Xperia Play

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Xperia Play in the open position
Manufacturer Sony Ericsson
Series Sony Ericsson Xperia[1]
Compatible networks

GSM (GPRS, EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS (HSPA) 800/850/1900/2100

UMTS (HSPA) 900/2100
CDMA EvDO revA[2]
First released April 1, 2011 (2011-04-01)
Availability by country

March 2011[3][4]
Launch date depends on country, starting April 1, 2011[5][6][7]

US Availability: May 26 (Verizon) September 18 (AT&T)
Predecessor PSP Go
Xperia Pro
Successor PlayStation Vita
Xperia Ray
Related Xperia S
Xperia U
Type Eighth generation smartphone
Form factor Slider
Dimensions 119 mm (4.7 in) H
62 mm (2.4 in) W
16 mm (0.63 in) D[2]
Weight 175 g (6.2 oz)[2]
Operating system Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread[2]
Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich via the use of CyanogenMod[8]
CPU 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 MSM8255[9]
GPU Adreno 205[9]
Memory 512 MB[9]
Storage 400 MB[2]
Removable storage microSD card (up to 32 GB)
Battery 1500 mAh
Data inputs Touchscreen
Accelerometer[10]
Touchpad
20× buttons
(D-pad, , , , , L, R, Select, Start, Menu (×2), Back, Home, Search, Volume ±, Power)
Display 4 in (100 mm) TFT LCD touchscreen, 854 × 480[2] FWVGA, 16M colors
Rear camera 5.1 MP[2] (480p with stock OS, 720p with update)
Front camera VGA, 640 × 480; 1.3 MP[2]
Connectivity micro-USB 2.0[9]
SAR Head: 0.323 W/kg 1 g
Body: 0.473 W/kg 1 g
Hotspot: 1.400 W/kg 1 g[11]
Hearing aid compatibility M4/T4[12]

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play[13] (stylized Xperia PLAY and codenamed Zeus)[14][15] is a handheld game console smartphone produced by Sony Ericsson. Under the Xperia smartphone brand running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the device is the first to be part of the PlayStation Certified program which means that it can play PlayStation Mobile games. The device was originally thought to carry the PlayStation branding, though this has been clarified to be a certification of being part of the PlayStation Certified program.

On March 4, 2010, the device was announced for the first time codenamed the PlayStation Phone, but rumors were going around long before Sony announced the device as early as 2005.

On February 13, 2011, at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2011, it was announced that the device would be shipping globally in March 2011, with a launch lineup of around 50 software titles.[3] In the US, the Xperia Play was initially available only on the Verizon network,[3] until the release of the Xperia Play 4G on AT&T.[16] In Mexico it is available through Telcel.[17] In the UK, carriers O₂, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and Three have confirmed that they were to stock the handset.[18] In Canada, the device is carried exclusively by Rogers Wireless.[19]

Hardware

The device is a horizontally sliding phone with its original form resembling the Xperia X10 while the slider below resembles the slider of the PSP Go. The slider features a D-pad in an indented area on the left side, a set of standard PlayStation buttons (, , and ) in an indented area on the right, a long rectangular touchpad in the middle, Start and Select buttons in an indented area on the bottom right corner, a Menu button on the bottom left corner, and two shoulder buttons (L and R) on the back of the device.[20] The original form, has a long rectangular touchscreen, and four buttons below, for Back, Home, Menu, and Search.[20] The device features a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a Qualcomm Adreno 205 GPU, a 4.0 in (100 mm) TFT LCD display with a resolution of 854 × 480 (FWVGA) capable of 16,777,216 colors, a 5.1-megapixel camera, 512 MB RAM, 400 MB internal storage and a micro-USB connector. It supports microSD cards, in contrast to the PSP consoles, which use Memory Stick variants, and the PlayStation Vita, which uses a custom, proprietary flash storage medium.[9][20][21]

Software

The handset in the closed position

The device runs on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system,[22] with early prototypes running Android 2.2.[14] The R800i (International), R800a (North America), and R800at (AT&T) variants uses a custom skin over Android named the "Xperia UI" shared by the Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo released in the same year. The R800x (Verizon) variant uses the stock Android UI found on the Nexus S.

