The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, also known as the "PlayStation Phone," launched in several countries in Europe and Asia on Friday, with a launch planned in six additional markets in the next two weeks.
The Xperia Play is scheduled to launch in the U.S. on Verizon Wireless sometime this spring.
The Android-based device is now on sale in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In the next two weeks, it will also hit store shelves in Spain, France, Finland, Singapore, India, and Portugal.
There were reports that a "freight issue" might delay the launch the UK, according to The Inquirer. Orange and Carphone Warehouse said they will have the device, but Vodafone has delayed the launch and O2 is still testing the software, the paper said. It will be on sale in the region, SIM-free, for £479.99.
The Xperia Play launches with more than 60 games from providers like Sony Computer Entertainment, Gameloft, Electronic Arts, and Glu Mobile. The Xperia Play will include free, exclusive access to "Asphalt 6" and the PS One classic "Crash Bandicoot" pre-installed.
There will be five PlayStation original games available at launch, including "Cool Boarders 2," "Destruction Derby," "Jumping Jack Flash," "MediEvil," and "Syphon Filter." In France, "Syphon Filter" will come pre-installed.
Some other the available titles include "Assassins Creed Altair's Chronicles HD," "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell," "Need for Speed," "Galaxy on Fire 2," and more.
All games are downloadable via the Xperia Play launcher, an app that is activated by sliding open the game pad.
A full list of the games available in the first week is available in Sony Ericsson's press release.
The Xperia Play features a 4-inch screen, a 5-megapixel camera and will run Google Gingerbread. It is the "first mobile device to deliver an immersive gaming experience," said Bert Nordberg, president of Sony Ericsson.
The device features 4-way directional buttons and AB keys for smartphone navigation as well as for multi-key gaming commands.
It is powered by a Snapdragon, 1-GHz CPU and the Adreno 205 graphical processor, optimized for advanced gaming and allowing 60 frames per second play-back. It comes with 8GB of available space, which can be increased to 32GB.
For more, see PCMag's hands-ons with the device at Mobile World Congress and the CTIA Wireless trade show, and the slideshow above.