[Q] Some questions about the Xperia Play - Xperia Play General

So I'm coming off contract on my current phone soon so I've naturally been checking out the market for a new phone. When the Xperia Play launched earlier in the year, to be honest I wasn't that impressed with it, but I've been hearing good things about it lately. Specifically how SE have continued to support it and fix the little bugs and glitches, as well as providing more functionality in the future and OS updates (crossing my fingers for the 4.0 update). However I am a bit cautious because I am totally new to Sony Ericsson phones, and this will also be my first Android phone. I currently own a Samsung Omnia 2 (i8000).
I realise a lot of things could be gleened from reviews, but the problem is all reviews for this phone were written months ago when it was first launched, so seem hardly relevant now after the recent updates SE have been making. What I want to know is, have these updates improved the phone significantly? Is the phone worth it now?
I am a keen gamer, so the physical controls definitely interest me, but I am also after good functionality in the phone too...making calls, how easy the keyboard is to use, music and video playback, how well the GPS works, how good the web browsing experience is, how customisable it is, how good the camera is etc etc - does the phone perform these functions well?
Also of importance is how is stacks up in performance against other high end Android devices (currently the Galaxy S II is the only dual core device on the Australian market) - how many Android apps and games are actually written to support dual core CPU's? How well does it perform in everyday phone operations compare to say the Galaxy S II?
One feature I'm particularly bummed about is the lack of FM Radio...I use the FM Radio in my current Omnia 2 more often than I expected, so I'll definitely miss that if I decide to go for the Play - has anyone written an app that's able to utilise the radio in the Play's snapdragon CPU? It still baffles me that SE elected not to enable the radio especially when touting the thing as a multimedia device, given the hardware is there already. Course I could stream it but that's a waste of data (and battery, compared to using the radio).
Another feature is the lack of internal storage...for a device that's supposed to be about gaming it seems odd that there is basically no internal storage in it, forcing you to use a microSD card. If anyone in Australia has picked up this phone through Telstra, what size (and class) microSD card do they package with the phone? Need to know if I'll be shelling out more money for a nice 32 GB card or something. Is it relatvely easy (without rooting the phone) to move stuff to the SD card or force it to install to the SD card by default?
Lastly, how comfortable is the phone to hold when gaming? I've noticed the PSP go, which has a very similar basic design, can become uncomfortable after a while as the edges of the device kinda dig into your palms, has anyone found this to be a problem with the Play? I couldn't really tell this from the couple of minutes I spent with one in store while it was covered in security tags and attached to a desk with cables.
Thanks for your time...it's a bit of a wall of text so I apologise in advance for that.

my 0.02$
pros: the tons of emulator support and mind you its improving
the fact that we can convert our own psx titles thanks to psxperia
of course the controls tho the joysticks due need a bit of getting used to
honestly think if SE wouldve designed the joysticks like the psp go it wouldve been alot better
the phone overall feels solid not cheap the controls is like a good lapdance on your bday lol
keep in mind it was marketed as a gaming device not a multimedia etc
the camera is great also the front camera is a bit so so
cons:
basically the storage and no hdmi out which wouldve been the icing on the cake
and like really we all know emulators psx games and all the crap we can run is gonna eat up alot of memory mine came with a pre installed 8 gb which is okay but after all the shi you can do with it it does feel small a nice 32 gb pre installed wouldve been nice
also the battery life is horrible due to all the bloatware installed nothing a little rooting magic wont solve
i used to get about a day out of it but now after rooting and removing all the junk
i get about 2 days of heavy usage and gaming before i gotta recharge
yeah the missing radio is a con to some but others are just like ill just get on youtube
"jerrys final thought" lol
the hardware is decent i mean were not gonna run call of duty on it
the overall functionality as a phone is great
but this thing is honestly lacking SOFTWARE "anyone got geohots number"

Anyone else want to give their opinions? I'm trying to get as much information as I can about this phone before I take the plunge.

I was t very pleased with the keyboard, but I installed go launcher ex and all the extras that come with it, and not only does it give some extra look, but it adds some really good features. I noticed that it gets very low on memory, but that may be because I've got 15 startup apparently or so. Haptic feedback could be a bit better, but other than that I don't have many negative views on it. The hardware gaming pad is very nice, but I wasn't ecstatic about the sensor pads. They are a bit irritating and take a while to get used to. The physical buttons are very very nice. I also like the bottom row of buttons (back, home, menu, and search) are also pleasing. Touch screen is very responsive. Also, it comes with like $25 worth of games pre loaded on it XD but I uninstall most of them, because they were unnecessary. If you like monetary at all, you'll have to buy this phone. If I think of anything else, I'll post again.
Sent from my R800x using XDA App

Thanks for the reponses so far.
I'd still like some more though - please post your experiences with the Play both good and bad...ANY information you think might be useful to know.

As said in other threads like this, it all really comes down to how much you play games that needs a dedicated gamepad to be really enjoyable and even playable in some cases.
The phone is pretty much as other Android phones on the market and it's doing the job as a phone pretty good. There's some bugs here and there, but not anything serious. There's a battery drain bug that can be fixed by manual selecting your network instead of auto selecting (only on the newest FW). The UI is fluent and smooth, the hardware build is ok, could be more robust, snappy response, nice screen, good dev going on etc.
It's not that elegant even though they curved it on the back it' still a bit bulky and if you don't play that much it will be a bad plunge to go for the play. It will be a slightly big lump in your pant's for 'just' a phone. It's not a brick like the Nokia N900 but you can feel it and see it in your pocket.
I think i have average sized hands so for me it's comfy to hold the xperia play while playing and do sometimes play games 3 hours strait without any discomfort.
I don't miss the FMradio even though it's been on all my phones since... Well the last, say 8-9 years.
Haven't really encountered any problems with the low internal storage. You can move apps to the sdcard and the dalvik cache aswell to gain more that way.
Bottom line it's a phone to play games on wich is does with bravour and i'm really glad i got it and i'm not missing anything on the phone side nor the whole experience as an android phone.
Just get it mate and start the gaming
Regards Dousan...

In my opinion we should not be so harsh to SE, they made a rather experimental device. Of course they can do better, but not without your money. Also I think sony is holding this thing back because of the ps vita.
Its rather unique that you can never be truly bored when you are carrying this phone. (I think touch screen controlls are 100% crap)
Sent from my R800i using XDA App

I have some input I can share after my 1 week with my 800x(VZW)... I had an EVO for a year and have a Nexus S as well. When I was looking for a new phone I really wanted a keyboard... but after some play time on an Epic and my gf's EVO Shift, I noticed I'm totally over my soft keyboard hatred and didn't need a physical one.. except it helps for gaming. The XP was the most logical choice for me.
I LOVE having solid control over orientation. The d-pad is perfect for fine cursor control without dragging a handle around. The GPU helps it perform as well or better than my EVO/NexusS. I heard complaints that the screen is terrible in the sun, it looks almost exactly as my EVO does, I'd say slightly better due to the factory screen protector. With the latest OTA the auto brightness problem is gone, thankfully! Battery life is similar to underclocked/volted EVO. I love how the Home key is a secondary power button.
Now for the bad stuff! The front cam is grayed out and underwhelming, but it works well enough. Locked bootloader is a burn for me, but honestly I'm having a much better time dealing with it than I thought. Vanilla Android helps a lot, but the bloatware makes managing apps difficult. I've had to let some phone-only apps go, but thems the breaks sometimes!
Overall, I'm very happy with the XP so far, I think you should give it a week or so trial and see how you like it!
---
Edit with some more stuff! GPS has been tight, locks in seconds, and only problem I've had with the controls is that I'm having a tough time with SF Alpha 3, F-D-DF (dragon punch) motion is difficult for me right now. Otherwise it's been butter! I didn't care for the touch pad thingies on Crash Bandicoot, but I prefer d-pad gaming anyway.
Sent from my R800x using XDA App

Related

Do you regret the X1?

