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Verizon's Xperia Play now on sale for $100, Crash Bandicoot spins in celebration
Getting your PlayStation-certified gaming fix on just got 50 percent cheaper. Verizon's cut the price of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play in half on its website, selling for $100 with contract only four months after being greeted with open arms. The price cut is a result of Big Red's "Back to School" promotion, though it's difficult to believe this one will come out the other end of the sale any costlier than this. Was this sudden reduction made to instigate a price war with AT&T now that it's introduced the model to its lineup? Or, is this a last-ditch effort to bolster lackluster sales before the Play is discontinued? It's hard to say -- given its meager selection of PlayStation Suite titles, we can't imagine that the product's flying off of shelves. Still, five Jacksons is much more reasonable for anyone who just has to have The Sims 3 on the go, right?
Sony's S1 and S2 tablets pose for the cameras again, show off more angles (video)
Sony's S1 and S2 Honeycomb tablets have been very coy in front of the cameras since their initial unveiling. Aside from two visually pleasing short films and a tease of a hands-on, we haven't seen much of them since -- or any specific release details, for that matter. The former's changed at least, however, thanks to Notebook Italia. The site managed to handle the duo long enough in front of a lens to capture a bevy of snapshots, along with a short video of the S1 running PlayStation Suite. If you've been anxious to get a better look you'll find the S1 clip past the break, and all of the photos by hitting the source link below. Update: Niccolo from HDblog.it wrote in just as this post was going live, offering up another batch of screenshots and another hands-on video. That's down below, enabling double your viewing pleasure, and double your fun. [Thanks, Lau]
Console vs. PC redux: how mobile gaming will reshape the industry (again)
They're a growing threat, these simple games with their simple designs, simple controls, and simple graphics. They don't offer the full, premium experience that the real gamers want. They aren't hardcore enough. They aren't serious enough. They're just too... casual. In the '90s these were all complaints used to describe the strengthening console menace. Back then, a younger me squandered his meager income at the local Babbage's or Electronics Boutique, stores full of PC games in cardboard boxes -- console titles relegated to a few little shelves. It wouldn't take long for those consoles to take over those stores and, along the way, the entire industry. Between just 1998 and 2006 console software sales more than doubled, from $2.5 billion to $6.7 billion, while PC game sales dropped from $1.8 billion to $970 million. Even the FPS, once exclusive domain of the PC, is now a console enterprise, with Call of Duty: Black Ops launching on 4.9 million sales on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The PC version, meanwhile, sold less than 400,000 copies (the NPD lumped them in with sales of the Nintendo DS and Wii versions). Who cares about ancient history? If you're a gamer you should, because it's happening again. This time, though, its console gamers lobbing the same lamentations at Angry Bird players, Words With Friends addicts, and ever-sneaky Fruit Ninjas. As smartphones and tablets get more powerful, the dedicated gaming machine looks more and more quaint. Where once software supported hardware in one big, happy family, it's all becoming rather more... disjointed. For a gamer like me, that's a little troubling. If app gaming does for consoles what those consoles did to the PC scene a decade ago, a lot of big game studios are going to be in trouble, and a lot of gamers are going to be pining for the good 'ol days.
Minecraft devs dish on upcoming mobile version
Details have begun trickling out from Sweden-based Mojang Studios about the mobile version of Minecraft for iOS and Android. Taking to the comment-fertile grounds of Reddit, developer Jens Bergensten broke down some users' questions about the ongoing project. For starters, he says the "Pocket Edition" of Minecraft "will not synch with the PC version" as the engine has been rebuilt for iOS support. Without stating numbers for iOS, he said that it's running "around 30-35 fps on the Xperia Play." He also confirmed multiplayer support -- "in LAN environments" only, likely meaning WiFi, though "Bluetooth support may come later." Additionally, he says the game will be "exclusive to Xperia Play for a while," before coyly noting that he "can't tell you how long." As for the gameplay experience, Bergentsen only offered that "it is creative mode in a limited world," unsurprisingly citing "performance and memory" as the culprits. As things go around this time of year, we expect to hear more in the coming weeks, as Minecraft will be playable on the Xperia Play at E3.
