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Sony Ericsson makes Xperia Play official in Super Bowl commercial, full launch coming February 13th
Sony Ericsson has finally stopped teasing, winking, and nodding knowingly and has just come clean -- the Xperia Play is most definitely real and it'll be one of the first devices announced at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We're treated to a date and time, February 13th at 6PM GMT, a pair of full frontal shots of the Gingerbread-running, gamepad-wearing smartphone, and the full version of that creepy ad we saw for it a couple of days back. Missed it on the Super Bowl? Scope it out after the break. P.S. - Missed our coverage of Super Bowl Media Day? Catch up here!
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play ('PlayStation Phone') now has a commercial
We're all out of flabbergast over here. Sony Ericcson's still unannounced PlayStation-branded smartphone -- the "Xperia Play," or "PlayStation Phone" to us normal folks -- now appears in a commercial that found its way to YouTube. Beyond showing the (usually adorable) Android mascot having human thumbs sewn onto its arms, the advert depicts an unknown fighting game and two Gameloft titles. The two Gameloft titles -- a racing game and a space combat game -- look an awful lot like entries in the publisher's Asphalt and Star Battalion franchises. Check out the creepy commercial after the break.
Xperia Play commercial surfaces, makes back alley surgery fun again (video)
You know, it just wouldn't be an ad campaign for a Sony game system without a suitable "WTF?" moment. And why would Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play (a.k.a. PlayStation phone, a.k.a. the Worst Kept Secret in the Business) be any different? There isn't much to say about this ad, except that the fine folks at Droid NYTT got hold of a copy, and that we hope these back-alley thumb transplant goons know a thing or two about anesthetics. See for yourself after the break.
Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play retail booths exposed
We said it at the Show and we'll say it again, Sony Ericsson just can't keep a lid on (any) secret information. The Xperia Play, formerly and more poetically known as the PlayStation Phone, has been previewed, videoed, and loved (mostly by us), but today we can add even more to our foreknowledge about this still unannounced device in the form of its in-store booths. Yes, SE has planned out how resellers and carriers will pimp its gaming smartphone at retail, and yes, renders of that "brand experience" have leaked out. It's nothing jaw-dropping, just some upright pedestals with the words "smart phone, smart gaming" on its side, but at least it signals that we're at an advanced stage of preparations ahead of the handset's launch. There is a T-Mobile logo on there too, but that could be just a placeholder or could refer to territories outside the US. Either way, spring does sound like the perfect time for some more Gingerbread in our lives. Update: Although we've been assured that the layout above is genuine, the slim device pictured on top of the stands looks like the Xperia Arc. The device at the bottom looks more like a cross between a PSP Go and the Xperia Play. Of course, we're expecting to see a myriad of Android devices announced with PlayStation Suite support, so who knows.
The Engadget Show: Xperia Play / PlayStation phone previewed, 'shoulder flippers' in tow (video)
We expect each and every one of you to watch the Engadget Show's initial live stream and to download / re-watch it when we post up the official HD files -- and that expectation goes double for episodes featuring Steve Wozniak. So when we tell you about this awesome breakout clip of Nilay and Josh playing with Sony's top secret Xperia Play / PlayStation phone prototype -- the one Richard Lai previewed last week -- it's not because we suspect it's the first time you've seen the footage. No, we just want to provide yet another excuse to watch Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha with slow framerate, and get a visual cue of the custom-made Josh Topolsky soundboard app. We imagine the games to be much Suite-r by the time the device makes its (much more likely than not) Mobile World Congress debut this month.
