Game on
After reports of the ‘PlayStation phone' being spotted in China last week, Engadget has managed to get hold of the fabled phone to play with, which is expected to launch as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.
The version of the handset it saw is apparently ‘subject to changes' but still seems to shed a little light on what Sony Ericsson is up to. The preview comes on the same day that Sony has unveiled details of its PSP2 , codenamed NGP.
Sony has been trumpeting social connectivity for its new handheld console, which it describes as having: "both Wi-Fi and 3G network connectivity, together with various applications," leading a couple of commentators to question whether the new console or Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play is the ‘PlayStation phone' people have been waiting for.
In terms of hardware, Engadget reported that the Xperia Play (which has had a number of reported codenames) will be powered by Android Gingerbread, marketed under the Xperia brand and include elements of PlayStation. It reportedly touts a 4 inch multitouch 854 x 480 LCD screen, the same as the X10's plus a single-core processor and 512MB of RAM.
The phone also reportedly sports a 5MP camera with LED flash, although it is not known whether it will benefit from the Xperia Arc's Exmor sensor or 720p video recording. However, it does have stereo loud speakers.
In terms of buttons and the phone's layout, there are 4 Android soft keys below the screen, which slides back and reveals the PlayStation DualShock-style game pad underneath, according to Engaget's photos. There are apparently only one set of shoulder buttons and touch pads instead of the usual mechanical sticks. The website noted that the D-pad can also be used for navigating on Android, which might prove popular.
The Xperia Play is reportedly comfortable to hold and possibly slightly higher in build quality than the PSP Go. While there are currently no specific details about what games will be available for the platform, Sony has announced that a range of PlayStation One classic games will launch on Android devices later this year, and Sony will also open up access to the PlayStation Store allowing users to download other content directly onto their portables, which would seem to be a good idea for a PlayStation phone.
Here are some images of the handset, courtesy of Engadget.
