Joystiq

Sony's Xperia SP pairs with DualShock 3 controller, a nice merlot

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:00:00 EST

Sony's Xperia SP smartphone will be able to sync with the PlayStation 3's DualShock 3 controller, allowing you to ditch the onscreen gamepad in compatible PlayStation Mobile games. The DualShock 3 connects to the Xperia SP via Bluetooth.

The DualShock 3 should work with any games that support a USB gamepad. Finally, an excuse to bring a smartphone and a full-size DualShock 3 on the bus.

Sony's Xperia SP pairs with DualShock 3 controller, a nice merlot originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Apr 2013 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Lemmings out now for PlayStation mobile

Mike Suszek — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 20:00:00 EST

Lemmings is now available on PlayStation Mobile for Vita as well as compatible HTC and Sony Xperia phones and tablets. The first 30 levels of the game are free, with extra levels available as paid DLC.

A list of supported PlayStation Mobile devices can be found on the service's official site.

Gallery: Lemmings (PlayStation Mobile)

PSA: Lemmings out now for PlayStation mobile originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 09 Dec 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony announces new PlayStation Certified Xperia tablet and phones

Jordan Mallory — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:30:00 EST

There may be a lot of "not video games" happening on this tablet's screen, but it's Sony's next big PlayStation Certified device, the Xperia Tablet S. Not to be confused with last year's totally non-Xperia Tablet S, the new Tablet S is filled with a Tegra 3 processor, Android 4.0 (Ice-Cream Sandwich) and, depending on how much money you want to shell out, 16 to 64 gigs of storage. The device has a 9.4-inch IPS screen and will be available on September 7 for $400, $500 or $600, again depending on storage options.

Sony has also announced two new PlayStation Certified smartphones: The Xperia T and Xperia V. The T will be Sony's new flagship smartphone, featuring a 4.6-inch 1,280 x 720 screen, 1.5 Ghz dual-core Qualcomm processor, 13 megapixel camera and NFC capabilities. The V, on the other hand, is a water resistant LTE device with a slightly smaller screen (4.3 inches) and no NFC tricks, but otherwise similar internals. Both phones will launch before the end of the year, with the T dropping within the next few weeks.

Though all three devices ship with Android 4.0, an upgrade to Jelly-Bean will be available for both phones and the tablet sometime in the near future.

Sony announces new PlayStation Certified Xperia tablet and phones originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xperia Play will not receive Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade

Mike Suszek — Sat, 26 May 2012 10:40:00 EST

Sony's Xperia Play phone will not be updating to Android version 4.0, also known as "Ice Cream Sandwich," as noted on a recent product blog entry. Sony cites consistency and stability in its decision to withhold the phone from the list of devices receiving the upgrade, which was initially planned to release at the end of May/early June.

Sony explained that "after extensive in house testing with our developer teams and working with our partners, we have concluded that a consistent and stable experience, particularly with gaming, cannot be guaranteed for this smartphone on Ice Cream Sandwich." Its decision appears bolstered by feedback from advanced users and game developers that used a beta ROM of the Android version on their Xperia Play devices.

While instability in the software could compromise a "quality gaming experience" on the phone, we secretly want to believe that a patent unveiled in late April indicates a dual-keyboard device is on the way.

Xperia Play will not receive Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 26 May 2012 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xperia ion is Sony's latest PlayStation-Certified smartphone

David Hinkle — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:49:00 EST

Verizon already has the Xperia Play, and now AT&T has the Xperia ion. Revealed today during CES, this PlayStation-Certified smartphone -- meaning it has access to "entertainment services from Sony Entertainment Network" -- has a 4.6 inch HD Reality display (no slide-out game pad here!) with Mobile BRAVIA(R) Engine capable of 720p HD. Under the hood is a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 16GB of flash storage. Sandwiching the outside are two cameras: a 1080p lens in the rear, and a 720p front-facing camera.

The ion will be available exclusive through AT&T sometime in the second quarter of this year.

Continue reading Xperia ion is Sony's latest PlayStation-Certified smartphone

Xperia ion is Sony's latest PlayStation-Certified smartphone originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Suite beta starting (for Japanese devices) later on this month

Mike Schramm — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:00:00 EST

Sony has announced more details about the beta for the PlayStation Suite. That's the development program (similar to Apple's App Store or Microsoft's Xbox Live Indie Games) which will allow third-party video game developers to produce games that can be released, with Sony's approval, on to the PS Vita and other Sony and Android devices. The beta itself will be launched in "late November," with an SDK available to select developers then, and Sony will refine and clean up the program for a public release at a later unannounced date.

At launch, Sony says the PS Suite content will be available on PlayStation certified devices only, including the PS Vita, and the Xperia line of mobile phones and Sony's upcoming "Sony Tablet" models S and P. Sony specifically mentions that the devices listed are currently only available in the Japanese market, and while it's probably true that we'll eventually see PS Suite content on the North American Xperia Play smartphone (and the Sony tablets, if and when they're released here), that's not yet confirmed.

It's still very early in the process -- it will likely be a while before we see any third-party content up and running (much less available to buy) on these devices.

