Ben-DutkaOn the one hand, there are always a few difficulties when a new piece of hardware hits the market. It can be tough.
On the other hand, the future could be bright. And SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton believes the PlayStation Vita is on relatively firm footing, and also reminds everyone that the PlayStation 3 had to overcome a pretty shaky start, too.
During a recent GamesIndustry International interview , Tretton said the handheld business is a marathon, not a sprint (we've heard that somewhere before), and the PlayStation Vita doesn't have to shatter sales records right out of the gate to be successful in the long run. And the long run is what matters.
"In this industry, you can't get too high or too low, because it moves very quickly. I think there's an acceptable number – and [the number] we've sold: That's acceptable. If it was triple that, I'd be happier. If it was one-third, I'd be disappointed.
Anything with great rewards is going to come with great challenges. We felt if the tech was there, and the game support was there, then the audience would be there. … I feel much better about it now than I did four months ago."
The Vita had a great launch lineup but has since faded in terms of new software. Then again, everything has faded this summer so perhaps that isn't a good indication of what's in store for Sony's portable later on. But I do recall endless negative headlines pertaining to the PS3 back in 2006 and 2007…wasn't that long ago, was it?