added that the titles that are available for Xperia Play include various casual games that are optimized for use with the handset, a variety of 3D titles and original PlayStation games.
To date, Xperia Play has over 60 games available, including some of the most popular such as Need for Speed, Assassins Creed and The Sims.
The handset itself consists of a 4″ touchscreen slider; the difference is that, instead of revealing a keyboard, it reveals PlayStation-like buttons and controls. It is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor (developed by Qualcomm), with an Adreno GPU embedded that is capable of 60fps playback 3D gaming. Other features include 400 MB of RAM, a 5.1 megapixel flash camera, Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, support for 32GB MicroSD storage and 802.11 Wi-Fi consisting of hotspot functionality.
According to Sony’s calculations, the phone’s battery will allow for about five hours of 3D game play time, which is comparable to Apple’s iPhone. Thanks to the powerful processor and ARM’s v7 instruction set, this handset is designed with low power consumption and high performance in mind.
Sony Ericcson is quick to point out that they have not just released a single phone, but a whole gaming platform, that allows other Android smartphones with the capability of becoming “PlayStation Certified.” This creates a whole new branch in the Android applications field; this will include games that are optimized for PlayStation Certified Devices. They can be accessed through the PlayStation Suite application.
Once the Xperia Play handset is released in all regions, expect Sony Ericsson to release more games and make them available for downloading.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Review
With the recent release of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play handset, gamers everywhere are rejoicing. Designed and created with the aid of over 20 gaming developers, this handset promises to be a favourite with gamers. Currently there are over 50 games available for download, but more are expected to be released in the coming weeks, as the phone enters new markets, such as the U.S., India, Italy and Spain.
The biggest feature of this Google Android device is the four-inch multi-touch screen with a slider; instead of revealing a keyboard, this handset reveals buttons and controls PlayStation-style. This consists of the famous PlayStation triangle, circle, square and cross buttons, two analogue touch pads, and a d-pad.
The Xperia Play is Sony Ericsson’s attempt to corner the existing consumer electronics market, which is dominated by various Apple products, such as the iPad, iTouch and the iPhone.
Sony Ericsson’s gaming ambassador, Jonas Berg explained that the controller is developed so that the players don’t need the use of an onscreen ‘virtual joypad.’ Instead, the display is ‘cleared’ for game viewing. “When playing games on a smartphone device, you’re actually covering up part of the experience…we’ve added the next layer of gaming,” Berg said. Built-in to the handset is also an accelerometer, which allows for motion controls.
Xperia Play uses Gingerbread (version 2.3) of Android. It comes with a 1Ghz CPU, and uses Snapdragon, Qualcomm’s high-end chipset. It is also embedded with a GPU graphics processor by Adreno.
In Sony Ericsson’s press release, they claimed that the device was capable of “silky smooth 60fps 3D mobile gaming.” It is the first Google Android phone to meet the standards of Sony’s Playstation certification system. This means that the handset will have access to a wide range of original PlayStation titles. Later this year, the PlayStation Suite program will be made available.
The Xperia Play phone and its gaming capability is the result of a close collaboration between Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Ericsson and various leading publishers of the gaming industry. Xperia Play enhanced versions of Need for Speed, Sims 3 and FIFA 10 are to be released via Electronic Arts. FIFA 10 will feature an online multiplayer function – the first for a mobile version. Ubisoft will be releasing Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed, Tekken will be released by Namco Bandai and Activision is said to be releasing Guitar Hero. Other gaming specialists such as Gameloft, Digital Chocolate, Fishlabs and Glu are also apparently onboard. There are said to be over 50 titles available for download on the Android market for use on the handset. There are several games that are going to be embedded at the time of the launch.
The widely used Unity games development platform will also be supported by the handset. This platform has been popular with iOS developers, providing handheld platforms fast 3D visuals.
One of the most important features of the Xperia Play is the fact that the battery allows for about 5 and a half hours of 3D gaming time, according to Sony’s estimates. This is comparable to Apple’s iPhone, which has actually recorded over six hours on the minimum settings. The Snapdragon processor is designed for low power consumption while maintaining high performance levels. This is in part, due to the ARM’s v7 instruction set, which is commonly used in the mobile industry. The ARM technology is also used in the NGP handheld gaming console, also owned by Sony Ericsson.