Engadget Mobile Podcast 073 - 02.01.2011
Phones, phones, phones, phones, PHONES! There are some good ones this week. The Sidekick makes a blurry return to reality, the real-but-not-too-real Sony Ericsson Xperia Playstation phone struts its stuff on The Engadget Show, and a small suite of BlackBerrys leak their way into the blogosphere. It's a mini-avalanche of news on the Engadget Mobile Podcast, guest starring Professor Vlad Savov -- come join us, won't you?Hosts: Chris Ziegler, Myriam Joire (tnkgrl)Guest: Vlad SavovProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Daestro - Light Powered (Ghostly International)00:03:57 - Engadget interview: SCEA's Jack Tretton talks Sony NGP, announces (and then un-announces) PlayStation Suite for PS300:16:00 - Motorola Atrix 4G goes up on AmazonWireless, $150 on February 11th -- mistake? (update: Inspire 4G, too)00:26:44 - Dell Venue review00:38:10 - Exclusive: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview00:46:39 - Verizon's online store is now Palm-free; Pre 2 imminent?00:55:04 - Nokia X3-02 Touch-and-Type review01:11:18 - Google announces Android event for February 2nd01:16:20 - T-Mobile Sidekick 4G in the wild, made by Samsung?01:23:00 - Microsoft: 'over 2 million' Windows Phone 7 licenses sold to manufacturers so far01:35:11 - HTC's newest Android flagship phone revealed01:38:02 - BlackBerry Monaco Touch, Bold Touch, Sedona, and more leaked for CDMAHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastpodcast (at) engadgetmobile (dot) com.Follow us on Twitter@tnkgrl @engadgetmobile @zpower @vladsavov
The Engadget Show - 017: Steve Wozniak, Sony NGP, PlayStation Phone prototype
We've never had a guest on The Engadget Show that inspired quite as much excitement as Steve Wozniak -- the crowd was pumped and the Woz was in full effect. Josh and Woz talked for a full 40 minutes about everything from Woz's white iPhone to the future of server storage to anecdotes about Apple, and it's all topped off with a little creative currency manipulation, as Woz promises us his custom $2 bills can get us "arrested, but not convicted." Then it's on to the roundtable, where Josh, Paul, and Nilay talk over Sony's new NGP, PlayStation Suite, and even play with a super-secret unannounced prototype of the PlayStation Phone. This is one you absolutely should not miss. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! Hit up the video stream after the break or download the show in HD below! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Special guests: Steve Wozniak Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Danny Madden Music by: Zen Albatross Visuals by: invaderbacca Woz Intro by: Nick Criscuolo Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Taped live at Cooper Union's Rose Auditorium Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 017 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 017 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show - 017 (Small) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (MP4). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (MP4). [RSS MP4] Add the Engadget Show feed (MP4) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. [HD RSS] Get the Engadget Show delivered automatically in HD. [iPad RSS] Get the Engadget Show in iPad-friendly adaptive format.
PlayStation Suite brings 'PlayStation content' to Android, including early PSone titles
It's not the PlayStation Phone, but it is PlayStation on phones. Sony's Kaz Hirai just announced "PlayStation Suite," which "provides PlayStation content to other devices" including Android devices. What kind of PlayStation content? According to Hirai, "We will first emulate the first generation PSP titles to be available on PS Suite devices." All the titles shown so far are actually PSone games, including Cool Boarders 2, Syphon Filter, Rally Cross, WIld Arms, and MediEvil. In addition, Sony intends PlayStation Suite to be used as a framework for the development of all-new games for mobile platforms. PlayStation Suite is due by the end of this calendar year. Update: It looks like there may have been a translation error. The official press release, pasted after the break, is pretty clear that the service will be "starting with original PlayStation games (PSone classics)." We're hopeful that PSP games will make their way to Android as well ... after all, there aren't a whole lot of PSone titles available digitally on this side of the planet.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 'PlayStation' Phone manhandled again ... by Engadget
It's official: Sony Ericsson's so-called Xperia Play -- or, as we prefer to think of it, the PlayStation Phone -- is the worst gaming product reveal in the history of gaming product reveals. Sure, you might argue that the leaked PSP Go video was more damning (and more detailed!) but the quantity of Xperia Play leaks is nothing short of staggering. First, it was just details and some pictures, but then came the Chinese gadget blogs and a series of hardware previews. And now, our gadget-loving kin at Engadget have somehow managed to procure a unit -- rumor has it Crash Bandicoot got drunk off Wumpa Fruit juice and left it on a barstool -- and they've put it through the paces, with a full writeup, gallery and videos. Unfortunately for those of us more interested in video games than noise-cancellation mics, there's not much more info on the mysterious PlayStation Pocket app, or any feedback on those weird touch-based analog thumbsticks. Yup, it's another hardware reveal for a product that will live and die by its software library. While Sony is rumored to come clean on the relatively classified PSP2 tonight, the Xperia Play won't be getting officially unveiled until Mobile World Congress in just under three weeks. Way to stick to that plan, guys!
