Xperia Play: Let's get it on

Gingerbread snapdragon.” Sounds like some enchanted fairy plant that, when in blossom, releases flight-inducing pixie spores. As far as the natural world is concerned, no such thing exists; which is quite unfortunate. But gingerbread and snapdragons still do exist. As a matter of fact, they’re not just sweet food products and flowers anymore.

I didn’t know this myself but apparently, Gingerbread is the name of the Android 2.3 operating system for mobile devices and smartphones. A Snapdragon, on the other hand, is a 1GHz application processor core used on similar contraptions. In a way “gingerbread snapdragons” do exist, providing that a single object houses both technologies.

Take for example the all-new Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: a smartphone made with the consummate gamer in mind. According to Dennis Manzano, Sony Ericsson general manager in the Philippines, the Gingerbread OS and Snapdragon processor combo is what makes the Xperia Play a bona fide gamer’s gadget.

“Gingerbread is a step forward with faster and lighter processes that are easier on the processor and so use less battery. Also, the optimized Snapdragon processor with a 1Ghz CPU is designed for minimal power consumption so Xperia PLAY users can enjoy long hours of battery life and game time,” he shared at the recent launch of the Xperia Play.

With the aforementioned hardware, the Xperia Play is able to deliver graphics at a very smooth 60 frames per second. This also means quicker and clearer browsing with regards to its smartphone functionality. This demonstrates the Xperia line’s serious side, a quality that has earned it a place in the upper hierarchy of modern smartphonhes. With the Xperia Play, however, business and leisure are separated by a little, effortless slide.

Sliding the top layer of the Xperia to the side reveals a directional pad, two analog touch pads, and the four iconic Playstation buttons; left and right shoulder triggers on the corners of the unit are reminiscent of the button orientation of the Playstation handheld console, the PSP. The design is revolutionary, the integration of a smartphone and a gaming console remote controller. For their part, Sony Ericsson comes pretty close to replicating the Playstation gaming experience on an Android handheld.

Wait a minute: Sixty frames a second on the Xperia Play assures smooth and fast graphics.

It may just be me, but there’s something different about actually feeling buttons when you play video games. The term “button bashing” couldn’t have come from nowhere, after all. Dragging and tapping your finger on a touch screen feels a little detached in that way. Plus some touch screens lag, which means accuracy and game reproduction suffer considerably.

Now officially available in the Philippine market the Xperia Play comes preloaded with six games, namely Bruce Lee, Crash Bandicoot, FIFA 2010, Madden NFL 11, Star Battalion, and The SIMS 3. “A pre-loaded application will enable users to easily discover and download titles that have been optimized for game play on Xperia PLAY, access recently played games and see information about the games they have downloaded,” adds Mr. Manzano. Furthermore, there are over 400 downloadable Xperia Play games from both the android market and websites of certain game publishers. This amount is expected to increase.

Future partnerships for downloadable games include Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) and game developer heavyweights such as Electronic Arts (EA,) who will offer FIFA12 for Android by the holidays; Tozai Games, which will bring back the hit arcade game Lode Runner for Android; and Square Enix, which will bring “Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light” exclusively to Android on Xperia PLAY in November 2011. More Square Enix hits are rumored to join the list after November; Final Fantasy for Android, perhaps? Fanboys who read this are going to flip.

As a long-time and satisfied Sony Ericsson user myself (I currently use an X10 Mini; before that, I had a C510 and a G700) I can imagine life with the new Xperia Play. As it is, this little “Gingerbread Snapdragon” has already swept me off my feet.

I wouldn’t get any work done.

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For more information about Xperia Play, visit www.sonyericsson.com.

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E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@gmail.com.