After two weeks with a Verizon-branded Xperia PLAY received at a Google I/O developer session, here are my thoughts on Sony Ericsson’s gaming/phone hybrid. Worth noting: this was not a retail box experience and may not fully reflect devices that went on sale May 26th. An AT&T version was also on the horizon at the time.
If there’s one underlying theme across Sony Ericsson’s Android lineup, it’s that they are gorgeous. The Xperia PLAY continues that tradition. It’s equal parts sleek, comfortable, and sophisticated. From the moment you take it out of the box, it looks and feels like a well-crafted device.
The PLAY might be all games under the display, but its outward appearance signals all business. Running Android 2.3 out of the box, it’s capable of supporting more than 200,000 applications. Should you be transitioning from another Android handset, previously purchased apps carry over without issue.
I don’t own a PlayStation and don’t consider myself much of a gaming enthusiast. When it comes to mobile games, I’ll opt for word games and puzzles before racing and sports titles. Having said that, the Xperia PLAY did a very good job of changing my habits. Games like Asphalt 6 and Madden 11 were genuinely immersive, largely because of the familiar controller form factor. Games play better than expected on the 4-inch display. The L&R gaming buttons are present but not obtrusive, done in a way that they exist without screaming for attention.
The phone is thicker than one might anticipate, mostly because of the full gaming controller hidden away. The word that best describes it is dense. It has definite heft and feels solid, if slightly bulky. Still, it’s thinner than the G1 and fits in a pocket well enough. Not being much of a gamer, I sometimes felt like I was carrying additional weight and thickness for features I wasn’t using regularly.
If you’re excited at the idea of a PlayStation Phone, the $199 price point won’t take much convincing. In a situation where you could describe the device as a PlayStation that makes calls, it has an impressive smartphone experience alongside the gaming. However, if you’re not sold on enhanced portable gaming, save your money and grab another Android. Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc is a much thinner and lighter phone with nearly identical hardware and software.
The Xperia PLAY is a better phone experience than you’d think, but not quite on par with the top handsets of the day. It’s an excellent gaming smartphone with a lot of potential.
Highlights
- 5-megapixel camera; photos were adequate if not exceptional
- Near-stock Android experience is refreshing
- Decent selection of optimized games at launch
- Sony Ericsson was actively rallying developer support for the gaming APIs
Room for Improvement
- Game purchases routed through Verizon’s V CAST rather than the Android Market
- No 4G LTE support despite launching on Verizon’s expanding LTE network
- No HDMI or DLNA support
- Single-core processor looked weak compared to dual-core offerings at the same price
