Smartphones and emulation have certainly come a long way over the past decade, but even still! The Xperia Play is a fascinating device to look back at in 2024 😊
Yo I recommend dropping better help as a sponsor, look into the issues with data privacy and stuff, very well documented on RU-vid. Love the content tho!
@@renofumi28 it's not about betterhelp themselves wanting to misuse the data, it's the people they share that data with (Facebook (meta), etc), it promotes advertising to ppl based on their mental health problems (aka. taking advantage of their vulnerability)
@@renofumi28that’s not the point. Dude’s talking about personal information being hacked from the company, not necessarily just Denki’s but potentially everyone who used the service. Hence them possibly being a bad company to go to therapy with
@@renofumi28The issue isn't about them using the data, it's about them selling access to it to others. Some people say "Well, even fast food places sell your data these days", but there's a difference between selling a profile based on how you going to McD's twice a week and selling a profile based on mental health
There was a number of android games from the play store that worked great with the Xplay controls. Shadow Gun comes to mind that ran/played really well and the Asphalt series up to a point in time. I also (I don't remember why) bought a doom emulator and played through all the Dos dooms on it. I just had to import the WAD files for what ever game. I think the touch joy sticks got a bad rap because people didn't use them properly or maybe I just got used to them, IDK, but they did work just fine for some games. The aging OS and newer options really make this phone more of a collectible then anything. I used it as a music player just outside my house while grilling for a while due to the better then average speakers (for the time). I still have mine, but it hasn't aged well. The touchscreen no longer registers, the plastic volume buttons on the side keep popping off, and the coating on the thumb controls has started to scratch off. Interestingly enough the battery seems to hold a charge better then the one in this video.
To me This is definitely one of those looks cool devices but in reality I found it way too bulky and heavy to use as an everyday phone and sold it soon after to get the much thinner and lighter Samsung galaxy s2
I genuinely do not understand how this form factor has not been explored more by Sony (since they own the patent for it). Specially with the industry investments in game streaming, and the overall public demand for emulation devices and external controllers for phones.
"Released around the time of the 4S which was retina!" I absolutely haaaate that. As retina has no REAL definition. Describes no resolution, describes no pixel density, it's just an apple trademarked talking point. That's like saying the Sony phones display is "Bravia". It means absolutely nothing. Lol
this was my first ever android smartphone. Today, with my fold 5 and a clip-on controller I'm living the emulation dream that this phone gave me all those years ago.
Ah, this takes me back! This was my first smartphone and honestly, it was the best for running emulators. I had it for two solid years until the sliding mechanism gave out, and I couldn’t use the controller functions anymore. The touch analogs were top-notch, seriously perfect for emulation, and it definitely holds a special place in my heart among gaming handhelds. I really wish they’d make something similar today. I'd snap it up in a heartbeat, especially with how much mobile gaming has evolved since my high school days. It was a one-of-a-kind phone console that actually delivered on its promises. Thanks for making this video; it really stirred up some good old nostalgia!.
Loved my Xperia Play but it there were a lot of reasons it failed. For starters the specs were dated even when it was first released. CPU was okish but it only had 512mb of ram and only that amount of storage as well. Might not sound that bad but back then you couldn't even save apps on an SD card and it was such a pain to keep that tiny storage room empty. Remember having to root the phone and mess with a lot of software just to be able to add stuff to it without constantly deleting other stuff to make space. Also the damn thing was way too expensive when it launched. It was iphone levels of pricing without the performance, screen or popularity. It got price dropped almost instantly but it was already too late. It was charging flagship levels of money for a niche dated device only a handful of people would want. Still I really liked it. Gameloft supported it quite a bit and even if their games were cheap imitations of known IPs (from Uncharted and Halo to Starcraft and CoD) they were still fun and Xperia Play was the best way to enjoy them. PS1 games also for the most part played perfectly.
@@battman505 The vita had the very first mobile quad core EVER, before any phones, and it was under contract with nvidia that no other device could have that cpu in it until after the vita was released.
