‘PlayStation Phone’Costs $200, Launching In US May 26» MTV Multiplayer

On Thursday, you'll finally have the chance to pre-order the long-rumored (and subsequently delayed) Xperia Play, a.k.a. the PlayStation Phone. While the device received a European launch early last month, it will arrive on American shores May 26 through Verizon. The phone will also come pre-loaded with a number of games.

In February, wereportedthat the Xperia Play was rumored to cost£519.99 – that's a whopping $740 – and would receive a March release, according to a European retailer. Well, the good news is that the phone is only going to cost you $200, but that's with the understanding that you'll also accept a two-year contract with provider Verizon. Verizon's data planstarts at $30.

Sliding the multi-touch screen of the Xperia Play upwards reveals a PlayStation Portable-like interface, a d-pad and the familiar PlayStation buttons flanking two touch-sensitive analog controllers. The device runs on Android 2.3, and you'll therefore have access to all of the applications currently available on the Android Marketplace. Of course, what's supposed to set this phone apart is the ability to play PlayStation titles, but according toGamasutra, none of those games have moved more than 1,000 units to date.

The phone comes pre-packaged with seven games:"Madden NFL 11","Asphalt 6: Adrenaline","Tetris,""Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior,""The Sims 3,""Crash Bandicoot,"and"Star Battalion."

I'm not so sure the Xperia Play will replace my iPhone anytime soon, but I'm definitely taken with its control interface. One of the most frustrating factors to current iOS gaming is attempting to use the touch screen to interact with classic, formerly analog-input controlled games; my fingers are always in the way. Still, I'm not so sure the controls are enough to draw me away from the excellent gaming selections currently on the App Store. I don't think this is going to be another N-Gage flop, necessarily, but I think it has a hard row to hoe.

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