Vodafone, 3 and O2 All Delaying Xperia Play

Several carriers have announced delays for the Xperia Play and a couple have confirmed that it's still scheduled for launch tomorrow. What's going on?

Vodafone and 3UK today joined O2UK in announcing delays for the PlayStation phone. However, while O2UK has cited just-discovered software bugs as the reason for the delay, Vodafone has not specified what is preventing it from selling the device from April 1 as planned. VG247 says Vodafone yesterday sent out a notice to customers who had preordered the device informing them of a small delay. A new date for the arrival of the Xperia Play was not given. Meanwhile, 3 has said it’s delaying the launch of the Xperia Play until early next week at the earliest.

So, what the bloody hell is going on? Despite O2’s claims of last-minute software bugs, Sony Ericsson has come forward and admitted that a ‘freight issue’ has impacted the number of Xperia Plays arriving at retail outlets. Speaking to VG27, 3 insisted the delays were stock-related, and nothing to do with bugs in the software. Whether O2UK is telling porkies about the reason for the delay remains to be seen, but the phone is definitely not going to be available from 3UK, O2UK or Vodafone for another little while.

For those of you determined to get your hands on the device, Carphone Warehouse and Orange have both confirmed they are still on for tomorrow’s launch. Still, with SE and 3 both admitting stock issues are the problem here, you might want to get to your local Carphone Warehouse or Orange shop nice and early to ensure you get one. Or, you could leave it ‘til the weekend and hope it’s all just a stunt to create a buying frenzy because of a supposed shortage. Your call, really!