Minecraft for Android is out, but only on Xperia Play

Minecraft, the rock-crackingly popular PC indie game, is coming to Android. But for now at least, it's only available on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. Click through the photos above to ogle some screenshots.

Minecraft Pocket Edition aims to take all the fun of normal, man-sized Minecraft and shrinks it down to fit touchscreen devices. If you're one of the three people who owns an Xperia Play, you'll be glad to know that the game's been optimised for the Play's slide-out physical gaming controls.

The only downside is the price. Minecraft Pocket Edition will set you back £4.26, which is a lot of money in app terms, and is liable to put anyone off who's not already a Minecraft fan.

It's a little galling to see the Xperia Play claim exclusivity on one of the most anticipated mobile games in recent years. Sony Ericsson will doubtless be pleased -- we weren't impressed with the Play's dodgy software or the line-up of available games when it launched, and neither was anyone else. So the Play needs all the desirable titles it can get.

Minecraft, which has nearly 12 million registered users, sees gamers deposited in a randomly generated world made of big pixellated blocks. Your job is to shape the world as you see fit, crafting new materials and building tools to make the arduous task of excavating an underground cave or fashioning a 50-metre glass weasel in the middle of the ocean go a bit quicker.

And then night falls, and the place becomes flooded with zombies. But you can turn the zombies off. We turned the zombies off. We were scared of the zombies.

We've heard that Minecraft Pocket Edition is destined for the iPhone, and we suspect that it won't be available exclusively to Xperia Play owners for too long -- it would be a crime to deprive Android addicts using other phones of the tunnel-constructing, time-sucking jollies Minecraft has to offer. No wider release dates have been announced though.

Check out a video of Minecraft on the Xperia Play in action below, then let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page whether you'll be purchasing this pricey pickaxe port.