By We didn’t see Sony make the Xperia Play official at CES 2011, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get news from unofficial sources, like one lucky guy who was recently playing Resident Evil 2 and Rage Racer on the still only rumored and unreleased device:
I’m actually REALLY excited for this device. Android gaming is an area of HUGE growth opportunity and a phone like this, pushed by Sony, could really gain some traction. How many people out there will snag this device as soon as it comes out if it lands on their carrier? I suppose there are too many details to answer that fairly, but if you like video games and phones? The Xperia Play seems like a no-brainer.
[Via Engadget]
Too bad it’s made by Sony Ericsson.
Looks terrible. I think this playstation phone thing looks rather dull and uninspiring. The control pad looks awful. Don’t get me wrong I love PSP and am waiting for PSP2 but a PSPhone just shouldn’t exist at least from what I’ve seen so far.
I’m waiting for a phone with built-in game controls and a Tegra 2. I’m not going to waste money on a phone at this point that’s not going to be able to play the latest games in 3 months.
I think the game pad trumps all of the other features on my wishlist. Sure, it would be great if it had a faster processor, was a bit more sleek, etc. but, c’mon – with that controller and a few emulators I could be carrying around ever classic Nintendo game ever made (and be able to play them – properly)! How could that NOT be the ultimate killer feature?
And, with any luck, Sony will put together a decent PSPocket app and let me play some newer stuff too. But, you know, that’s just icing on the cake!
@Clayton I’m glad you said that because I personally cannot see anything in this phone. To me, instead of a useful and versatile keyboard, you can get a very limited functioning gamepad. That’s fine if the phone OS is build from the ground up to utilize the hardware but this looks like it’s just Android slapped onto the phone with some proprietary buttons and a PlayStation market. I can only hope it turns out alright or else it’s just another failure for Android (and I do not like that).
Gameplay looks smooth as can be, with great graphics. Anyone who says otherwise is, quite frankly, a hater. Everything is all about specs specs and more specs these days. Goes to show that it doesn’t take killer hardware so long as you are loading dedicated software. I still don’t think I will get myself one of these (well never say never, but I haven’t seen any of the none-gaming functions much), but for the market this is targetting (teens) I think this will do very well. The wuestion now is wether or not we will be required to sign a contract and what carrier it will be released on.
So you can run an emulator & rom buddy on the Sony phone. Wow, I can do that with my defunct Mytouch 3G. I want to see what the in-house gaming is like. Not some 3rd party emulator that’s already on the market.
I’m looking forward to it and have pretty much decided on it as my next phone to replace my Backflip. I do wish it was sporting a Tegra 2, but at least it’s a 2nd gen Snapdragon and not a 1st gen. I was also hoping for the ability to play PSP titles, but that seems rather unlikely due to how different the hardware is. However, as long as it can still connect to PSN, play PSOne Classics, and hopefully support RemotePlay, then it will meet the requirements that I need of it. Only Sony can offer the last options and it would make the system far more enticing. And I like the gamepad, despite not having a keyboard. Although let’s face it, most Android phones have gone touch-only these days anyway.
Plenty of people are comparing it to the N-Gage, but I think the Xperia Play looks to offer a far better gaming experience in terms of control as well as functionality outside of games. It’s still a full-feature Android phone even without the gaming. So it wins there. What’s more, the N-Gage gaming experience on the N-Gage was more awkward and limited. So the Xperia Play wins here too.
So as long as Sony doesn’t kill it by corporate in-fighting and allows it to achieve it’s potential, it could be a very interesting system. Full gaming unit, it might not be, but it does far more than gaming by just being an Android device, which adds a lot of versatility to it.
Its nice to see Sony fighting back against Windows Phone 7, but really its just a gimmick to me in both accounts. Trying to appeal to the gaming community is a great business move, because of the intense amount of people that arrays. Now lets see who bites. 0_o
The gamepad makes for a nice gaming experience on the phone.
I wonder was the keys auto mapped since it was a Playstation game or did he have to map it?
Make the gaming form factor an open standard and let other companies make compatible phones. Bingo…
good idea…bad execution!
I dont need my phone to play games thats y I have a ps3 thanks
Haters gonna hate? C’mon guys, you won’t find a PSP gaming pad on another phone anytime soon, and I guarantee that. Its either this or you obviously need a Tegra 2 phone with a keyboard.
Battery life has got to be absolutely terrible
I’ll wait until an official review of the phone from either Cnet or LaptopMagazine. Until then, I will hold off…
I’m pretty sure it is a GSM based phone…guess not Verizon. AT&T or T-Mobile?…I rather not buy one if that’s the case since their network sucks…not as strong as Verizon’s network. Also, is it a 4G phone?
Shift Extended: The Experiment Continues Trailer…
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