SCEA's Peter Dille: iPhone games 'a separate business' from PSP games
by JC Fletcher 
{ Mar 19th 2009 at 9:12AM } 
"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," Dille said. "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."
Dille also noted the PSP's reduced reliance on digital distribution, noting that 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." He then added, " ... 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," suggesting that one of the features that he had just mentioned as separating the two systems could go away.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
skyzbig @ Mar 19th 2009 9:25AM
Devs seem to think differently Peter.
koehler83 @ Mar 19th 2009 9:36AM
You are confusing game developers who make a living in the industry with homebrew coders with MacBook and Photoshop.
Orion @ Mar 19th 2009 10:12AM
@ Chris:
I love it when Apple haters use this example. You also conveniently forget that the iPhone is... a PHONE. That and it has 16 gigs of hd space that's included, and is a much more competant web browser and music player.
That and as stated above, an iPod Touch is hardly as bad as you make your slanted equation out ot be.
none @ Mar 19th 2009 11:33AM
I love Apple and am a self-proclaimed fanboi who has had an iPhone from day one. And although the 3.0 keynote was exciting and promising, I agree with this guy.
The PSP is made from the ground up for games. On the iPhone, it's an afterthought at the end of the day. Until I see games that give me 20-30+ hours of play on the iPhone, I won't consider the iPhone a threat to DS or PSP.
And Apple cannot compete, relying on the touch screen. Great for iPhone, horrible for gaming. Without a peripheral that adds buttons (done well), the iPhone games are just a quick distraction, as where I can sit for hours and play my PSP.
Phantasy Star Portable... Crisis Core... MGS Port Ops. The list goes on. When I play these games, I'm actually enjoying them, not fiddling with my PSP to kill some time.
The ONLY major benifit I see to iPhone games is the fact that I might appear to be doing something productive while playing a game on it. With a PSP it's really effing obvious what you are doing. LOL
required @ Mar 19th 2009 11:44AM
I'm pretty certain that the touch lacks some of the things the phone has like a camera. In other words, they do NOT play all the same apps.
Extinction @ Mar 19th 2009 2:56PM
iphones browser is vastly inferior to PSPs. PSPs doesnt crash every 5 minutes, can open any link in a new tab, lets you save any file to memory stick, supports flash, has cache
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Mar 19th 2009 9:26AM
PSP- $160
iPhone- $500 w/o contract($200 with+ monthly fees)
I think he has a point. Clearly I'd much rather have my PSP for gaming than my phone. I cant imagine trying to play most of my PSP games on an iPhone. even with revamping controls, I'd hate to have to touch the screen instead of REAL buttons all the time. not to mention the cost is more on the PSP side ESPECIALLY if they go to Digital distribution.
ronEbear @ Mar 19th 2009 9:58AM
Let`s not forget to include the iPod touch in your equation. You don`t have to buy the iPhone. They run the same software.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Mar 19th 2009 11:16AM
true
iPod touch runs about what $200-250??
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 19th 2009 9:29AM
Prefer my PSP for gaming.
Juddinrs @ Mar 19th 2009 12:07PM
yeah really, how am i supposed to play a decent game without any buttons
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 19th 2009 12:16PM
Or at least have a touch screen Dpad, although that idea doesn't fit well with me :S
tsukasa1288 @ Mar 19th 2009 9:30AM
I for the most part agree with him, I would never trade in gaming on my PSP for gaming on the iPhone. They are aiming at different demographics with their products, I'm not interesting in a bunch of mini-games with only touch screen controls, I want games with depth and story and gameplay that well, uses buttons.
ronEbear @ Mar 19th 2009 10:03AM
Just wait a bit and all your demands will be met. With 30 million hardware units sold that run the same gaming software it is just a matter of time before Apple itself releases a module for "buttons" control.
30 million units is no small number.
mark @ Mar 19th 2009 10:53AM
@ronebear
yes i see you've said that twice now. the fact of the matter is that games on the ipod touch or iphone still suck and lack any sort of depth whatsoever, apart from possibly rolito, which WISHES it was locoroco. (sidenote: i'll admit i believe locoroco could be great on the iphone but the screen is better on the psp, and the buttons are more convenient. most games on the iphone are equivalent to flash games that are free on the internet because they're too lame to buy. and if you're so into ipod touches than go over to an apple board and circle jerk to anything shiny with an apple logo on it.
mark @ Mar 19th 2009 10:56AM
im sorry i meant to reply to one of the two comments to which ronebear replied with ipod touch/iphone separating
Jon Acheson @ Mar 19th 2009 2:54PM
30 million is no small number, but it's smaller than 50 million.
ittybittygirl @ Mar 19th 2009 9:30AM
PSP must be getting awful lonely by now. Four years ago it was "Nintendo DS is in a separate market than PSP" and "Consumers carry PSP for its multimedia functions, not just for playing games."
