Development Rumors Reports of a PlayStation smartphone have existed as early as 2006 when
Sony Computer Entertainment filed a patent for a PlayStation Phone. Rumors of such a device resurfaced again in 2007 when a
Sony Ericsson executive announced that they were developing a device for gaming, and plans to use the
XrossMediaBar in its devices. In June 2007, head of
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, David Reeves, denied the existence of such a device saying that he had no knowledge of such a device being developed. During the 2007
Games Convention, Peter Ahnegard, an executive at Sony Ericsson, further fueled rumors of a PlayStation Phone, when asked about the device he said that "It's obviously something that we're looking at but right now I can't really comment". In the early 2008, the official
Sony Magazine reported that "a new PSP-style phone is apparently in development". In early 2009, it was reported that plans for a PlayStation Phone has been cancelled as Sony were unwilling to license the PlayStation brand to Sony Ericsson unless Sony would produce the handset independently. This subsequently prompted a fallout between Sony and Sony Ericsson. In May 2009, rumors of such a device arose once again when then head of Sony Ericsson, Hideki Komiyama, told the
Financial Times in an interview that as part of his recovery plan for Sony Ericsson, he would like to combine the PlayStation brand with their phones similar to how they had created the
Walkman and
Cyber-shot lines of mobile phones. In June 2009,
The Nikkei reported that Sony Ericsson were developing a "cellphone-game gear hybrid" as a competitor to
Apple's iPhone, combining the functionality of a mobile phone and a handheld gaming device.
Images surface In early 2010, the
Wall Street Journal reported that Sony was getting ready to release a smartphone able to download and play video games. The first solid details about the phone came via
Engadget in August 2010, reporting many leaked details about the device including that it runs
Android, it is a sliding phone with a button configuration similar to the
PSP Go, with some technical specifications. A video showing the device in the wild in
Greece was leaked on December 1, 2010. It showed the device running Android 2.3, and reported that the device's final name would be the Sony Ericsson Z1 though this has not been confirmed by multiple sources. Two days later, more videos were leaked. They were far clearer, showing the device clearly, with a "PlayStation" icon on the phone which displays a
XrossMediaBar-themed interface when selected. On January 5, 2011,
Engadget published more photos of what seems to be the final design for the device as it bears both the PlayStation and Xperia brands which weren't on the prototypes. The day after, several other clearer photos and videos of the device was leaked revealing what seems to be its final design, specs, and its benchmark score of 59.1 frames per second. On January 12, 2011, a Chinese website released pictures of what looked like the device disassembled with the parts spread out and the casing removed.
Official announcement On February 6, 2011, Sony Ericsson created an event for the Xperia Play on their
Facebook page. In late January or early February, a shortened version of an advert made for airing during the Super Bowl was leaked on several websites. On February 6, 2011, the device was officially announced with the broadcast of the version of this ad. On February 13, 2011, more details were released by Sony Ericsson.
Release The phone was initially announced as having a March 2011 release timeframe. Ireland and Spain. On April 28, 2011, it was launched in Canada, exclusively to
Rogers. The US launch was officially scheduled for Spring 2011, and while a time frame of mid-April was initially given, the device's launch was pushed back to May 26. In Indonesia, the device was launched on XL Axiata network on July 29, 2011. On September 18, 2011, the Xperia Play
4G was released for AT&T, it features
HSPA+ for faster speeds and it comes in a Stealth Blue color. In Mexico it was available through
Telcel. In the
UK, carriers
O2,
Vodafone,
Orange,
T-Mobile and
Three have confirmed that they were to stock the handset. In Canada, the device was carried exclusively by
Rogers Wireless. ==Android updates==