PlayStation Mobile

The device is said to feature games graphically within the range of similar portable devices[20] and plays these games via an application known as PlayStation Mobile. It changes the interface of the device from that of a phone to the XrossMediaBar, closely resembling that of the PlayStation Portable.[9][10] A dedicated section in Google Play specifically for games for the system allowing users to download games on the go is also added.[21][23] Titles shown off internally on the device include PSP games, such as God of War and LittleBigPlanet, as well as older PlayStation games; there are also plans for future games incorporating augmented reality similar to Invizimals.[21] The prices of the games were expected to be under US$10, considerably lower than the PlayStation Portable's price range of less than US$40 per game.[24]

Android

The device is compatible with Android software, which can be downloaded from the Google Play store (Formerly Android Market). Many games are optimized for use with the device's additional gaming controls, including the video game streaming service OnLive.[25]

History

Development

Rumors

Reports of a PlayStation smartphone have existed as early as 2006 when Sony Computer Entertainment filed a patent for a PlayStation Phone.[26] Rumors of such a device resurfaced again in 2007 when a Sony Ericsson executive announced that they were developing a device for gaming, and plans to use the XrossMediaBar in its devices.[27] In June 2007, head of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, David Reeves, denied the existence of such a device saying that he had no knowledge of such a device being developed.[28] During the 2007 Games Convention, Peter Ahnegard, an executive at Sony Ericsson, further fueled rumors of a PlayStation Phone, when asked about the device he said that "It's obviously something that we're looking at but right now I can't really comment".[29]

In the early 2008, the official Sony Magazine reported that "a new PSP-style phone is apparently in development".[30] In early 2009, it was reported that plans for a PlayStation Phone has been cancelled as Sony were unwilling to license the PlayStation brand to Sony Ericsson unless Sony would produce the handset independently. This subsequently prompted a fallout between Sony and Sony Ericsson.[31] In May 2009, rumors of such a device arose once again when then head of Sony Ericsson, Hideki Komiyama, told the Financial Times in an interview that as part of his recovery plan for Sony Ericsson, he would like to combine the PlayStation brand with their phones similar to how they had created the Walkman and Cyber-shot lines of mobile phones.[32] In June 2009, The Nikkei reported that Sony Ericsson were developing a "cellphone-game gear hybrid" as a competitor to Apple's iPhone, combining the functionality of a mobile phone and a handheld gaming device.[33]

Images surface

In early 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported that Sony was getting ready to release a smartphone able to download and play video games.[34] The first solid details about the phone came via Engadget in August 2010, reporting many leaked details about the device including that it runs Android, it is a sliding phone with a button configuration similar to the PSP Go, with some technical specifications.[21] Pictures of the device were leaked to the internet when Engadget released pictures of a prototype running Android 2.2, a PSP Go like form factor with a touch pad and microSD card support.[20] Several sites however, have questioned the legitimacy of the images of the device in question, though Engadget has rebuked these theories and shown their proven track record of leaked devices which include the iPad, 2010 MacBook Air and the Nexus One.[14] More images of the device were released by Engadget on October 29, 2010 showing the device running Android 2.2 Froyo and showing its model as "Zeus", it adds that there are several of these devices in internal testing stages with at least one device running Android 2.3 Gingerbread.[35] A video showing the device in the wild in Greece was leaked on December 1, 2010, It showed the device running Android 2.3, and reported that the device's final name would be the Sony Ericsson Z1 though this has not been confirmed by multiple sources.[36]