PlayStation Suite beta starting (for Japanese devices) later on this month originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PopCap games to be bundled with Sony Ericsson phones in Europe

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST

PopCap and Sony Ericsson today announced an agreement that will finally bring the casual developer's titles to Android devices in Europe. The agreement will bring them to exactly two of Sony's platforms, the Xperia Mini and the Xperia Mini Pro, as they roll out this summer. Three of PopCap's titles will be pre-loaded onto the devices, specifically the full version of Chuzzle and trial versions of Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle.

In the press release detailing the agreement, PopCap's Giordano Bruno Contestabile stated, "We are delighted to partner with Sony Ericsson to fulfill our promise to Android users and bring PopCap's hit mobile games to an ever-widening base of smartphone users." Presumably, PopCap's titles will spread to more than two of Sony's phones in the future.

PopCap games to be bundled with Sony Ericsson phones in Europe originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WipEout, Syphon Filter 3 join European Xperia Play library

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:00:00 EST

Despite slow initial sales, things are starting to look up for Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play phone/gaming device. Not only have games actually been announced for the platform, they're even starting to be released! In Europe, anyway.

WipEout and Syphon Filter 3 have been added to the European PSOne Classics Library, so if you're:

in Europe,
have an Xperia Play
and are sick-to-death of Jumping Flash,

these new additions might hold you over through the cruel, unforgiving summers. Both games are available in the Android Marketplace for £3.99.

WipEout, Syphon Filter 3 join European Xperia Play library originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xperia Play: PSOne Classics sales slow, Sony promises 'big announcements' at E3

David Hinkle — Fri, 13 May 2011 01:00:00 EST

The Xperia Play has yet to launch in the US, but it's already available in the UK, Canada, Ireland and Spain. Since arriving in those regions last month, sales of PSOne titles being offered for the phone haven't exactly been brisk, evidently. Current figures based on the Android Marketplace peg sales at below 1,000 installs for each title: Cool Boarders 2, Destruction Derby, MediEvil, Syphon Filter and Jumping Flash.

Dominic Neil-Dwyer, Head of Market Development at Sony Ericsson, told PlayStation LifeStyle that it's not really a concern. "There's only a few, at the minute, PlayStation One titles there, and there's more coming on a regular basis," he said. "And there's the whole PlayStation as a content provider exclusive to the device...so, there's no concerns, it's a revolutionary device, it's shaking up the market, we're very pleased with it."

As for what the future has in store, he says to look to E3, as more games and support for the device are sure to be announced there. "There'll be more exclusives to come," Neil-Dwyer promised. "We'll be making some pretty big announcements at E3."

Xperia Play: PSOne Classics sales slow, Sony promises 'big announcements' at E3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 May 2011 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alleged 3DS, PlayStation Phone disassembled

James Ransom-Wiley — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:50:00 EST

Not one but two ritualistic device dismantlings have been exacted in recent days, an alleged 3DS and PlayStation Phone the sacrificial lambs. Spilled across a TVGZone forum thread are the guts of an apparent 3DS, posted by a Taiwanese tinkerer who claims to have obtained the stolen unit (not unlike the one supposedly lifted from an assembly line earlier this month) and promptly taken the tools to it. The de-casing has revealed only a typical arrangement of circuitry and plastic bits, leaving us to wonder if the plundering of this poor portable was in vain.

As it we hadn't seen enough already, TGbus, which had apparently tired of displaying its alleged "Xperia Play" PlayStation phone alongside its comprehensive collection of the world's handheld devices, broke out a set of Torx bits and proceeded to tear the thing down. The meticulous disassembly, however, failed to uncover what some might have hoped would be an intact, teensy-weensy PlayStation system -- just more circuitry (including what's suspected to be a Qualcomm MSM7x30 chipset) and plastic bits, it seems.

Are you finished yet, you monsters?

Alleged 3DS, PlayStation Phone disassembled originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reports suggest PlayStation Phone called 'Xperia Play,' to be revealed in Feb.

JC Fletcher — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:58:00 EST

Recently, some evidence has appeared suggesting that Sony is planning to market a new Android-based phone built on the legacy of one of the company's existing product lines.

That product line, of course, is Xperia, Sony Ericsson's smartphone line.

According to European trademark filings spotted by PocketNow, Sony is releasing something under the name "Xperia Play" -- a name that would make sense for a Sony Ericsson phone designed to play games, which is exactly what the rumored (and very well-photographed) "PlayStation Phone" is. The Unofficial Xperia X10 Blog found XperiaPlay domain registrations set up by a marketing firm that works for Sony Ericsson. Pocket-Lint reports a rumor that the phone will be revealed at February's Mobile World Congress for an April release.

None of this is any guarantee that the "Playstation Phone" will be released as the Xperia Play -- or even that the Xperia Play name will be used for anything -- but in our opinion, it would be a pretty huge mistake to torpedo the product by associating it with any brand other than PlayStation. Perhaps Sony will launch an "Xperia Play Mobile App Store Powered by PlayStation" or some similar confusing half-step.

Reports suggest PlayStation Phone called 'Xperia Play,' to be revealed in Feb. originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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