AT&T to launch Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G on September 18th for $49.99

AT&T announced on Thursday that it will begin to sell Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play 4G gaming smartphone on September 18th for $49.99 with a new two-year contract. We’ve already reviewed the Xperia Play for Verizon Wireless and AT&T’s version isn’t much different, save for its support for the carrier’s HSPA+ data network. The phone runs Androd 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) and is powered by a 1GHz processor and an Adreno 205 GPU. It is equipped with a 4-inch 854 x 480-pixel display, a 5-megapixel camera, a front-facing camera for video chats and a full slide-out game pad. The Xperia Play 4G will come preloaded with Dungeon Defends Second Wave, Asphalt 6, Star Battalion, Madden NFL, The Sims 3, Tower Bloxx and Crash Bandicoot. Xperia Play 4G owners can purchase additional games from the “Get Games” application, which is home to 150 different titles. Read on for the full press release from Sony Ericsson.

XPERIA™ PLAY 4G KEEPS FAVORITE VIDEO GAMES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS BEGINNING SEPT. 18
First PlayStation®-certified smartphone from AT&T available for $49.99 in AT&T stores and att.com

DALLAS, Sept. 8, 2011 —

Key Facts
·         The Xperia™ PLAY 4G, combining a PlayStation®-certified gaming device with the capabilities and portability of an Android smartphone, arrives in AT&T* stores, and online on September 18 for $49.99 with a two-year agreement.
·         The Xperia PLAY 4G has dedicated gaming controls built into the phone through a slide out controller including directional keypad, dual analog touch joystick, two shoulder buttons and the four iconic PlayStation symbol keys: circle, X, square and triangle.
·         Running the Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) platform, the first PlayStation-certified smartphone in the world features a brilliant 4” 480 x 854 screen and stereo speakers.

AT&T Exclusives
Only AT&T customers can choose the 4G-capable Xperia PLAY, offered in an exclusive “stealth blue” color.  The smartphone package is complete with bonus accessories including the Sony Ericsson Multimedia Dock DK300 and MC100 music cable. In addition to providing a convenient charging station, the DK300 converts the Xperia PLAY’s screen to a large clock display, and the music cable lets you connect to external speakers.** The DK300 and music cable come in the Xperia PLAY box, only from AT&T.

In addition, the device is pre-loaded with seven games, some of which are exclusive, at no additional cost including:
·         Dungeon Defenders™ Second Wave by Trendy Entertainment
·         Asphalt™ 6 Adrenaline by Gameloft
·         Star Battalion by Gameloft
·         Madden NFL™ 11 by Electronic Arts
·         The Sims™ 3 by Electronic Arts
·         Tower Bloxx™: My City by Digital Chocolate
·         Crash Bandicoot® by SCEA/Naughty Dog/Universal

AT&T customers will have access to more than 150 Xperia PLAY optimized games including Minecraft™ Pocket Edition, Battlefield: Bad Company™ 2 and Dead Space™ 2 for download and purchase through the “Get Games” recommender screen, easily accessible when you slide open the Xperia PLAY’s game controller.

Handheld Gaming and Smartphones Converge
The Xperia PLAY 4G offers a gamer’s wonderland by providing the on-the-go capabilities of an Android smartphone with the immersive entertainment appeal of a portable gaming device.
Snapdragon chipset including a 1GHz CPU and Adreno 205 graphics processor (GPU)
Runs on the Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) platform
Sight and sound: 4” 480 x 854 screen, up to 60 frames per second graphics, stereo speakers
Dual camera: 5MP rear and VGA forward-facing, with video recording and chat capabilities over Wi-Fi
Hundreds of Xperia PLAY optimized games through Android Market or directly from the publishers
Pre-loaded with seven Xperia PLAY optimized games from publishers such as Gameloft and EA.

Along with the great gaming and Android capabilities, the Xperia PLAY 4G from AT&T includes Facebook Inside Xperia, a suite of Facebook functions integrated into various applications, such as friends’ birthdays in the phonebook, a “like” button in the music player, photo tags in the media gallery, and YouTube video recommendations from friends.

Pricing and Availability
The Xperia PLAY 4G arrives in AT&T stores and online on Sept. 18 and will be available for $49.99 after a two-year contract with minimum data plan.