Sony Ericsson has reached a technological watershed with its introduction of the Xperia PLAY (www.sonyericsson.com/Xperia), a sleek combination of a high-end Android-powered mobile phone with a real gaming device based upon the Sony PSP.
The Xperia PLAY is a Google powerhouse, preloaded with Gmail, Google Maps, Voice Actions, Search and even Google Earth for a birds-eye view of the world around you. Facebook, YouTube and more are also included, as well as other pre-installed apps, dependent upon the user’s geographical region.
One question for many readers is, “What will it mean for adult?”
According to Sony, Xperia PLAY is the first PlayStation Certified Smartphone with dedicated gaming keys, L/R shoulder and 4-symbol keys. With up to 32GB of memory and boasting a 4” multi-touch screen displaying 16 million colors, the device provides users with a consolelike gaming experience, complete with “superb stereo sound.”
While legions of PSP aficionados and mobile technophiles have long hankered for the promised but elusive “PSP phone,” one question for many readers is, “What will it mean for adult?”
Doubtless, a market will emerge for content targeting these users, but the bigger impact will come from the advanced “gameification” capabilities that the device will bring to its techsavvy audience; schooling them with entirely new expectations for content consumption, delivery and enjoyment.
By emulating the types of innovative apps and games this device will enable, adult marketers may be able to reach todays — and tomorrows — increasingly attention deficit plagued users.
Although it is still too early to get a feel for the device’s true impact, one thing seems all but certain — Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY is like nothing that has come before it.
