Ben-DutkaMany are worried that in this new world of open platforms and virtual socializing, closed platforms like the PlayStation Vita could be in trouble.
After all, despite the fact that Sony's new portable is super advanced from a video game perspective, playing games on our cell phones is a big deal now. …and the Vita isn't a phone. It can interact with the PlayStation 3 but overall, guys like Bossa Studios head man Henrique Olifiers say it's just behind the times.
In fact, in speaking with VideoGamer , Olifiers says the Vita could "suffer a horrible premature death."
"We'll keep on the lookout to see what the next gen will bring, but if they want more focus on tech specs rather than usability and accessibility, I don't think it will be for us. I hate the fact you cannot play a game on the PS3 against the same game on the 360 or PC. Walled gardens in a world where people are freely connected all the time is just a dumb idea that limits what is achievable."
He added that "proprietary stuff is madness," and the industry should be moving more towards "open platforms, interoperability, bringing everyone together." He also warns that if the big console manufacturers aren't willing to embrace this brave new world, they could all be in very big trouble. That definitely includes the Vita, which launches this month in Japan and on February 22 in North America.
Well, we certainly understand his sentiment, but we get the feeling that all these makers of little social titles don't quite get the following fact: gamers don't view those as games. They really don't. It's something to fiddle with on the train, but when at home, gamers will not be tooling around on their phones when Uncharted 4 is sitting in their PS4. Or whatever.
As for the Vita, that's different because it's a portable device. We've got no prediction on that.
