Xperia PLAY’s strengths as a gaming device have really been undersold to the PlayStation crowd. While researching PLAY we’ve seen widespread confusion on gaming forums with many people wondering how exactly the smartphone ties in with Sony Computer Entertainment and whether it’s supposed to be a gaming device to get your teeth into until PlayStation Vita arrives, or something totally different altogether.
To all intent and purpose, Xperia PLAY is a smartphone, so its main function and biggest strength is as a hybrid device for a multitude of different activities from taking photos and videos to sending emails and browsing the web. Then, of course, there’s the mind-boggling assortment of apps, some pre-installed and others available for download, that can help you with something as mundane as creating a shopping list to more technically impressive features, such as a GPS tool that will help you find your way to any destination, whether by car or on foot.
In addition to that you have the hundreds of games which you can download, most of which are aimed at the mass market of casual gamers seeking quick thrills while on the move. In that respect, Xperia PLAY is different to other smartphones because it marries that casual offering that you get from the likes of Angry Birds with a more core gaming experience.
Sony Ericsson has done this by implementing the first ever smartphone gamepad while teaming up with SCE to deliver some retro gaming thrills on the small screen. It seems that the two have joined forces perhaps in order to tap into that particular niche market of people who sit somewhere within the realm of casual and core gamers. As such, it’s a real shame that some of the gaming community don’t seem that clued up about it.
Not to be confused with the affiliation with SCE, Xperia PLAY is the creation of Sony Ericsson who, contrary to what some people seem to think, is not part of Sony Computer Entertainment. Other than collaborating with each other to bring the PlayStation Suite – a set of optimised retro PlayStation games to the smartphone – and working together on the design of PLAY’s slide-out d-pad, this is Sony Ericsson’s creation and, first and foremost, an extension of its current Xperia range of smart phones. Gaming is actually just a side dish, albeit a very tasty one.
The first sign that Xperia PLAY is affiliated with PlayStation is when you get your first look at the slide out d-pad, which has a tiny PlayStation-certified symbol nestled in the bottom left hand corner, assuring owners that any PlayStation games they’ll play on the device will have had to pass a quality approval test from SCE. You could also argue that the glossy black contoured exterior and the bold, silver coloured styling that runs down the sides mimics the stylish design of the PlayStation 3; and granted, PLAY does have that luxurious and quality feel to it with an impressively solid build and large screen to show off its gaming credentials. And, once you go digging deep into the interface and its mass of preloaded apps, you soon discover the PlayStation Pocket, a hub from where you can access and buy PlayStation games. It’s at this point that, as PlayStation fanatics, we felt our first tinge of excitement.
Before we talk about Xperia PLAY from the perspective of a gamer however, it makes sense that we cover its credentials as a smartphone. PLAY comes packed with all the Android gubbins that you’d expect — and as a device for everyday use, from Facebook browsing and Twittering to shopping on eBay and watching YouTube, it performs impeccably well. Comparing it to the Samsung Galaxy S and the HTC desire – the two smartphone models that we have the most experience with – it has an immediately familiar customisable interface, allowing you to swipe your finger left and right to move through the menu screens and set up your layout however you wish. It’s worth noting too that we found the responsiveness of the touchscreen and the speed and accuracy in which you can flick through the menus better on PLAY than our other smartphones – you can really whizz around the menu and sub-menus intuitively and swiftly.
There’s also a handful of decent pre-installed apps, particularly if you’re a fan of all things Google: Google Maps 5.0, Google Voice Action, Google Earth, Google Talk and Gmail completes the line-up, but there’s also a superb YouTube app and a well laid out Facebook feature that allows you to access a condensed version of the social networking site. Xperia PLAY makes it easy for you to synch all your contacts across various clients too, while applications like Google Maps have been a God send when we’ve been lost in the back streets of London. You also get a large calculator, a competent Track ID app that recognises any tune that’s playing in the background, an organiser and an Office Suite for file management. Re-iterating the smartphone’s strength as a social networking device, there’s also an app called Timescape, which presents a stream of social media updates and even your text messages on a scrollable stack of cards. You can, of course, delete any of these apps and browse the Android marketplace where there are plenty of other options, but it’s a decent starter package nonetheless.
Included in our lists of favourite apps that we’ve downloaded, the ones that have worked like a dream on Xperia PLAY, have been Skype, where we’ve made good quality calls between the U.K. and Canada effortlessly. Pocket Auction for eBay, which allows you to browse, buy and sell easily on the auction website is also a great free addition to the Android store, while the BBC iPlayer has also been great for catching up on T.V. Similarly impressive is YouTube, which works seamlessly over a wireless connection; and there’s a neat feature built into the phone which allows you to upload your videos taken on PLAY directly to the site. PLAY streams extremely smoothly over wireless, and connection to 3G has been immediate.
