The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY has had a bit of a raw deal when it comes to official firmware updates. It was the only Xperia handset from the 2011 stable to not receive the Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich update, due to fears it would affect the gaming experience. Fast forward to today and the first new firmware in months has just been certified for the Xperia PLAY.
Well in fact, two firmware branches have been certified. The first is version number 4.0.2.A.0.79, which is likely to be another Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread firmware. The second is more intriguing, firmware version 4.1.H.0.23. This firmware is unlike any other branch released before (we’ve not seen any 4.1.H.X.XX firmware before this).
The phantom ICS firmware that was never released for the Xperia PLAY was version number 4.1.B.0.431. As this new firmware begins with 4.1.X.X.XX, could the ICS update finally be hitting the Xperia PLAY? Maybe, maybe not. Sony could be planning to release this firmware as an optional update, or it could be something else entirely. Either way, it’s nice to see that new firmware is at least a possibility for the handset that received the biggest marketing push from Sony Ericsson in 2011.
