The Xperia Play 4G is officially available at AT&T. Previously only available on Verizon, the Play 4G comes with some new features, both in the phone and in the box. Here are the specs:

• Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread)
• 4″ (FWVGA 480×854) 16 million color touch screen
• 1GHz CPU and Adreno 205 graphics processor (GPU)
• PlayStation Controller pad
• 1GB internal memory, expandable to 32GB with microSD card
• 8GB microSD card included
• 5MP rear camera with LED Flash
• Font-facing VGA camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 A2DP
• 3G – UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz)
• 4G – HSPA+
• GSM/GPRS/Edge – 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

Both Verizon and AT&T offer the phone for $49, with 2 year contract. Verizon recently lowered its price to compete with AT&T. AT&T throws in a couple extras, too. It is the only 4G version available, and includes the Sony Ericsson Multimedia Dock (DK300) and music cable (MC100) in the box. The media dock converts the phone into a smart alarm clock, and the music cable can connect to external speakers.

Both Verizon and AT&T have app stores in addition to the Android Market, so finding games shouldn’t be a problem on either carrier. I played a couple games on the Xperia Play at E3, and found some of the controls a little awkward, with a combination of on-screen and physical button controls being used together. I’m sure it would just take some time to get used to. Subsequent playing on the phone felt a little more natural, with the controls where one might expect them. I recently played Crash Bandicoot to contrast against the Sony Tablet S version, and found that I progressed further in the game on the tablet. The game played well on both the Play and Tablet S though. I am looking forward to seeing more games in the next few months.

With a recent upgrade adding 720p video recording capabilities, my biggest concern with the Play is the 5MP camera. With other Xperia phones sporting 8.1MP, it seems the camera was overlooked. Given that this is a gaming phone, it is understandable, but I consider Sony’s camera capabilities to be one of the distinguishing factors, and it didn’t differentiate this time.

All in all, you get quite a bit out of this phone. The bonuses in the box make the $49 price tag really attractive. If you have been waiting for the GSM version of the Xperia Play, go ahead and pick it up. It is a pretty solid phone, and will keep getting better as new games are released.

Learn more at AT&T Wireless.