According to a report today from VG 24/7, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said Sony’s embracing the mobile market because there’s “no question” smartphone sales hurt the handheld market “quite badly.”
Yoshida told GamesIndustry Sony has moved on from idea that mobile is somehow a threat and instead is an ally.
“We’ve totally shifted our way of thinking through the companion apps, the official PlayStation app and game dedicated apps,” Yoshida said. “That’s the much broader approach that we’re taking, trying to embrace mobile products.”
Yoshida said Sony isn’t necessarily trying to gain ground on the Nintendo 3DS with its new approach to mobile and handheld gaming, but rather would like to increase the base of PS Vita gamers.
With a slimmer and lighter body, internal memory, and easier grip, Yoshida believes Sony has a value on its hands with the PS Vita, but more importantly the company needs to continue to push out quality games.
Certainly with the PlayStation 4 launching on Nov. 15 and Sony’s acquisition of Gaikai, a large library of games should be an issue for the PS Vita.
“We continue to add our services on PlayStation, and for PS Vita, the enjoyment and the sources of games will expand, not just from PS Vita dedicated games,” Yoshida said. “Those are the strengths that we have on PS Vita compared to other products. It’s a device that you can use to enjoy PlayStation content from different sources.”
