Sony Explains why PSV has come up short

[greenmedic88]

I'll speak only with regards to myself on this matter, but I agree with the statement.

I've owned a PSV since launch. I regularly carry an iPhone 5 with me and sometimes carry an iPad in my bag. The only time I'd consider taking the PSV anywhere with me is on a long trip or plane ride. Even then, the phone/tablet are enough for in flight entertainment.

Even if I were actively playing any of my games on the PSV, I still wouldn't take it with me anywhere I went, since it's strictly an entertainment device to me.

So why own one? There are more good games on the system than I'm willing to buy for it in addition to the ones I've already bought. The level of quality is almost always better than that of the iOS games I keep installed. The problem is it's one more device to carry around.

The PSV seems to skew more towards an older audience than the 3DS which is not to say that one is more "mature" than the other, but that a typical PSV owner, or even a potential PSV owner, likely already owns an Android or iOS device that they carry with them. They're not going to justify the cost of buying a dedicated portable game device and $40 games, and even if they did, they're not likely to carry them on a regular basis, if ever.

There are a lot of 3DS devices in the hands of children or younger players who don't own their own smartphones or tablets. They're cheaper, generally more rugged (they can take a fall better than the typical phone/tablet), don't require a data/phone service plan and the games likely hold more appeal to the younger demographic as well.