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 Xperia Play in the open position | |
| Manufacturer | Sony Ericsson |
|---|---|
| Type | Smartphone |
| Series | Sony Ericsson Xperia[1] |
| First released | April 1, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-04-01) |
| Availability by region | |
| Predecessor | PSP Go (as a gaming device) |
| Successor | Xperia Ray |
| Related | Sony Xperia S Sony Xperia U Sony Xperia neo L |
| Compatible networks | GSM (GPRS,EDGE),UMTS,UMTS,CDMA,EvDO[2] |
| Form factor | Slider |
| Dimensions | 119 mm (4.7 in) H 62 mm (2.4 in) W 16 mm (0.63 in) D[2] |
| Weight | 175 g (6.2 oz)[2] |
| Operating system | Original:Android2.3.2 "Gingerbread" Current: Android 2.3.4 "Gingerbread"[2] |
| CPU | 1 GHzQualcommSnapdragon S2 MSM8255[3] |
| GPU | Adreno 205[3] |
| Memory | 512MB[3] |
| Storage | 400 MB[2] |
| Removable storage | microSD card (up to 64 GB), (up to 256 GB with rooted device.) |
| SIM | SIM,eSIM (for CDMA models only) |
| Battery | 1500 mAh |
| Rear camera | 5.1MP[2] (480p with stock OS, 720p with update) |
| Front camera | VGA, 640 × 480; 1.3 MP[2] |
| Display | 4 in (100 mm)TFT LCD touchscreen, 854 × 480 (245 ppi) [2]FWVGA, 16M colors |
| Connectivity | micro-USB 2.0[3] |
| Data inputs | Touchscreen Accelerometer[4] Touchpad 20× buttons (D-pad,  , , , , L, R, Select, Start, Menu (×2), Back, Home, Search, Volume ±, Power) |
| SAR | Head: 0.323 W/kg 1 g Body: 0.473 W/kg 1 g Hotspot: 1.400 W/kg 1 g[5] |
| Hearing aid compatibility | M4/T4[6] |
TheXperia Play is asmartphone with elements of ahandheld game console produced bySony Ericsson. With the marketshare for dedicated handheldgame consoles diminishing into the 2010s due to the rapid expansion ofsmartphones with cheap downloadable games,Sony attempted to tackle the issue with two separate devices; a dedicated video game console with elements of a smartphone, called thePlayStation Vita, and a smartphone with elements of a handheld console, the Xperia Play. Originally rumored to be a "PlayStation Phone", the device shed the "PlayStation" branding in favor of theXperia brand, running on theAndroid operating system.
On February 13, 2011, atMobile World Congress (MWC) 2011, it was announced that the device would be shipping globally in March 2011, with a launch lineup of around 50 software titles.[7]
The device is a horizontally sliding phone with its original form resembling theXperia X10 while the slider below resembles the slider of thePSP Go. The slider features aD-pad in an indented area on the left side, a set of standard PlayStation buttons (,, and) in an indented area on the right, a long rectangulartouchpad in the middle, Start and Select buttons in an indented area on the bottom right corner, a Menu button on the bottom left corner, and two shoulder buttons (L and R) on the back of the device.[8] The form has a long rectangular touchscreen, and four buttons below, for Back, Home, Menu, and Search.[8] The device features a 1 GHzQualcommSnapdragon processor, a Qualcomm Adreno 205 GPU, a 4.0 in (100 mm) TFTLCD display with a resolution of 854 × 480 (FWVGA) capable of 16,777,216 colors, a 5.1-megapixel camera, 512 MBRAM, 400 MB internal storage and a micro-USB connector. It supportsmicroSD cards, in contrast to the PSP consoles, which useMemory Stick variants, and the PlayStation Vita, which uses a custom, proprietary flash storage medium.[3][8][9]
The device runs on theAndroid 2.3 operating system,[10] with early prototypes runningAndroid 2.2 "Froyo".[11] The device is compatible with Android software downloaded from theGoogle Play store, with some games featuring optimization for use with the device's additional gaming controls, including the video game streaming serviceOnLive.[12]
The device was said to feature games graphically within the range of similar portable devices[8] and can launch these games via an application known asPlayStation Suite, or just simply "Xperia PLAY." It changes the interface of the device from that of a phone to theXrossMediaBar, slightly resembling that of thePlayStation Portable.[3][4] A dedicated section inGoogle Play specifically for games for the system allowing users to download games on the go is also added.[9][13] Titles shown off internally on the device include PSP games, such asGod of War andLittleBigPlanet, as well as olderPlayStation games; there were also plans for future games incorporating augmented reality similar toInvizimals.[9] The prices of the games were expected to be under US$10, considerably lower than the PlayStation Portable's price range of less than US$40 per game.[14]
PlayStation Mobile was a platform for creating games that were cross-platform with the PSVita, and "PlayStation Certified" android devices, such as the Xperia Play. The service shut down in 2015, and you are no longer able to re-download any games you had purchased. The PlayStation Mobile Application has a list view, and a grid view mode which look a bit different. there is always a "Store" icon as the first option, The app features a "Sign In" screen that tries to login to the PlayStation Network, this no longer works. but it used the standardauth.np.ac.playstation.net that is also used on the Vita and PS3.[15]
Reports of a PlayStation smartphone have existed as early as 2006 whenSony Computer Entertainment filed a patent for a PlayStation Phone.[16] Rumors of such a device resurfaced again in 2007 when aSony Ericsson executive announced that they were developing a device for gaming, and plans to use theXrossMediaBar in its devices.[17] In June 2007, head ofSony Computer Entertainment Europe, David Reeves, denied the existence of such a device saying that he had no knowledge of such a device being developed.[18] During the 2007Games Convention, Peter Ahnegard, an executive at Sony Ericsson, further fueled rumors of a PlayStation Phone, when asked about the device he said that "It's obviously something that we're looking at but right now I can't really comment".[19]
