O2, however, has thus far declined to stock the Xperia PLAY. It appears that the mobile giant isn't happy with the device in its current form.

According to the Sony Ericsson spokesman: "02 have [sic] decided to prolong the testing period in order to ensure that the software meets the requirements of its procedures.

"Sony Ericsson will be working with O2 to expedite the process and ensure that O2 customers can soon join consumers across the UK in being able to enjoy the world's first PlayStation certified smartphone."

The Xperia Play, which was , features a 4in (854x480) display and a 1GHz processor, and runs Google's Android version 2.3, which is also known as Gingerbread. Rather than a keyboard, the gaming phone features a slide-out gamepad.

The handset will come with six pre-installed including Crash Bandicoot. Further games will be available through the PlayStation Suite.