Cross-Play Between PS Vita and PS3 Will Be Extremely Important, Sony Says

Sony has talked about its recently launched PlayStation Vita handheld console, saying that one of the more underhyped features, the cross-play with the PlayStation 3, will become extremely important in the future as developers learn to use it.

The PlayStation Vita was launched yesterday around the world, after making its debut in its native Japan last December.

Sony has been hyping up the console’s various features for quite a while, focusing on marketing the device to hardcore gamers that want a proper mobile gaming experience, instead of the casual ones delivered by smartphones or tablets.

While it did show off the cross-play between the PS Vita and the PS3 in the last few weeks, Sony has now talked about it in depth, saying, through the voice of its UK Managing Director Fergal Gara, that the feature will become more important in the future.

"I think it's very important for the PlayStation brand, because the story we're not really hammering hard at this early stage, in order to keep it fairly simple, is the whole cross-play story - something which is powerful today, and will become more and more so as the developers get to grips with its possibilities," he told CVG. "I think the market is ready for it - the UK market in particular, where console penetration is extremely high."

Gara went so far as to say that the PlayStation 3 home console and the PlayStation Vita handheld device will become each other’s best accessories. This is even more apparent in the case of games like Motorstorm RC, which can be bought one time, on either platform, and will be playable on both devices.

"It's what I call a better-together story," the Sony executive added. "The PlayStation 3 and PS Vita are each other's best accessories. MotorStorm RC is probably one of the best examples of where, you get the console edition and the portable edition. So really, we're packing a lot of value and the whole PlayStation ethos into that title."

As of yet, only a few PlayStation Vita games support cross-play, including the aforementioned Motorstorm RC, Wipeout 2048 or Hustle Kings. More games, however, will appear and some are certain to be cross-play compatible.