PSP vs iPhone: SCEA says no competition, iPhone games “largely diversionary”

The iPhone vs. PSP debate has been around for some time now. Some people just can’t seem to understand that comparing the iPhone to the PSP isn’t as empirical as it sounds. They’re two different devices, each with its pros and cons, apples and oranges, cows and sheep. Meanwhile, Sony isn’t all that worried, with Ray Maguire more recently stating that the PSP will always win as a dedicated games machine. Taking a cue from that, Sony’s Peter Dille has added his own two cents into the boiling pot by saying that there’s no competition at all.

The iPhone vs. PSP debate has been around for some time now. Some people just can’t seem to understand that comparing the iPhone to the PSP (and vice-versa) isn’t as empirical as it sounds. They’re two different devices, each with its pros and cons, apples and oranges, cows and sheep.

Despite this, some people seem to insist on pitting the iPhone against the PSP though, with some claiming that the iPhone (or in some cases, even just the iPod Touch) will so pwn the PSP. Meanwhile, Sony isn’t all that worried, with Ray Maguire more recently stating that the PSP will always win as a dedicated games machine.

Taking a cue from that and echoing Maguire’s words, Sony’s Peter Dille has added his own two cents into the boiling pot by saying that there’s no competition at all.

I think it’s a separate business. The iPhone is a phone and the PSP is a dedicated gaming device that does a lot more than play games. Consumers that want to carry a PSP are primarily gamers and I think there’s a big difference in the types of games you can play on a PSP versus an iPhone. The iPhone games and apps are largely diversionary, whereas we’re a gaming company and we make games for people who want to carry a gaming device and play a game that offers a satisfying 20+ hours of gameplay. So it’s really coming at the market with different perspectives… a phone vs. a gaming machine.

“Diversionary,” huh? Ouch. Does that make MGS Touch diversionary too? Hmm. For some odd reason, when he says there’s no competition, I sense this slight “there’s no competition because we’ve pretty much already won the competition” tone underlying his words. But anyways, moving on…

Dille continues on to talk about Apple’s whole push towards digital distribution. After all, for the past couple weeks, we’ve been having all those UMD-less PSP rumors. Dille comments on the matter of digital media on devices by saying:

I think it’s definitely a popular consumer trend and it’s something that Apple consumers are enjoying. That could present itself as a growth opportunity to us in the future, but the fact is today, the PSP is a wi-fi device, not an always connected device. So there’s going to be limitations based on the current technology in the PSP… but you never say never, and as we roll out new products in the future we’ll keep an eye on consumer trends as we always do.

Which is, quite frankly, something John Koller already said before: that digital distribution will indeed be a very strong key factor in the future.

• PSP vs iPhone: PSP will always win as a dedicated games machine

Via GameDaily