Overall, we’ve found very few negatives regarding how PLAY performs as a smartphone. We were slightly disappointed with having just a 5 mega pixel camera (we’ve been spoilt with the HTC Desire HD 8 megapixel one), but for the casual snapper it still takes a competent photo and excellent video which can uploaded smoothly to social networking sites. Possibly the biggest disappointment has been with the standard keyboard that comes with PLAY, which is far too small. We’ve made many mistakes while text messaging because it’s all so condensed and there’s only a very small margin for error as you navigate the keypad.
Luckily, you can visit the Android store and download a different keyboard – we recommend the brilliant Swype keyboard, which allows you to type without even having to move your fingers. Overall, we’ve preferred using Xperia PLAY as a smartphone than our previous devices largely due to the improved and stable performance over Wi-Fi and 3G, the responsiveness of the touchscreen and its stylish chassis. So, top marks in this respect.
So, what’s it like for gaming then, eh?
Xperia PLAY comes preloaded with a handful of games: Bruce Lee Dragon Warriors, Tetris, Star Battalion, Crash Bandicoot, FIFA 10 and The Sims 3. It’s a bizarre mix of different genres and there’s nothing that immediately makes you spring out of your seat. We, for example, like beat ‘em ups and platformers, but aren’t too keen on puzzle games, and can’t stand The Sims, so there’s only a couple of games we were really half interested in. Yes, they are totally free, but it’s not the best selection of launch games to showcase PLAY’s prowess as a gaming device, although you could argue that there’s something for everyone in that random mix.
Powered by the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset with an Adreno 205 graphics subsystem, Xperia PLAY is built to run at a silky smooth 60FPS and so far the only problems with stuttering on the system we’ve encountered have been when someone has tried to phone us in the middle of a game – one of the downsides of having a gaming device that doubles up as a phone.
Following this review, we’ll have a number of game reviews for Xperia PLAY on PSU.com, so we’re not going to go into lots of detail about individual titles here, but all of the optimised Xperia PLAY games we’ve indulged in have largely impressed us and will be receiving above-average to excellent scores. Games such as Asphalt 6: Adrenaline and Nova 2 look graphically impressive on the 480×854 resolution screen and have performed very well during ferocious bouts of gameplay, showing no signs that the processor is struggling. Backstab, for example, features a continuous stream of fighting against multiple opponents and boasts some intense graphics, yet runs very smoothly.
The highlight of PLAY as a gaming device, however, is not about how well the games actually run, but it’s the silver-coloured, slide-out game pad which allows you to play games how they really should be played. The digital pad features two analogue touch pads, two shoulder buttons and the four PlayStation icons: circle, cross, square and triangle. On the right hand side of the pad, the four control buttons are designed with the familiar PlayStation symbols and you only need to apply a small amount of pressure to click each one, so it feels comfortable and intuitive to use. The buttons are also well spaced out so you don’t inadvertently catch the wrong button and end up switching a weapon instead of pummelling an enemy with your assault rifle.
Considering the relatively small size of PLAY – especially in comparison to gaming handhelds like PlayStation Portable – it feels very comfortable to grip thanks to the rounded, contoured edges of each corner; and your fingers rest very snugly on the shoulder buttons, which make a subtle clicking sound whenever you press them. The ‘Start’ and ‘Select’ buttons are also conveniently located underneath the main four buttons and can be reached with little effort with your thumbs, while the four buttons of the d-pad on the left hand side of the pad are the same size and texture as the main buttons, so they’re just as intuitive to use. In between the action buttons and the d-pad there’s a big empty space that houses two flat discs, which initially look like they’re part of the design.
These two circular pads actually act as the left and right analog sticks, one for controlling movement and the other for the in-game camera. It’s hard to know what else Sony Ericsson could have done to incorporate analog controls onto such a tight surface, but nonetheless this solution isn’t ideal. The over-sensitivity of the pads, which create movement on screen at the slightest of touches, has caused a few problems in some of the more action-orientated games, such as the first-person shooter, Rainbow 6 Shadow Vanguard. You really do need to be able to turn on sixpence to shoot at anyone who may appear behind you, but it’s difficult to master with this solution or get the accuracy that you would have with the analog sticks of a SixAxis controller, which gives you complete control over your movements.
