Sony backtracking on ICS Xperia PLAY update? Android 4.0 firmware certified

by XB on 18/06/2012

in Android, Firmware, Xperia PLAY


The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Xperia firmware (build version 4.1.B.0.431) is now slowly rolling out to all 2011 Xperia handsets. That is for all handsets apart from the Xperia PLAY, Sony Mobile has already detailed why the gaming handset will not receive the ICS update previously.

Despite this, the ICS firmware for the Xperia PLAY has recently been certified by the PTCRB. Could this mean that Sony has changed its mind? In our view we don’t think this is likely. We imagine that Sony Mobile probably had a near final ICS firmware build for the Xperia PLAY and decided to pull the plug at the last minute given the feedback received on ICS game compatibility.

Also, if you look at the other 2011 Xperia handsets, the ICS firmware build also made an appearance on PTCRB for these handsets on the same date as on the Xperia PLAY i.e. 15 June 2012. Given that this firmware was not certified in advance, maybe Sony Mobile had previously requested that details of the firmware remain private until a certain date. After all, we are seeing many more firmware builds not appearing on PTCRB before being released and we suspect this will continue to be the case going forward.

Xperia PLAY ICS firmware

Via Xperia Gamer.

Tagged as: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Firmware, PTCRB, Xperia PLAY

  • Felipe Pimenta

    Don’t know why, but it may be something like Samsung did, with those packs. Maybe some ICS features for Gb?

  • Ambroos

    Nah. They might do that later, but they wouldn’t have all of that finished by now.

    What they should do, in my opinion, is update the Xperia Play with most of the software bits from the Xperia S’ 2.3.7. The new Music apps, dialer, contacts, themes, icons, … They all run perfectly fine on Gingerbread, and many of those things are better than an ICS update.

  • GDL

    With the integration of that group (dont remember the name) that optimized the android code they must feel confident they can deliver ICS now :-D

  • GDL
  • rafi

    Agree on you. If sony provide xperia s skin into xperia play its should be nice. Afterall gingerbread are very stable os.

  • dereknobuyuki

    It sounded like the phones will all run fine with the ICS update so they were all certified.
    In further testing, perhaps they instead found that the Playstation Suite/Playstation Mobile was the only part that couldn’t run well enough in the amount of memory left with ICS running so ICS was axed to avoid performance degradation of PSM.

    So, it would get certified but just for the sake of Xperia Play’s key feature PSM+Controls they just won’t release it. Sounds like an all around good decision from Sony.

  • i’m gamer

    what should we say !
    totally WE are not with sony anymore

  • http://twitter.com/mundy725 Murad

    Lets hope ICS will land very soon our xperia plays

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  • Duh

    Yet you want sony to have xperia play 2. Are you high?

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  • Sam

    Do what u promise don’t break it you fools,and the decision of yours is not acceptable we all xperia play users are angry……

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  • EowynCarter

    After the disapointment, maybe they will still publish the update as “opt in” with a warning it might break some stuff.
    They had some job done anyway, why not make it availlible.

  • Jak

    couldnt they just add in some code to OC the CPU on the device… its more than capable of running at 1.5-2 GHz, this would give the phones more power for gaming as well as having the ICS update…

  • Marduk

    Should we wait for a stable “cooked ROM” from XDA soon? Hope yeah!

  • Hamad Ali

    Sony’s rationale for canning the ICS for the Xperia PLAY was performance issues with games. If this is indeed to be believed, then one has to wonder why Sony hasn’t released the updated Adreno 205 driver. The driver update was released by Qualcomm on the 30th of December at the end of LAST YEAR. The update is believed to give a performance increase of up-to 1.5x or even 2x in some cases depending on phone and app. This is just one in a number of very simple measures that Sony could but haven’t taken to bring us a stable ICS to the Xperia PLAY. Another is the clock speed/frequency. It is currently clocked to a measly 1Ghz while it can be safely clocked to as high a frequency as 1.9Ghz, so why not clock it to a still very stable 1.4Ghz, would this not increase performance to a sufficient enough level? Alas, this brings me back to my earlier criticisms of Sony’s dev team and their utter incompetence, or at best, lack of giving a damn for supporting older devices. I was foolish to expect better from Sony, a lesson well learnt indeed.

  • Hamad Ali

    R u mad? Sony’s rationale for canning the ICS for the Xperia PLAY was performance issues with games. If this is indeed to be believed, then one has to wonder why Sony hasn’t released the updated Adreno 205 driver. The driver update was released by Qualcomm on the 30th of December at the end of LAST YEAR. The update is believed to give a performance increase of up-to 1.5x or even 2x in some cases depending on phone and app. This is just one in a number of very simple measures that Sony could but haven’t taken to bring us a stable ICS to the Xperia PLAY. Another is the clock speed/frequency. It is currently clocked to a measly 1Ghz while it can be safely clocked to as high a frequency as 1.9Ghz, so why not clock it to a still very stable 1.4Ghz, would this not increase performance to a sufficient enough level? Alas, this brings me back to my earlier criticisms of Sony’s dev team and their utter incompetence, or at best, lack of giving a damn for supporting older devices. I was foolish to expect better from Sony, a lesson well learnt indeed

  • Hamad Ali

    N also provide us ics multitasking n swipe to diss miss notifications n settings like a ics but we mostly wanted

  • ghostv9

    They should bring out the update because you can also downgraded with updates if it ain’t good

  • Tim

    Xperia play should have ICS , Why didnt they let Xperia Play have ICS ? I Bought an Xperia Play Yesterday and now it doesnt let Xperia play Users Have ICS.

  • Justin

    Sony say a good gaming performance is not possible. Well isn’t that better than not Being able to get games. NBA 2K13 only runs on ics. I’d much rather be able to get games than some crash.
    You really failed Sony.

  • racheous

    More power = poor battery life. Someday you will have to plug inn ac to play the games

  • turkey

    I live in turkey and have a xperia play but whenever i check the update center in the phone it says your phone has the lastest update version. i read about updating ics version in xperia plays many months ago.havent authomatic updating begun on xperia plays or have my phone something wrong? Waiting too hear from you back thnx

  • Pingback: Sony backtracking on ICS Xperia PLAY update? Android 4.0 firmware certified | Xperia Blog « jonaz333

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