[Xperia Play Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] netizenmt:
xda-developers is a great site for learning all sorts of tricks and tips. However, sometimes it's been excruciating trying to get straight answers to what should be simple questions. You can get lost for hours or days in some of these threads, and still not be certain of the answer. And some people just can't seem to resist giving a n00b a hard time instead of a helpful hand.

Hopefully, this short guide will lessen someone's pain a bit. This guide is intended for use primarily by those of us who own a Verizon Xperia Play, model R800x.

Basic terminology you should know before using this guide:

1. What is Root, and why should/shouldn't I do it?

2. What is a locked Bootloader?

3. Can I unlock my bootloader, and do I have to in order to customize my R800x?

4. What is a kernel?

5. What is a Custom Recovery?

6. What is a Nandroid?

7. What is a ROM?

Use Wikipedia or Google to get the answer to those basics before moving on. You need to understand the whys and wherefores before going further.

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OK - You're back, so hopefully you have a better understanding of what we'll be doing from here on out. This guide is intended for those of us who for one reason (money) or another (caution, anxiety or fear) choose not to unlock the bootloader but still want to do some customization. I'm going to gather together the threads you need to perform the following tasks:

1. Root the R800x - [HOW-TO] Root Phones w/ Android v2.2.x-2.3.x (zergRush Method)

2. Install a Custom Recovery - The easiest method is found here: [APP]/[RECOVERY] Auto-Installer 5.0.2.7-nAa-r2 (Locked/Unlocked Bootloader) 10/1/12 That's an apk you install on your phone and run to install CWM to the \system folder. No cable or PC needed!

3. Make a Nandroid backup - Turn off your phone. When you see the words Sony Ericsson, repeatedly push the volume down button to enter Clockworks Custom Recovery. Using the volume down button, highlight Backup and Restore. Use the Home key to select it. Use Home again to select Backup. When it finishes, congratulate yourself on making your first Nandroid Backup! Reboot your phone to get out of CWM.

4. Choose and install an alternate ROM The following ROMs have been tested by me and have been shown to work. Each of them is available as a Nandroid, so you will copy them to your SD Card in \clockwork\backup and then use CWM's Backup and Restore menu to restore them to your phone.Follow the directions as provided by each thread. NOTE: In most cases, these ROMs may be used on either locked or unlocked bootloaders.

- GBTweaked0 - the Basic Gingerbread stock ROM, debloaded and tweaked out with the Icecream Sandwich look.

-R800x with UK Firmware - 2 links here and both work. Verizon 2.3.3 Timescape works as is. UK firmware needs a little extra effort to enable the hardware keys Tutorial Fix R800X UK nandroid Back,Home,Menu, and Search buttons and the wifi which can be downloaded from here: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?rps86s1qxbbe6vo

-UPDATE For the button fix above, I found that if you follow those instructions, your buttons for the gamepad stop working. Follow the tutorial but insert the lines above the line that says "# KEY_UP, KEY_LEFT, KEY_RIGHT, KEY_DOWN" instead. This lets both the front buttons and all the gamepad buttons work properly. (See my post in the tutorial for the total script.)

-UPDATE: Hogwarts has added another customized ROM called COLA just for our R800x with the locked bootloader. When Hogwarts says it's the smallest and fastest ROM currently available, he's not kidding! This is about as bare minimum as you can get, lean and mean. Interested? Check out his post for COLA.

-UPDATE XperianceIT has posted up another customized ROM, a variation based on Hogwarts COLA. He calls it IT-ROM

-UPDATE From KeiranFTW comes Darkforest CDMA Rom (3.0.5) - [ROM] Darkforest ROM 3.0.5 UPDATE | GSM 2.3.4/.62 | CDMA 2.3.3/.145 [WIP]

5. Return to Stock - Download Flashtool from here: Flashtool-0.6.8.0-windows.exe and the stock ROM ftf from here: R800x 2.3.3 Full 3.0.1.E.0.88 FTF

Please be sure to READ AND FOLLOW the instructions provided on each of those threads. I bear absolutely NO RESPONSIBILITY if you do something to damage your phone.

NONE of these programs or solutions are my own work. All I have done is hunted down and tested these different links. All credit goes to each thread reference's OP and their respective affiliates. SOME of the people to be thanked are: DooMLorD, PaxChristos, KeiranFTW, Chevyowner, 216Monster, 007shark, odst0016, Leraeniesh, Androxyde, CrimsonSentinel13, Hogwarts, pvyParts the ICX Developers, and the Dark Forest Developers. Oh yeah, Sony (Ericsson) for making the phone, and Verizon for challenging all the devs creativity! If I've missed anyone, it's because I have a lousy memory and not because I wanted to shaft them from the glory they so richly deserve.

I hope this helps someone out. I sure could have used this post myself! :)

02/16/2012 - Updated some of the links that had been pointing at MultiUpload to new links on MediaFire

03/38/2012 - Removed ROM info for Unlocked Bootloaders as this thread is for LOCKED R800x Phones Only