When Sony unveiled its new NGP handheld gaming system at a press conference last month, the company also revealed plans to bring Playstation games to Android-based mobile devices. To showcase the mobile gaming content, Sony Ericsson has developed its own unique smartphone, the Xperia Play, with a slide-out gaming control pad.

Although the Android-based gaming device wasn't officially presented at the NGP press briefing, Sony gave select members of the press early access to the gadget ahead of the event. The consumer electronics giant then gave it an official name and release date in an advertisement that aired during the Super Bowl. The Xperia Play is expected to land on February 13 at a special launch event.

The phone runs Android 2.3, codenamed Gingerbread, and appears to have some of the same user interface customizations that we saw on the Xperia Arc at CES. Mobile carrier O2 has already confirmed that it's going to be offering the Xperia Play in the UK, but pricing information hasn't been disclosed yet.

Sony Ericsson's track record on Android handsets leaves a lot to be desired. The company's Xperia X10 handset has been notoriously slow to get updated to more recent versions of the Android operating system. A built-in gamepad and out-of-the-box PlayStation game support could help differentiate the Xperia Play and convince consumers to give Sony Ericsson a second chance.