Following months of speculation and rumours, the 'PlayStation Phone' does actually exist.
A prototype of the phone has finally surfaced and ends months of intrigue as to whether the gadget would ever be made.
Known as the 'Xperia Play', the handset is Sony Ericsson's attempt at conquering the smart phone market and aims to mix PSP style gaming with phone functions.
Game on: The 'PlayStation phone' has finally surfaced and will contain a gamepad similar to a PlayStation controller for enhanced gaming
Say cheese! As well as the gaming functions, the Xperia Play will contain a 5-megapixel camera
Details of the phone were revealed on technology website Engadget after it managed to obtain a handset to preview from a Chinese source.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview 24/01/11 5 of 60
Rumours have circulated for months about the features the phone will contain, but its biggest asset is a gamepad that will be modelled on a PlayStation controller.
XPERIA PLAY - WHAT'S IT GOT
- PlayStation style controller
- 4-inch 854 x 480 LCD touchscreen
- 512MB RAM
- Up to 1GHz processor
- 5 Megapixel camera
- Wi-Fi Connectivity
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system
The pad will contain the usual PlayStation buttons, while also having a touchpad, and directional buttons. The phone currently does not have any joystick functions.
As well as the gamepad, the Xperia Play will also come pre-loaded with a PlayStation Pocket app, which is a tool that will manage downloaded games.
Titles tested by the website included Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4, Super Mario 4 and Ridge Racer Revolution. Other original PlayStation games are expected to be available.
Alongside the phone's games functions, it will contain a 5-megapixel camera.
It will also have wi-fi connectivity and a four-inch LCD touch screen. Battery life is around 24-hours, with active use of both the 3G connection and camera.
The phone will also have a full keyboard for sending messages to free, as well as stereo speakers for music fans.
Not just for gaming: The phone will have wi-fi connectivity and full keyboard for sending messages
Technical: The phone will use the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and have 512MB of RAM
Technical details include 512MB of RAM and a single-core processor that runs from 122.88MHz to 1GHz. It will use the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system.
While the preview contains many details of the phone as they stand, no official word has come from the manufacturer on what functions it will contain, how much it will cost, or when it will be released.
However, the phone is understood to be one of the highlights of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in mid-February, where it understood the company will release further information.
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