We already know all of the most important specs for the upcoming Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play, but we’re missing one very important tidbit: which carrier is getting it? Well, it looks like one retailer already knows.

The handset previously known as the PlayStation Phone, which is now all thumbs, is apparently making its way over to join Big Red. This comes by way of some sources at Wirefly.

Aside from the Motorola Atrix 4G, it looks like Verizon is really looking like the Android place to be these days. It started with hot devices like the DROID Incredible and now we’re on the cusp of a Verizon-happy XOOM, DROID Bionic, and so on. The XPERIA Play sounds like a natural fit, no? Or would you rather get an NGP instead?

[Mobile Burn]

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An official commercial for the upcoming gaming smartphone is being shown off on the Sony Ericsson Facebook page and it offers some creepy, almost SAW-inspired hack job. They’ve sown on a pair of human thumbs onto our little green friend, saying that Android is now ready to play.

Weird, I know. As far as the XPERIA Play itself goes, it’s everything we’ve been seeing thus far with styling somewhere between the X10 and Vivaz Pro, adding in slide-out gaming controls. An “official” announcement for the phone is set for February 13 (at 1800 GMT) and I guess that’s when we’ll learn about content delivery, pricing, and all that jazz.

Personally, I’m somehow less stoked about the PSPhone today than I was a year ago when it was little more than a rumor. What’s that they say about reality never living up to your dreamy expectations?

[Giz]

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Confused? You betcha! Kazuo Hirai is the big cheese at Sony Computer Entertainment and he recently had an interview where he was to discuss the PSPhone (or PSP phone, if you prefer). In the interview, he basically confirms that they’re working on such a device.

That’s the good news. The slightly confusing news is that he says, “We don’t want gamers to be asking, what’s the difference between that and a PSP.” In this way, it is more than likely that Sony is still working on a proper PSP2, but the PSP Phone is a separate project.

I’ve heard some rumors swirling around the Internet that the so-called PSPphone won’t really be a PSP Phone at all. Instead, it’s being dubbed the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play to join the rest of the XPERIA smartphone line. It’ll probably have the PlayStation app, but the Android phone will also play some PSN download games too. Sony is more than happy to embrace casual gamers in this regard.

In any case, I’m hearing that Sony could be making some sort of formal announcement regarding one or both devices at CES in January. Till then, it’s all rumor and hearsay.

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The oft-rumored Sony PlayStation Phone just got another tick in the “probably going to happen” column. Now that Android 2.3 Gingerbread is all official with the Nexus S, developers have also started to get their hands on the Gingerbread SDK. Rolling through that, they’ve discovered what appear to be Sony-style gaming controls.

When looking at the portion about input key options, you’ll find fields for A, B, C, L1, L2, Mode, R1, R2, Select, Start, ThumbL, ThumbR, X, Y, and Z. The L1/L2 and R1/R2 pairs are certainly in line with the controllers that you’d find on the PlayStation 3, and the ThumbL and ThumbR seem to indicate dual thumb analog sticks, again like the PS3. There’s no mention of square, triangle and circle, of course, but the A/B/C and X/Y/Z combinations could easily substitute for that.

This is very much notable for a couple of reasons. First, it offers even more confirmation that the Sony PlayStation Phone is real and it’s definitely on the way. Second, it means that the PSPhone will have “better” controls than its regular PSP counterpart, finally getting dual analog sticks and four shoulder buttons… or at least the possibility of four shoulder buttons in some hardware incarnation.

Will the PlayStation Phone help to elevate the Android platform into the same kind of mobile gaming viability of iOS? With real controls like these, it just might. I just hope the hardware is better than the XPERIA X10 to say the least.

[SlashGear via Android Community]

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Sony Ericsson phones have seen brighter days. The PSP format has too. What if they combined their powers to make a mega-device? The rumors surrounding a possible PlayStation Phone have been circling for some time, but this media invitation very clearly seems to indicate its existence… and the announcement is coming in about two weeks.

Yes, it’s all up in French, but you can clearly see the December 9th date on there, as well as the iconic PlayStation button logos… next to a phone icon stylized in the same way. The connection is undeniable and it’s being called the “most anticipated presentation of the past 10 years.”

Many of the leaked specs and pictures we’ve seen already seem to be falling into place too, including Android 2.2 (maybe even 2.3 Gingerbread), 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, slide-out controls, custom Sony Marketplace, and a large display of between 3.7 and 4.1 inches with a retina display-like resolution.

Some more good news? The games will be closer in scope to what you find on the iPhone and Android, so pricing should stay at under ten bucks, rather than the usual $40 or so that we’ve seen with conventional PSP games. In this way, it’s unlikely to be backwards compatible either. No UMD slot and even the downloadable games for the PSPgo probably won’t be a-go. This will be a new platform altogether, so they might develop some unique name to separate it from its predecessors.

