Xperia Play

The way's nearly over for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play on Verizon. Big Red announced this morning that it'll be available for preorder on May 19, and in stores May 26 for $199 with a two-year contract. That's the same Xperia Play as we first got our hands on back at Mobile World Congress in February, with all its Playstation game goodness.

Need a rehash of the specs? Here goes:

  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread
  • Playstation-like controllers
  • 1 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon® II processor with Adreno 205 GPU
  • Adobe® Flash® Player
  • 4-inch multi-touch display
  • 5-megapixel rear-facing camera
  • VGA front-facing camera for still shots and video chatting
  • Preloaded with seven games -- Madden NFL 11, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Asphalt 6, Adrenaline, The Sims 3, Star Battalion, Crash Bandicoot, Tetris
  • Support for Google Mobile Services including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™, Google Search™, Google Maps™, and access to more than 200,000 apps available to download from Android Market™
  • Mobile hotspot capability– share 3G connection with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices

Yeah, we're more than a little excited to get our game on with this one, folks. Full presser's after the break.

Verizon Wireless and Sony Ericsson Take Mobile Gaming to the Next Level With the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY
The World's First PlayStation® Certified Smartphone Combines PlayStation®-Quality Gaming Experience with the Latest Android Smartphone Technology

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Take conference calls, send emails and win football's biggest game, all on one device. The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY, for Verizon Wireless, redefines mobile gaming by combining all the features customers expect from a fully-featured smartphone with the ultimate gaming experience.

Powered by Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread, the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY will come pre-loaded with seven game titles, including Madden NFL 11 (EA Sports), Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior (Digital Legends), Asphalt 6: Adrenaline (Gameloft), The Sims 3 (EA), Star Battalion (Gameloft), Crash Bandicoot (Sony PlayStation) and Tetris. Customers can expand their video game library with more than 50 game titles available at launch for download via V CAST Apps. Customers easily become gamers with the slide out game pad revealing a directional keypad, dual analog touch joystick, two shoulder buttons and the four iconic PlayStation® symbol keys: circle, X, square and triangle.

Additional Features:

1 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon® II processor with Adreno 205 GPU
Adobe® Flash® Player
4-inch multi-touch display
5-megapixel rear-facing camera
VGA front-facing camera for still shots and video chatting
Support for Google Mobile Services including Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Talk™, Google Search™, Google Maps™, and access to more than 200,000 apps available to download from Android Market™
Mobile hotspot capability– share 3G connection with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices


Pricing and Availability:

The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY will be available for pre-order online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning May 19 and in stores on May 26 for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access and an unlimited smartphone data plan is $29.99 for monthly access.


Game Developers:

The gaming experience can only get better as additional games are being created. Developers have the flexibility to focus on content and not worry about binary file sizes when submitting apps to V CAST Apps. Developers can visit http://developer.verizon.com/play for additional information about game development for the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY.


For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. To learn more about the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY, visit www.sonyericsson.com.