I've been wanting and waiting to buy the xperia since it was released. I'm finally just about to buy it (had one ordered but the order fell through on their end, and so now have time to reconsider). I'm a programmer and very technically-minded, so I am not anticipating having any technical problems with optimizing/dealing with the phone. I'm looking for something powerful (and beautiful) that I can customize and use fully for a while.
However, I see many posts here about people regretting purchasing the xperia, mostly because of sluggish performance (and case cracks). When I go to the local Sony store to play with the display phone they have, I can definitely see that I would be very unhappy with a stock set, it's too unresponsive for me, plus the finger-friendly issues with win6.1. I know all about the different speed tweaks and touchscreen response tweaks available here for the xperia, but it's hard to get a feeling for just how well they work and how much a difference they really make.
But since I'm a regular xda reader, etc, I have hopes that some of the nice roms posted here will improve the system responsiveness, I'm especially looking at gtrab's set, mobilevu's v-lite and wild child's concept rom.
My question is: even if you continue to stick with the phone, do you actually regret getting the xperia?
I've been waiting for a long time for a real killer phone and while the xperia looks like it for me, I don't want to be disappointed even with custom roms... the hero looks like an option to me if the xperia isn't going to live up to my hopes.
thanks!
Absolutely I regret it. At the time I had just drowned a k850i, and bought another k850i to replace it. Then I saw a decent deal on an X1a, and I went for it. For the money, this phone just isn't worth it. I was happier with my SE dumb phones. I'm waiting for the Idou or whatever they're calling it now. This is after spending months waiting for the c905a...
best phone if you know how to use wm or if you are not too stupid to figure out how
some people are really dumb and should just get an Iphone though
DatDereX1 said:
best phone if you know how to use wm or if you are not to stupid to figure out how
some people are really dumb and should just get an Iphone though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely.
I never had a single doubt about it.
My question is: even if you continue to stick with the phone, do you actually regret getting the xperia?
Yes, I regret getting the Xperia X1.
I've had an XDA of one sort or another for the last 4-5 years so I'm used to WinMo and it isn't the OS that's the problem. My perception is that it is too fragile for day-to-day use. My sig says changed twice due to cracks in the casing... make that three times as of today!
It is only the fantastic ROMs from the talented chefs here at XDAdev that make it bearable. Most of the ROMs have Rhodium enhancements, and since I really like those enhancements, I'll be looking at a Rhodium next time around.
Nope because I get every dollar (even with the discount) out of my purchase. I use ALL of the features on a daily basis lol.
I do not regret buying an X1. But, buyer beware, it is not perfect out of the box.
My fun was getting it perfect for my preferences. I enjoy having the option to dig in and customize my device with various software or settings tweaks.
It is a well made device and the R3 rom which was finally released for NAM yesterday has improved my reception as well as speed and smoothness running different programs.
I have also flashed it multiple times with custom roms from the chefs here at XDA.
While the price for it was, and still is, ridiculous, I am happy with the phone overall.
I would love to see a winmo 6.5 upgrade for it in the future but realistically, I don't expect it.
I have had mine for around four months, have no cracks in the case and protect my screen with a Martin Fields protector. I use a ICE-45 OEM case.
I would recommend this phone as long as you have disposable income.
It doesn't matter what you buy, in six to twelve months something better will be available. That can be said for all high tech devices.
i do regret it, i've been using sony ericsson for 3 years and lots phones: k800> k608> M600> W880> K850 > W960 >xperia1
somehow Xperia1 is not perfect to me
- camera isnot better even than k800/k850/w960
- music player is definitely worsen/ not friendly than k850/w960- this 2 phones were amazing at its onw strengths- camera/music
- xperia speed is somehow slow/ often hang
that all i want SE to improve and put effort on X2/3 which should have combination of k850 camera/ w960 music and speed. if they do it, their phone would be perfect all aspects
If you are not too concern about the lack of response, I would say its one of the better WM phone..
If you are not too concern about phone hanging once in a while, I would say its one of the better WM phone
If you are not too concern about the music quality, I would say its still one of the better WM phone
If you are not too concern about Window Mobile OS, I would say go get the X1
Do your research on the X1 and compare features before you decide..
For me, yes, I regret it and it has such a low resell value that I am stuck with it for a while now
xperiance said:
I've been wanting and waiting to buy the xperia since it was released. I'm finally just about to buy it (had one ordered but the order fell through on their end, and so now have time to reconsider). I'm a programmer and very technically-minded, so I am not anticipating having any technical problems with optimizing/dealing with the phone. I'm looking for something powerful (and beautiful) that I can customize and use fully for a while.
However, I see many posts here about people regretting purchasing the xperia, mostly because of sluggish performance (and case cracks). When I go to the local Sony store to play with the display phone they have, I can definitely see that I would be very unhappy with a stock set, it's too unresponsive for me, plus the finger-friendly issues with win6.1. I know all about the different speed tweaks and touchscreen response tweaks available here for the xperia, but it's hard to get a feeling for just how well they work and how much a difference they really make.
But since I'm a regular xda reader, etc, I have hopes that some of the nice roms posted here will improve the system responsiveness, I'm especially looking at gtrab's set, mobilevu's v-lite and wild child's concept rom.
My question is: even if you continue to stick with the phone, do you actually regret getting the xperia?
I've been waiting for a long time for a real killer phone and while the xperia looks like it for me, I don't want to be disappointed even with custom roms... the hero looks like an option to me if the xperia isn't going to live up to my hopes.
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I regret getting the Xperia...
The Primary Reasons (In Priorities Order) That I Got Xperia:
1) Optical Mouse - All of the reviewers on the internet kept referring the D-pad as an Optical Mouse. I didn't want an Optical Joystick, I wanted a Mouse. Furthermore the effing reviewers rarely mentioned that the D-pad was horrible.
2) The keyboard - Everyone raved that the keyboard was amazing, so I thought that I'd enjoyed it. But I think even the HTC Touch Pro 1 has a better keyboard. Why? We all know the front D-pad on TP1 and X1 sucks so much. But atleast Touch Pro 1 is designed for text functionality and has a keyboard D-pad which Xperia lacks. I was at first content with the lack of keyboard arrows because I expected the optical mouse and D-pad to work flawlessly. The Xperia does not have good indicators for Capitalization or blue FN keys. You have to look at the screen and it is hard to tell compared to looking and typing simultaneously on the keyboard. I always capitalize or insert symbols/numbers unexpectedly. The number keys are hid behind the text and I have never used a keyboard on a phone before so I thought it was a smart move with the Xperia. But it's just totally not effective.
Furthermore I rarely use the front D-pad in portrait mode because that is when my stylus is out, and I learned that it is most useful to use it when you are in keyboard mode, except the optical mouse is hard to use and I want keyboard-like arrow buttons.
3) I never had a depressed screen before - I learned that I would rather have scratches on my phone than have a depressed screen. I remember on a few forums that I praised the X1 for having the "usefulness" of a depressed screen, and now I apologize and join the other side of the argument.
4) I thought the screen was big. I was wrong, I've never had any phone with 3 inch screens before and I thought that 3 inch was big. This is why I do not install Touch Flo roms on this phone because Touch Flo owns on a 3.5+ inch screen, but is pointless in a <3.0 inch screen
5) I expected the front face keys to be easy to press and enjoyable. Boy was I wrong.
6) I thought the chrome was metal chrome as well. I was wrong again. It is chipping off already and the D-pad is also chipping off is glossy paint. But I have to admit it that peeling that paint off makes the D-pad looks much more high quality at the cost of losing the shininess.
7) I thought that the silver battery cover was scratch less and easy to remove from the back. It took me 3 months to perfect the art of battery cover removal.
8) The CPU is slow, but I think there is something wrong with my Xperia. I have a Samsung SCH-I760 in which Pocket Player and Core Player is twice as fast as the Xperia X1 with optimized settings.
The only thing that is preventing my from selling my Xperia is the fact that I love the gorgeous R3A Media Panel and its interface and the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the Flash LED.
xperiance said:
My question is: even if you continue to stick with the phone, do you actually regret getting the xperia?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What none of the replies are saying is that it depends quite a lot on where you live and mostly work.