Two days later, more videos were leaked. They were far clearer, showing the device clearly, with a "PlayStation" icon on the phone which displays a XrossMediaBar-themed interface when selected.[37] On January 5, 2011, Engadget published more photos of what seems to be the final design for the device as it bears both the PlayStation and Xperia brands which weren't on the prototypes.[1] The day after, several other clearer photos and videos of the device was leaked revealing what seems to be its final design, specs, and its benchmark score of 59.1 frames per second.[9][10] On January 10, 2011, a video showing the device playing original PlayStation games was released. Though it is unclear whether the games were being played through official software or an emulator of the original PlayStation console.[38] On January 12, 2011 a Chinese website released pictures of what looked like the device disassembled with the parts spread out and the casing removed.[39]

Official announcement

On February 6, 2011, Sony Ericsson created an event for the Xperia Play on their Facebook page.

In late January or early February, a shortened version of an advert made for airing during the Super Bowl was leaked on several websites. On February 6, 2011, the device was officially announced with the broadcast of the version of this ad.[40] On February 13, 2011 more details were released by Sony Ericsson.

Release

On April 1, 2011, the device was released in the UK,[6] Ireland[41] and Spain.[5] On April 28, 2011, it was launched in Canada, exclusively to Rogers.[42] The US launch was officially scheduled for Spring 2011, and while a time frame of mid-April was initially given,[7] the device's launch was pushed back to May 26.[43] In Indonesia, the device was launched on XL Axiatta network on July 29, 2011. On September 18, 2011, the Xperia Play 4G was released for AT&T, it features HSPA+ for faster speeds and it comes in a Stealth Blue color.[16]

Android updates

On September 8, 2011, Sony Ericsson confirmed that the Xperia Play, and all Xperia phones released in 2011, would receive an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. More information on this upgrade was announced on November 15, 2011.[44]

However, on May 25, 2012, a post on the Sony Xperia Product Blog stated that following beta testing and discussions with developers, the Xperia Play would not receive an update to Android 4.0, citing stability concerns.[45] A beta Android 4.0 ROM was made available for testing on unlocked phones.[46] Numerous independent developers have made custom roms with Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat and Lollipop available.