Xperia Play launches next Thursday through Verizon
Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play will make its US launch next Thursday, May 26, Verizon announced today. The carrier will start taking pre-orders for the $200 device -- with a two-year contract -- beginning this Thursday. Once dubbed the "PlayStation Phone," the Xperia Play was outed through a series of comically comprehensive leaks -- and even a commercial -- before Sony Ericsson got around to announcing the thing. While it doesn't quite live up to its original nickname, the Xperia Play is the first "PlayStation Certified" Android smartphone on the market -- and it's got the four "iconic" PlayStation buttons to prove it. While the full PlayStation Suite framework, with its PSN access (and limited compatibility) for certified mobiles, won't launch until later this year, the Xperia Play will come pre-loaded with seven games, including Madden NFL 11, The Sims 3, Crash Bandicoot and Tetris.
Sony reveals two PlayStation Suite-compatible Android tablets
Two more PlayStation Suite-compatible devices are joining the Xperia Play in Sony's product lineup. Last night, Sony officially unveiled the S1 and S2 tablets, both running Android 3.0, and both pretty weird-looking as tablets go. The S1 is the tablet whose unconvential design was revealed early by Engadget. It has a back panel that tapers downward, which is supposed to make it more comfortable, and a 9.4-inch screen. The S2 is the DS of tablets, with two 5.5" screens in a clamshell case, allowing one screen to be used as a soft keyboard. Both tablets will feature PlayStation Suite, so users will be able to play selected PSOne games on the devices, albeit with virtual controls. Both Sony Tablets (in a rare moment of sensible naming convention, "Sony Tablet" is the name of the line) will be out this fall globally. Check out a brief video after the break -- there's a little Crash Bandicoot in it for you.%Gallery-122288%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review
The PlayStation Phone. We've had quite the intimate history with this gamepad-equipped slider, learning of its secretive existence way back in August and then handling a prototype unit in January, so you'll forgive us for feeling sentimental and still entertaining our pet name for it. The Sony Ericsson marketing gurus renamed it the Xperia Play when it finally went official at MWC this year, but the PlayStation connection remains as strong as ever. Aside from the D-pad, iconic game keys, and two touchpads, this device comes with a little app named PlayStation Pocket, which will be serving up dollops of classic PlayStation One gaming to all those with a taste for it. Yes, the Sony influence is strong with this one, and the Android Market will be joining the fun with Xperia Play-optimized titles from third-party developers. So all we really need to know now is whether the Android smartphone underpinning this smash-bang fusion of old and new school entertainment happens to be any good. Shall we get Started? %Gallery-119806%
Sony Ericsson's latest Xperia Play ads are disturbing, yet awesome (video)
Kristen Schaal has eyeballs. Red, fiery eyeballs lusting for the blood of her enemies on the battlefields of the PlayStation Suite. Yes, Sony Ericsson is keeping up the fine tradition of freaking us the hell out with its Xperia Play ads, this latest round starring an innocent-looking lady with a devilish demeanor. Skip past the break for those vids and if you're wondering why Kristen's so psyched about the Play, check out our very latest hands-on with the device -- it's coming to Verizon with stock Android, don't you know! [Thanks, Calvin]
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play for Verizon hands-on (video)
Well, we knew it was coming, and tonight at CTIA we finally got our dirty little hands on Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play for Verizon. It's pretty much what we expected: an Xperia Play that's lacking a SIM slot but displaying a couple of Verizon tattoos logos. The front-facing camera is still on the menu, along with a tasty serving of Gingerbread -- Android 2.3.2, to be exact. Strangely, the custom skin we saw during our hands-on at MWC was nowhere to be found on Verizon's model, being replaced instead by what appears to be the stock Gingerbread UI with some Sony Ericsson wallpapers and widgets. The Xperia Play app was on full display on the demo phones, which came preloaded with Ashphalt 6, Bruce Lee, Crash Bandicoot, Star Battalion, Madden '11, and The Sims 3. Take a peek at our gallery below, and poke your way past the break for our hands-on video.