Exclusive: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview
Oh yes. After all the unbearable teasing since we unveiled the first ever photos of the PlayStation Phone, we've finally managed to get hold of the real deal for an in-depth preview. Honestly, we couldn't wait any longer with this thing floating around in China; we'd otherwise have to wait until MWC, where we expect the phone to be launched as the "Xperia Play" (and we shall refer to this name henceforth). Before you pop the cork for us, do bear in mind that what we're seeing here is subject to changes, so don't be alarmed by any missing features or exposed cables in our preview. When you're ready, head right past the break to find out what Sony Ericsson's cooking up. %Gallery-115003%
PlayStation Phone gets some much-needed sunlight in latest video ... still not announced
Just because it's the the latest in a long-line of unannounced, but comically well-known PlayStation products – remember the PSP Go leak and the months-long PS3 Slim reveal? – doesn't mean the PlayStation Phone can't take some time off. It's tough, spending all that time under wraps, only to be furtively pulled out for a massive ten-page exposé or a video shoot. So it's with great joy that we share the latest video of Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play gaming handset; finally, some light is shed on the PlayStation Phone. Watch! As the curiously long-fingernailed gentleman spins the device around, revealing its every curve. Gasp! As he toggles the slide-out gamepad back and forth. And it's all happening in broad daylight, far from the fluorescent din of an assembly line (or a Chinese gadget blogger's basement). See for yourself after the break.
Alleged 3DS, PlayStation Phone disassembled
Not one but two ritualistic device dismantlings have been exacted in recent days, an alleged 3DS and PlayStation Phone the sacrificial lambs. Spilled across a TVGZone forum thread are the guts of an apparent 3DS, posted by a Taiwanese tinkerer who claims to have obtained the stolen unit (not unlike the one supposedly lifted from an assembly line earlier this month) and promptly taken the tools to it. The de-casing has revealed only a typical arrangement of circuitry and plastic bits, leaving us to wonder if the plundering of this poor portable was in vain. As it we hadn't seen enough already, TGbus, which had apparently tired of displaying its alleged "Xperia Play" PlayStation phone alongside its comprehensive collection of the world's handheld devices, broke out a set of Torx bits and proceeded to tear the thing down. The meticulous disassembly, however, failed to uncover what some might have hoped would be an intact, teensy-weensy PlayStation system -- just more circuitry (including what's suspected to be a Qualcomm MSM7x30 chipset) and plastic bits, it seems. Are you finished yet, you monsters?
PlayStation Phone torn apart, found to not contain actual PlayStations
What must surely be the industry's worst-kept secret just got even further out of the closet with a new suite of pictures showing not the outside but the inside. After all, we've already seen the outside at every possible angle, even in motion playing games. TGBus is the source here again, its disembodied hands apparently completely bored with actually playing games, so they broke out the Torx and spread it asunder. See for yourself on the other end of the source link, and feel free to contact your local Sony representative and tell them what a great job they're doing on keeping this thing quiet.
PlayStation Phone caught on video playing unofficial PSOne Android app
This seems like a pretty natural fit -- the PlayStation Phone, which, hilariously enough, still hasn't been formally acknowledged by Sony, was recently captured on video running a PSOne emulator Android application called ROM Buddy PSX. It should be stressed that the handheld (which has supposedly been branded the Xperia Play) doesn't have this functionality built in -- the video is simply demonstrating how the Play's slide-out gamepad can be used to interact with the App, and the zombies therein. Of course, that doesn't make the video any less dead sexy. Check out the video after the jump to see the PlayStation Phone living up to its unofficial name, playing ROMs of Resident Evil 2 and Rage Racer.
PlayStation Phone captured in the wild, on video
Well, the leaks have been flying fast and furious: the presumed PlayStation Phone has been in the hands of folks for a hot minute, and now a video has popped up showing one lucky hombre playing Resident Evil 2 and Rage Racer on the device. The hardware is apparently on the up and up, although the fact that the titles had to be loaded through ROM Buddy (a third-party Android app for running ROMs) suggests that the software is still being tinkered with. Or that this is all a terrible hoax. That said, it looks like this thing is pretty much a done deal. See for yourself after the break. [Thanks, Dan]
Even more PlayStation Phone shots appear, comparison shots galore!
What would you say if we told you that somehow, Sony's containment of its still-unannounced PlayStation Phone (the Xperia Play?) has gotten even more impossibly bad? At this point, just a few short days after we saw the first Chinese-language explosion of pics we've got another ten-page, Chinese-language explosion. Engadget's Richard Lai handled translation duties and he suggests this may be the very same PlayStation Phone making the Chinese media rounds. This time around, we've got comparison shots with the PSP-1000, the PSP Go, DSi, GBA SP, various Sony Ericsson Xperia handsets, and more. That PlayStation Pocket app is as much of a mystery as it was the other day, but this preview says a third-party emulator runs on the handheld with 70% of the titles working. Are those PSone titles or PSP titles? Engadget's guess is it's the 'psx4droid' PSone emulator. Regardless, there's plenty of eye candy at the Source link below.
