On the day that Sony Ericsson took over an old sorting office in London to showcase the Xperia PLAY, it appears not everyone will be able to get one when it goes on sale on April 1st.
The good news is that Phones 4u, Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy will definitely have stores filled with handsets on launch day.
O2 stated a week ago that it will be holding back after some ‘software-glitches‘. Now Vodafone customers who pre-ordered an Xperia PLAY have been told they might not get their handset on time. Update: It has since been confirmed by a Vodafone spokesperson that they definitely won’t, as the network won’t receive its stock in time to fulfil online orders or get the phone into stores.
Sony Ericsson has confirmed ‘freight issues’ with the Xperia PLAY, which may also affect the availability of the Xperia arc over the coming days. It is working with its other customers to resolve these issues as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson held the open day today as planned for anyone in and around London wanting to get a hands-on look at the Xperia PLAY for themselves. The former sorting office was kitted out with a range of scenes to bring computer games to life, putting visitors in the heart of the action. The event continued into the evening with guest appearances from Tinchy Stryder and Jameela Jamil.
Six games are pre-loaded on the Xperia PLAY, with another 44 available to download. The handset itself will be free on £30 per month contracts and above, with games costing on average around £6-7 each, while original Sony Playstation games run via a PS emulator cost £4 each.
Sony Ericsson will also have its first Xperia PLAY exclusive title, BackStab, from Gameloft available for a one month period shortly after launch.
The Xperia PLAY Rooms at The Old Sorting Office, 21-31 New Oxford Street, London WC1
Photos: Paul Withers, Jonathan Morris and Gretel Ensignia.
