Xperia Play now has 200 games available to download, some are free for the holidays

When the Xperia Play smartphone / gaming console hybrid launched in March, there were 60 games available for download; eight months later, Sony Ericsson has reached 200 games optimized for the device. We’re glad to see the company’s stayed devoted to the product and platform, but the 200 number might be a bit misleading — it includes a number of standard Android games that have been only slightly adapted for Sony Ericsson’s device, and the number of Xperia Play-exclusive games is still quite small, though it includes good games like FIFA 12 and Dead Space. The company’s made some strides toward getting PlayStation games onto the device, but those strides have been few and far between.

In an effort to make the Xperia Play a more enticing holiday gift, Sony Ericsson has made a number of its best games free to download. Dead Space, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, FIFA 12, Need for Speed: Shift, and a few others are free through January 15, so if you’re thinking about the Xperia Play as a gift, think Christmas instead of Valentine’s Day.