The expectation is that the Sony PlayStation Phone (or PSPhone, if you prefer) will sell for $500 sans contract, though some carriers will probably offer a subsidy with an agreement too. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the anonymous tipster says the PSPhone won’t be available for the holidays and that it’s “nowhere close” to market-ready. Shucks. I was hoping for a mobile GT5 this Christmas. [Crunch Gear]

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Rumors of a possible PSP Phone have been lingering around the Internet for years, but it seems that we are finally getting a glimpse at the real deal. Apparently, this is no random knockoff from China. This isn’t a fanboy rendering. This really is the PSPhone.

At least, this is what we’re led to believe. Engadget assures us that this is the real deal and it really is the PlayStation Phone we’ve all been looking for. The form factor is very much like the PSPgo with its slide-out controls, but you’ll notice an extra large multitouch trackpad in the center. Aside from that, you get the four directional controls, four face buttons, and two shoulder buttons. It’s possible that the trackpad, with its two dots, could be the replacement for a pair of analog thumbsticks.

As far as tech specs, we’re being told it has a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor, 512MB RAM, 1GB of RAM, and a 3.7 to 4.1-inch screen. Interestingly, Sony has ditched the Memory Stick format in favor of a more standard microSD slot. Power comes by way of Android 3.0 (Gingerbread), though Sony will likely have an overlay of some kind. We already saw TimeScape on the Xperia devices, so maybe a GameScape or something for the new PSP platform?

Oh, and in case you’re thinking “just” an Android smartphone won’t cut the mustard for a true gaming platform, here’s some food for thought. The current PSP? Its processor is only a 333MHz number and it rocks 64MB of RAM. On paper, this supposed PlayStation Phone blows it out of the water.

SOURCE: Engadget

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While Sony struggles with sales of its PlayStation Portable, it has decided to get into the smartphone foray.  Sony has been at the forefront of interactive electronic technology for the last 15 years, starting with the release of the first Playstation.  In a market long dominated by BlackBerries, iPhones, and Androids, Sony could pose a legitimate threat.

A new Sony smartphone could have the ability to play games from Sony’s home and portable consoles by downloading them directly onto the device from Sony’s network.  This could give Sony an advantage over the rest of the smartphone market with younger first time smartphone buyers. With a library of literally thousands of games that could potentially make their way onto the device in an instantaneous fashion, the content hurdle is already addressed from day one.

It will be interesting to see what Sony does in the smartphone segment.  They certainly have the technology to make a phone that could outclass other devices on the market without breaking much of a sweat.  Add to that the potential for gaming on it, which is becoming more and more important to many young users, and you have a formula for greatness.

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Dubbed the iWish, this cell phone concept has a basic form factor that is reminiscent of the Sony PSP, complete with the PlayStation branding on the left side, along with directional pad and set of four face buttons. I do appreciate the inclusion of dual analog sticks, however, a feature that you won’t find on the real PSP.

Going further, you’ll notice that the display can slide upwards to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, not unlike the T-Mobile Sidekick Slide. That’s not to say that the user interface is provided by Danger, however, because it looks like it has taken on a distinctly Apple iPhone-like flavor. Curiously, you’ll notice that one of the buttons at the bottom of the touchsceen is Windows… so it has Windows Mobile too?

I’m not entirely positive if this is supposed to be just a gaming machine, a multimedia player, a bulky text-minded cell phone, or all of the above. Whatever it is, the iWish is little more than a confused fanboy’s wet dream.

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Displayed here is a mockup of what the Sony Ericsson PSPhone could look like and this has to be one of the cleverest designs we’ve seen to date. The handset takes on a glossy slider form factor, but like the Nokia N95, it’s actually a dual slider. When opened the conventional way, you gain access to a regular numeric keypad. Slide it the other way, and you get the d-pad and analog stick. The face navigation buttons then translate to the familiar set of circle, X, square, and triangle.

With this design, gamers gain access to a beautiful widescreen display, accompanied by familiar controls. Phone users also don’t have to put up with anything too out of the ordinary, effectively producing the near perfect marriage of mobile gaming and cellular telephony. It might not be an iPhone killer, but it’ll certainly compete well against the Nokia N-Gage platform.

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We’ve been hearing about a PlayStation Phone for a long time and now a new set of rumors has risen to the surface. For starters, the supposed launch date will be in February of next year. Next, they say that the PSPhone will not have any PlayStation or PSP branding on it, possibly opening up to a new sub-brand for their cell phone games.

According to Mobile Entertainment, the Sony gaming phone will be “100% gaming focused”, complete with motion-sensing capabilities. You should probably think about that in terms of SIXAXIS, rather than Wii. Network gaming is also a possibility.

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