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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Bloomberg Article "PlayStation Boss Sees Limited Potential for Handheld Gaming"

OTBWY on 26 September 2017

Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-25/sony-vs-nintendo-playstation-boss-sees-limited-handheld-market

Some important points:

Sony Corp.’s gaming chief Andrew House sees limited global potential for handheld gaming in the age of smartphones, saying that the company doesn’t have any concrete plans to take on Nintendo Co.’s Switch.

“The Nintendo device is a hybrid device and that’s a different approach and strategy,” House said in an interview at last week’s Tokyo Game Show. “We have not seen that as being a huge market opportunity,” he said, referring to handheld gaming outside of Japan and Asia, where Sony still sells the Vita portable device.

Goes on to say:

“The Vita experience was that outside of Japan and Asia, there was not a huge demand,” House said. “The lifestyle shift toward the dominance of smartphones as the single key device that is always with you, was the determining factor.”

There's still more to the article, but this seems to crush all hopes of a new Sony handheld. Thoughts?

Also wanted to add this harsh response to the article:

 

 




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Soundwave on 26 September 2017

For Sony he's right ... and this is good. Sony can stay in their sandbox and Nintendo can be in theirs.

Needlessly flooding the market with more and more hardware is actually not a good thing despite what some think. It destablizes the market, splinters developer support, and is just not healthy.

Sony should stay in their lane and give Nintendo some freaking time to rehabilitate the badly wounded portable market. Last thing the industry needs is another Vita. We need one strong portable platform with traditional games that channels ALL developer support towards it, not some split market again. The market is not healthy enough for that, it would just needlessly cause damage for no good reason. 



Aeolus451 on 26 September 2017

I figured that sony lost any interest in the handheld market and it's honestly better if they focus on their home consoles where they are the dominant brand. Sony should at least keep an eye on the handheld market to see how it plays it out and maybe make a few mobile games for smartphones. It's not like they're expensive to make.



AngryLittleAlchemist on 26 September 2017

To be fair the response is split up awkwardly. It's hard to know if he's saying that it isn't a big gaming market opportunity for Sony specifically, or the entire market. However, his second claim is clear as day: that he's specifically blaming mobile devices. Which is funny, because if anything Nintendo is the handheld manufacturer that hurt the most from this. Just think about how many simple games sold millions of handhelds, particularly during the Gameboy original and DS days. Now compare that to the PSV, which sold almost entirely on the premise of home console games on the go.

This is why the Switch will survive. It's not playing games that just happen to be on the go. It's a specific alternative to mobile, with games that are actually console quality, something that can't be said for numerous Vita games.



Soundwave on 26 September 2017
AngryLittleAlchemist said:
To be fair the response is split up awkwardly. It's hard to know if he's saying that it isn't a big gaming market opportunity for Sony specifically, or the entire market. However, his second claim is clear as day: that he's specifically blaming mobile devices. Which is funny, because if anything Nintendo is the handheld manufacturer that hurt the most from this. Just think about how many simple games sold millions of handhelds, particularly during the Gameboy original and DS days. Now compare that to the PSV, which sold almost entirely on the premise of home console games on the go.

This is why the Switch will survive. It's not playing games that just happen to be on the go. It's a specific alternative to mobile, with games that are actually console quality, something that can't be said for numerous Vita games.

And if Nintendo is already doing it, Sony is not needed. 

The portable gaming market is fragile. Let Nintendo go to work and heal it and try to carve out as much as is possible under the harsh new environment. 

We don't need another predator in an ecoystem where there's barely enough food/water for the one already there. Stay out Sony. Focus on PS5 and Microsoft. 



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AngryLittleAlchemist on 26 September 2017
Soundwave said:
AngryLittleAlchemist said:
To be fair the response is split up awkwardly. It's hard to know if he's saying that it isn't a big gaming market opportunity for Sony specifically, or the entire market. However, his second claim is clear as day: that he's specifically blaming mobile devices. Which is funny, because if anything Nintendo is the handheld manufacturer that hurt the most from this. Just think about how many simple games sold millions of handhelds, particularly during the Gameboy original and DS days. Now compare that to the PSV, which sold almost entirely on the premise of home console games on the go.

