The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (update: video and full spec sheet!)

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (update: video and full spec sheet!)

We'll forgive you if you thought the Xperia Play was eons before. Let's
quickly run through its short-yet-illustrious history: we published first details in August last year, followed by the very first pictures in late October. More and more details emerged throughout the remainder of the year. By the time 2011 hit, a prototype was making the Chinese media rounds (teardown included), and then we managed to get our own Xperia Play prototype for preview. It's at this point that Sony Ericsson joins in on the fun with its creepy Super Bowl ad reveal.


But after months of detailed leaks, early hands-on previews,
and numerous executive non-denials, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is finally 100 percent official.


As we've heard for ages now, it'll run Android 2.3 Gingerbread on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor with Qualcomm
Adreno 205 graphics
and display those games on a sizable 4-inch, 854 x 480 multi-touch LCD
screen, the combination of which Sony says will provide 60 frames per
second playback and manage up to 5 hours, 35 minutes of battery life in a
single game session with the slide-out PlayStation Certified
controller. Gaming credentials aside, you're looking at either a
quad-band GSM or CDMA and EV-DO smartphone with a 5-megapixel autofocus
camera, LED flash, stereo speakers, Bluetooth and WiFi functionality
baked in, as well as Sony Ericsson's Timescape UI layer.


The phone comes preloaded with a "legendary" PSone game of the
undisclosed variety, as well as a bevy of popular Android games
including
Asphalt 6, The Sims 3 and Tetris,
and Sony Ericsson promises a library of 50 additional titles available
at launch from 20 publishing partners. Some games ported from existing
smartphone platforms (like Reckless Racing) will have bonus
content on Xperia Play, too. Local area multiplayer gaming is a go, as
you'll be able to host a WiFi hotspot on one device and join the game
with another. It's launching in March, and will be available on Verizon
(a US timed exclusive) in "early spring," suggesting that we'll see the
European launch before it hits the States.

Update:

Press release, full, gigantic spec sheet and loads of video after the break!

Update 2: A brand new Xperia Play hands-on with games!

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