In the early 2008, the officialSony Magazine reported that "a new PSP-style phone is apparently in development".[20] In early 2009, it was reported that plans for a PlayStation Phone has been cancelled as Sony were unwilling to license the PlayStation brand to Sony Ericsson unless Sony would produce the handset independently. This subsequently prompted a fallout between Sony and Sony Ericsson.[21] In May 2009, rumors of such a device arose once again when then head of Sony Ericsson, Hideki Komiyama, told theFinancial Times in an interview that as part of his recovery plan for Sony Ericsson, he would like to combine the PlayStation brand with their phones similar to how they had created theWalkman andCyber-shot lines of mobile phones.[22] In June 2009,The Nikkei reported that Sony Ericsson were developing a "cellphone-game gear hybrid" as a competitor toApple'siPhone, combining the functionality of a mobile phone and a handheld gaming device.[23]
In early 2010, theWall Street Journal reported that Sony was getting ready to release a smartphone able to download and play video games.[24] The first solid details about the phone came viaEngadget in August 2010, reporting many leaked details about the device including that it runsAndroid, it is a sliding phone with a button configuration similar to thePSP Go, with some technical specifications.[9] Pictures of the device were leaked to the internet when Engadget released pictures of a prototype running Android 2.2, aPSP Go like form factor with a touch pad and microSD card support.[8] Several sites however, have questioned the legitimacy of the images of the device in question, though Engadget has rebuked these theories and shown their proven track record of leaked devices which include theiPad, 2010MacBook Air and theNexus One.[11] More images of the device were released by Engadget on October 29, 2010, showing the device runningAndroid 2.2 Froyo and showing its model as "Zeus", it adds that there are several of these devices in internal testing stages with at least one device running Android 2.3 Gingerbread.[25] A video showing the device in the wild inGreece was leaked on December 1, 2010. It showed the device running Android 2.3, and reported that the device's final name would be the Sony Ericsson Z1 though this has not been confirmed by multiple sources.[26]
Two days later, more videos were leaked. They were far clearer, showing the device clearly, with a "PlayStation" icon on the phone which displays aXrossMediaBar-themed interface when selected.[27] On January 5, 2011,Engadget published more photos of what seems to be the final design for the device as it bears both the PlayStation and Xperia brands which weren't on the prototypes.[1] The day after, several other clearer photos and videos of the device was leaked revealing what seems to be its final design, specs, and its benchmark score of 59.1 frames per second.[3][4] On January 10, 2011, a video showing the device playing originalPlayStation games was released. Though it is unclear whether the games were being played through official software or anemulator of the original PlayStation console.[28] On January 12, 2011, a Chinese website released pictures of what looked like the device disassembled with the parts spread out and the casing removed.[29]
On February 6, 2011, Sony Ericsson created an event for the Xperia Play on theirFacebook page.
In late January or early February, a shortened version of an advert made for airing during the Super Bowl was leaked on several websites. On February 6, 2011, the device was officially announced with the broadcast of the version of this ad.[30] On February 13, 2011, more details were released by Sony Ericsson.[citation needed]
The phone was initially announced as having a March 2011 release timeframe.[7] However, the final release date slipped into April 1, 2011, when the device was released in the UK,[31] Ireland[32] and Spain.[33] On April 28, 2011, it was launched in Canada, exclusively toRogers.[34] The US launch was officially scheduled for Spring 2011, and while a time frame of mid-April was initially given,[35] the device's launch was pushed back to May 26.[36] In Indonesia, the device was launched on XL Axiata network on July 29, 2011. On September 18, 2011, the Xperia Play4G was released for AT&T, it featuresHSPA+ for faster speeds and it comes in a Stealth Blue color.[37] In the US, theXperia Play was initially available only on theVerizon network,[7] until the release of theXperia Play 4G onAT&T.[37] In Mexico it was available throughTelcel.[38] In theUK, carriersO2,Vodafone,Orange,T-Mobile andThree have confirmed that they were to stock the handset.[39] In Canada, the device was carried exclusively byRogers Wireless.[40]
On September 8, 2011, Sony Ericsson confirmed that the Xperia Play, and all Xperia phones released in 2011, would receive an update toAndroid 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich".[41] However, on May 25, 2012, it was stated that following beta testing and discussions with developers, the Xperia Play would not receive an update to Android 4.0, citing stability concerns.[42] The update was leaked however, and the kernel being unsigned meant that your bootloader would have needed to be unlocked, voiding your warranty on the device at the time. The Xperia Play had gotten an update to Android 4.0technically, as it was actually theSony Xperia Neo L (MT25i) that came with Ice Cream Sandwich stock, though the MT25i device is just an Xperia Play - just lacking the gamepad slideout. MT25i firmwares can be installed on R800 model devices, with the cost being the gamepads functionality entirely, unless you use a custom kernel made specifically for the Play to utilize ICS firmware. The most recent Android OS capable of being run on the Play is Android 7.1.2 through LineageOS. The touchpad is unable to be utilized after Android 4.2, in terms of custom ROMs, but the gamepad works across the board.
Since the Xperia Play runs on Android, the device may install apps for playinghomebrew games. It is commonly used to runemulators for older game systems such asAtari 2600,MAME,Commodore 64,NES,SNES,Nintendo 64,PlayStation,Game Boy Advance,Nintendo DS,Sony PlayStation Portable (with only a handful of games running in a playable state), and many others.[43][44]
A lot of emulators and / or game systems will not work well or just will not at all.PC98,Dreamcast, andGameCube, obviously, are some examples. N64 emulation is broken entirely in Retroarch.
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