Xperia Play hits US on May 26
- — 18 May, 2011 05:18
Sony Ericsson has announced the Xperia Play "PlayStation Phone" will be available for $200 next Thursday — that's May 26. Getting it for this price will, however, be dependent on signing up for a two-year voice and data plan from Verizon. Preorders will start this Thursday from Verizon's online store.
The device comes preloaded with seven games, including Madden NFL 11, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, The Sims 3, Star Battalion, the PlayStation version of Crash Bandicoot and Tetris. It runs the 2.3 Android software, also known as Gingerbread, and has access to the various Android marketplaces such as the Amazon Appstore for downloadable apps. Its main selling point as a gaming phone, however, is the sliding panel which reveals some PSP-style controls.
The device has seen some success in Europe and Canada so far, but sales of PlayStation games have been poor in comparison to Android apps, with the five initially-available PlayStation games each selling less than 1,000 copies as of last week. (Source) Sony claims to be unconcerned by this at the moment.
"There's no concerns, it's a revolutionary device, it's shaking up the market, we're very pleased with it," said Sony Ericsson head of market development Dominic Neil-Dwyer in conversation with PlayStation Lifestyle last week. "In terms of getting the PlayStation Certified program out, generally, we're very happy. I think we'll make a full assessment of if it has achieved our expectations fully, further down the line, so we're very happy."
This article originally appeared on GamePro.com as Xperia Play Hits US on May 26
