The Playstation Phone: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Rumours of PlayStation phone began with the first console. 17 years later, it’s finally here. While the idea may have been conceived seven years before Sony Ericsson’s incorporation, the mobile phone giant is packing the handset with thoroughly modern technology.

The specifications you’ll expect to find in any high-end smartphone are as follows: there is a 1 GHz CPU (snapdragon), 512 MB RAM, a 4 inch multitouch screen (capacitive touch, 854 x 480), a five megapixel camera and an Android 2.3 operating system.

What you won’t find on any other smartphone is the slide out gaming controls. As a benefit to being the first officially certified PlayStation mobile phone, Sony Ericsson has included most of the functionality of a proper PlayStation controller.

In all honesty, the control pad looks more similar to the slider of the PSP Go then a full controller. You finding the pad on the left, set the standard PlayStation balance on the right, stars and select buttons, shoulder buttons on the back of the device and a long rectangular touchpad in the middle for simulating dual analog sticks.

Sony promises fluid gameplay at 60 frames per second, thanks to the optimisation of the snapdragon processor coupled with an embedded Adreno GPU. It all adds up to some pretty intense gaming potential. We’ve already seen the graphical prowess of the iPhone 4, and the snapdragon/adreno combination promises to go to push the boundaries even further

The phone is not only compatible with android marketplace, letting gamers use to controller on games not designed for the Xperia, but will also boast a dedicated android marketplace gaming section. Here you’ll find 50 launch titles; although we expect a lot of these to be rehashes of old PS one games.

It should ship with one A-plus game from the PlayStation’s history, with most bets placed on crash bandicoot. Personally, we’d like to see the grands turismo launch. Other franchises coming to Xperia PLAY include EA’s Need For Speed, Sims 3, a world-first multiplayer version of FIFA 10 for mobile, Guitar Hero, Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell.

Sony Ericsson is also partnering with Unity Technologies – the engine behind the iPhone’s best-looking titles, to use its award-winning development platform, to ensure plenty more beautiful games.