Why ? Because the X1 has a truly terrible GMS signal reception in marginal areas, irrespective of which radio ROM you have installed. I've tested this side by side with an HTC P3650 and an Acer DX900, using the same SIM in each device, directly after one another. The X1 works fine in the cities, hopeless in marginal areas.
Also the 3G UMTS (internet) capability is limited to 1900/2100Mhz in the X1. If you need UMTS 850Mhz in regional areas, try for an X1a.
The original battery is underpowered and heats dangerously with continued use of GPS or wifi while on charge.
Hmmm this is a hard one to tackle.... for me I always regret some part of the phone... maybe frustrated is the work I should use instead of regret. my phone progression has been
550 motorola flip --> Motorola TAC Elite --> Motorola QWERTY messaging phone (forgot the model) --> SE P800 --> BB 7250 & SE W900 --> BB 8830 & Nokia N95 --> BB 8830 & Nokia N85 -- BB 8830 & SE X1
the X1 marked a major change in the way I used my personal phone, primarily for e-mail and messaging, so my criteria have changed a bit. Although the N95/N85 were smart phones, i still primarily used them as phones, and not integrated messaging devices. The Blackberry was always for work, and has always primarily been a messaging device so I have drawn the baseline experience from that.
To answer your question in short: No. No serious regrets.
To answer you question in detail: Yes, I have regrets but the issues can be mitigated/X1 seemed to be the best blend of trade-offs:
1) Lack of free integrated international maps. Global data roaming costs and arm and a leg. Pay as you go in some countries don't include data, so Google Maps downloading data is a bit of a concern when i'm using the GPS abroad. This was a factor when I was deciding between the X1 or N97. I spend 9 of 12 months in home territory so i can probably manage without free international maps. (Garmin, Wayfinder don't have maps for Japan or other Asian countries that I spend time in, and you have to pay for maps unlike the free Nokia Maps app)
2) Windows Mobile quirkiness. WM 6.1 is slow. Weird things happen like accounts go missing, spontaneous reboots, lock ups, crashes, when you install different things. It's not as customizable (stock), I haven't found a voice dialler/voice synth, and the menu system is not intuitive. The messaging system is more robust however, and there is great aftermarket customization (ROMS and MODS from here), etc. I think some of these shortcommings can easily be rectified by the community, but they're still annoying. COmmunity and aftermarket support maturity ended up being a huge factor for me.
3) Form factor. It is slightly thicker than my N85, but thinner than my N95, just as wide, and only 1 cm or so taller. It is comfortable in my hand and is pocketable. The N97 is not much bigger, but the BB Bold is a lot fatter. Seemed like a good compromise.
4) Battery Life. Horrid. I could get 3-4 days normal use with my N85. I use 30% of the battery on a low usage day, and 50-60% on a moderate usage day. Mind you I use the data a lot more, which does suck up more battery, but I should get more than a day's charge out of it IMO. I'm going to chalk this up to my use of data, and hope that there is a future radio/rom upgrade that is easier on battery usage.
5) Functionality as a messaging device. I IM, e-mail, and SMS much more than I call. probably 8-to-1. I do find myself resorting back to my BB8830 for heavy IM usage sessions, possibly because I am more familiar with it, but realistically because I'm much more used to the keyboard. Heavily considered the BB Bold for this reason alone. Maybe things will change after a month or two getting used to the X1. The N97 which I also considered had serious issues as being a robust messaging device. It seemed adequate, and may have improved with further firmware releases/development, but S60 5th Edition seemed limited in more ways somehow.
6) Recessed screen. Pain in the ass. Not a deal breaker tho since I have thin fingers and am pretty dexterous. I can understand why this would be a larger issue for other people however. Definitely a poor design choice.
7) Volume. This is a quiet device. I'll have to amplify and re-jig all my custom call tones, and what not. Annoying, but manageable.
8) Poor camera. I'm used to a really good quality 5 MP Carl Zeiss lense that was on the N85. I didn't use it much but it was a nice thing to have as a backup. I feel a bit stifled by the camera on the X1, but since I'm not really using it that much, it becomes a lower weighted criteria.
So as you can see, for me, it was not a simple choice between a BB Bold, SE X1, Nokia N97, or waiting for the new Samsung B7610, HTC Touch 2, SE X2, or some other next gen device. Lots of factors, and yes I do have regrets around a lot of them, but you do the best you can and just move on.
I've found with some tweaking the X1 usable/tolerable, and meeting 80% of my needs. Nothing will ever be perfect, and if I follow the 80/20 rule, meeting 80% of my requirements for a decent price is usually as good a deal as I can ask for.
On reflection, yes... I regret it.
I resent the implication by DatDereX1 that somehow the phone's shortcomings are down to my stupidity. If it was a simple case of software, then all of the problems would instantly be resolved by a flash of the ROM - but that isn't the case. WinMo aside, the hardware is far from perfect:
* abysmal battery life
* poor responsiveness to touch
* recessed screen
* case suceptible to cracks
* poor external speaker
* reception is poor (compared to other devices in the same location on the same network)
When you throw in the stock software, you can add to that sluggish performance and poor usability. Out-of-the-box it is quite simply a device that is well below par.
With custom ROMs the situation becomes bareable but you still can't get away from the basic hardware issues... and even with the ROMs, performance is still far from lightening quick.
Even those devoted to WinMo would surely have to conceed it is not the best implementation of the OS on a device.
i bought it after selling iphone 3g...was tired of iphone's on-screen keyboard....and the phone was jus too wide...holding it made my palms ache.
other than that..the features werent elaborate
so i bought X1...X1 is everything i wanted in a phone..but it could do with many improvements.
some problems i have with x1:
1. Panels crash sometimes..very rarely..but when they do..i have to soft reset.
2. Camera is slow.
3. panels development not as fast as expected.
4. scrolling on windows mobile sux.
5. touch response....dont know if its windows mobile or hardwares fault...but it can be improved...iphone has a very good touch response.
i bought it after selling iphone 3g...was tired of iphone's on-screen keyboard....and the phone was jus too wide...holding it made my palms ache.
other than that..the features werent elaborate
so i bought X1...X1 is everything i wanted in a phone..but it could do with many improvements.
some problems i have with x1:
1. Panels crash sometimes..very rarely..but when they do..i have to soft reset.
2. Camera is slow.
3. panels development not as fast as expected.
4. scrolling on windows mobile sux.
5. touch response....dont know if its windows mobile or hardwares fault...but it can be improved...iphone has a very good touch response.
I only regret I have no Xperia. I bought one for my wife and she uses it greatly. I have no money currently to spend on another one. I'm stuck for 5+ years with my old trusted Nokia 6230 (not even 6230i) phone if you remember the one.
I know definitely my next phone will be some PPC with WinMo. Maybe X2...
i do regret buying the x1, because now i want something more powerful with more features, eye candy and sexier...but u know what? i am still yet to find the device.
i really want to replace my x1 but i cant see anything to replace it with, will never buy the iphone unless it comes with fm radio, camera light or flash, mp3 for ringtones and multitasking abilities...so im kinda stuck with my x1, lets hope the x2 is much sexier, or else i would be buying a future htc android device with sense ui
i have two problems with the x1 so far
1. the battery loses its paint when touched often
2. the battery life is worse than my p1i ...thing is that i did more on my p1i than i do on my x1
Not at all, I love it.
All phones have their faults, hell, I sold my E90 Communicator to get one of these.
I loved that phone too, but Nokia's support of it was abysmal (it took them over a year to release a firmware fix for the Bluetooth issue that they broke with a firmware release...) and it got to the point where it was becoming a pain to use.
With all technology, there will be problems, they are coded by humans don't forget
I'd rather have 'quirks' or little niggles that can be sorted with small apps or tweaks than to have a featureless brick any day of the week.
Plus, it gives me a chance to satisfy my *need* to play with the newest toys!
I love my Xperia.
I am sick of these threads.
I don't know why so many of you say that you regret buying it (even though one of you that said they regret it also said it was the best phone available).
If you are unsure about a product read more about it. If you regret buying an Xperia (especially since you are at XDA-dev) it's your own damn fault.
Hannigan174 said:
I love my Xperia.
I am sick of these threads.
I don't know why so many of you say that you regret buying it (even though one of you that said they regret it also said it was the best phone available).
If you are unsure about a product read more about it. If you regret buying an Xperia (especially since you are at XDA-dev) it's your own damn fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats so true.
It is just such a tiny little effort needed to put into the x1 to make it the most powerful phone of all.
Again I must stick to my phrase:
Regretting == Not being able to handle the X1