As for which networks are going to carry the handset: in the UK, it will be carried by all five of the major networks including O2, T-Mobile, Orange, 3 and Vodafane; in the U.S., it will be carried exclusively by Verizon wireless, although some of the other networks may pick it up in the future as well. The cost is set at approximately 499 pounds in the UK and $400 U.S. Canadian prices will probably be closer to $500.
Sony Ericsson is a joint venture between Sweden’s Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson and Japan’s Sony. The Xperia Play is the first handset that meets the certification standards for Sony’s newly appointed Certified distinction. This is a set of conditions that were laid out by Sony that allow phones to play the older, classic PlayStation games, based on Google’s open Android platform. These devices are becoming an important part of Sony’s overall business strategy.
Several other features of the Xperia Play are a 4″ touchscreen slider, two 5.1 megapixel cameras, Bluetooth 2.0, 32GB of storage, 802.11 Wi-Fi hotspot functionality and a GPS. According to Sony Ericsson, they are not releasing just a single handset, they are releasing an entire gaming platform, allowing other Android smartphones to become “Playstation Certified.”
The certification means that a branch of Android applications should allow for the running of older PlayStation games. The PLAY will have the Playstation Suite application built-in for easy accessibility.
David Hilton, the Sony Ericsson boss, has said that the new phone will be the subject of the “biggest marketing campaign” in the company’s history.
The Xperia PLAY promises to be a very popular device among young and old alike; gamers everywhere have been eagerly awaiting the release of this handset, even at its steep price. Ever since the creepy SuperBowl ad that depicted an Android with human thumbs, people all over the world have been eagerly awaiting its relese. It promises to start a new revolution in the gaming industry. The phone comes with an external memory card that can store up to 32 GB of memory. The phone itself holds 8 GB of memory. The extra memory card is a complimentary accessory that Sony Ericsson provides to its customers.
Of course, the Xperia PLAY is equipped with excellent social media capabilities. There is no reason to fall behind on Facebook status, Tweets, or Myspace updates. The camera feature is well-equipped with five megapixels. You don’t have to be a photographer to take great pictures with this handset.
Even with all of its extensive features, the biggest one remains the slide out keyboard that has the many gaming functions that emulate the PlayStation consoles. Sony Ericsson is counting on this handset to claim its share of the market, and leave Apple and Google in the dust.
Sony of Japan and Ericsson of Sweden merged in October of 2005 and has since become one of the top companies in the industry; it has enjoyed steady growth over the years and the Xperia PLAY will probably push them even further up the ranks within the mobile phone industry.
Other features of the handset are fairly standard with other mobile phones in its class. The display is an LED backlit LCD; a capactive touchscreen; touch sensitive controls; Accelerometer sensor for the user interface auto rotate; MP3 ringtones and vibration sound types; camera is featured with 5 megapixels, auto-focus, image stabilization and video imaging; background noise filtering; digital MP3 and MP4 compatible; digital compass; Gmail and Google search maps; Google talk, YouTube, Calendar, Organizer, and Voice Memo with dial commands.
Only time will tell whether the Xperia PLAY will live up to the hype it has drawn for months. Gamers will certainly input their opinions on whether or not the handset lives up to the attention it has garnered. Marketing and advertising can only get you so far; if you don’t have a sustainable product, it will quickly disappear from the marketplace. It seems to have all of the features necessary to catapult it to mobile phone superstar status.
The younger gamers will appreciate the social media connectivity, camera and other features that this phone provides. “Older” gamers will enjoy the original and classic games from yesteryear; both generations will benefit from the camera, ringtones, and GPS features that it provides.
Even if you are an avid Apple or Google Fan, you’ll want to give the new Sony Ericsson Experia PLAY phone a try. With its multiple features and capabilities, it rivals the best phones currently on the market.
If gamers aren’t careful, they could quickly find that the phone takes over their spare time, as well as interfere with their work and family time. The games, always available, will entice even the most disciplined gamer.
It is important to compare phone plans to ensure that the hours you are going to inevitably spend playing the games will not eat up your minutes or data plan. Check with your provider (Verizon, Rogers, T-Mobile, etc.) to get a contract in writing and understand exactly what you will get billed for. If you have more than one phone, you may be able to get a ‘family plan’ that will allow you to have free features or text messenging between the numbers you contact the most.
The Xperia PLAY phones are sure to entice serious and casual gamers alike. It may not be Sony Ericsson’s ultimate goal to merge the old generation with the new, but that is just what may happen when the classic games are downloaded with the newest versions. Only time will tell. You be the judge.