I totally see where he's coming from though, but I'm more inclined to agree with his point based around the types of gameplay experiences each platform offers (One of the has Ultimate Ghosts'N Goblins, the other, not so much) rather than based on technical differences and hardware limitations.
novus82x @ Mar 19th 2009 11:44AM
I just don't get this assumption that the PSP is a bad platform. It would take you hundreds upon hundreds of hours to play all the good games that are out for the PSP.
Sure, if you just sit at home and play PSP all day, your options might dry up but who does that? I see the typical PSP owner as a gamer who probably owns 2 consoles anyways, and just want something to game on when out of the house.
I bought my PSP early 2008 and maybe it was bad in 2007 but I feel like I have a lon list of games to get to. I am struggling to decide which games to play next. So how is this a bad platform?
I can't argue the success of DS but it just doesn't appeal to me. I feel like all the "top DS games" are sprite graphics which I can take from time to time, but it's starting to feel a little dated. The games are marketed more towards kids. The PSP offers more grown up games IMO.
ittybittygirl @ Mar 19th 2009 1:21PM
Who said PSP was a bad platform? I LOVE my PSP (I guess the Ultimate Ghosts'N Goblins bit was too subtle).
Ridgecity @ Mar 19th 2009 2:54PM
The PSP isn't a bad console, but never got the attention it required, That why it's now a zombie, walking without any explanation why it still is walking. The same thing is happening to the PS3, Powerful consoles without the company caring to make them better, since their reliance on the Playstation brand to sell itself has proven people really give a crap about loyalty and change brands very easily (at least occidentals). Maybe if they had invested more money in software instead of product configurations we would have another market, but the guys the focused on software Nintendo and Microsoft are reaping the benefits at the moment, you could even say both companies didn't invest too much time on hardware as the Wii is a upgraded Gamecube and the Xbox360 is pasted together with silly putty.
Not to mention management problems inside the company, Kaz sucks handling this.
Mr Khan @ Mar 19th 2009 9:31AM
The DS and PSP retain certain advantages against the iPhone for now, notably in the fact that you don't have to pay a subscription fee to use them. If iPhone were playing on a level playing field with DS and PSP, it could serve the same purpose in the handheld industry as Wii is in the console industry, but the barriers of entry for consumers hinder that process for now, and probably for the foreseeable future
The iPhone is no more a gaming platform than the PC itself. They can serve that purpose, but its a small portion of the market thats really buying them for that purpose. Someone who already has an iPhone might not be a potential customer for a DS or PSP anymore, but the existing customer base is not going to be threatened
golobulus @ Mar 19th 2009 9:36AM
i'd never think to buy a phone for the purpose of video games.
Kattleox @ Mar 19th 2009 9:50AM
I did that for Metal Gear Mobile, and guess what? Portable Ops is better. Its like they don't even compete. >_>
Its obvious that they don't compete. I bought an LG enV2 so I could play Metal Gear Mobile (I'm a massive MGS nerd) and Its nice to have that game there for those times where I'm waiting for something and I don't want to get my PSP out, but there is NO WAY that it is better than Portable Ops, and the same goes here. One is for on the go, "I'm bored and all I have is my phone" action. The other is something you keep with you just in case. Comparing MGS: PO, Syphon Filter, or any decent (not Pipe Mania) PSP game to any iPhone game, its quick and dirty fun versus an actual game on an actual game console.
ronEbear @ Mar 19th 2009 9:57AM
Nor do you have to buy a phone for gaming purposes, the iPod touch has the same hardware, thus, runs the same software.
time @ Mar 19th 2009 9:47AM
I'd have to agree with Mr. Sony here.
Kattleox @ Mar 19th 2009 9:54AM
If you want, here is the inspiration for the iPhone game; its SP Mission 2 at the bottom of the page. Feel free to save the flash and play in on your PSP.