[DISCUSS] Is this the best phone ever or what? (with mini review)

Seriously, I love this phone. I got it 2 days ago and i can't take my hands off it.
I'm 32 years old (yea yea getting old now), and was brought up on computer games. This phone makes me remember just how good the old megadrive/genesis/snes games were compared to the (mostly) crappy indie games that we see these days. I've fondly been playing Sonic, Mario, Super Star Wars, Streets of Rage and a whole host of others flawlessly on this little beauty. It's an emulation dream come true.
The N64 emulator lags a little bit for me, but mostly it's just occasional sound skipping, it is certainly still more than playable, although the control mapping could be a little bit easier. I'm hoping a MAME emulator will be released that supports all the old mame games and not just the capcom games. (Anyone can tell me if there is one already or one coming out?)
Some fears i had for the phone before i purchased were these -
- Worried it would be too bulky
- Worried about the screen auto dim feature and not being able to turn it off
- Worried about the battery life
- Worried about the hardware being outdated before it even hit the shelves
- Well, the phone is bulkier than alot of other phones, but it is still slim enough to easily slip in and out your pocket. I didn't look at the phone before i ordered it, i just jumped in and ordered it off the net and hope it was what i wanted (or i could send it back within 7 days to get a refund). Overall i am very happy with the size of the phone. I certainly don't feel like an idiot getting it out my pocket, it looks very cool.
- The auto brightness on the screen is not all that bad. I got annoyed at first, not being able to turn the phone on max brightness, but after a few minutes my eyes got used to it and i hardly notice it anymore. It must serve a good purpose because the battery lasts a long time. I think that an official patch is definately needed though, not giving people an option to turn off auto brightness is disastrous. Saying that, more than likely i would leave auto brightness turned on, it does save battery and it is implemented excellently imho.
- Battery life is amazing. I got through 12-14 hours of gaming, browsing, and general usage + a full night withought charge on standby and when i woke up it had 7% battery life left. You can not go through 2 days with this phone though, so still you will have to charge it every night, but you can guarantee a full, proper day usage out of it without too much worries about the battery dieing.
- Hardware is a bit meh. On one hand the phone runs super smooth. And FPSE plays PS1 games super smooth, no slowdown at all. The N64 as i mentioned has a few sound skips. So the hardware does exaclty what it was designed to do. This is where it stops though. There will be no PS2 emulation, no dreamcast emulation, no xbox1 emulation. Not until the next handset gets released. This is the limits of this phones power.
Overall i think this is the best phone made to date. I don't care it hasn't got 1080p recording, i don't care the camera is only 5 megapixel. This phone owns and is easily the best phone i have ever owned to date.
Roll on the Xperia Play 2. I am now a branded fan.
edit - Just thought i would say that my phone came with a 16gb Micro SD card, 2 screen protectors (1 of them already put on flawlessly, no air bubbles or dust underneath at all, 1 spare). I have heard people only getting 8gb cards and no screen protectors, but this did not happen with my order.
i mostly agree with you, this is the best phone i have had and i have owned a G1, motorola dext, motorola milestone and a HTC HD2, i would only recommend the HD2 out of these and even then, only after installing android (unless your into windows)
the thing is, i no some people dont value proper gaming as much as me or others so they think this device is not needed but im glad we dont all feel the same way
what im really hoping for this device is, for it to be popular enough so that other manufacturers (or even sony) make a similar device, hopefully with dual or even quad core in mind, add 1GB ram and dreamcast/PS2 emulation is a possibility
but for right now? the play is excellent considering its the first of its kind
agree with most of what you say. but yes hardware is a bit meh.
could have done with better implementation on shoulder buttons and i still think they coud've stuck in an L2/R2 somewhere
overall, the best android phone i ever had was hands down the galaxy S. ****ing beatiful, screen, performance (with custom rom and lagfix!), etc.
but as a gaming phone, this is THE best, despite it's lackluster hardware, it has hardware controls, which, IMO, makes up for all its shortcomings!
L2 and R2 buttons.....
Yeah, i guess they could be put next to each other so that it doesn't increase the thickness of the phone.
So it would look like this -
_______________________________
(L1....L2..............................R2....R1)
_______________________________
Still, FPSE allows you to put L2 and R2 at the bottom left and right of the screen. They are easy enough to get to with your thumbs, so it's no big deal tbh.
usually not a big deal, but when you have to use simultaneous button presses, i.e. press R2 and X together, can become tricky.
Sony * Rule * Got mine Today
Hi peeps,
Got mine today, excellent phone love the Ginerbread.
a few issues so far but no problem.
Love this phone, looks so stylish and plays excellent.
TapperOUT!
Im in the same camp as you mate, same age and gaming experience and I agree 100%
I'm 29 and one of the biggest retro gaming fans in the retro gaming scene.
if any of you have ever heard about the pandora (600mhz ARM TI OMAP 3530) based device. If not, more information is here www.openpandora.org
but I have both devices and I pitted them up agianst each other and gave a lenghy review/comparison of each. It's a good read if you're into that sorta thing.
http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/topic/2746-xperia-play-vs-pandora/
Spoiler
TLDR; this is the best mobile gaming handheld in terms of power and available software you can currently buy that satisfies the console emulators hobbyists needs.
not the absolute best when it comes to hardware and features, but makes up for it in interface and available software and raw power.
johnsongrantr said:
I'm 29 and one of the biggest retro gaming fans in the retro gaming scene.
if any of you have ever heard about the pandora (600mhz ARM TI OMAP 3530) based device. If not, more information is here www.openpandora.org
but I have both devices and I pitted them up agianst each other and gave a lenghy review/comparison of each. It's a good read if you're into that sorta thing.
http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/topic/2746-xperia-play-vs-pandora/
Spoiler
TLDR; this is the best mobile gaming handheld in terms of power and available software you can currently buy that satisfies the console emulators hobbyists needs.
not the absolute best when it comes to hardware and features, but makes up for it in interface and available software and raw power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just wanted to say i read your review and it was pretty good, i was interested in pandora at first but because of how long it took to release i completely forgot about it, although looking at it now, i totally envy the keyboard except the D pad and triggers, having gaming controls AND a qwerty keyboard is just excellent, sony should consider this with the xperia play 2 or what ever manufacturer decides to make a PS certified phone, if extra bulk was needed i could certainly live with it
that said, the keyboard is the only thing i would take from pandora, in my opinion the play beats it in every other area except screen size but then thats balanced with capacitive vs resistive
EDIT - forgot to check the pandora website to see how much it costs.....wow, 440 euro is alot, i was expecting a little over half that, just for comparisons sake i bought my play , sim free for £400 a few days after release, considering the play has more useful features (in my opinion) 3G, android OS and its market, phone functions etc....im surprised it cost so much
I agree here !
I am 27 and also brought up with retro games it's so nice able to play my games again from my childhood.
The device lays good in your hand indeed the as for the brightness well it's fine although my xperia x10 with lowest brightness on is still readable and not with my xperia play but even cranked up at highest brightness the battery still remains exellent thought it would drain like hell like my x10 does but it doesn't !
Glad I got rid of my omnia with win mobile and now have 2 nice xperia devices !
Android is the OS I am currently hooked on never was to happy with my omnia due winmobile but the phone was hyped in my country and it was the biggest mistake I made.
Hardware wise yea there are already dualcore devices and tegra2 gpu powered
as for the emulators of xbox , ps2 , dreamcast & gamecube
I don't think we will see them in the next year or so
but then again there is a developer working to get a dreamcast emu working and progress is already nice I think it's a matter of time we will see
as for my order I recieved a stock screenprotector already on screen , extra screen protector ( they are very scratch resistant my x10 didn't have such a good screenprotector had to take the factory applied on off and apply a newly bought screen protector ) Wall charger , car charger , leather poach & 8gb SD card which I recently upgraded to 32gb
I think in point of view it is the best phone for me but can be better if they added more memory/better screen/ and a PSP Emulator
baaa3 said:
I think in point of view it is the best phone for me but can be better if they added more memory/better screen/ and a PSP Emulator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fair point but like someone told me, this is the first generation of this particular device, yes, sony could have gone all out but that would just mean the xperia play 2 would only have minor updated features
think of it like the first iphone, it probably should have had 3G, better ram etc but it just meant that the jump from iphone 2g to 3g was that much greater
although saying all that, im pretty sure HTC, motorola, samsung or LG will bring a play competitor before the years end with atl east dual core onboard
silvacrest said:
fair point but like someone told me, this is the first generation of this particular device, yes, sony could have gone all out but that would just mean the xperia play 2 would only have minor updated features
think of it like the first iphone, it probably should have had 3G, better ram etc but it just meant that the jump from iphone 2g to 3g was that much greater
although saying all that, im pretty sure HTC, motorola, samsung or LG will bring a play competitor before the years end with atl east dual core onboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does anyone know how the sales are going in Europe of this device?
If sales were crazy, like on the iphone, then probably we will have more joypad versions, if not, then this will be like the Nokia Ngage... how many years have passed from that phone to this one? i dont remember well, but at least 6 o 7...
So basically, we will have to wait until the phone gets released worldwide and see how the numbers go to SE.
Probably on the next version i will expect an exclusive suite and not an android suite that all phones can play with. Because if we have something exclusive, then we will have a game that will be made for this controls. (from what i heard, the PS Suite will be available on android market for all high end devices)
my only annoyance with the device is the power button should have been on the screen section not controller, I occasionally press it when im playing something that uses the L shoulder a lot e.g. street fighter
FrAsErTaG said:
my only annoyance with the device is the power button should have been on the screen section not controller, I occasionally press it when im playing something that uses the L shoulder a lot e.g. street fighter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you manage to do that?
My power button is actually indented. I can't turn it off with my 'L' finger even if i try to do it on purpose.
dsswoosh said:
How do you manage to do that?
My power button is actually indented. I can't turn it off with my 'L' finger even if i try to do it on purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
other people testing my phone have done it too, so we are not different you are...
FrAsErTaG said:
other people testing my phone have done it too, so we are not different you are...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, to me it also seems nearly impossible to turn the device off while gaming
must agree, has never happened to me also
Maybe me and my friends just have more manly fingers?
I still strand by original comment power button should be on screen half, would also help to see the notification light
Sent from my R800i using XDA App
FrAsErTaG said:
Maybe me and my friends just have more manly fingers?
I still strand by original comment power button should be on screen half, would also help to see the notification light
Sent from my R800i using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or maybe you guys just have chubby sausage fingers?

