The Xperia PLAY got launched during Mobile World Congress with a certain amount of fanfare. It has a great camera, 1GHz CPU and a good catalogue of games .. oh, and let’s not forget that slide-out gaming controller and the fact that it can also call people.
We were suitably impressed when we got a hands on and it appeared soon after on both O2, Three and elsewhere. Unfortunately phone-store staff talking to “Mobile Today” say that the handset isn’t doing well. A salesman at Carphone Warehouse told the publication that…
The Xperia Play has sold really badly in store. We have sold one to two per week since its launch. Sony Ericsson got it all wrong this time because it is a far too niche product. They have totally misjudged the market. The reality is that the so-called gamers that it is aimed at probably already have PlayStation 3 consoles. It would be better suited to 12-16 year olds.
Staff from other shops, including T-Mobile and Orange, have also stated that the phone seems to be “aimed at kids” but is priced too highly for most children and teenagers to afford. You may remember how the Microsoft KIN had a similar issue when it was on sale.
Let us know if you’ve got the PLAY and what your thoughts are on this.
Link – Mobile Today
A Carphone Warehouse in Bournemouth has 1 unit, the same one that has been in the shop for 4 months., no others in any delivery since that time.
no the problem to the gamers sony wanted to buy it were not interested when they got told to buy the games the ALREADY brought again just for this device so most gamers me incuded left it and started waiting for the PSvita to play the games we already brought
‘kin Hell…
Well I have one and it’s great apart from the backlight. They go for around £250 in CEX which isn;t bad for the specs.
On a side note just ordered the HTC 7 Pro for 229 from play, utter bargain and my first step in WP7.
Can’t wait.
I would have considered one of these had they already been available when I was in the market. However, so many people get tied into 18 – 24 month contracts, see these phones coming out and think “I want one”. But by the time they are in a position to upgrade or change contracts, the device has already been & gone and something else has come along. I really hope that this this sticks around, even if an updated version. Try as they may, touch screen controls don’t always cut it.
PRICE:
I have a Play and I am generally disappointed at what I got vs what I had to commit to get the phone for free when it came out which was £40 a month for 24 months with Vodafone. Yes, it is a fantastic concept, but when you’re talking £450 SIM free, and compare that with getting an iPhone, you’re in tough competition.
SOFTWARE:
The Xperia software is clunky and buggy. The pre-loaded software I don’t find useful. I would of appreciated that being a loyal Sony customer, that they would of offered a generous Quoriocity subscription for SE phones, followed by a reduced subscription plan. Say 3-6 months free followed by 25% off the subscription price up to 12 months. I would of taken that up and switched from Spotify for that.
On the flip side, you could say I had extremely high expectations coming from a unlocked Nexus One. I know many say it didn’t sell well, but it really is an underrated phone IMO, would others agree?
HARDWARE:
In terms of the actual hardware inside the Play, it is actually on the mid-range of new handsets, not the higher end which are launching with dual core Nvidia Tegra 2 processors. The screen isn’t high res like the qHD displays you see on some newer devices.
Build quality of the phone is very plasticky. I’m not a fan, but the bulk of the phone means that games are ergonomic enough to play. Buttons for volume and the power are sticky and awkward to use. In terms of the slide down controller, the action buttons need to be more tactile and I would of preferred physical analogue pads like you have on the PSP rather than the digital ones.
Battery is semi decent for a smart phone. I have been getting through a 12 hour work day and not needing to recharge immediately. I would consider that I heavily make phone calls, with games and music whilst commuting.
The camera is average and the lack of HD video recording which is available on devices of the same price range is disappointing.
GAMING:
Praise needs to be given to Sony with this form factor. They have nailed it for people who like traditional gaming, but also want a phone which looks “normal” with the slide out pad closed. I hate playing games on my phone, and you get your fingers in the way of the action in a crucial moment.
The graphics are good, but not spectacular as we have seen on Tegra based handhelds.
The games are somewhat lacking in the quality that I would expect for this device. I would of expected some of the PS Minis to be more forthcoming for this type of device.
I think Sony need to think of the mobile as a gaming hub. Why can’t you dock your phone by HDMI to your TV, get a PS3 bluetooth controller and play games on the big screen? This could be opened up to many more devices which could be “PS Certified” and it would sell a lot more games IMO.
There is no PS3 integration either. Why can’t I use features like Remote Play?
CONCLUSION:
I’ve got to say I do find it hard to find anything positive to say about the Xperia Play. It is disappointing, but you have to praise Sony for giving it a go. I do hope they listen to the community for their next device and not give it up.
If they were to sell the phone for £150-£200 on PAYG. I think it would fly off the shelves and become the must have mobile for teenage lads.
I’m often going back to my Nexus One as the software infuriates me. I just wish I got a Samsung Galaxy S 2. I just hope that Vodafone will let me upgrade early for when the Nexus 3 comes out.
Sorry for the long post, but I have a Xperia Play and I’m not that happy with it. *ends rant*