The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is the latest smartphone built on the Android platform. The Xperia Play is just as the name suggests: a phone for playing. The PlayStation phone comes fitted with a slide out gamepad, and comes fitted with some of the classic games from PlayStation One. The slide out device is spring-loaded and pulls out easily and smoothly. While the buttons and device itself function almost perfectly, the handset is crafted from low-quality plastics leaving the smartphone feeling cheap, fragile and squeaky (and easy to mark and scratch). Due to the slide-out gamepad, the handset itself is left on the bulky side, however users may be pleased to find the SIM card and MicroSD slot are accessible without removing the battery.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play features a 3.7inch WVGA display, however the colours aren’t as bright as on other smartphone displays. You can turn the brightness up; however don’t expect the battery to last very long. The screen resolution is set at 854 x 480 pixels.

The Xperia Play’s 5-megapixel camera takes decent photos in well-lit conditions but tends to struggle at night, leaving photos dreary and blurry. Video can be recorded at a maximum of 800 x 480, and may disappoint users who are used to viewing clips in HD.

If you’re a gaming junkie, then the Sony Xperia Play won’t disappoint you. While the brightness can be dull, the controls are easy to use and you can access heaps of games to pass away those long train trips. If the gaming only comes secondary to your smartphone experience, we’d recommend phones which place a greater focus on higher specs and quality exterior, rather than on the gaming functionality.