Analyst Nicholas Lovell had said last month that the iPhone was the final nail in the PSP’s coffin. He said that the iPhone was becoming the “portable media player of choice amongst a younger audience”, which was something Sony had strived for with the PSP.
But how does SCEA’s Peter Dille feel about about Lovell’s statement? This is what he had to say:
“I think it’s a separate business. The iPhone is a phone and the PSP is a dedicated gaming device that does a lot more than play games. Consumers that want to carry a PSP are primarily gamers and I think there’s a big difference in the types of games you can play on a PSP versus an iPhone. The iPhone games and apps are largely diversionary, whereas we’re a gaming company and we make games for people who want to carry a gaming device and play a game that offers a satisfying 20+ hours of gameplay. So it’s really coming at the market with different perspectives… a phone vs. a gaming machine.”
Dille was also spoken to about digital distribution, and if it would ever come to PSP:
“I think it’s definitely a popular consumer trend and it’s something that Apple consumers are enjoying. That could present itself as a growth opportunity to us in the future, but the fact is today, the PSP is a wi-fi device, not an always connected device. So there’s going to be limitations based on the current technology in the PSP… but you never say never, and as we roll out new products in the future we’ll keep an eye on consumer trends as we always do.”
[Source]
