Product ReviewsSony Ericsson Xperia Play - 1 GB - Black (Verizon)

Great phone! But has some challenhes.

When I saw this displayed by the seller I jumped at the chance to buy it. I had previously never heard of this phone's existence but seeing that it was literally a cross between a smart phone and a Soney hand held gaming device instantly pulled me in. It functions well as both; conversations are clear and with full texting and WIFI capability. It comes pre-installed with various games including crash bandicoot which is a nostalgic favorite. Most of the buttons are easy to use with some slight awkwardness in the shoulder buttons, it also works well with emulators. Its greatest flaws are the tragically small internal memory which can be increased through rooting the pone and the fact that if want a newer software update (as it currently runs on Android Ginger bread) you will have to do that manually the phone also only operates on Verizon. Overall great phone but comes with a challenge of unlocking its potential. Ps. it was only 40 bucks!!Read full review...

Legends Never Die

While a 5 year old phone may not seem like a worthy investment to someone accustomed to the best of flagship phones, the Xperia Play is the type of device that deserves your time. The OS is an outdated (as is to be expected) version of Android, but If you've ever seen the device, you'll know that what makes this phone stand out isn't the software, or even the inside hardware, but it's rather the slide-out PlayStation controller that hides inside the thick device. It's the prefect form factor for playing games on the go. I remember when the phone first came out, how cool it was to see. The phone itself wasn't anything that would turn heads, but as soon as that controller slid out: BOOM, people would crowd around just to catch a glimpse of this super cool hybrid gaming device. So, what's it like using one now? I can safely say that not much has changed. If you're playing in public, it'll catch the attention of many people, and will likely get a few inquiries or acknowledgements. It's a feature that never really caught on, and, because of it, still looks like a refreshing break from the ubiquitous flat bar phone. So should you buy one? If you're looking for a hardcore dedicated gaming device to play all the biggest, best, new games, then no. If you're looking for a powerhouse gaming machine, buy a JXD. But if you want something that stands out from the boring, and, with a little effort, can be a fantastic retro gaming system, then by all means, give the Xperia Play a chance. True brilliance doesn't age.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: rewired-mobile

Great for gaming, bad for almost everything else but being a phone.

The xperia play is a great phone for emulation and playing many games off the android market. But if your looking for in deaf endless access to many apps of the Play store or texting, this phone isn't too good of a option. It runs off a outdated Android OS. Which is really disappointing for such a great gaming phone. The slider pad feels nice, better then on screen nobs, as your fingers can feel wear they end and know when your going out of zone, the rest is like a play station controller. But wouldn't recommend long play hours, other then that. It's great, if only I could download the playstation app.Read full review...

como telefono pesimo pero para los juegos genial

pesimo debido a que en mi Pais Ecuador no sirve los telefonos Verizon por que son cdma y esa tegnologia no sirve en los paises bajos de sudamaerica es un engano cuando el vendedor pone gsm no es asi a mi no sirvio mal recomendado por el vendedor

Product Information
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play with slide out game controls making gaming easy. Powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread, this Sony Ericsson Play mobile phone lets you access all Google applications with ease. The battery of this Sony Ericsson cell phone allows long hours of work and play. The screen of this Sony Ericsson mobile phone displays graphics crisply. The 5 MP camera of this Sony Ericsson cell phone enables you to capture your moments. On the whole, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play is a multifunctional smart phone with a phenomenal gaming experience.

Product Identifiers
Brand Sony Ericsson
MPN SONYERICSSONPLAYVERIZONSILVERBLACK
Carrier Verizon
Family Line Sony Ericsson XPERIA
Model Play
UPC 095673852919
Type Smartphone

Key Features
Color Black
Network Generation 3G
Network Technology CDMA2000 1X / EVDO, EDGE, GPRS
Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100
Operating System Android 2.3.4

debido a que la banda en un engano GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) HSDPA esto es una farsa
para los juegos el telefono es genial
como pspRead full review...

Overall good product, Sony almost nailed it.

Nice phone, game functionality is nice. The 'thumb pads' on the game pad don't always work, even in games that claim to be compatible, and pretty poor response so far in the games where it does work. Button layout for gaming is a little cramped for adult hands. The system update will apparently only work through the Verizon network on the unit I purchased, the Sony software for my PC won't even recognize the phone when it's plugged into the USB port, although Windows has no problem using the removable storage feature.Read full review...

Great Battery life and Excellent for on-the-go Gaming!

Battery life is very good- It will last me 2+ days (so long as I am not playing a lot of games). Overall system is very responsive and no 3G drop issues that I had heard about before purchasing.

The phone includes Crash Bandicoot, Asphalt 6, Bruce Lee, Star Battalion, The Sims 3 and a few other games. Other xPeria optimized games are available for purchase ($2.99 to $9.99) with a few free also available.

Emulators (SNES, NES, Genesis) work great with no slow-down. This is my seventh android device (prior owned the G1, Droid, HTC Incredible, Nexus One, Droid X and G2x) and I am using this as my primary phone- I am loving how it works.Read full review...

Not so good as it looks..

It has great features but the battery dies so fast. The phone constantly crashes out of all its apps very often. It even crashes out of the messaging and calling app. The psp part is ok but you have to download every content that takes up alot of space after you download the game, thats double the space one game is taking up. One game uses all most 1gb by itsself. It is very easy to use if you are use to android but to be honest i would never buy this phone again.Read full review...

sony Xperia play is just a pretty phone...beyond that , not worthy.

First of all, this is a pretty phone and it kinda attracts because of the psp controls and its sharp screen but...it lags a lot when even gaming or using the phone itself
its camera its only 5mp and it lacks if a zooming button. thefront camera is good but only an average one . very good volume speakers and nice sound quality when playing music and making a call. the keyboard is Horrible!!!! you have to download another keyboard but it won't help a bit..
Sony corp. doesn't update its phone software and they don't give s heck ..
i wouldn't buy it again and i wouldn't recommend it....i just like its psp controls..Read full review...

great gaming device...not the best phone.

So i used to own one of these as my main phone in about 2012 and it still had acceptable all around performance with the exception of a ridiculous 400 mbs of built im memory to store apps but for that i chose to root it and partition an sd card to create more memory which was a pain but worked. Now days i would never consider using it as my main phone but i picked one up as a spare and to use as a handheld gaming device/mp3 player and for that i definately got my moneys worth because it costed me under 50 bucks! And to this day there is still nothing like it. No successor and no other android phones have a slide out controller. The closest thing is strapping a moga controller to your phone which sucks because blu tooth has input lag and interferes with wifi and the moga controllers are bigger than this phone and will not fit in your pocket which makes them useless as a handheld gaming accessory.and the reason a controller is special for android is because of emulators. I can use a snes emulator with hundreds of games on an sd card with this thing and its just awesome. Its a shame there never was a successor to this phone.
So i wouldnt recommend it as an everyday phone even if you are on a budget. For only a little more you can pick up the moto g from 2013 or moto e which are pretty much the kings of budget phones. I would however recommend having one as a spare media device if you need a cheap handheld game system for kids or an emulator device for yourself. Dont let the specs fool you. Sony knows how to make a handheld gaming device and emulators run great as well as several lower end controller optomized games on android. gta 3 has full controller support and runs good at about medium graphic settings and the ps1 emulators run flawlessly. Pick uo a 16gb sd card and your good to go!Read full review...

this product is an awesome use of technology

this product is all it claims to be, it is very easy to use, it is heavy in weight but easy to control, it is big enough to feel like a real controller. It's size and characters are perfect for gaming. I would recommend it to anyone as a perfect gaming device as well as a ample phoneRead full review...