14 DAY TRIAL // The Sony made PlayStation Vita handheld is set to be launched before the end of the year on the Japanese market and, so far, most developers have had nothing but good things to say about the device.
But Matthew Seymour, who is the president of Heavy Iron Studios, has told GamesIndustry.biz that, “With all due respects to Sony and Vita, it’s a car wreck. And how about Xperia Play? I’d love to pull up the numbers on that.”
Another developer at Heavy Iron, Lyle Hall, has also talked about the Vita and the entire handheld space, saying, “If people aren’t willing to pay $249 for a Nintendo 3DS why would they pay $299 for Vita? People don’t want to carry more than one thing in their pocket, that’s why Android and iPhone have done so well, they are the devices of choice, they offers multiple functions outside of gaming.”
The developers are saying that the technology in Vita and, presumably, the 3DS is good but that the mobile market can no longer support a device that can only play games.
They see the consumer as ready to pay for smartphones and for games that can be played on them but unwilling to spend on a device that is an evolutionary dead end.
The Vita is set to offer processing power just under that offered by the PlayStation 3 home gaming console and Sony has already announced that its biggest franchises, like Resistance and Uncharted, will get dedicated games for the new platform.
The device will have an OLED screen with touch capabilities and it will also boast analog controls and a number of connectivity options.
The Japanese market will be the first test for the popularity of the Vita while gamers in North America and in Europe will be able to buy it during the first months of 2012.