I've been screaming for a new version of this for years. I just want a modern phone with a slide out d-pad. Why does nobody make one?

The phone we all wanted as a teenager

I wish this was still a thing

I had this phone, right in a time where my family couldn’t afford a new console, or even a 3DS. This thing saved me, I finished entire library’s of Game Boy and classic Nintendo games on it. Eventually I got a new console, but for a time, this phone was it, and I loved it.

There is no day when i don't miss my xperia play. - I added a megun power extended battery - Flashed a lupus kernel - Had a 70 mb custom rom - Overclocked it to 2 ghz - Unvolted where ever it was stable And filled it with every possible emulator... It used to last a whole week on a single charge until the day it died...

This phone was ahead of its time

I have one, and I can confirm, the "analog sticks" are just unusable... I used this phone for emulation, and anything requiring a stick was unplayable for me...

I find it so strange that in 2019 there are multiple companies venturing into “gaming phones” which at best have two capacitive shoulder buttons and RGB lighting. This slide-up design with a hidden game pad is such a good idea and I’d genuinely buy a phone with a built in controller that just tucks away and looks like a normal phone when I don’t need it. Really hope someone does this soon.

This is what a true gaming phone should look like. They should make a comeback with ps2 games.

I feel like LITERALLY all they need to do is turn the Vita hardware into a phone with this form factor and im buying it no questions asked! Holy Shyt 1.4 K likes. Yaull are awesome! Hopefully SOMEONE will make an Xperia play successor that functions well. If the fold 2 can be a DS, then anything is possible

I wanted this phone so much when I was younger lol, I actually wish more phones had controllers build in, for emulating and games that support it.

I had this phone when it first came out. It was my first android phone. The dual capacitive touch pads were actually really nice for Minecraft pocket and other android games like shooters.

SONY SHOULD UPGRADE THIS, THIS GONNA BE THE BEAST!

I fucking LOVED my Xperia Play. I've gone through 3 before I was forced to upgrade. Its stats were already kind of dated even at launch (500 MB of storage and a sub-2500 mah battery IIRC), and the sliding mechanism connecting the screen was doomed to mechanical failure, but until its then barely above the curve speed started to feel absolutely stagnant, I was in handheld heaven. Back then I played more games on my phone, and definitely more genres. You just can't beat the tactile feedback of real buttons. I pray for the day something like this pops up again. I don't give a rats ass about thickness, I just want my joypad back. Hell, that would just mean more room for better hardware and heat distribution! The Play ran hot too...

This video actually inspired me to buy an xperia R800a off ebay, and while Im sad to say the pspocket method doesn’t work anymore I still got it up and running with emulators and such. Awesome addiction to my collection!

I remember back when I lived in Denmark, taking the train home from school and there were sony reps going through the train challenging people to get the high score on a game (I think it was tekken) and whoever got the highest would win the phone, sadly I didn't win - I hate fighting games so

That was my first smartphone ever... I remember really liking it, may want to find it again for fun now

I think Sony still need Ericsson

This is definitely the most enjoyement I got out of a phone. I remember emulating the GBA on it and literally having the time of my life. Wish I could have played PSX games on in back then (don't think that feature was available in Russia).

If sony wants to continue this phone. These are the upgrades thats I suggest: 1. Bigger Screen 2. Bigger controller 3. Bigger memory 4. Can hold up to 512gb micro sd card 5. Usb-c 4. Updated google store (obviously) 5. Better pixel 6. Good camera front and back 7. Better processor and ram 8. Decent speaker They have my money if they fulfil this.

This phone meets today's demands for online shooters, car simulators and pubg mobile, why can't it come back instead of focusing on the bloody phones camera 😴

Sony released one PSP game for the Xperia Play, Locoroco Midnight Carnival. They also showed off God of War and Little Big Planet behind closed doors. Ape Escape Academy, Numblast, Piyotama, Flow and Super Stardust Portable were released for the Sony Tablet S/P. A couple more were planned including Daxter and Syphon Filter. The Xperia Play was also compatible with PlayStation Mobile Games, the same ones you also have on Vita.

I never knew i wanted so much MVG talking about phones, especially since some ports are very impresive and the phones have come a long way

imagine this, 9 iterations later, what they could have done in 2020. tis a shame, now we have 120hz screens and over 3ghz clock on Asus ROG phones i think this phone flopped as phones were simply seen as tools back then, not neccesities. the market for gaming phones came around in 2017

I worked at GameStop when the nGage came out. To my knowledge we sold one of them. My coworker said it was some kid who spent all of his bar mitzvah money on it.

