Introducing Xperia PLAY – the world’s first PlayStation certified smartphone
- XperiaTM PLAY combines a PlayStation-quality gaming experience with the very latest Android smartphone technology.
- Super fast graphics and dedicated game controls deliver the ultimate smartphone gaming experience.
- Sony Computer Entertainment and leading game publishers provide top titles from launch.
April 21, 2011, Singapore – Sony Ericsson today announced the launch of the game changing XperiaTM PLAY in stores from April 22, 2011. The XperiaTM PLAY is the latest phone in its XperiaTM range of Android based smartphones.
XperiaTM PLAY delivers the smartphone functionality that the most serious power users could need, teamed with the immersive gaming experience that any gamer would want.
In portrait mode, the Android smartphone offers all the benefits that users have come to expect from Sony Ericsson’s existing range of XperiaTM smartphones with best-in-class entertainment experiences, a great 5 megapixel camera, a brilliant 4” multi-touch screen and great social networking features.
However, slide out the gaming control and users enter a new world of immersive mobile gaming. The slide out game pad reveals a digital D pad, two analogue touch pads, two shoulder buttons and the four PlayStation icons: circle, cross, square and triangle. Qualcomm’s optimised Snapdragon processor with a 1Ghz CPU and embedded Adreno GPU graphics processor deliver silky smooth 60fps play-back 3D mobile gaming and Web browsing with minimal power consumption so XperiaTM PLAY users can enjoy long hours of battery life and game time.
Eugene Goh, Deputy General Manager and Head of Sony Ericsson Singapore commented: “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.”
XperiaTM PLAY will run on Gingerbread (version 2.3), the latest version of Google’s AndroidTM platform. The XperiaTM PLAY is also the first PlayStation Certified device. This means it will have access to PlayStation® game content provided through the PlayStation® Suite initiative, currently under development by Sony Computer Entertainment and due to launch later this calendar year.
Kazuo Hirai, President of Networked Products and Services Group at Sony Corporation said: “I am delighted to see Xperia PLAY as the first PlayStation Certified smartphone to hit the market. Xperia PLAY provides a unique consumer offering and is yet another example of great products and services coming to market that leverage Sony’s strong assets.”
Sony Ericsson has partnered with key publishers in the gaming industry to deliver a rich, vibrant ecosystem at launch and post launch with many leading new titles available via the AndroidTM Market. Leading franchises coming to Xperia™ PLAY include s EA’s 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 award-winning development platform, to ensure a continuous flow of high quality 3D game titles.
The XperiaTM PLAY will come preloaded with six games:
- Bruce Lee: Dragon Warrior by Digital Legends
- Star Battalion by Gameloft
- FIFA 10 by EA Games
- Madden NFL 11 by EA Games
- SIMS 3 by EA Games
- Crash Bandicoot by SCEA
The following three games are available exclusively on XperiaTM PLAY devices:
- Nova 2 by Gameloft
- BackStab by Gameloft
- Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave by Trendy Entertainment
Mr Goh continued: “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.”
“Xperia PLAY and PlayStation Certified gaming are great examples of the kind of innovation that’s possible in the open Android ecosystem,” said Andy Rubin, Vice President of Engineering at Google.
A preloaded application, the XperiaTM PLAY launcher, enables users to easily discover and download titles that have been optimised for game play on XperiaTM PLAY, access recently played games and see information about the games they have downloaded.
Other preloaded applications include:
- TrackID™: Sony Ericsson’s proprietary music recognition system that records a small sample of a song playing in the background, and displays artist, song and album info in a matter of seconds.
- ShowNearby™ for Sony Ericsson: The leading location-based service application in Singapore allows users to conduct customised searches for places of interest near you, ranging from ATMs to movie theatres.
The app comes with additional exclusive features for Sony Ericsson users, such as the bus timing widget which allows users to see all bus arrival timings at a selected bus stop at any given time. You can also find out the weather condition at any specific location, plus use a TimescapeTM plug-in that shows you nearby promotions.
- WhatsApp: WhatsApp Messenger uses 3G or WiFi connectivity when available to freely message family and friends, exchanging messages, pictures, audio notes and video messages.
- Foursquare: Foursquare is a location-based app that helps you find new ways to explore Singapore, see where your friends are, learn about these places they frequent and unlock rewards as you go along.
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY is available exclusively with SingTel from April 22, 2011. The Xperia™ PLAY will also be available at Sony Ericsson concept stores at a Recommended Retail Price of S$888 in the colours Black and White.
What do our content partners say?
Electronic Arts, Travis Boatman, VP of Worldwide Studios for EA Mobile:
“EA collaborated closely with Sony Ericsson to bring exciting versions our best-selling consumer favourites such as The Sims™ 3 and EA SPORTS™ FIFA 10 to the Xperia PLAY. 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. The Xperia PLAYS’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 PLAY.”
Gameloft, Michel Guillemot, President:
“We are pleased to partner with Sony Ericsson to offer a catalogue of 10 of our best-selling games at launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY,” said Michel Guillemot, President of Gameloft. “My vision since the creation of Gameloft was to turn video games into a true mass market form of entertainment. This vision is realized with the launch of Xperia PLAY, which combines a perfect smartphone for daily use as well as a real game controller to provide the best gaming experience ever seen on a mobile phone. Gameloft will support the launch with more than 20 titles over the next 6 months that will take full advantage of the power of this device.”
Glu Mobile, Niccolo de Masi, CEO:
“Glu’s strategic relationship with Sony Ericsson aligns us with a leading innovator in mobile and gaming. We look forward to accelerating our momentum in social mobile gaming with compelling offerings on Sony Ericsson’s newest mobile devices.”
Content partners at launch include:
Sony Computer Entertainment
Angry Mob Games/ Unity
Advanced Mobile
Art in Games / Unity
Com2us Games
Digital Chocolate
Digital Legends
Distinctive
Electronic Arts
Fishlabs
Gamehouse
GameLion
Gameloft
Gamevil
Glu Mobile
Halfbrick Studios
Handy Games
HyperDevBox Japan
Jakyl
osao
Polarbit
SCE
SilverTree Media
Skyvu
Storm8
Trendy Entertainment
For further information, please visit: www.sonyericsson.com/press
Xperia™ PLAY at a glance:
| Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY | |
| Preloaded game titles | Bruce Lee: Dragon Warrior by Digital LegendsStar Battalion by Gameloft
FIFA 10 by EA Games Madden NFL 11 by EA Games SIMS 3 by EA Games Crash Bandicoot by SCEA |
| Camera | 5.1 megapixel cameraAuto focus
Flash / Photo light Geo tagging Image stabiliser Send to web Touch focus Video light Video recording Video blogging |
| Music | Album artBluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
Google™ Music Player Music tones (MP3/AAC) Sony Ericsson Music player Stereo speakers TrackID™ music recognition application |
| Internet | Android Market™Bookmarks
Google™ search Google™ Voice Search Pan & zoom Web browser (Webkit) |
| Communication | Call listConference calls
Facebook™ application (from Android Market™) Google™ Talk Noise Shield Polyphonic ringtones Speakerphone Sony Ericsson Timescape™ Twitter™ application (from Android Market™) Vibrating alert |
| Messaging | Android Cloud to Device messaging (C2DM)Conversations
Google Mail™ Instant messaging Picture messaging (MMS) Predictive text input Sound recorder Text messaging (SMS) |
| Design | Auto rotateKeyboard (onscreen, 12 key)
Keyboard (onscreen, QWERTY) Picture wallpaper Touchscreen Wallpaper animation |
| Entertainment | 3D gamesDedicated gaming keys
Flash Lite™ Gesture gaming Motion gaming Video streaming YouTube™ |
| Organiser | Alarm clockCalculator
Calendar Document editors Document readers E-Manual Flight mode Google Calendar™ Google Gallery 3D™ Infinite button Phone book Set-up Wizard Widget manager |
| Connectivity | 3.5 mm audio jackaGPS
Bluetooth™ technology DLNA Certified Google Latitude™ Google Location Service Google Maps™ with Street View Media Transfer Protocol support Micro USB Connector Modem Synchronisation via Facebook™* Synchronisation via Google Sync™ Synchronisation via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync® Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync USB 2.0 high speed support Wi-Fi™ Wi-Fi™ Hotspot functionality * Requires Facebook™ application installed on the device. |
| Preloaded apps | TrackID™ShowNearby for Sony Ericsson
Foursquare OfficeSuite appXtra Evernote |
| Google™ services** These services may not be available in every market | Android Market™ ClientGmail™
Google Calendar™ Google Gallery 3D™ Google Latitude™ Google Maps™ with Street View Google Media Uploader Google Music Player™ Google Phone-top Search Google Search widget Google Sync™ Google Talk™ Google Voice Search Set-up Wizard YouTube™ |
| Screen |
|
| Accessories | In-Box:
|
| Facts | Size: 119 x 62 x 16 mmWeight: 175 grams
Phone memory: 400 MB Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32 GB Memory card included: 8GB microSD™ Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Processor: 1 GHz Scorpion ARMv7 |
| Talk time and networks | NetworksTalk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 8 hrs 25 min
Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 425 hrs Talk time UMTS: Up to 6 hrs 25 min Standby time UMTS: Up to 413 hrs Game play time: Up to 5 hrs 35 min MP3 playback: Up to 30 hrs 35 min Networks UMTS HSPA 800, 850, 1900, 2100 GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 |
| Colour | BlackWhite |
Legal
1) Facts and features may vary depending on local variant. 2) Operational times are affected by network
preferences, type of SIM card, connected accessories and various activities e.g. playing games. Kit contents and colour options may differ from market to market. The full range of accessories may not be available in every market.
© Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, 2011
The Liquid Identity logo and Xperia are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. Sony is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation. Ericsson is the trademark or registered trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. Additional information regarding trademarks may be located on our website at: www.sonyericsson.com/cws/common/legal/disclaimer.