Sony: every NGP game will be available to download, some might not even make it to physical release
We're filling the time between now and the NGP's holiday season release the best way we know how: by hunting down yet more information about it. Andrew House, the man in charge of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, has delivered the latest tidbit in an interview with MCV, where he states unequivocally that every game on the next PlayStation Portable will be available to buy as a download. Notably, he also expresses Sony's desire to have simultaneous distribution in both digital and physical channels, but that sounds a lot less concrete than his promise that every game will be downloadable. Digital-only games also figure prominently in Andrew's vision of the NGP's future, as he expects them to diversify choice for consumers alongside the big time titles like Uncharted. To learn more about Sony's replacement of UMDs with flash memory and the reasoning behind the PlayStation Suite, follow the source link below for the full interview.
Sony Ericsson Spain confirms Xperia Play for €649 on April 1st
Apparently in an effort to reduce confusion and settle the situation once and for all, Sony Ericsson's Spanish outpost has taken to the wires today to clarify the pricing and availability situation of the Xperia Play there: €649 off contract and unlocked (which works out to roughly $907) on April 1st. That more or less lines up with what we've been hearing in other European locales, though in Spain, Vodafone will have a 15-day exclusive on the white model -- other carriers will only have access to black at first, and none of the carriers have come clean with on-contract pricing details just yet. Clearly, $900 is an enormously tough sell, but a weak dollar never helps these situations -- we'll need to wait for word on the US retail picture before we've got the whole story.
PlayStation Suite coming to Tegra 2 devices
NVIDIA's Tegra Zone app, freshly launched this month, has become the source for a nifty little bit of Sony-related news: the PS Suite that is currently slated to deliver PlayStation One games to the Xperia Play is coming to Tegra 2 devices. Of course, if you're keeping up with your Sony tablet exclusives, you'd already know that the company's expected to unveil a Tegra 2 slate this year, so don't go assuming that your Xoom will necessarily get the PlayStation Certified badge. On a separate note, we're also hearing this expansion of supported hardware will be followed up with the eventual addition of PlayStation 2 games to the Suite. Those are clearly not on the immediate horizon and we suspect Sony might be waiting for quad-core mobile chips -- such as the one within its upcoming NGP -- to hit the market before rolling the last-gen console's wares out to pockets and messenger bags across the world. [Thanks, Onno] Update: Upon further investigation, we've been unable to confirm the claim about PS2 games being on Sony's PS Suite roadmap. Android and Me reports it to have come from NVIDIA, but the original Tegra Zone post makes no reference to PS2 games. We've updated the post to reflect this.
NGP in development 'since the beginning of 2008,' first-party Suite games in the works
How long has the successor to PSP been in the works? According to Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, "since the beginning of 2008." The timing coincides with the first rumors about the device, which (correctly) predicted the system's lack of a UMD drive, touch screen and dual analog support. Yoshida also explained that Worldwide Studios had been officially involved with NGP game development since then, too, which helps explain the dearth of first-party content for the original PSP beginning in 2008. According to Wikipedia, Sony has released only 16 first-party games for the PSP in the last two years -- about the same number of games it had ready for the system's launch. While Sony is working on delivering triple-A titles for the NGP launch, Yoshida noted that first-party teams are also working on "short form games" for PlayStation Suite, Sony's upcoming cross-platform service for NGP and Android. Given the last game we recall Sony ever developing for a non-PlayStation device was Wipeout 64, that's certainly an historic move.