PlayStation Phone sized up with numerous devices in another in-depth Chinese preview
Okay, now this is getting ridiculous. It's been literally less than 48 hours since we saw the first in-depth Chinese-language preview of Sony's still yet-to-be-confirmed PlayStation Phone, and believe it or not, we've got another one. (Our resident translator Richard Lai suggests this might be the same PS Phone just being passed around the various websites.) It's just as long and arguably just as in-depth with an absolute ton of comparison pics with the PSP Go, the Xperia lineup, a DSi, a Droid... the list goes on. Much of what's written is the same, and the PlayStation Pocket app is still a mystery. The preview does say a third-party emulator was downloaded and tested, with 70 percent success, but that doesn't actually tell us anything. Anyway, even if you don't know Chinese, hit up the source and bask in the glory of a ton more pics. [Thanks, Shaun]
PlayStation Phone images and vids leaked (yeah, again!); 'PlayStation Pocket' app makes an appearance
While Sony continues to play coy about the existence of the PlayStation Phone – going so far as to toss away a perfectly good opportunity to unveil it during last night's CES press conference – they can't seem to keep it under wraps on this here internet. Chinese website IT168 has somehow managed to lay its hands on specs of the infamous handset along with a rather impressive four videos. Remember: This product isn't even official and its gotten more airtime than most independent presidential candidates. Inside the PSP Go-esque device (see a side-by-side above!) is a Qualcomm Adreno 205 GPU, a "likely" 1GHz Snapdragon QSD8255 CPU, a 1,500 mAh battery, a 854x480 resolution 4" display, a 5 megapixel camera, 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, a microSD slot, SIM slot, micro-USB connectivity, and more. The phone is packing a "PlayStation Pocket" app, though it's not clear what games it will support. Is the PlayStation Phone a PSone phone, leveraging the software emulator written for PSP and PS3, or will it run PSP1 games? While Sony continues to do the world's worst job of keeping a lid on things, we'll keep guessing at the ultimate feature set of the PlayStation Phone. Bounce on over to Engadget for vids and specs on Sony's big secret.
Sony's PlayStation Phone gets in-depth preview in China, PlayStation Pocket app in tow
Well, that was quick. It was just two days ago when the elusive PlayStation Phone popped up on a Hong Kong forum, and now it's back again in full exposure thanks to Chinese website IT168. It's now confirmed that said Xperia-branded device is powered by a Qualcomm Adreno 205 GPU, along with what's likely to be a 1GHz Snapdragon QSD8255 as featured on the HTC Desire HD. Interestingly, Neocore is reporting an impressive 59.1fps benchmark, which is a huge improvement from our exclusive look back in early December. Quadrant also reports a high score of 1,733, but hey, there's no saying that this is the final build, so the graphics performance may get even better. Other tidbits found in the latest leak include the generous battery capacity of 1,500mAh, the 854 x 480 resolution on a 4-inch LCD, a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash sans 720p video recording (although it's probably just that the leaksters didn't look in all the submenu in the camera app), 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, a microSD slot, SIM slot, micro-USB, and a second mic on the back for active noise cancellation à la Nexus One. Interestingly, the still-empty game launcher app is now called "PlayStation Pocket." We're still unclear just what the app will run; will it be PSOne games (the company has written an emulator before), PSP games, or an entirely new lineup? (In contrast, the PSP Go has a 333MHz processor, 64MB RAM, and a 3.8-inch 480 x 272 display -- albeit on different, not-quite-comparable architecture.) Hopefully we'll know soon enough, eh Kaz? Anyhow, you can peruse some pictures and videos below, and definitely check out IT168 for the full skinny on this (somewhat tick) device. [Thanks, Dave] %Gallery-113164%
Kaz teases the PlayStation Phone (and tablet?) during CES keynote
Hopes were high that Sony Computer Entertainment head honcho Kaz Hirai would unveil the not-so-secret PlayStation Phone during Sony's CES keynote; however, instead of pulling the portable out of his pocket, he gave us the next best thing ... a tease. Hirai teased that Sony's "strategy encompasses driving the development of a variety of new strategic products and services including tablets currently in development as well as smartphones, all the while of course integrating the know-how and the assets that we've accumulated from our PlayStation business." What does that mean? It sounds like the PlayStation Phone is just part of the plan to leverage the PlayStation branding and games for Sony's other products. He continued, "In 2011, you will start to see an implementation of a strategy we've developed and continually refined over the past 18 months. And you will see this strategy executed in the form of great new products and services coming to market that leverage Sony's strongest assets. In addition to launching a line of Sony tablets, we'll be building upon the video, music, game and book offerings on our Qriocity and our PlayStation Network services to deliver a compelling, unique experience for Sony across a wide range of consumer electronic devices." A wide range, eh? Tablets, smartphones ... maybe PSP 2s. What else?