xperia play build quality

hi all,
After reading plenty of reviews and all the youtube videos, i am now so close to buying an xperia play, but just a few questions that i need clarifying..
1. whats the build quality like of the game pad?
2. are the analogue pads that bad? or it just the games?
2. anyone here that has had the xperia play for a while.. how do the buttons feel after excessive usage? still the same as when u bought it or they dont feel as good.. im the sort of person that goes a bit mad with the buttons when playing games like marvel vs capcom and as i will be keeping the phone for a very long time, i wanna make sure the phone gamepad can last as long as a normal ps3 pad!
3. how well do the games play? how they play from factory stock android and are there improvements when removing the bloatware software.. really hate that timescape crap! improvements when upgrading to 2.3.3
4. sd card? which is the best class to buy 32gb?
thanks
vegeta2007 said:
hi all,
After reading plenty of reviews and all the youtube videos, i am now so close to buying an xperia play, but just a few questions that i need clarifying..
1. whats the build quality like of the game pad?
2. are the analogue pads that bad? or it just the games?
2. anyone here that has had the xperia play for a while.. how do the buttons feel after excessive usage? still the same as when u bought it or they dont feel as good.. im the sort of person that goes a bit mad with the buttons when playing games like marvel vs capcom and as i will be keeping the phone for a very long time, i wanna make sure the phone gamepad can last as long as a normal ps3 pad!
3. how well do the games play? how they play from factory stock android and are there improvements when removing the bloatware software.. really hate that timescape crap! improvements when upgrading to 2.3.3
4. sd card? which is the best class to buy 32gb?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mate,
First of all, I love my xperia play, really good phone and great for gaming. FPSE has made this phone for me now, massive choice of games, really cheap too as you can pick up 2nd hand psx games.
My issue with the reviews is that they compare the device to the top end stuff - SGS2, HTC sensation and Moto atrix. Its not that type of device, its all about gaming. The reviews seem to be down on the phone from the off due to the specs (low internal storage and slower than the best cpu). Anyway thats the rant...
1 (and the second 2.) Build quality - Seems a bit cheap and plastically compared to my old HTC desire and the htc sensation. However after 4 months of gaming and general use (i'm very clumsy with my phones and tend to drop them and scratch them all the time) It is still in very good nick, The plastic seems to take punishment a lot better than my old HTC. There are no visible defections and everything is working great - the game pad is still perfect and still feels new - it does pick up dirt pretty easy but I've never felt it affect the touch controls. I button mash a lot and everything feels great and still very responsive, I never feel like I need to be gentle and have gotten stressed a few times when losing a game on fifa and mashing the keys.
2. The pads are brilliant in my opinion, takes a little bit of getting used to in terms of not having any feedback when you push one way or the other. Main issue is the games - FPS has a massive lack in terms of how its controlled. Swiping is annoying but works, push to turn is good but can be too sensitive and hard to target from my experience - it will be a learning curve I'm sure.
3. The games are excellent. The ones that are optimized work smoothly and I've never had an issue with slow down apart from when the phone overheats (normally after 2+ hours or usage/gaming and whilst charging) Even then it was still usable. Some gameloft games aren't that good, its a bit annoying but most are great, its the best experience I've had on a phone, comparable to a psp/ds. Updates have made the phone better and better, then rooting and removing bloat have made it the perfect phone. Everything is instant, no waiting, much better than my HTC Desire, plus I never fill up my internal storage so I have no worried about installing other stuff
4. From what I've read its better to go for a class 6 or 4, but I've not tried a 32gb card yet. Class 10 is good for data transfer but not playing games etc. But I dont have any experience with it as of yet
1. Phone's quality and design is awesome, I love it. The gamepad is very accurate, similar to a PSP one, something you would expect from Sony.
2. It will take a week or so to get used with, after that, it's a piece of cake to play with them.
The other 2. It feels the same, it's also somehow not that fragile as it looks.
3. I have the SD card full of games => almost all HD, never lagged; I also updated to 2.3.3 and all remained the same. Timescape widget is kinda' cool, you'll see.
4. Class 4. Detailed thread about SD card for XPlay here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1129749
Edit: Ninja'd by wired84
Geeve said:
1. Phone's quality and design is awesome, I love it. The gamepad is very accurate, similar to a PSP one, something you would expect from Sony.
2. It will take a week or so to get used with, after that, it's a piece of cake to play with them.
The other 2. It feels the same, it's also somehow not that fragile as it looks.
3. I have the SD card full of games => almost all HD, never lagged; I also updated to 2.3.3 and all remained the same. Timescape widget is kinda' cool, you'll see.
4. Class 4. Detailed thread about SD card for XPlay here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1129749
Edit: Ninja'd by wired84
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, I win
vegeta2007 said:
hi all,
After reading plenty of reviews and all the youtube videos, i am now so close to buying an xperia play, but just a few questions that i need clarifying..
1. whats the build quality like of the game pad?
2. are the analogue pads that bad? or it just the games?
2. anyone here that has had the xperia play for a while.. how do the buttons feel after excessive usage? still the same as when u bought it or they dont feel as good.. im the sort of person that goes a bit mad with the buttons when playing games like marvel vs capcom and as i will be keeping the phone for a very long time, i wanna make sure the phone gamepad can last as long as a normal ps3 pad!
3. how well do the games play? how they play from factory stock android and are there improvements when removing the bloatware software.. really hate that timescape crap! improvements when upgrading to 2.3.3
4. sd card? which is the best class to buy 32gb?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Build quality is fine. Mine is sturdy as a rock. Some people report it feels cheap when it is slid open. I guess it is pot luck whether you have a good one or not.
2) Had mine for 4-5 months now. Everything feels brand new. Buttons still have an extremely strong "click" sound and feel when you press them. Ive excessively played with mine.
3) 2.3.3 is a major improvement over stuttering of games. There is now no stuttering. No easy way to root 2.3.3 either. So i didnt bother (even though i rooted 2.3.2). Bloatware is annoying, but just dont use any of it and you forget its even there.
4) I use the standard 16 GB that comes with it. Works fine for me.
Some annoyances -
- Still cant disable auto brightness as a stock feature
- My touch screen sometimes messes up and i still cant figure out why. Pressing the right hand side of the screen sometimes registers as the left side is pressed. HIGHLY annoying when wrong keys appear on the screen when creating messages etc.
- Emulators are still the best games. Dont bother with the phone if you want any kind of official game support from Sony. There is none.
- Analog joysticks are ok. Not the greatest design though. But they do the job.

Thinking about getting an Xperia Play... any reason not to?