"DiSLiKe DiSabLeD bY OwNeR" oh come on! You know you did something wrong and can't bear looking at what you did? Just own your mistake and take the video down and turn BH as a sponsor down. Love your content and all, not an attack on you personally, but Better Help should NOT be promoted.
what the hell is with the bullshit at the end? This 2012 phone is NOT usable obviously There are chinese handhelds now with amazing battery ,screens and compatibility with ps1, n64, nes, snes, genesis everything else under year 2000, many even psp, many even PS2 For 50-200 bucks (depending if you want ps2 emulation as well, decent one) So cringe that part of the video As if you really need a shitty phone 10 years old to PLAY a game and enjoy a game
I had one back in the day, was my go to phone for years. Would constantly go back to it even tho id get much better phones. Why? That controller. The convenience of having an all in 1 device in your pocket thats your phone, webbrowser and a gaming device with built in controller for me can not be beaten. Sadly as its aged, things like the browser ect stopped working. Id love to see another modern version of this. And this time dont screw it up. The messes up on this with the tiny internal memory.
For anyone looking for this kind of form factor I would recommend the PSP go instead... Especially for EDC emulation device... It has the same form factor, extremely easy to mod, and fit in ur pocket perfectly.. The charging cable also USB compatible so you can just plug it on your power bank or ur smartphone power brick... and it can run old game up to PS1 beautifully... 👍👍👍
That microSD slot is actually an M2 slot. A lot harder to come by the 16GB versions of those... but tbh, you might be able to use one of the adapters meant for the PSP Go on that thing.
At this time I had a Samsung Galaxy Epic 4G. It slid out and had a full keypad with arrow keys. I LOVED that phone so much. I wish I had kept it when I upgraded. This phone reminds me of that phone a lot, but with custom keypad. I want a company to try to bring back a sliding keyboard. I feel with games as popular as they are, and phones as capable as they are, it would have some kind of market.
You just unlocked a memory of mine 😂 Gotta love these devices that tried to bridge the gap between high-end feature phone and smartphone. It's a shame the industry isn't willing to go back to it all that much
Got this phone on launch. Returned it within two weeks. The battery life is ABYSMAL and emulators werent a thing at the time and the games for the controller were FEW and FAR BETWEEN.
I used to have one that was exactly like that one back in the day! I loved it but even then there where a lot of games that did not work. I still miss that style though. I would love to have a new version of it.
I still have mine. I went from the X10 Mini, to this one. And I loved the keyboard on the X10 for SNES emulators. But way more on this one. I still used that phone as an emulator for a bit after I upgraded. And yes... it took some getting to work. I had to root mine to make it easier. Tho I've not booted mine for a while. So no idea how the battery is doing. But today? Heck even a PSP is a better option for SNES on the go with the firmware that has now.
I had one back in 2013. Great phone for emulation and nothing else. By the time I got it mobile gaming was looking even better so this phone wasn't able to even run newer games properly. The best feature of the Xperia Play was no doubt the physical buttons, they were responsive and felt great to press. Mine broke bc of that ribbon cable and never bothered to fix it.
If your after emulating SNES, DS, etc, the Xperia Play is actually much better than the PSP. Get an extended battery and it will last you for days! For PSP games I just stick to the PSP Go so it pairs really well with this, not to mention the 245 PPI is much better than the PSP and even better than the Vita.
I ALMOST bought one of these years ago. I went to a pawn shop and they had it. I was on iPhone with AT&T at the time but I stopped by Verizon and checked out their prices. It was roughly the same as AT&T so I told them I would come back with the phone to make the switch. Went back to the pawn shop and they had sold it.
I remember the other Xperia phones from this time - they were honestly awesome. Way more personality than the Galaxys of the time, IMO. The Xperia Play, though... kinda felt like some Sony exec lead one meeting about synergy, a small team was tasked with taking one of their regular phones and slapping on a slidy controller, they had one or two meetings with the Playstation team, and this total compromise of a device is the result.
Loved this phone. It was pretty underpowered at the time of release but like mentioned, it really was the ultimate emulator phone. SNES, PS1, even Nintendo DS and some PSP games. It's a shame it came out at a time when smartphone hardware was still in its infancy, so the phone quickly became a slog to use. Wish Sony would do a modern refresh, I'd be a day one buyer!
Crash Bandicoot is not an Analog Stick game. and Setting your controller to Analog Mode with a game that doesn't support it can result in non-responsiveness or erratic results.
I've been saying for years that Sony needs to revisit this concept. A smartphone handheld gaming console hybrid would be massively popular, if done right, that is.
