John-ShepardMany remain skeptical about the PlayStation Vita, as they will point towards the mobile gaming explosion on cell phones and the immense popularity of the Nintendo 3DS.
Furthermore, the Vita will miss the holiday season in North America and Europe; it'll launch on February 22, which isn't exactly a peak time for the industry. So will Sony's technologically advanced new handheld flop upon arrival? Well, SCEA director of hardware marketing John Koller has called the number of Vita pre-orders "substantial."
In speaking to All Things D, Koller said the delay for the launch of the Vita in the US and Europe was so Sony could meed demand. He also cited a few studies that show that 60% of all current PSP owners and 63% of PS3 owners intend to own a Vita within the first 18 months of the portable's lifespan. Therefore, Sony sees plenty of demand and they're only worrying about meeting that demand. Said Koller:
"We’ve increased production materially since E3. We learned our lesson to make sure you have enough product."
As for potential competition with smartphones, Koller simply restates what we've heard from Sony before: the Vita offers a "larger game experience," which means they are "insulated from the competition." In other words, if you want the best of the best in the portable market, you have no choice: it has to be the Vita.
Do you have confidence in Sony's new handheld?
