Xperia Play: "You'll have to repurchase" PlayStation Network content

BARCELONA, SPAIN--Today at Mobile World Congress, Sony put an end to months of speculation about the PlayStation Phone by formally announcing the device as the Xperia Play. While the phone, which will compete in the high-end Android smartphone space, will ship with game content, including "classic PlayStation One" series games, the main way to get content onto the device will be via the PlayStation Store, which will launch later in the year.

Existing PlayStation owners with a catalogue of content purchased through the PlayStation Store won't have a head start on the Xperia Play, though. In an interview with GameSpot UK, Nathan Vautier, managing director for Sony Ericsson UK and Ireland, confirmed that all content previously purchased through the PlayStation Store will need to be re-bought for the Xperia Play.

"[Xperia Play owners] will have to repurchase the games, so it's not totally integrated," admitted Vautier, when asked about the ability to transfer purchases. "I think the exciting thing is that there are games which people are very, very aware of," he continued.

For more on the Xperia Play, check out GameSpot UK's ongoing coverage of the device from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.