Minecraft tunneling on to Sony Ericsson Xperia Play exclusively

Can you dig it? Smash-hit indie game Minecraft is coming to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, mining a rich seam of gaming fun before coming to other Android phones after an exclusivity period.

Minecraft developer Mojang picked the Play for pickaxe action, with custom controls for the Play's slide-out buttons. The phone version of the game will also reflect the different size of the screen and different processor power of a phone compared to a PC, and even adjust the gameplay to suit the different attention span of someone playing the game on a handheld device.

One of our criticisms of the Play is that many early games are lazily ported directly from their PlayStation incarnations, failing to make the best of the Play's unique handling -- reflected in disappointing games sales. A few games with real buzz around them could make all the difference for the initially bug-plagued Play, if it wants to challenge the four-year casual gaming headstart of the iPhone 4.

The Play launches in the US this week, which should uncover a fresh seam of momentum to Sony Ericsson and game developers.

News that Minecraft would tunnel its way on to iPhone and Android brought great jubilation among devotees, with more than 2 million manic miners buying the game. The strangely addictive game involves mining raw materials to build crazy constructions restricted only by your imagination and your handiness with a pickaxe.

The Play will be the only phone to offer Minecraft for a while before other Android phones get to pack their Cornish pasty, shoulder their pickaxes and step into the lift to Minecraft fun. 

Full details are expected at E3, the Los Angeles gaming beano in June. Our button-bashing buddies at GameSpot UK will be there in force, excavating the best new games and hottest news.

Can specially optimised games that play to the Play's strengths turn this lump of coal in your stocking into a glittering diamond? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.