I'm on verizon and I have an upgrade available next tuesday and am looking at using it as soon as possible(totally frustrated with old phone.) Originally, I was thinking I would like the Droid Bionic, and since its release date is so close to my upgrade date, it seemed like that would be the route to go. However, I recently started doing some research on where I could find the best prices for a phone, and found the discounts on Amazon to be excellent! At this point, I can't imagine the Bionic costing anything less than $300, maybe 250 on amazon, but the Xperia Play is being offered for FREE!! The $300 price tag is a little hard to stomach, and I'm thinking if I get the play now, I can wait for the 2nd generation of LTE devices without the battery concerns.
I'll admit that I hadn't really considered the device before because I didn't think I'd be much of a gamer on a cell phone. I play games now, but they are mostly like angry birds, words with friends, robo defense, and other simple games without a real need of a dedicated controller. The phone being free, however, compelled me to do a bit more research.
Now, after reading nearly every review and watching nearly every video on the play, I am seeing more and more things I like about the device. I even went to the verizon retail store and played around with one (and some of the other contenders) for awhile. There are a few things I like about the Play, and some others that are of a little concern, and I was hoping that some of these questions could be answered by someone who has used the device for a period of time.
Some Good points:
I really like the feel of the phone, it feels different and "unique" even when closed compared to the endless range of black slabs out there. Being a guy who doesn't need to cram the phone into a pair of skinny jeans, I don't find it too bulky to handle.
Is this comfortable for everyday usage, though? Does the phone feel solid in the hands without all the security devices on it like in the store? Are the buttons workable? I wouldn't say I have exceptionally large hands, but they aren't small either, will I find it awkward to press those small front buttons or the unlock/power button?
Seeing a vanilla build of gingerbread was very, very nice. It reminded me of handling the nexus S and how impressed I was when I first saw it after using HTC Sense for nearly 2 years. Is there any real functionality lost because of this? Also: Since It is a vanilla build, I would assume OTA upgrades may be easier to obtain(sort of like the original droid) Does anyone know of Sony's plans to continue support for this (Maybe up through ICS)? I have been stuck with 2.1 for what seems like forever, and don't want this to be a problem in 2 years when I'm trying to download an app that isn't supported in older versions of Android. I'm not opposed to rooting, but I think that manufacturer support says something about what a company thinks of its products.
OMG THE SCREEN!!! I don't know about anyone else, but to my eyes, that is just about the best looking screen I have ever seen, even compared side to side to the qHD display on the Droid X2 I prefered the display on the Play hands-down. However, I am wondering if the front coating is durable. I don't think I would want to put a screen protector between my eyes and that gorgeous LCD.
In general:
Is the phone responsive for everyday tasks? (Gmail, Calender, Texting, Phone Calls, Internet Browsing, Music playback, Youtube, Facebook, Maps, Weather, News Widgets (such as pulse)) I use these all daily quite frequently and it can sometimes take up to 30 seconds just to open up my messaging app after receiving a notification of a new message. I doubt any more modern phone could be this bad, but any hint of slowdown now could be a bad omen of what is to come. I'm not too concerned with multitasking except for maybe loading a webpage while I switch over to messaging to answer a text, or for running an update service for weather notifications in the background.
Is it easy to type on compared to other phones in the 4 inch class? Does the shape or design of the phone impede this in any way? It was kind of hard to tell in the store due to the security devices in place.
With the usage described above (checking email, facebook, news, weather, etc. approximately once per hour, with about 30-45 minutes of phone calls, 20-30 texts, and less than an hour of gaming a day) would it be reasonable to expect this phone to last all day on a single charge? I currently have a large extended battery for my phone and it would be nice to not have that extra bulk. If this isn't reasonable, are there extended batteries/covers available for the play?
Is the lack of internal storage a problem, or is it possible to install apps to sd? (and is the speed acceptable if done so)
Any general bugs/glitches that should be known before deciding on this phone?
Anything that the phone might be a little zippier at if it had a dual core processor (besides more graphically intense games)?
How is the call quality/ability to hold a signal? This has been stated in a few reviews, but I am hoping the that issue has been fixed as of now (specifically the phone reverting to 1x in an EVDO area) I am in the city so signal strength shouldn't be an issue, but the ability to hold 3G definitely is.
How is the camera? I'm not looking for an SLR replacement, just something that will take snapshots where you can tell what something is without excessive noise/blotchiness. Is the front camera as horrible as they say? No one seems to post examples of pictures taken with that. Also, there is some confusion as to the HD recording capabilities of the phone. From what I have gathered, it is possible, but there are several steps involved. What are these steps?
Any possibility of Netflix support in the future?
In general, are you owners happy with your decision, and is it one you would repeat if you had to do it today (given the advantage of the Play being at least $130 cheaper than my next consideration, the Droid X2)
Sorry this post has been kind of long winded, I think I have addressed most of my concerns about the device in question that have not been answered by reviews from months ago (possibly prior to some software bug fixes)
Thank you in advance for your help!
The phone feels pretty solid for everyday use, and the curves make it easy to hold in a pocket.
If your worrying about a screen protector, SURPRISE. Theres already one on there.
I've never had any problems with the apps for everyday use. They open quickly, and pulse works quite well.
Some people find battery an issue, I dont. In between trains I do about 2 hours of gaming, check email every 2 hours, post Twitter updates, and still have half a charge by the end of the day.
The camera isent as great as other phones, but it works.
For Netflix support, you can find the .apk someone on the XDA site, and it works perfectly.
Get it if your into gaming on the touchpad.... Otherwise I don't see why you should.
For a phone that has nearly the same specs as the galaxy s, it runs a lot smoother. There are no lag issues, it has ran everything I've thrown at it smoothly.
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.
I m using the PLAY too, and I found my HD2 with android runs a bit smoother.
the SE software is improving thou, it has been 2 updates, and the speed actually increase after each update.
Only get it if you want to have a game pad or the NAVIGATION pad (up down left right)
i love using the play with navigation pad.
I cant find any other current android phone with navigation pad other than the play.
Deoxlar said:
Get it if your into gaming on the touchpad.... Otherwise I don't see why you should.
For a phone that has nearly the same specs as the galaxy s, it runs a lot smoother. There are no lag issues, it has ran everything I've thrown at it smoothly.
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say it's worth it.
The only real thing that might keep people from taking it seriously is the fact that it's not a dual-core phone. When you actually see it's performance though, you notice immediately and forever after that it's silky smooth even on a single-core.
It's replaced damn near everything I use; and, most importantly: manages to be great at gaming without being mediocre at anything else.
I'm definitely interested in gaming on the gaming pad, as I can say pretty definitively that the reason I don't play too many games on my phone is because the controls are cumbersome or feel like the games are "dumbed down" to be able to be played with lackluster controls.
I have seen the performance a good single core phone can have (including that of the Play), but am kind of wondering, is it a little too late in the game to even be considering anything other than a dual core phone (I'm having this same delemia over possibly going with the Droid charge) I skimped a little on my first android phone, and because of my experience with that, I am scared that something I get that isn't top of the line now will be utter crap in 18 months - 2 years time.
The combination of acceptable (or great, according to some) performance, the game pad, and the price (in that order) make this appealing.
Sony Tablet S or P coming this month
I just got mine yesterday and I definately recommend getting one.
Feels solid, awesome games and its gonna get better soon as Playstation are soon to announce PSP games for the Xperia Play.
GO GET IT!!!
ps3taker said:
Sony Tablet S or P coming this month
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But these are tablets, is there any chance of a device with a form factor similar to the play coming anytime soon?
I got the xperia play around a month ago maybe 3 weeks ago. The phone is very solid its super fast i have not had any slow down with the phone to this date so dont worry about the core cpu's yet.
The phone is awesome, its amazing for gaming and if your still not into that its still an awesome phone i would say its the best single core phone you can buy.
The only thing i am disappointed about with the phone is the **** wi-fi radio it has terrible signal, it keeps me connected most of the time but around my house i usually only have 2 bars but with my brother's iphone and my old android phone i would be having 3 - 4 bars.
clewis said:
I got the xperia play around a month ago maybe 3 weeks ago. The phone is very solid its super fast i have not had any slow down with the phone to this date so dont worry about the core cpu's yet.
The phone is awesome, its amazing for gaming and if your still not into that its still an awesome phone i would say its the best single core phone you can buy.
The only thing i am disappointed about with the phone is the **** wi-fi radio it has terrible signal, it keeps me connected most of the time but around my house i usually only have 2 bars but with my brother's iphone and my old android phone i would be having 3 - 4 bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i have the same issue, Galaxy S II has full reception and my Xperia only gets around 2-3 bars although it does keep reception. Thinking Sony might update the modem driver with the next update *fingers crossed*
Yea, the wifi is definitely weaker then most devices. I went out to buy a netgear range booster router and it fixed my problem though.... I can't believe how good netgear routers are...
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.
the only reason i can think to make you buy the phone is the gaming pad. that is all. you will never get a better gaming experience on any other latest phone like Galaxy X II or Droid. i mean never
its a gaming phone and target for gamer. i strongly suggest you look for other phone if you not into gaming. i just dont want you to regret it when you bought it.
regarding the wifi, the signal reception is working great if i point the device to the router directly
just my opinion..
Like other have said, if you game on your phone get it. If not, get something else. All the rest is just waving your hands.
It is a solid android phone with a game pad. Nothing more, nothing less. If you never slide your game pad out, why carry it around? If you do slide it out, supported games (including emulators) are a completely different experience to every other phone. I cringe thinking about what Minecraft would be like if I had my thumbs all over the screen.
before i go rambling about my previous phones, all i can say is:
GO FOR IT
putting that aside, i was previously using a hd2 running android via the sd. i also had a htc desire issued by the office. i was content with both phones until the office decided to get rid of the desire. apparently, marketing was able to strike up a good deal with the network provider and thus issued us a bunch of iphone 4s. with the desire gone, i was thus left with my hd2 to run android. the problem was, i wanted a purely dedicated android device given that i would most likely never visit windows again. don't get me wrong, the hd2 is fantastic as it's reputed to be the most versatile (and hackable) phone. i've been reading up on the xperia arc as it has nice reviews. however, i was attracted to the xperia play even more because of in my opinion it's taken the lead in the "swiss army" fight amongst phones. i'm not a true gamer but i have enjoyed playing ps1 back in the days. with that, the play allows me to revisit those days and once again play with my fav games.
secondly, the phone itself is fantastic overall. the interface is fluid, i've experienced no hangs or freezes (not counting the psx game that doesn't run with fpse). battery is awesome and i really love the loudness of the media player. this was one of my gripes when i was still using my hd2: the volume needed to step up a notch or 2. i got myself the white xperia play and people in the office are really loving it.
i've already rooted my unit. as i have home and contents insurance i'm not worried about damaging my play. but say i did run into a situation which results in my phone being bricked/damaged/etc. i would most likely get my insurance company to replace it with the same. unless i find the other phones such as the evo or sensation coming up with a gamepad AND something else that the xperia play doesn't have, i'm definitely sticking to this phone for quite a long time.
Actually, if you are not into gaming.... After you get the phone and see the games available... You will be!
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.

