Verizon on Tuesday at last committed to its launch plans for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. As widely rumored, the first PlayStation phone is due to reach the US on May 26 and will cost $200 on a contract. Verizon’s edition will support 3G hotspot sharing for up to five devices and will see over 50 game coming through V Cast Apps; it’s not clear whether this replaces or supplements the usual PlayStation Suite.
The phone shares much with other Sony Ericsson Android 2.3 phones shipping this year and has a 1GHz second-generation Snapdragon, a four-inch display, a five-megapixel rear camera, and a front VGA camera. Its slide-out gamepad is its most distinctive touch and gives users PlayStation 1-level control, including two optical analog ‘sticks’ and shoulder buttons.
Features
- 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon II processor with Adreno 205 GPU
- Adobe Flash Player
- 4-inch multi-touch display
- 5-megapixel rear-facing camera
- VGA front-facing camera for still shots and video chatting
- Mobile hotspot capability– share 3G connection with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices
Pricing and Availability
The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY will be available for pre-order online at www.verizonwireless.com beginning May 19 and in stores on May 26 for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access and an unlimited smartphone data plan is $29.99 for monthly access.
