PS Vita challenges smartphones

The world of computer games has entered a new kind of war, with Sony releasing on Saturday a handheld gaming device with increased network functionality in a bid to compete with popular smartphone games.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. on Saturday released its PlayStation Vita handheld video game console, which allows users to play with anyone in the world using cell phone lines.

For many years, competition in the video game industry was primarily between Sony's computer game division and game giant Nintendo Co.

However the proliferation of smartphones led to a rapid increase in the popularity of game software for mobile phones. As a result, competition between game producers to recruit talented developers is heating up.

The Vita's display resolution is four times higher than that of PlayStation Portable models. Its network functions have also been given a boost, enabling users to access Twitter, Facebook and other websites via third-generation cell phone lines.

A university student in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, who bought a PlayStation Vita on Saturday in Shibuya, Tokyo, said, "I'm looking forward to playing with people all over the world."

Sales of devices used exclusively to play video games no longer enjoy the momentum they did in the past.

According to gaming magazine publisher Enterbrain Inc., the market for home-use video game consoles, including both handheld devices and standalones, fell by about 30 percent in 2010 from 2007, when sales peaked at about 688 billion yen.

In contrast, the market for online games for mobile phones hit about 320 billion yen in 2010, double what it was four years previously.

Along with the proliferation of smartphones, which have larger display screens than cell phones, a growing number of people are playing games on social networking sites, with most titles exclusive to mobile phones.

In SNS games, people who have never met can play games in match or cooperative mode. Sony's older PSP models had no function to access networks via mobile phone lines, and consequently their online features were lacking.

While the Vita device has the telecommunication function, only 24 game titles were available at the time of its release.

Though Sony plans to add titles to its lineup of games for the Vita device, it cannot compete with the 100,000 or more titles available on the iPhone smartphone by the U.S. company Apple Inc.

Enterbrain President Hirokazu Hamamura said the Vita's success will "depend on how many new, exciting and easy-to-play games will be provided."

Competition to procure talented game developers is thus intensifying.

Yohei Yoshimuta, a 23-year-old software developer, graduated from Keio University's graduate school this past spring. He was recruited by game developer Gree Inc., signing a contract that could see him earning a salary as high as 10 million yen.

Yoshimuta said that because the programming of SNS game software is relatively simple, "developers can easily demonstrate their skills by, for example, refining an SNS game, even after its release."

This past spring, a famous software developer who worked on the popular video game series Final Fantasy left major game producer Square Enix Co. for Gree.

A key factor in regaining the former glory of video game consoles will be whether the software producers can mitigate the flow of talented developers to the makers of the popular SNS games.
(Dec. 18, 2011)

Source : http://www.yomiuri.co.jp