UFC Trainer developer Heavy Iron Studios recently spoke out on the cloudy future of the PS Vita, claiming that the portable device will be doomed from the start. According to developers Lyle Hall and Matthew Seymour, the Vita’s high price point and limited functionality will be a huge problem for Sony.
In an interview with GameIndustry.biz, Hall brought up the issues the 3DS currently faces and explained how he feels the Vita will fall into the same trap.
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 technology is sweet, I’m a huge fan of mobile technology, but I just don’t know there’s a market out there any more for the hardware. I can’t see why you would want to put a device out that only does games. The consumer has spoken. We wanted to see that world exist – more players, more opportunities for us, but at the same time people don’t want that. Unless there’s a super technology paradigm shift it’s not going to shift back.
Seymour, formerly of Microsoft Games Studios went on to add:
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.
It looks like we’ll just have to wait and see how the handheld fairs in the portable market when it launches in the west next year. In the meantime, read up on our latest feature where we discuss the viability of the PlayStation Vita.