This is why the Switch will survive. It's not playing games that just happen to be on the go. It's a specific alternative to mobile, with games that are actually console quality, something that can't be said for numerous Vita games.

And if Nintendo is already doing it, Sony is not needed. 

The portable gaming market is fragile. Let Nintendo go to work and heal it and try to carve out as much as is possible under the harsh new environment. 

We don't need another predator in an ecoystem where there's barely enough food/water for the one already there. Stay out Sony. Focus on PS5 and Microsoft. 

Didn't say anything about Sony competing with Nintendo in that sector. Would be interesting to see that pan out though.



vivster on 26 September 2017
Soundwave said:
AngryLittleAlchemist said:
To be fair the response is split up awkwardly. It's hard to know if he's saying that it isn't a big gaming market opportunity for Sony specifically, or the entire market. However, his second claim is clear as day: that he's specifically blaming mobile devices. Which is funny, because if anything Nintendo is the handheld manufacturer that hurt the most from this. Just think about how many simple games sold millions of handhelds, particularly during the Gameboy original and DS days. Now compare that to the PSV, which sold almost entirely on the premise of home console games on the go.

This is why the Switch will survive. It's not playing games that just happen to be on the go. It's a specific alternative to mobile, with games that are actually console quality, something that can't be said for numerous Vita games.

And if Nintendo is already doing it, Sony is not needed. 

The portable gaming market is fragile. Let Nintendo go to work and heal it and try to carve out as much as is possible under the harsh new environment. 

We don't need another predator in an ecoystem where there's barely enough food/water for the one already there. Stay out Sony. Focus on PS5 and Microsoft. 

But but but competition!



If you demand respect or gratitude for your volunteer work, you're doing volunteering wrong.

Soundwave on 26 September 2017
AngryLittleAlchemist said:
Soundwave said:

And if Nintendo is already doing it, Sony is not needed. 

The portable gaming market is fragile. Let Nintendo go to work and heal it and try to carve out as much as is possible under the harsh new environment. 

We don't need another predator in an ecoystem where there's barely enough food/water for the one already there. Stay out Sony. Focus on PS5 and Microsoft. 

Didn't say anything about Sony competing with Nintendo in that sector. Would be interesting to see that pan out though.

You've already seen this movie twice -- Nintendo would win fairly easily, you can save the $20 on popcorn and a movie ticket, I just told you the ending. Sony doesn't have the commitment to portables because they will always revert back to supporting their consoles moreso. Beyond that, they don't have the first party IP that Nintendo does. 

All Sony entering the fray at this point would do is unneccessarily divide up developer resources and that's not good for anyone. If you want a future for dedicated gaming on the go ... Nintendo is the industry's best bet and let them have some damn room to breathe, they are already in a hostile environment with how pervasive smartphone/tablet gaming has become. 

This is like Queen Cersei still obsessed with silly things like keeping her throne when there's a much bigger threat of White Walkers coming. Don't be a Cersei, Sony. Let Jon Snow do his thing, if you're not going to help then just do everyone a favor and keep the fuck out, lol. 



AngryLittleAlchemist on 26 September 2017
Soundwave said:
AngryLittleAlchemist said:

Didn't say anything about Sony competing with Nintendo in that sector. Would be interesting to see that pan out though.

You've already seen this movie twice -- Nintendo would win fairly easily, you can save the $20 on popcorn and a movie ticket, I just told you the ending. Sony doesn't have the commitment to portables because they will always revert back to supporting their consoles moreso. Beyond that, they don't have the first party IP that Nintendo does. 

All Sony entering the fray at this point would do is unneccessarily divide up developer resources and that's not good for anyone. If you want a future for dedicated gaming on the go ... Nintendo is the industry's best bet and let them have some damn room to breathe, they are already in a hostile environment with how pervasive smartphone/tablet gaming has become. 

This is like Queen Cersei still obsessed with silly things like keeping her throne when there's a much bigger threat of White Walkers coming. Don't be a Cersei, Sony. Let Jon Snow do his thing, if you're not going to help then just do everyone a favor and keep the fuck out, lol. 

Again, never said I wanted competition or that Sony should make a competitor. 



Lawlight on 26 September 2017

He's right. Handheld gaming has limited potential in the west. Only Japan values handheld gaming at this point.