I had one back when it was released, and man, to this day, it's still my favorite phone I ever owned. If Sony launched a follow up today I would easily buy it.

A co-worker had this phone and it was amazing how useful it was. He would film and edit funny videos at work like it was a studio pc, plus the gaming ability was crazy at the time.

I got this when I was younger because my parents thought it was a PSP.

It's still my number one phone after all these years and i use it all the time. Great to be able to play retro games with a decent dpad and buttons whenever i'm waiting around or whatever. I hate touch controls so Xperia Play is still the ideal phone for me, even now in 2019

I have this, and it's amazing. I have been playing all sorts of emulators for various systems on it for years;)

I had this back in the day and loved it, wish they'd do something like this again

I wanted this phone so badly as a kid 😭

Me: You have the PSP? Right? Friend: Yes **Shows PS phone** Me: ...

Got Xperia Play in 2012 and it still alive nowadays in my Playstation collection. Awesome piece of hardware. Played a lot of android games such as GTA 3 and GTA Vice City and PSone classics games.

I had one!!! Friggin loved it! Was amazing to have when i was stuck at work.

I had one of these back when they came out and it was the greatest thing ever! I wish it was still a useable device today or that they would make a new one. The analog sticks were strange to get used to but useable for most things. This is also one of the most durable phones I have ever seen. Survived many an accident with minor scratches here or there

Imagine if sony released a sequal that would play all ps2 games and psp games at full speed. Would probably cost even more than a high-end flagship

You're content is amazing. Thanks for all the effort and quality you put in your videos! Always entertaining and informative 👍🏼

I remember buying mine, cost me £470, I had to search everywhere in my City for a shop with one in stock, but ended up having to order it online and wait for it to come to the UK from Belgium, so annoying lol

Sony needs to make something more like this. A gaming console is nice and important but sometimes people just want something small, something mini size in their pocket where they can play games and search on the internet with. Trust me it’s a good feeling to have something small to play with and watch videos when you’re outside or at an event. Yes I know iPhones and Android phones exist but something like this is what everyone would like to have. A phone mixed gaming console where you can treat it like a handheld console and a phone. Like a mix of two worlds.

I don't care if the phone is a little thicker... If a new version pops... I'd definitely buy one... Maybe one with psp go anolog sticks...yes that's right... Two of them lol... That'll be life breaking

Great Video and Great to have you back Sir...

Ahh how time flies..what i love the most about the xperia play is the sterio speaker..sound really good

Ooooooweeeee I have some strong (but brief) memories with this thing. This was the very first smartphone I ever had, my parents got it for me when I was 11-12(?) . Had been a PS2 kid for years, but this was actually my first exposure to crash bandicoot since i was entirely obsessed with the tony hawk series and that was basically all I played, and crash came preloaded on there. Thought it was so cool in the Verizon store that I just had to have it, but unfortunately I was not pleased with my experience and made quick use of the 2 week return window, and then got my first iPhone. Love the idea, android just wasn’t there yet in my experience. Know it’s an old video but thanks for the walk down memory lane!

i had one, as a gaming platform it was perfect, despite the fact it didn't ran psp games, i used it mostly for emulation, even mame ran good except for the marvel vs series who had a major slowdown when using the specials. but for SNES and PS1 (both native workaround and a proper emulator) was glorious. i used the "analog" a lot in some games made specifically for this phone, i don't remember the name but i had a samurai game that ran awesome with the analogs. and it was very good and hard enough without beign frustrating, good game for the long hours of travel i needed to get to work. As a phone though it was slow and glitchy, apps like whatsapp crashed a lot, and opening the dialing screen was a torture. very slow. i do believe sony should lauch a new version of this, compatilble natively with psp and psvita, maybe with power enough to play ps3 games maybe ps2 if ps3 is too hard? i know i would buy day one. i miss the practical gaming uses of this phone.

As an Android & PSP user during this time... I wanted this thing BAD at the time!

Thanks for this video, I've learned a lot what do to with my recently acquired Xperia Play.

This was actually my first phone back in the day, still have it to this day

Every damn video is a hit. I always look forward to the next vid MVG. Best hardware gaming channel on the tubes.

i once used it and love it. its screen at that time was so gorgeous.

Watching a video on how to load games to a phone I will never have.