Common faults with Xperia PLAY

I am interested to know how many of you have experienced faults I have read about while frequenting these forums.
The reason for me wondering this is because my Xperia PLAY is just out of warranty (2 years) and I'm considering buying a new handset while I can as it seems to be out of production, and before long all that will be available is used devices. The device didn't succeed much in terms of android updates and support from Sony (they had too much invested in the DOA PS Vita) but alas, no other device compares to it in terms of gaming with particular regard to emulator support. This is primarily a gaming-centric device (hdmi-out would have made it golden) and I honestly don't see its crown being taken any time soon. I think this is reason enough for me to hold onto one but unsure of if a new one in warranty is necessary, hence the poll.
Tlrtheory has made several posts regarding his thoughts on the xperia play. He had moved XP to an HTC One-x and to an iphone 5 only to come back to an XP. Sorry I contact link any comments as I am away from my laptop. Will post some later.
Sent from my R800at using xda premium
Its definitely a fun little device to have, but I can't use it as a daily driver.
The XP does one thing well, and only one. Portable gaming.
While its inconvenient to carry around a Dual shock 3 and a separate device, its a much more pleasurable experience than using my XP. Dem joysticks.
If you have the opportunity, use a newer device in conjunction with an XP.
My main problem with my XP is that it showed its age rather quickly, and even using stock gingerbread, it can barely perform the games it used to blaze through. I'm unsure whether its my processor, the SD Card, or the device is just plain old, but the XP does not live up to its former glory.
After about a year, no matter what I tried, I was unable to perform basic tasks without encountering extreme amounts of lag, while gaming was un-enjoyable. Mine is collecting dust, with an occasional power on and play when my tablet is out of juice.
Sent from my Nexus 7
My experience with PLAY has been fantastic. It plays almost all available emulators at full speed. My only gripe was the amount of support from Sony was lackluster to say the least. But as a basic Android phone, it works splendid.
I haven't experienced any problems that I've read yet, I've gotten my phone stolen half way through its contract so the one I have now is about a year and a half years old. But the main problem people seem to report would be the flex cable.
Power button sometimes gets stuck and my volume buttons and back cover are VERY squeaky.
Actually my Power Buttons fine, it's just that the varnish has gone so now theres a massive LED light now..
And I'm not sure if this is normal but my R Trigger feels looser than the L Trigger.
The paint on the 4 front buttons (back,search,home, and settings) started to chip off and another big problem that hasn't happened to me yet but lots of people complain about is the flex cable
Sent from my Xperia Play (r800x)
Yes also for me, the paint is starting to come off.
AzNTypeR said:
And I'm not sure if this is normal but my R Trigger feels looser than the L Trigger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, its very loose :/ L is fine though..
The only other problem i have is my back button being too squishy, theres no force needed to push it!
I have had no problems with the power button because I never use it :silly: I mapped search to be power instead as its easier to access and I never used search lol
Zilch for me.
...the only problem I really have is that the previous owner messed up the front camera when replacing the flex cable. My original Xperia Play (which is now in the hands of a long-time friend) has absolutely NO hardware issues at all.
The only real problems were that:
• Internal memory sucked (which we can easily remedy with Link2SD - I've done it and now I have 471 installs while having 283MB free)
• Stock launcher was weak (also an easy fix - I've found ssLauncher to be the smoothest, most aesthetically appealing option)
• Stock browser was laggy (get Opera, it's not only the best mobile browser, but it's completely smooth on Xperia Play)
• Didn't natively come with notifcation toggles (which can be fixed with notifications)
...but by far and large... the biggest complaint is just that it's not "officially" supporting ICS. I take a rather extreme stance of "are you guys on crack?!" when someone tries to point this out as a valid point. This is not a damn iPhone... meaning it doesn't work on the same restrictive principles as the iPhone. On iOS, there's no getting around the fact that you need a newer FW to get features. On Android, we aren't so much affected in the same manner. Yeah 4.2.2 brings lock screen widgets... but everything dating back to 2.1 has already had those features through external apps like widgetlocker. We can get data management without 4.x.x, and even have that holo theme take over our Xperia Play. So, for us... anything above 2.3.7 is more of a bragging right... and it's a bragging right that compromises the stability of our games and compromises how much of the RAM we have... that ain't very "baller" to me.
Somebody give this guy a medal, please? Makes me love my XPlay even more (even if "she's" very sickly).
My xPlay is more than year old, and so far she don't have any hardware issues. And even when i get newer phone, i plan to flash some gingerbread rom without phone capabilities and use it as psx/c64 platform untill she dies in my hands...
Sent from my R800i using xda app-developers app
My R800x is almost 2 years old, still have that despite moving to a R800at, which was in new condition. But both phones and my R800x are in great condition with no hardware issues whatsoever.
And despite playing with a GS3 for 2 weeks it was nice but didnt wave my flag, so I went, nah, and went back to my PLAY. No regrets when I moved from R800x to R800at, especially since i snagged a prototype AT&T model with no branding on it and it was already bootloader unlocked. Had to unlock the sim lock but that was no big deal. Is our phone dated hardware wise yes, but would I give it up for a GS4, nope. I know some people will think it odd and call me crazy but there is nothing like using this phone for some online MC3 or Lets Golf 2 or shadowgun or Bards Tale, or especially the Tiger Arcade CPS1/CPS2/NeoGeo emulators......
Best thing on the world for phone and gaming in my opinion. $ony needs to make another XP2, but doubtful since they want to try and resuscitate the Vita... anyways, no issues but per bliss.
ozzmanj1 said:
a prototype AT&T model with no branding on it and it was already bootloader unlocked. Had to unlock the sim lock but that was no big deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does it have an hdmi out as the first demo units did or is it a later prototype without please?
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
ps3taker said:
does it have an hdmi out as the first demo units did or is it a later prototype without please?
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No HDMI out, I had made a thread on it, see post 8 for images:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2088271
Noticed the ebay listing is gone, one of the photos showed the back with the battery out and it clearly states "Prototype not for sale", and on the bottom of the front keys there is a serialized number on it. Also the IMEI starts with 044 which I have read means its a proto model. If you'd like me to make a photo of the back let me know, of course I will blur out the last half of the IMEI #.
Edit - Added photos. See attached.
My contract ends next week and... I decided to stay with my XP. I know is little bit outdated and latest games not running smoothly but it's still fun.
Later someone mention that better is to connect to tv and use pad to play but try to do that waiting in queue or bus, during lunch time or waiting for your missus trying another dress...
If want to play good quality game I turn on my PC or Xbox.
Modified ROMs give us nearly all functions that new phones have. I not much gamer to have extra pocket device with me and smudging on screen to play is not fun either. I still have hope that Sony realize that chase after Apple, Samsung etc. Is not only copy other devices but to make some unique moves. Sometimes I thinks that get rid Ericsson was mistake, I used since 1018 long time ago.
Back to topic. I have my XP for 2 yeaes now, no major issues.
I have problem with touchpads, they not working always. I need to turn off phone, remove battery and they back. Tried different roms, kernel, back to stock and even send twice to Sony. I can live with that.
Heard that ribbon is problem. I have change that but it happen when fallen down to river with my XP inside pocket. When dried out phone back to life but later screen started flickering.
Sorry for boring post but I love my XP.
Sent from my R800i using xda app-developers app
ozzmanj1 said:
Tlrtheory has made several posts regarding his thoughts on the xperia play. He had moved XP to an HTC One-x and to an iphone 5 only to come back to an XP. Sorry I contact link any comments as I am away from my laptop. Will post some later.
Sent from my R800at using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I remember reading it and thinking I'd quite like a white XP too but all that is available for sale in the UK are used ones (don't buy used electronics) or grossly overpriced ones (£400+ for a 2011 handset? dafk!).
Replacing my XP with something different isn't really on my mind, but more just that of preserving a working one because it is still the damned best handheld you can get even if its capabilities as a phone are questionable. Its inevitable I will have to replace it eventually given that app developers won't support GB forever. When that day comes, Sony won't even be a brand I consider unless they get a grip on the future of PS Mobile and release an Xperia PLAY 2. It will be Nexus all the way for me with their great pricing and software support. But even then I will still want to hold onto my XP as a great gaming machine.
Its a great shame Sony doesn't realise the potential of a gaming/phone hybrid. The XP had a lacklustre launch with lacklustre specs with a lacklustre marketing campaign, and despite this it was still a great handset in many ways and earned itself itself a strong following. Sony (and pretty much any multinational company) only cares about the sales figures and not the big picture. Smartphones are and will continue to eat into dedicated gaming handhelds; PS Vita is the past and devices like the XP are what they need to move PS Mobile as a strategy going forwards.
Leraeniesh said:
Its definitely a fun little device to have, but I can't use it as a daily driver.
The XP does one thing well, and only one. Portable gaming.
While its inconvenient to carry around a Dual shock 3 and a separate device, its a much more pleasurable experience than using my XP. Dem joysticks.
If you have the opportunity, use a newer device in conjunction with an XP.
My main problem with my XP is that it showed its age rather quickly, and even using stock gingerbread, it can barely perform the games it used to blaze through. I'm unsure whether its my processor, the SD Card, or the device is just plain old, but the XP does not live up to its former glory.
