Sunday, February 6, 2011

Sony Ericsson Shows New Video Game Smartphone In Super Bowl Spot

TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson, a joint venture between Sweden's Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson (ERIC) and Japan's Sony Corp. (6758.TO), used a television commercial during the Super Bowl on Sunday to offer a glimpse at a highly anticipated new smartphone designed for playing video games.

Based on information from the commercial, the handset will be called Xperia Play and will run Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android operating system. On its Facebook page, Sony Ericsson says it will officially unveil the new smartphone on Feb. 13.

The device is expected to be the first handset to meet the standards of Sony's new PlayStation Certified distinction, a set of specifications laid out by Sony to allow Android-based handsets to play older PlayStation games on mobile phones and tablet computers, as the devices become more important to the company's overall strategy.

In the commercial, the phone's game controller is shown sliding out from under its screen as a voice-over says "the smartphone with everything you need and the one thing you want."

A Sony Ericsson spokeswoman in Tokyo confirmed that the company sponsored the commercial during the Super Bowl, but declined to provide any further details aside from the information on the company's Facebook page.

Last week, Sony announced it would open up its game software library to non-Sony devices for the first time ever via an application called the PlayStation Suite.

The move is a nod to the growing threat posed by smartphones and other portable devices offering casual, simple-to-play games to dedicated handheld gaming systems such as its PlayStation Portable. Ever-powerful mobile phones also allow users to download and play more sophisticated video games, encroaching on the turf of dedicated gaming devices.

The Xperia Play marks the first time Sony Ericsson has worked closely with the Japanese parent company's PlayStation group on product development. In the past, the venture has released mobile phones with Sony-developed music and camera capabilities.

Sony Ericsson has stayed clear of the PlayStation brand in the past because of concerns from the Japanese parent about diluting one of its flagship brands, but as smartphones become central to Sony's overall strategy, the Japanese company has taken a more active role in developing handsets for the partnership.

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