During games where you don’t need to make such drastic and quick movements, including platfomers like Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles or a slower-paced RPGs such as Sacred Odyssey, it’s never really an issue. However, when you need that precision and speed these flat analog sticks can be a little frustrating and difficult to master. Nevertheless, in the majority of games you can use either the d-pad or the touchscreen as an alternative, so it’s by no means a lost cause. In fact, it was the combination of the touchscreen and the analog sticks that ended up becoming our own preference, which has been good enough – after all, comparing it to the SixAxis controller is a little like comparing chalk and cheese.
Driving games, such as Asphalt 6, which has also been a success on other platforms, work particularly well with the pad, and the smooth 60fps experience ensures that it manages to capture the speed of the race without compromising on the performance. Overall, despite our frustrations with the analog stick, we’ve found that the d-pad has really enhanced our performance when compared to our usual touchscreen smartphone gaming.
In addition, it’s made games that were born on Android platforms and then optimised for Xperia PLAY (such as Assassin’s Creed) a more immersive, less frustrating experience – more like a game that you’d experience on a dedicated gaming handheld. There’s no comparison, of course – Xperia PLAY is no PSP 2.5 – but in the mobile phone market it offers an experience that is totally unmatched. Furthermore, the growing list of Xperia PLAY optimised games, such as Backstab, Nova 2 and Rainbow 6: Shadow Vanguard (reviews coming shortly) have performed very well on the system and provided some impressive core gaming experiences.
As for Sony’s PlayStation Suite, which we were promised would be full of retro PlayStation games, it’s a little disappointing. This is early days in Xperia PLAY’s life cycle so a lot can and will change, but SCE simply hasn’t supported it as well as it could have right from the start. Crash Bandicoot (PlayStation One) is pre-installed and plays just like the original with the pad, so it’s a gaming experience anyone will feel at home with, but beyond that there are few choices. Currently, Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby Jumping Flash, MediEvil and Syphon Filter are the only games you can buy and have been since launch. There’s good fun to be had here, especially with the sheer carnage you can cause in Destruction Derby, but we really want to see many more games over the next 12 months from the SCE stable.
Downloading new games, installing them and accessing them quickly on PLAY is certainly a highlight and very easy to do. Through the Xperia PLAY app you can access all PLAY optimised titles available on the Android marketplace or through GameLoft and via the PlayStation Pocket you can access your PlayStation One games. A one stop shop perhaps would have been a better solution, but this way you do get to keep your PS One games separately from the rest and can drag both the Xperia PLAY app and PlayStation Pocket onto one of your menu screens, so your games are only ever a couple of clicks away. The only complaint we have is with the Android marketplace, which doesn’t clearly label any of the optimised games. As such, you really do need to go through the dedicated Xperia PLAY app to get what you want.
We were surprised to see battery life performs well during intense bouts of gameplay – lasting around 6 hours of heavy play in our experience and 24 hours with lighter usage, involving the occasional game, some surfing and general phone calls. It also charges up fairly quickly, so you don’t have to wait for hours to leave the house like you do with some smartphones. Overall, PLAY’s strengths as a gaming machine have surprised us. We’ve played many touchscreen Android games, and via our iPad 2 are currently playing core titles such as RAGE, but PLAY does something different by putting that control in your hands with the addition of the slide out pad. It’s not a 100% perfect solution, but it does improve the gaming experience on smartphones immeasurably.
So, do we recommend Xperia PLAY to the PlayStation crowd?
It’s clear that the PlayStation Suite is still in its infancy for Xperia PLAY, which we were expecting at this early stage in the smartphone’s life cycle, but it’s disappointing nevertheless. It also seems that many of the games currently available have already appeared on Android devices and have merely been optimised for PLAY, whereas we’d really like to see more exclusives to take advantage of the game-enhancing d-pad. We are, however, confident they will come and have already heard there’s a list of games such as Battlefield: Bad Company 2 coming to the platform shortly. Though we’ve been gaming with a game pad for years, Xperia PLAY does feel like a breath of fresh air among the current range of smartphones on the market, and we feel it would be especially appropriate to those who get frustrated with the inaccuracies of a touchscreen and yearn for a more core gaming experience.
In that respect, Xperia PLAY is the ultimate smartphone to own to game on and its gamepad gives you that feeling of control and confidence that you need get the job done effectively in any game you play – even with the over-sensitive analog sticks. After spending many weeks in the company of Sony Ericsson’s smartphone there’s no going back for us now. We love the social networking aspect that smarphones provide and how they help us with our work through some great apps and Wi-Fi/2G functionality. Being able to play to jump into an online multiplayer match on Rainbow 6 while on the train, and being able to use a gamepad, has been one of the memorable highlights in our Xperia PLAY experience thus far. Providing there’s more support – and this is the only real area that we have cause for concern – we’ve no doubt that the good times will keep on rolling.