Emulation and homebrew

Since the Xperia Play runs on Android, the device may install apps for playing homebrew games. It is commonly used to run emulators for older game systems such as Atari 2600, MAME, Commodore 64, SNES, Sega Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation Portable, and many others.[47][48]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Chris Ziegler (January 4, 2010). "Sony's PlayStation Phone finally gets Xperia, PlayStation logos". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Xperia Play | PlayStation certified Android mobile". Sony Ericsson. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 "Live from Sony Ericsson's MWC 2011 press event!". Engadget. February 13, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Sony Ericsson Xperia Play UK launch set for March". T3. February 14, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Sony Ericsson Spain confirms Xperia Play for €649 on April 1st". Engadget. March 14, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "O2 delays Xperia Play UK launch". Eurogamer. March 25, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Verizon Xperia Play US release dated for mid-April". Pocket Lint. March 22, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  8. ↑ http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-play/help/qa-cm-12-unofficial-builds-feedback-t2995442/post58016272#post58016272
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Plunkett, Luke (January 6, 2010). "Rumor: Here Are The PlayStation Phone's Specs". Kotaku. Gawker. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 Plunkett, Luke (January 6, 2010). "Let's See The PlayStation Phone In Action". Kotaku. Gawker. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  11. ↑ Report, FCC, 1423209
  12. ↑ "Xperia Play by Sony Ericsson". Wireless. Verizon. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  13. ↑ Ivan, Tom (February 3, 2011). "PlayStation Phone commercial hits the net". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  14. 1 2 3 Topolsky, Joshua (October 27, 2010). "The PlayStation Phone is still real". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  15. ↑ Garratt, Patrick (October 27, 2010). "PS Phone: Zeus is "right name", it's "based on PSP1"". VG247. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  16. 1 2 Davies, Chris. "AT&T XPERIA Play 4G dated for $50 US release". Slash Gear. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  17. ↑ (Spanish) Telcel, la Red en tus manos. Telcel.com. Retrieved on 2013-11-24.
  18. ↑ "Sony Ericsson Xperia Play confirmed for Three in UK". T3. February 8, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
  19. ↑ Flatley, Joseph L. (2011-02-15). "Xperia Play and Xperia Arc confirmed for Rogers in Canada (update)". Engadget. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Topolsky, Joshua (October 26, 2010). "The PlayStation Phone". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Topolsky, Joshua (August 11, 2010). "Exclusive: Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone". Engadget. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  22. ↑ Lai, Richard (November 10, 2010). "Sony Ericsson's Anzu/X12 to be Xperia Gingerbread flagship? (Update: more pics!)". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  23. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (December 28, 2010). "Report: New PlayStation Phone Coming Next Spring". Kotaku. Gawker. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  24. ↑ Cullen, Johnny (November 25, 2010). "Rumour: PS Phone to be announced on December 9". VG247. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  25. ↑ Paterson, Mark (January 4, 2012). "Playing through OnLive now possible on your Android", Ready Up! Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  26. ↑ Luke Plunkett (March 6, 2008). "Sony's 2006 PlayStation Phone Patent". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  27. ↑ Brian Crecente (April 11, 2007). "Rumor: Ericsson Working on PSP Phone". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  28. ↑ Lisa Foster (June 11, 2007). "Reeves: ‘No PSP phone coming'". MCV. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  29. ↑ Luke Plunkett (August 28, 2007). "More PlayStation Phone Hints, Nudges, Winks". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  30. ↑ Luke Plunkett (February 15, 2008). "Official Sony Mag Talks PSP Phone". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  31. ↑ Brian Crecente (January 16, 2009). "Sony Nixes Playstation-Branded Phone". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  32. ↑ Luke Plunkett (May 8, 2009). "Sony: A PlayStation Phone "Could Happen"". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  33. ↑ Luke Plunkett (June 27, 2009). "Nikkei: Sony To Build Gaming Phone". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  34. ↑ Daisuke Wakabayashi And Yukari Iwatani Kane (March 5, 2010). "New Sony Gadgets Take Aim at Apple". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
  35. ↑ Joshua Topolsky (October 29, 2010). "The PlayStation Phone: new photos, more details!". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
  36. ↑ Vlad Savov (December 1, 2010). "PlayStation Phone espied in Greece, said to have Gingerbread and 4-inch screen (video)". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  37. ↑ Paul Miller (December 3, 2010). "PlayStation Phone 'Zeus Z1' caught on video again, this time you can actually see it (update)". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  38. ↑ Brian Barrett (January 10, 2011). "Watch the PlayStation Phone Actually Play Games". Gizmodo. Gawker Media. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
  39. ↑ Brian Ashcraft (January 12, 2011). "The PlayStation Phone, Torn Apart". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  40. ↑ Severino, Anthony (February 5, 2011). "Xperia Play to Get Super Bowl Ad Debut". playstationlifestyle.net. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  41. ↑ "Xperia Play lands in Ireland". TV3. April 1, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  42. ↑ Chavez, Chris (2011-04-13). "Rogers Confirms April 28th Release Date for Xperia Play and Arc". Phandroid.com. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  43. ↑ "Verizon to offer Sony Ericsson Xperia Play smartphone (US)". Wireless Federation. May 18, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  44. ↑ "Ice Cream Sandwich for Sony Ericsson 2011 Xperia™ portfolio". November 15, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  45. ↑ "Update on Ice Cream Sandwich rollout for Xperia™ smartphones". Retrieved May 25, 2012. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  46. ↑ Archived April 21, 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  47. ↑ "The XPERIA Play gets previewed again, game emulator tested". GSMArena.com. 9 January 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  48. ↑ P., Daniel (29 March 2011). "Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY old school emulator game demo". PhoneArena.com. Retrieved 21 November 2012.

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