And expect "legendary" to be . Final Fantasy VII was the second-bestselling game on the original PlayStation, but it's a mess to play on the PSP or PSPgo: Already-pygmy characters dwindle to pinpricks as you attempt to maneuver them through confusingly complex pre-rendered backdrops. That, and PS One games were designed for old-school TVs, meaning you'll have to grapple with ugly pixel interpolation and formatting (non-anamorphic) limitations.

Sony says they'll launch with 20 publishing partners and offer 50 games at launch, though based on what Sony showed today--stuff like Guitar Hero, Dead Space, and Assassin's Creed--expect mostly ports out the door, not Xperia Play exclusives.

Sony said the Xperia Play should ship globally in March, and that they'll launch in the U.S. on Verizon.

The takeaway: Sony wants PlayStation games pretty much anywhere publishers care to sign up for their new PlayStation Certified program. For the moment, that means Android, and for now, Xperia Play. Expect other Android mobiles (and who knows, perhaps other platforms) to follow.

The company also wants to define itself as superior to Apple's iPhone, which Xperia Play is from a gamer's perspective. Assuming a similar games library and similar application pricing, what would you rather have? A 3.5-inch touchscreen? Or a 4-inch touchscreen with an alternative slide-out gamepad that employs familiar d-pad and button controls?