The Vita may not be out yet, but Sony is already laying claim to the mobile game throne. In a statement to InvestorPlace, John Koller, the Sony Computer Entertainment director of hardware marketing, revealed Sony's confidence in the Playstation Vita.
“We firmly believe that PlayStation Vita will supersede the mobile market when launched, and have grand ambitions for a product that is really at the forefront of innovation,” he claims. “The mobile market in the U.S. offers consumers extremely light gaming options. We developed PlayStation Vita after observing a significant addressable market that demands rich, deep handheld gaming.”
I'm calling bullshit on this one. It's progressive of Sony to recognize that they are in direct competition with mobile phones, but to say that the Vita was designed specifically to fill in a void within that market is probably a stretch. Some might even say Sony's claim is ignorant, because mobile platforms can and have produced 'rich, deep' gaming.
Sony is not changing anything up from what the PSP offered. Though the Vita has more features than the PSP, it's still focusing on the same core values–which is to say, the design of the Vita cannot possibly be reactionary to the changing gaming landscape.
As for the Vita's ability to 'supercede' the mobile market? I'm calling hubris, but time will tell.
