Mobile gaming reaches a new level with the PlayStation-certified Xperia Play from Sony Ericsson.
BARCELONA, Spain-The
mobile gaming experience got a boost this week from handset maker Sony Ericsson,
which debuted at Mobile World Congress the Xperia Play, the latest phone in its
Xperia line of Google Android-based smartphones.
In addition to a 5-megapixel camera, a 4-inch multitouch screen and social
networking features, the handset features a slide-out gaming control pad with a
digital D pad, two analog touch pads, two shoulder buttons and the four Sony
PlayStation icons: circle, cross, square and triangle.
Qualcomm's optimized Snapdragon processor with a 1GHz CPU and embedded Adreno
GPU graphics processor deliver 60-fps playback 3D mobile gaming and Web
browsing with minimal power consumption and will run on Gingerbread (version
2.3) of the Android platform. Additional features include Bluetooth stereo,
TrackID music recognition capability, Google Voice Search, Twitter and Facebook
applications from the Android market, and gesture and motion gaming
capabilities. A company release said the Xperia Play will be available globally
in selected markets from March 2011.
Sony Ericsson also announced partnerships with publishers in the gaming
industry to deliver a well-stocked ecosystem at launch and post-launch, with
many titles available via the Android Marketplace. Franchises coming to the
Xperia Play include EA's "Need For Speed," "Sims 3" and a
world-first multiplayer version of "FIFA 10" for mobile. GLU
Mobile/Activision will be bringing "Guitar Hero," while Gameloft's
titles include "Assassin's Creed" and "Splinter Cell." Sony
Ericsson is also partnering with Unity Technologies, using its development platform
to ensure a continuous flow of high-quality 3D game titles.
"EA collaborated closely with Sony Ericsson to bring exciting versions
our best-selling consumer favorites such as 'The Sims 3' and 'EA Sports FIFA 10'
to the Xperia. The device's dedicated gaming keypad gives FIFA players what
matters most in a footy game - ultimate ball control, quick player selection on
the pitch, effortless passes and more," said Travis Boatman, vice
president of worldwide studios for EA Mobile. "The Xperia Play's unique gamepad
also delivers robust control in 'The Sims 3,' bringing a whole new life
simulation experience to fans of the franchise. We look forward to watching
consumers interact with our great games in new ways through the Xperia."
The handset also includes a microUSB cable for charging, synchronization and
file transfers, an 8GB microSD memory card, WiFi hot spot functionality, Google
Maps with Street View, a noise shield, audio recording capability, a document
reader and document editor, Media Transfer Protocol support, Android Cloud to
Device messaging (C2DM) and geo tagging, an image stabilizer and video
recording for the Xperia's camera.
"Today is a very proud moment for Sony Ericsson as we bring something
truly revolutionary to the market. Living up to our vision of Communication
Entertainment, Xperia Play will forever change the way people think about
smartphones and mobile gaming," said Rikko Sakaguchi, executive vice
president and chief creation officer at Sony Ericsson. "The launch of
Xperia Play could not have been possible without the close collaboration of
both Google and Sony Computer Entertainment. The commitment of so many industry
leading game publishers further demonstrates that Xperia Play will deliver on
the long-held expectations from consumers the world over."
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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