I remember completing MGS1 on the bus with this phone. Also playing Xenogears, great experience. Unfortunely the flex cable that connect to the screen broke and after replace, it lasted like 4 months and died again :c

I miss that phone. Rooted mine with android 4 back in the day. Loved it

WOW... incredible memories w this phone! this xperia was my first real smartphone that i got on my 10th birthday n it treated me so so well. i was obsessed with the crash bandicoot game that came with it, and it only took me about a few weeks to find out that you could emulate ds games on it! 10 year old me managed to pirate a full version of an emulator that introduced me to the pokemon gen 5 games n it seriously turned my life around 💖 i would have it on me 24/7, the cheat code engine was incredibly fun the battery ended up busting itself 2 n a half years later, likely because i spun the phone on its back before it wouldn't turn on ever again but i'm still not 100% sure if that was the case. (which was like... 100% miserable for a 12 year old), but even before that i managed to corrupt my pokemon black savefile :( i hadn't known batteries on phones could be replaced, and i moved out and left it with relatives that probably trashed it :/ but my love for the phone's incredibly unique slid out d pad brought me to immediately buy a new one once i settled in a new house. it was a poorly running knock off that wouldn't work 90% of the time and the battery leaked on me not even a week later, much to my distress of losing another xperia. ironically i bought it on aliexpress as well, but obviously.. way way cheaper it's actually great to know that there's finally a legitimate listing here that hasn't end up being a cheap scam ;__; ds emulation is still a big part of my life, on screen controls NEVER compare to how incredibly convenient the xperia was, it was extremely ahead of its time :< lets hope that more phone companies realise how important and incredible a more modern version of this concept would be, no matter How bulky the design ends up being this phone and its wonderful design has been a great emotional rollercoaster in my life, i'm eternally grateful i could have one :') 💞💓💗

I REMEMBER PLAYING CRASH ON THE PHONE IN THE STORE AND REALLY WANTING THE PHONE AS MY FIRST the following year when i could get my first phone, _it was gone,_ *_reduced to atoms :^(_*

Had this when it released - Loved it - and also would love to see an updated version 👌

This phone was the best ever still have it running emulators!

anybody else appreciating the UKposts recommendations more in 2019? edit: love the intro music btw and awesome content!

I really enjoy watching your videos. We all respect you very much 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Had one, was great, always playing the old gbc and gba roms

2019 phones- poop 2011 sony Xperia- legendary

One of my aunt had an Xperia Play I had fun playing Fifa and that one Bruce Lee game. Overall, your video is well thought!

I have this phone and I always like going back to it time to time. Awesome product!!!

Man I sure do love your videos and content 😍

I've had mine since 2011; Used it with a custom ROM that removed most of the bloatware and allowed overclocking and it's been great to me; I finished Symphony of the Night and a few other games during the lunch breaks at work; The d-pad is excellent and i actually prefer that touchpad to the analog sticks on most of my handhelds; It takes some time to get used but once you get the hang of it you'll never want to get back to that psp go;

I used to have one, fun little device. Had it overclocked to 2-2.1 GHz, sadly the chipset did not support sepperate GPU overclocking. Towards the end of its like, the low RAM did cause some issues. But nothing that couldnt be fixed with a super minimal ICS ROM and special minimal kernel. As you mentiond, PPSSPP did run VERY slowly on it by default, but you could get quite a few games to run with the 2GHz overclock. The analouge touchpads are pretty bad, i always just used onscreen joysticks instead while keeping the D-Pad and face buttons.

I had this phone years ago and was super amazed by the battlefield game and the dead space game. Those were beyond awesome, it's smooth and the graphic are the best at the time. The few down sides of it are small internal storage and some game does not support game data transfer to SD card. Most importantly, at that time, mobile gaming is just growing but not like these days, so i always tell my friends if this came out around 2019 or 2020 it's gonna be a huge hit.

I still have mine laying around somewhere, served me well for four years :)

You ever plan on installing a custom ROM and making a video on it? That'd be cool

Best way to sneak gaming into work

This was a phone I remembered wanting alongside my PSP and DS back in 2011. At a time when 3DS was new and expensive in middle school.

I loved this phone when I had it - so much better than gaming with the touchscreen, and so convenient. The CPU overclocks very well too. I remember being disappointed that the analog pads had such little support however. When their thresholds and sensitivities are configured just right, they are very pleasant to use. In some cases they could be used as extra buttons to tap, or a swipe area. I always wished the analog pads had the ability to mimic touchscreen events or 360 controller joysticks.