Report: Sony 'S1' tablet is PlayStation certified, features Qriocity
Engadget reports on a new Sony tablet that might just be the one Kaz Hirai called "currently in development" at CES, integrating PlayStation branding and content. The device, code-named "S1" will reportedly run a custom version of the Android Honeycomb OS (even though Honeycomb will already have a nice UI courtesy of Matias Duarte) and is said to integrate the Qriocity media platform, currently available on PS3 for music (in Europe) and video streaming. Like the Xperia Play, according to Engadget's sources, this tablet is "PlayStation Certified" and will come preloaded with PlayStation games. The Tegra 2-equipped tablet will supposedly have an odd design (as seen in Engadget's mock-up above), meant to recall a folded-up paperback, which will allow the tablet to be set down at an angle for easy typing. The device is tentatively scheduled to ship in September, according to the report. If the S1's buildup is anything like the Xperia Play's, we'll hear a lot more about this thing even before Sony decides to say a word.
Exclusive: Sony 'S1' PlayStation tablet (updated)
Think for a second, what major consumer electronics company doesn't have a tablet to show? Right, Sony. In fact, the rumor womb has been conspicuously barren of salacious Sony tablet tattle ever since Apple's iPad was announced back in 2010. Oh sure, Sony's owned-up to the development of prototypes that fill a "very important position" somewhere in between its own Vaio PC lineup and the Xperia Play byproduct of its Ericsson commingling. But beyond that: zilch, nada... until today. We have a couple of tablets we'd like to tell you about, starting with a 9.4-inch honeypot of an Android 3.0 tablet. Details of which have been confirmed by two highly trusted and independent sources. Known by its "S1" codename internally, Sony is busy customizing Matias Duarte's Honeycomb interface to its own specification. Although, we're skeptical of Sony's software capabilities, we've been assured that Sony's work is cutting edge stuff created by a talented engineering team spanning Sony's VAIO, Reader, PlayStation, and Sony Ericsson product groups. The team is lead by the VAIO organization but will probably launch as a Sony product without VAIO branding, according to one source. Sony's custom-built transitions and UI elements have created a user experience that rivals and at times improves upon the iPad's renowned experience. The tablet itself, we're told, is 100 percent focused on Qriocity, Sony's music, games, ebooks, and videos on demand service that's just been launched in Europe. It comes preloaded with Sony PS One games, a Bravia Media Remote, and yes, PlayStation integration -- though it's unclear if that'll be limited to Remote Play or if the Android tablet will be PlayStation Suite certified. One source speculates that it could very well get the PlayStation gaming seal of approval by the time it ships -- but that's just an educated guess. Update: We now have confirmation that the S1 is indeed PlayStation Certified making this a full-blown media and gaming tablet. We've also revised the illustration above to make the top less pronounced. So what about that curvaceous mockup above? A design described to us as "beautiful, the best thing" one source has ever seen from Sony. Click through the break and we'll explain.
PSA: PlayStation Network content must be re-purchased on Xperia Play
The Xperia Play will be pre-loaded with an unknown "legendary" PS1 title (psst! -- it's Crash Bandicoot), along with a smattering of launch content -- but it won't be loaded with all that PlayStation Network content you've purchased. Speaking with GameSpot UK, Sony Ericsson UK managing director Nathan Vautier confirmed, "[Xperia Play owners] will have to repurchase the games, so it's not totally integrated." Beyond the Android Marketplace, Xperia Play owners will purchase content through the PlayStation Store; access to said store will come via Sony's PlayStation Suite, launching "later this year." Unfortunately, it seems that content you've already purchased -- say, PS1 titles that will also be available for purchase on Xperia Play -- must be repurchased for use on the handheld. We can't say we're super surprised. Or mad, even, really. Just disappointed.
Video: Watch the Xperia Play press conference, relive the surprise!
A few hours ago at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson finally shared details of the Xperia Play, the long-since-leaked PlayStation Phone that made its "official" debut during last week's Super Bowl. While we've already picked over the presentation's carcass to bring you all the fresh meat we could find – like the hardware specs, release window and first US carrier, the PlayStation functionality, and some of the launch games – we figured some of you may want to relive all the surprises through the magic of video. Find the full Xperia Play presentation after the break, and then fly into the comments to let us know exactly how awkward those presenters were. We're going with: The most awkward. Boom!%Gallery-116437%
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (update: video and full spec sheet!)
