Andrew House, the CEO and President of Sony Computer Entertainment, has stated that developers will find no “barrier of entry” for the portable gaming console.
Over the years Sony has been plagued by a number of reports and complaints about how their PlayStation 3 console is more challenging to develop for as compared to its competitors, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii.
At the same time a number of studios have claimed that that is not the case and the PlayStation 3 just needs an extra bit of work to get the most out of.
While the parties who claim the former to be true, that the PlayStation 3 is difficult to develop for will cite the bug infested The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim port on the PS3 as their example, the latter will surely mention how smooth titles such as Killzone
3 and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception run.
However, Sony seems to want to cater to the needs of every developer as they attempt to make their latest console, the PlayStation Vita, a hit among gamers and developers alike.
The CEO and President of SCE, Andrew House stated, “We have created a much easier development environment than we have for previous platforms.”
No prizes for guessing which platforms he was referring with ‘previous’.
He continued, “That facilitates experimentation and combined with the opportunities digital distribution provides such as removing the risk of having to commit to an inventory stock, we are able to lower the barrier of entry for developers and hopefully
encourage them to experiment and take risks.”
Innovation when it comes to games has been lacking over the years with very publishers willing to invest in games that pose a certain level of risk. More emphasis has been laid on IPs and franchises everyone knows will sell.
One can hope that Sony mean what they say about the Vita, yet at the same time does it mean that the consumer electronics giant has compromised on power in order to facilitate increased accessibility for developers on the Vita?
In order to find that out one will have to wait at least a year or so as the Vita settles into the market.
Tags: