The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: it’s the PlayStation Phone in all but name. It’s what you’ve been dreaming of for years, and at long last, it’s here to put the power of Sony’s console in your palm and in your pocket. It’s actually here.
But what does a certificate of PlayStation goodness mean? What games can you play? Do the famous circle, square, triangle and cross buttons bring any tangible benefits? And how does it actually operate as one of those phone thingummies? Read on, and we’ll explain what makes a gaming superhero, with Sony Ericsson Xperia Play guides aplenty to the rescue.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: How PlayStation buttons supercharge Android games
At a glance, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is your regular jumbo phone, with a gorgeous 4-inch display. Slide out the lower half though and you’ll see that it’s a smartphone like no other. It doesn’t house any old QWERTY keyboard, but something much better to slay the arch villain of idle thumbs on the go: PlayStation controls.
Not only do you get a D-pad perfect for beat’em ups, plus the array of PlayStation buttons anyone who has ever played a Sony home console or PSP handheld will swear by, you even get twin touchpads for your thumb, giving you the familiar twin sticks control system from your favourite PS3 blaster right on your mobile.
Check out our guide and we’ll explain why a touchscreen alone isn’t quite enough for fantastic gaming fun on the move, just how those controls work and what games you can expect to play with them.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: Five great PlayStation games under the shrink ray
What good would a phone with PlayStation controls be without PlayStation games to enjoy? It’d be like Superman without spandex, or Wonder Woman waking up and feeling a bit under the weather. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is the first ever “PlayStation certified” phone: Sony has huge plans for Android, including a PlayStation Suite, with downloadable PS One classics you’ll be able to pluck from the ether in an instant.
That’s due later this year, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any PlayStation titles you can’t play right now on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, complete with perfectly ported controls. Far from it: in fact, you even get a few of them preloaded for your thumbs’ pleasure. Crash Bandicoot might not be a superhero, but he certainly provided a generation with hours of fun, and with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play he’s set to all over again. Check out the big name PlayStation franchises you’ll be able to play from day one, here in our guide.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: Social networking chaos, tamed by TimeScape
Have no fear: the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is a superior smartphone for more mundane, but truly essential daily tasks as well. Its 1GHz processor keeps all your Android apps, not just games, ticking over smoothly, and Sony Ericsson has delicately tweaked Google’s Gingerbread software build. The most important addition it’s made is with TimeScape, its own take on merging your social networks with your phone’s contact list.
It’s a smart and swift way of checking out what your friends are saying online at any time, and just as importantly, is a great way to filter out the “noise” your profiles’ streams are likely polluted with. You know, the blabbermouths you only added as a courtesy, or followed on a whim. With TimeScape, you only get the essentials from the people you actually call: hit up our guide and find out just what makes it tick.
Read more about the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: How PlayStation buttons supercharge Android games
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: Five great PlayStation games under the shrink ray
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: Social networking chaos, tamed by TimeScape