3:40 XD failed hahah

God, I remember when this thing dropped into the market, I wanted to have one sooooo badly.

This was my first phone😂 I had a blast playing with it wish I didn't sell it years ago

i remember this coming out and wanting one. At the time I only had one of those slide phones with the keyboard and would've loved to have one. Glad I didn't end up getting one haha

I remember having that phone, I has Crash, some Sims game, Asphalt, some 3d space shooter, and a Jackie Chan fighting game, a truly varied and rather confusing line up

Anybody got UKposts's algorithm recommending this in June 2019? Edit: woah thanks guys for the likes

Your videos are very good, they talk about how Android security was defeated by the XDA Developers community thanks to rooting, custom roms like Cyanogenmod, linking applications to the SD when the phone ran out of space or the best days of modules Xposed. Greetings from Mexico City

Hey thanks a lot for the review at 2020, i just ordered one from aliexpress to, hope everything comes well on shipping, its good to have one on hand I may even use it as my daily phone

I tried this one and was amazing platform games, strategy, rhythm games and rpg playing experience. Unfortunately, as this is not a dedicated game device, I suffered from overall battery life. Besides, even though these analog controls are not that bad as they look, nothing can replace real buttons as this touching feeling is crucial for any game which requires accurate character control. I hope there is a company which will be brave enough to create a phone convenient even for hardcore gamers like me. However, it seems that we still live in the age when you need to have separate gaming console, camera, music player, speaker, watch, personal computer if you really want to feel their benefits. PS. Sometimes I think it would be easier just to put Android into DS/PSP or so...

It would be nice if Sony makes a remastered version of this phone with a Snapdragon 865+ Cuz then you can play every Mobile game with these buttons like a controller!

I had one. I remember taking my lunch break in my job to play some game. Good memories, I don’t play videogames anymore but it was good at that time.

I had one of these when I was young, I remember seeing one on a phone store years ago

Plan on a followup covering the alternative ROMs? I've read that with those ROMs, overclocking, and a fast SD card you can push the system much further.

"It wouldn't be a MVG video if I tell you you cant" so true 😁

I had one. Excelent phone, but some construction problems. Screen dies with frequent use, and the screen slider also gets weird with use. A new version of this should be awesome. Great video.

I love your channel. Excellent work!!

I actually had this back when I was in middle school, omg playing asphalt and Minecraft on this was amazing

Legend!!!! I used to have it

I was so envious back then and even had the opportunity to play CB 1st level. I still want It though :/

I remember the Xperia Play from it's expo during the Gamescom 2011 in Cologne, Germany, where they were featuring the Minecraft mobile edition. Still have one of the many Minecraft Steve cardboard heads they gave out :D

Seriously the best phone I ever had. Before I collected games, I sold my PSP and DS, since my Xperia Play became my primary handheld gaming device. If Sony released updated versions, it is a safe bet I wouldn't be using a Nintendo Switch as my primary handheld, or at the very least, (at the most, a secondary).

If this had more RAM i would had bought it back then. I always waited for a second version.

I still have mine from 2011, poor things been through hell but still powers up and is my favorite device to use for playing SNES and Genesis emulators.

Yo! One of my old friends had one of these when we were little! This is a total throwback! I completely forgot about that thing.

I own a Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and, even if I love the former idea of this smartphone, I also feel some frustration about it, because I think it could have been better. In fact, I personally think that it suffers from the comparison with the Sony PSP Go, for example concerning the analog stick (a virtual stick does not provide the same sensations that a physical one) or the support of PSP games. Moreover, you can run emulators on both of these devices and, maybe it's me but, I find the ones installed on my PSP Go better designed compared to the ones on my Xperia Play. You can add a few annoying bugs, the low capacity of the internal storage (knowing that some game or applications could not be transferred to the micro-SD card, so that I could not download anything when the available storage was very limited), the lack of games which controls were adapted to the buttons of the gamepad (among the games in the Play Store, formerly known as the Android Market)... But in spite of it all, the Xperia Play remains a good product, in many parts interesting, and after all an ambitious attempt to merge the fields of mobile phones and video games consoles.

I wanted this phone so much when it came out

I had one back in the day and it is still one of the best phones I love the most to own

Got mine in college loved it and with a game boy emulator Pokemon and metroid was amazing.