The Sony Xperia Play smartphone is the first PlayStation smartphone to hit the market. AT&T just announced that it is getting its own version of the Xperia Play called the Xperia Play 4G.

The 4G moniker doesn't imply a real 4G connection like LTE, however; the smartphone supports the HSPA+ 4G network that AT&T currently has in place. One of the most surprising things about the Xperia Play 4G is that it will be offered at a bargain price of $49.99 with a new 2-year agreement. That puts the Xperia Play 4G on par with the iPhone 3GS in price. 

The phone runs Android 2.3.3, and features a Snapdragon 1GHz CPU paired with an Adreno 205 GPU. It also has a 4-inch screen with 480 x 854 resolution, a 5MP rear camera, VGA front camera, and chat capacity over Wi-Fi.

AT&T's version of the Xperia Play will get a few exclusives to sweeten the deal compared to the device on other networks. The phone features a special stealth blue color and also comes with a pair of bonus accessories including the Multimedia Dock DK300 and the MC100 music cable. That dock turns the Xperia Play 4G into a clock as it charges and the cable lets you shoot the music on the smartphone out to speakers you connect.

“Our fans on AT&T have been asking for Xperia Play and now we’re giving them everything they need in a smartphone with what they really want – an immersive gaming experience on AT&T’s 4G Network,” said Peter Farmer, Head of Marketing for North America, Sony Ericsson. “In addition to a constantly growing list of games exclusive to and optimized for Xperia PLAY, we know AT&T customers are really going to enjoy the uniquely Sony Ericsson social experience, including Timescape and Facebook Inside.”

The phone will come loaded with six games courtesy of AT&T as well. The games include Dungeon Defenders Second Wave, Asphalt 6 Adrenalin, Star Battalion, Madden NFL 11, The Sims 3, Tower Bloxx, and Crash Bandicoot.

The phone will hit AT&T on September 18.