We'll forgive you if you thought the Xperia Play was eons before. Let's quickly run through its short-yet-illustrious history: we published first details in August last year, followed by the very first pictures in late October. More and more details emerged throughout the remainder of the year. By the time 2011 hit, a prototype was making the Chinese media rounds (teardown included), and then we managed to get our own Xperia Play prototype for preview. It's at this point that Sony Ericsson joins in on the fun with its creepy Super Bowl ad reveal. But after months of detailed leaks, early hands-on previews, and numerous executive non-denials, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is finally 100 percent official. As we've heard for ages now, it'll run Android 2.3 Gingerbread on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor with Qualcomm Adreno 205 graphics and display those games on a sizable 4-inch, 854 x 480 multi-touch LCD screen, the combination of which Sony says will provide 60 frames per second playback and manage up to 5 hours, 35 minutes of battery life in a single game session with the slide-out PlayStation Certified controller. Gaming credentials aside, you're looking at either a quad-band GSM or CDMA and EV-DO smartphone with a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, LED flash, stereo speakers, Bluetooth and WiFi functionality baked in, as well as Sony Ericsson's Timescape UI layer. The phone comes preloaded with a "legendary" PSone game of the undisclosed variety, as well as a bevy of popular Android games including Asphalt 6, The Sims 3 and Tetris, and Sony Ericsson promises a library of 50 additional titles available at launch from 20 publishing partners. Some games ported from existing smartphone platforms (like Reckless Racing) will have bonus content on Xperia Play, too. Local area multiplayer gaming is a go, as you'll be able to host a WiFi hotspot on one device and join the game with another. It's launching in March, and will be available on Verizon (a US timed exclusive) in "early spring," suggesting that we'll see the European launch before it hits the States. Update: Press release, full, gigantic spec sheet and loads of video after the break! Update 2: A brand new Xperia Play hands-on with games! %Gallery-116429%
Kaz Hirai sees PlayStation Suite as potential 'killer app' on Google TV; 'won't ignore' WP7, iOS
While Jack Tretton wasn't ready to discuss the potential of PlayStation Suite on other platforms, a recently translated post-PlayStation Meeting roundtable with Kaz Hirai showed it's definitely on Sony's mind. According to Tech-On, Hirai said "(Sony) might provide the PSS as a killer application to spread the use of the Google TV," while also mentioning Windows and iOS as other mobile operating systems it could target. Still, don't think Sony is gearing up to take on living room gaming (and potentially Apple TV) from a new angle just yet as Hirai made clear smartphones were priority number one, followed by the quickly expanding tablet market. One way or another, even if you're not yet interested in a new PSP or Android phone, expect to see the PlayStation Certified sticker creeping into even more devices eventually.
Sony open to expanding PlayStation Suite to additional platforms
Sony's PlayStation Suite service will have somewhat humble beginnings as a delivery system for PSOne Classics on Android and will, of course, be supported on the NGP, but Sony is looking to cast a wide net with the program over time. The first step to bringing the PlayStation brand out into the world is to open it up to as many Android users as possible. "We have a completely open stance," Hirai said (translated by Andriasang), "With carriers and with handset makers." Which means it's not just phones like Sony Ericsson's ephemeral Xperia Play that will benefit from the PlayStation Suite, but other, buttonless Android phones that people ... probably shouldn't try to play PlayStation games on. After Android phones, Hirai is looking to move to Android tablets. Following that, he said, "We're not ruling out PSS even on products like Sony Internet TV Powered by Google (Google TV) if adoption rate increases, or if it will help push adoption greatly." Sony is "focusing first" on Android, with an eye toward other operating systems including iOS and Windows at a later date, because "we don't have the resources to make it compatible with everything from the start." That's a lot of things that aren't PlayStations running PlayStation games!
