(Same article with pretty pictures and videos here)

After having time with the PlayStation’s Cross-Controller feature we can confirm that this is a decent little feature and one that we hope will build on the promising potential.  We would love to say that Cross-Controller would become a staple to feature to PS3 games but we have serious doubts that it will even feature in games on a regular basis.

First let’s talk about our experience with the feature on the recently released LittleBigPlanet 2’s Cross-Controller pack. Cross-Controller allows you to control and interact with your PS3 game, on your TV, via the Vita. What’s great about this is that developers now have a second screen, double touch pad, motion controls and the PSV’s buttons available to be used in unique ways.

The LBP Cross-Controller pack shoehorns the new feature into it pretty well with the help of additional story mission that were made specifically for this new feature. Once you install the required files you can then connect your Vita and play LBP normally or go to the newly added story that can only be played with Cross-Controller. Now you move blocks and objects on your screen via the Vita’s touchscreen. You can also go into “Worm Holes” that teleport your character to the Vita’s screen to play a short part of the mission before being teleported back to the TV. Even though sometimes moving boxes to create a path for you character and playing part of the game on you Vita’s seems a little pointless or tedious sometimes, we can see the huge potential in Cross-Controller.

Our problem isn’t entirely with the feature but will this end up as wasted potential? Which developers outside of Sony’s studios will spend time implementing this feature into their games and more importantly make a game ground up specifically for this feature and use its full potential? No very many and this makes us sad. The reason they won’t make a game for this feature is because the amount of people that own both the PS3 and Vita are very small and the amount of people that will bother with this feature is even smaller. Would developers add something to their games that would have very minimal effect on sales? Not likely. Some of the areas where the feature fails is that you have to install a file on your Vita for each game to use it for that game (over 300MB for LBP2) and that you have to  have the Dualshock controller connected to use it. If you controller turns off after a certain time of inactivity then the game will pause until you connect you Dualshock again.  Where Cross-Controller fails, the Wii U excels.

The Wii U and its tablet style controller is all part of one unified system and this makes all the difference. The Wii U pad comes with the majority of features that the PSV & PS3 combo has but for a lot cheaper. Developers will also more than likely support the features on the Wii U pad because every Wii U packs it as standard. You also don’t have the inconvenience of downloading a file for each game.

We are not saying that one experience is better than the other but the fact that Cross-Controller will never get a decent chance to really take off, while the Wii U’s game pad provides more reason for developers to explore it. Sony aren’t doing their selves any arm by providing us with an awesome feature, we just hope that developers will find a reason to embrace it.

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No surprise, cross-play is just a side feature. Wii U's gamepad is what that system is designed around. Personally, the area I think cross-play would do well in would be with the same kind of unbalanced multi-player the Wii U features, where one player uses the DS as normal while another player does something different with the Vita.

Yeah agree. It's just a shame that virtually every developer will ignore Cross-Controller and not many games will feature it. It's a pretty solid experience and would like to see it more.

I haven't tried it yet but it looks pretty nifty.  I think you're right, though, in that developers have so much on their table right now with so many platforms that they're trying to get done with one project as fast as they can so they can move on to the next.  Even the Wii U will probably suffer from this with a lot of gamepad functions on third party games being simple gimmicks.  It has a lot of potential, though, so I hope that first party games, at least, will have something for cross-controller functionality.

I fully agree. Cross-controller when it works is on par with the Wii U but it will never see the same support.

The good thing however is community made LBP levels should keep pouring in with brand new concepts at least until the PS4 is released.

The problem I have with the Wii U gamepad and the PS3/V cross- control is that, they are both optional and not mandatory, to enjoy the game being played. What I'm trying to get at, is that I don't understand why more Devs wont make that feature to PS3 users. it won't take away from the game, because it is optional.

I enjoyed play the Rayman Legends demo, but I keep think how this could be on the PS3 as well with use of the Vita (being optional). Even if it doesn't come to the PS3, I will enjoy it on the Wii U.

Another one is Aliens, they keep talking about the gamepad, but never mention how it can't be done on another platform. While I haven't see what they are doing with the gamepad, I don't think it will be something that can't be done on the PS3 with the connectivity of the Vita.

Because not everyone who own a PS3 has a Vita as well. Everyone who owns a Wii U will have a gamepad that would use those features.

My thing is that it's optional and not a requirement to play the game. So, it wouldn't matter if every PS3 owner had a Vita or vice Versa because it would be an optional feature. Just like this Cross-control addition to LBP2.  I understand that the Gamepad is the selling point of the Wii U, but if it can be done on other platforms, then take advantage. Same as Smart Glass on the 360, but every has access to that.

They don't bother making something optional that almost no-one can benefit from. 3 mln vita is not enough. 15 mln move also isnt enough