After about a year, no matter what I tried, I was unable to perform basic tasks without encountering extreme amounts of lag, while gaming was un-enjoyable. Mine is collecting dust, with an occasional power on and play when my tablet is out of juice.
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds very much like a hardware problem with your device, either that or the SD card. Its definitely not something I have experienced. I decrapified my handset from useless apps from day one and experience little to no lag, ever. Nexus+XP might be something I consider going forwards but the XP is definitely irreplaceable in terms of gaming, which is a shame.
Mega5657 said:
My experience with PLAY has been fantastic. It plays almost all available emulators at full speed. My only gripe was the amount of support from Sony was lackluster to say the least. But as a basic Android phone, it works splendid.
I haven't experienced any problems that I've read yet, I've gotten my phone stolen half way through its contract so the one I have now is about a year and a half years old. But the main problem people seem to report would be the flex cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I agree with you and everyone else in regards to the flex cable. It was clearly designed poorly to avoid ware.
I have a bad feeling that mine is slowly on its way too. It didn't used to make any noise when opening/closing the slider but it makes an unmistakably odd crackling noise now. This is the main reason I'm considering replacing it with a new handset while I can... not worth the heartache later
CyberScopes said:
Power button sometimes gets stuck and my volume buttons and back cover are VERY squeaky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only had my power button get stuck the once and I rarely use the volume buttons tbh.
The back cover is definitely very squeaky. I'm probably in the minority here but I'm a big fan of plastic housing for phones because of its durability and shock resistance, but the XP's back cover was poorly designed and adds to the growing list of problems for us 1st worlders, lol.
AzNTypeR said:
Actually my Power Buttons fine, it's just that the varnish has gone so now theres a massive LED light now..
And I'm not sure if this is normal but my R Trigger feels looser than the L Trigger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here with the R trigger. Its lost its springiness. This I think has something to do with how we hold our devices when making a call, so it seems Apple users aren't alone in "holding it wrong" lol.
abdel12345 said:
The paint on the 4 front buttons (back,search,home, and settings) started to chip off and another big problem that hasn't happened to me yet but lots of people complain about is the flex cable
Sent from my Xperia Play (r800x)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This started to happen to my device very slightly but since getting the Trident case, no further ware on the buttons has occurred.
TLRtheory said:
Zilch for me.
...the only problem I really have is that the previous owner messed up the front camera when replacing the flex cable. My original Xperia Play (which is now in the hands of a long-time friend) has absolutely NO hardware issues at all.
The only real problems were that:
• Internal memory sucked (which we can easily remedy with Link2SD - I've done it and now I have 471 installs while having 283MB free)
• Stock launcher was weak (also an easy fix - I've found ssLauncher to be the smoothest, most aesthetically appealing option)
• Stock browser was laggy (get Opera, it's not only the best mobile browser, but it's completely smooth on Xperia Play)
• Didn't natively come with notifcation toggles (which can be fixed with notifications)
...but by far and large... the biggest complaint is just that it's not "officially" supporting ICS. I take a rather extreme stance of "are you guys on crack?!" when someone tries to point this out as a valid point. This is not a damn iPhone... meaning it doesn't work on the same restrictive principles as the iPhone. On iOS, there's no getting around the fact that you need a newer FW to get features. On Android, we aren't so much affected in the same manner. Yeah 4.2.2 brings lock screen widgets... but everything dating back to 2.1 has already had those features through external apps like widgetlocker. We can get data management without 4.x.x, and even have that holo theme take over our Xperia Play. So, for us... anything above 2.3.7 is more of a bragging right... and it's a bragging right that compromises the stability of our games and compromises how much of the RAM we have... that ain't very "baller" to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well pretty much the same. I have only had minor issues so far with mine, with the R1 button losing springiness, ware on the front buttons and the housing scratching the gamepad. My main concern is with the flex cable; it now sounds unhealthy when opening/closing the device, where it didn't before. Do you notice anything with yours?
I agree with you. Link2SD is a REQUIREMENT for XP users and I never worry about internal storage any more.
Meh. I have no problem with the stock launcher. Sure it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of say a Samsung device but what it lacks in features is makes up for in simplicity and stability.
The stock browser was worse than aweful; it was atrocious. After a few weeks of using it I replaced it. Opera is indeed the best browser available for android. I tried Firefox and others, which were largely very unstable and overall just rubbish for multiple different reasons.
I agree on the ICS issue. though I do think it was something that could have been avoided if it had been released with current specs on launch day. But alas, it didn't and there's no point crying about it now. The real shame is not that it didn't get ICS, its that the lacklustre launch specs and sales campaign that probably stopped it from getting the sales it deserved and resultantly killed off much chance we had of seeing a successor to it.
Bakisha said:
My xPlay is more than year old, and so far she don't have any hardware issues. And even when i get newer phone, i plan to flash some gingerbread rom without phone capabilities and use it as psx/c64 platform untill she dies in my hands...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope its good health continues for you. Its gaming capabilities are definitely not in doubt, even 2 years later :good:
ozzmanj1 said:
My R800x is almost 2 years old, still have that despite moving to a R800at, which was in new condition. But both phones and my R800x are in great condition with no hardware issues whatsoever.
And despite playing with a GS3 for 2 weeks it was nice but didnt wave my flag, so I went, nah, and went back to my PLAY. No regrets when I moved from R800x to R800at, especially since i snagged a prototype AT&T model with no branding on it and it was already bootloader unlocked. Had to unlock the sim lock but that was no big deal. Is our phone dated hardware wise yes, but would I give it up for a GS4, nope. I know some people will think it odd and call me crazy but there is nothing like using this phone for some online MC3 or Lets Golf 2 or shadowgun or Bards Tale, or especially the Tiger Arcade CPS1/CPS2/NeoGeo emulators......
Best thing on the world for phone and gaming in my opinion. $ony needs to make another XP2, but doubtful since they want to try and resuscitate the Vita... anyways, no issues but per bliss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not crazy, I use the XP for all my portable gaming needs. Its a real shame we won't ever likely see a successor or even a challenger to it. But at least if the majority of devices stay working without the aforementioned faults, what remains is a great and unbeaten gaming device.
ps3taker said:
does it have an hdmi out as the first demo units did or is it a later prototype without please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was on developer units. Dire shame this feature never made the cut.
bartmw said:
My contract ends next week and... I decided to stay with my XP. I know is little bit outdated and latest games not running smoothly but it's still fun.
Later someone mention that better is to connect to tv and use pad to play but try to do that waiting in queue or bus, during lunch time or waiting for your missus trying another dress...
If want to play good quality game I turn on my PC or Xbox.
Modified ROMs give us nearly all functions that new phones have. I not much gamer to have extra pocket device with me and smudging on screen to play is not fun either. I still have hope that Sony realize that chase after Apple, Samsung etc. Is not only copy other devices but to make some unique moves. Sometimes I thinks that get rid Ericsson was mistake, I used since 1018 long time ago.
Back to topic. I have my XP for 2 yeaes now, no major issues.
I have problem with touchpads, they not working always. I need to turn off phone, remove battery and they back. Tried different roms, kernel, back to stock and even send twice to Sony. I can live with that.
Heard that ribbon is problem. I have change that but it happen when fallen down to river with my XP inside pocket. When dried out phone back to life but later screen started flickering.
Sorry for boring post but I love my XP.
Sent from my R800i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. Who the hell uses a dualshock controller or one of those ridiculously obese and unportable controller attachments? It looks and is retarded. People are mad if they think otherwise.
I also know someone who got their XP damp (dropped in puddle) and the ribbon went a few months later. Sounds like this is something to try and avoid.
Also, another problem is that the Front Camera's gone completely Green and Fuzzy. May be down to the amount of times that I've dropped it, before it wasn't that bad but now it simply refuses to work.
On my third Play, but not through anything breaking by itself. My first was stolen, my second didn't survive my dropping it in a sink full of water. Water = not good for sure, and I'm paranoid about the flex cable. Interestingly each that I had tried with let me overclock to 1.5GHz at stock voltage, but I use OC sparingly.
It's an absolute essential to get the Trident case IMO, it saved my last play from being dropped on concrete twice I'm sure and to protect the buttons. Honestly, if anyone is thinking about getting it and worrying about the price: please if you can at all afford it, just get it. It'll save you money on a broken phone some day.
And also honestly it's the only phone for me, even if imperfect. I can either choose between GB and some new 4.0+ only apps not being available (for me, BBC radio player), or ICS and some circle button and game incompatibilities (krisdee's Hybrid rom + LuPus ICS/GB 480p seems a viable combination for game performance and general stability at least though, which is great). Not tried JB. But either way, it's more game playing than I'd do on any device without buttons regardless of the specs. Even if it only played emulators, it would still be "cool" to me.
I agree Opera is the smoothest browser, I've always found that, particularly on GB. And yes the speakers are so very useful, I use it as a mini "radio" all the time.
I seriously don't know how you guys have problems.. i bought mine 2nd hand a year ago and only problem I've faced is the housing seems to fade/damage easily. going to replace it soon. otherwise no prob.

Categories

Resources