My dad got me this phone for Christmas, it was incredible! I loved playing Crash Bandicoot, Minecraft & GBA games such Pokémon all utilising the gamepad.
It’s like a smaller psp go, lol. This thing would be pretty cool if Sony remade this with current snapdragon chips, good OS, and the psp emulation would be amazing as well! Knowing Sony, they probably wouldn’t lol.
Bro the bruce lee game i used to play on mine was sick af. The only thing that was stupid was the notification indicator was on the very top of the phone on the power button.
Brought one of these ages ago originally liked it but sold it soon after as I found it way too thick, heavy and bulky to carry in my pocket every day not very practical also it had a really poor amount of onboard storage, ended up selling it and getting the much slimmer Samsung galaxy s2
I don't get why Sony doesn't revive it They could make a gaming focused phone with easy connection to ps remote play, built in ps1/2 emulation with their owm Playstation store to buy old games People will accept extra bulk for a built in controller and seeing all the handhelds fod sale, there is a market At the 500$ price range, there's definitely some demand
I had the Xperia Play way back when it launched & loved it - I was hoping for a long time they would release an updated version that I could use for retro gaming as the original is now underpowered, but it's never happened 😔
I think that it was a great concept phone. Shame that progress went in a different way. You can still buy yourself a gaming controller for an iPhone 15 pro for example. But this phone had it already built in. Gaming phones aren't the priority. Most of the flagships are about cameras. Yes, phones like S24 Ultra will handle both games and cameras. Just not in the same way, how this Sony Ericsson was prepared to do. Only disadvantage I see for this type of construction is smaller battery and maybe durability, especially if you are that type who drop the phone all the time. But this is similar for the folding phones and people quite like them despite this. Simply pity, that this type of phone never was a massive hit. Things would be more excited for gamers today with similar construction.
Yes U can put the Ps1 iso on the phone and play all Ps1 games 🤦🏿♂️ i modified the phone for my brother and it was 100% compatibility all game running glitch and bug free but u are too young too know it
This was my first phone. I remember going to the att store to upgrade my ipod touch to the iphone 4. And then i saw this. A Playstation phone? That runs ps1 games? Sold. That was back in like 2011. Been an android user since. P.s. those touch pads always sucked. Itd be cool if sony tried to make this again.
speakers a prettyh damn good oh course dude its sony! i use a bluetooth speaker and of course i always get Sony :) cause sony make pretty damn decent speakers and i know how they do it but yeah I can hear the sound on that phone speaker and im like yup thats a sony.
I got this phone not long after it came out and had it for a couple of years. I really enjoyed it myself. I think with todays technology an actual phone brand could make a pretty successful product
Better help is was charged for violating privacy laws…I would suggest not purchasing from the platform and for the DENKI team to stop promoting such a company…awesome video though
Nah, this wasn’t powerful at the time. It costed as much as other flagships of the time that a dual core processor and a gig of ram. This thing had half that in ram and only a single core processor. Considering that some had a slide out keyboard like HTC, the slide out gamepad shouldn’t have costed that much. I ended up going with Motorola Atrix instead. Shame as I kinda like where Sony was going with this.
I had one of these 10 years ago. It is still in a desk somewhere. Played the entirety of Symphony of the Night on it during my breaks. It was good for that
Been begging for just one company to do this again with more modern hardware. The idea was ahead of the phone technology at the time and now is the perfect time for this concept to come back. Feel like it would be so much more successful
I remember when I first got this phone at a Verizon store only kuz it was a PlayStation phone n I still have it today, fuckin love this phone...until something happened n I lost all my media stuff lol luckily I was able too get it fixed n still can play PlayStation games on it
I believe I still have the charging dock station for it🤔 I had the AT&T blue one and later down the line I end up unlocking it to use with other phone services.
P. S. I would recommend trying to get the AT&T version, it seems I have less problems in the Verizon version. Plus if I remember at the virtual analogs work pretty good on it for playing Grand Theft Auto III on it.
As soon as it got my first update when I owned this phone new it basically made the phone useless was such a disappointing phone that made me never want another Sony phone again.
Is not exactly expensive, but the extra hardware work to make this functional is not worth it. Also, sliding and hinged devices has the big flaw that flat cables are frail by nature and not easy to repair if needed (small spaces or problematic holes. Yes, I'm looking to you DS 😒)
