NEW YORK—With its new direction, consumer electronics giant Sony Corp. is gearing its popular PlayStation Portable (PSP) gaming device to directly compete with Apple’s iPhone.
The Japanese company reported a dismal $391 million loss on falling gadget prices and weak consumer demand globally due to the recession. One area the company is trying to bolster is in video gaming, where Sony just introduced a slimmer version of its PS3 console.
But with the popularity of Apple Inc.’s iPhone/iPod Touch devices and their adaptability for gaming, Sony introduced a few improvements this week to position its PSP to better compete with the iPhone.
Sony Computer Entertainment America this week launched its “minis” offering, a section on the PlayStation Store that sells downloadable casual games for PSP, to coincide with the launch of “PSPgo,” a smaller version of the PSP console.
“Minis is yet another part of our concerted effort to expand content options on PlayStation Store as the demand for digital content will increase with the launch of PSPgo,” said Eric Lempel, director of PlayStation Network and Strategic Planning, in a statement. “Minis will give developers the opportunity to create and share a variety of new and original content that in some cases, are only available on PSP.”
The new games are smaller and more casual in nature, similar to the ones available on the iPhone platform.
In addition, Sony announced this week another new feature on the PSP aimed at the Apple smartphone—a new digital reader. The reader will debut in the United States in December along with the company’s “Digital Comics” service partnering with Marvel Comics, IDW Publishing, and iVerse Media. Popular titles include X-Men, Spiderman, Transformers, and Archie.
While all signs point to Sony contending head-to-head with the Apple iPhone in the mobile gaming industry, Sony executives are quick to downplay the significance of this competition.
“It’s totally different,” Eric Lempel said in an interview with Gamasutra.com. “This is kind of a new program. We have our full-blown games, and now here is another tier in that offering.”
The Japanese company reported a dismal $391 million loss on falling gadget prices and weak consumer demand globally due to the recession. One area the company is trying to bolster is in video gaming, where Sony just introduced a slimmer version of its PS3 console.
But with the popularity of Apple Inc.’s iPhone/iPod Touch devices and their adaptability for gaming, Sony introduced a few improvements this week to position its PSP to better compete with the iPhone.
Sony Computer Entertainment America this week launched its “minis” offering, a section on the PlayStation Store that sells downloadable casual games for PSP, to coincide with the launch of “PSPgo,” a smaller version of the PSP console.
“Minis is yet another part of our concerted effort to expand content options on PlayStation Store as the demand for digital content will increase with the launch of PSPgo,” said Eric Lempel, director of PlayStation Network and Strategic Planning, in a statement. “Minis will give developers the opportunity to create and share a variety of new and original content that in some cases, are only available on PSP.”
The new games are smaller and more casual in nature, similar to the ones available on the iPhone platform.
In addition, Sony announced this week another new feature on the PSP aimed at the Apple smartphone—a new digital reader. The reader will debut in the United States in December along with the company’s “Digital Comics” service partnering with Marvel Comics, IDW Publishing, and iVerse Media. Popular titles include X-Men, Spiderman, Transformers, and Archie.
While all signs point to Sony contending head-to-head with the Apple iPhone in the mobile gaming industry, Sony executives are quick to downplay the significance of this competition.
“It’s totally different,” Eric Lempel said in an interview with Gamasutra.com. “This is kind of a new program. We have our full-blown games, and now here is another tier in that offering.”
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