Orion @ Mar 19th 2009 10:17AM
The iPhone is doing just fine for games. I honestly don't understand his point at all. There are plenty of games I've played for quite a long time on the device. Don't get me wrong, I love my PSP, but the amount of games I have on my iPhone is nearing 50.. .the amount I have on my PSP (considering there's rarely an exciting release anymore) is roughly 10. I think, no matter how good some flagship titles are, says a lot.
Lastly, I think it's funny how many people here are dissing a system they have never played. When I got my iPhone, the last thing I thought I'd be doing on it was playing games. I didn't think it was really possible. But when you play games like Sway for instance, it kinda puts this guy's theory to waist.
Orion @ Mar 19th 2009 10:18AM
Also, since most of the devs are indies, you're getting a large percentage of games that add on levels every week or month, which isn't possible with the PSP really. Again, I love the PSP (especially for mobile Battlefront :D), but I have never gotten an alert saying I was getting 10 new levels, and with no charge none-the-less.
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 19th 2009 12:04PM
Can't compare my Iphone to my PSP, even with having more games on my Iphone, they still don't give me the same enjoyment of my PSP gaming functions. Okay, the music player is more convenient, the browser is better and so are various other functions, but lets not forget when the PSP came out, plus the added fact Sony went for UMD rather then DD.
So the fact you get updates for '10 new levels' is only a feature that makes Iphone games all the more entertaining to play, but still doesn't give me the same amount of fun as playing GTA, Tomb Raider, or Crisis core for 3 small examples, and even if Iphone could handle them, the controls would suck, at least Tomb Raider DS gives you the option to play with the dpad as well as touch screen, I phone is just touch, which severely limits the gameplay options, and games are basically mini games in comparison to games on DS and PSP.
Saying that, there is nothing that Apple has done that Sony cannot improve upon with thier next PSP, they already have the store and DD is slowly becoming standard on PSP, the last couple of games I've bought for it have been over the store and play even better then the UMD counterparts. They too come with updates and added stuff, all of which Sony can improve upon over time, the only thing holding them back is the old tech of the PSP compared to the modern requirements and capabilities of Digital Distribusion.
tmacairjordan87 @ Mar 19th 2009 10:18AM
Until I see some iphone games with the same level of complexity (hell, ANY level of complexity) as the top psp games, it will remain a joke of a gaming machine to me.
baby sea tuna @ Mar 19th 2009 10:21AM
The main difference I've noticed between the two platforms is that Fieldrunners doesn't make me want to smash my iPhone into a million little pieces like Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? makes me want to do to my PSP.
mgsrocks1 @ Mar 19th 2009 10:43AM
Sounds to me like Sony will try to make the PSP2 always connected 24/7. You know how we pay for Xbox Live? How about if Sony makes some kind of deal with AT&T or another carrier for gamers to be able to use the 3G network. You will be play online on PSN anytime and anywhere, to surf the internet, listen to podcasts, use the GPS, etc. I think it's a good idea. Pay like $30 a month and get unlimited access to the 3G network. Perfect when you on the move a lot. Sony also should open up the PSP for 3rd party apps. There are already being made unofficially. Why not make it official that way people don't resort to downgrading firmwares. What do you guys think?
ill trooper @ Mar 19th 2009 11:01AM
I think that sounds like it will never ever happen. Sony doesn't have it like that with mobile carriers, no one likes monthly subscriptions on things that aren't phones, and the PSP has too little momentum to convince people that that would be a good move.
I would suggest that if you are into all of that stuff you want, you just carry a PSP with you and also get an iPhone, or a T1 Android-based phone, or wait for a Pre. What you want from the PSP (gps, podcasts, 3rd party apps, web surfing) is already out there.
novus82x @ Mar 19th 2009 11:50AM
$30/month is way too much but if they did this... I would pee myself I think.
I'd pay $5/month... mayyybe $10/month (big maybe). But imagine how much more developers could do knowing that their game would be online 24/7. The possibilities are pretty promising.
ill trooper @ Mar 19th 2009 10:44AM
What he's saying makes sense, and I don't think many were disputing that.
But what so many people miss when they talk about the iPhone as a gaming platform (tmac, for instance) is that it's a phone. And when I got it, it was what I expected it to be: a phone with e-mail, internet, etc. So when the AppStore came out, and games started happening, and good games at that, it was an unexpected secondary effect that has been awesome. As I've stated several times before, it's outdated my needs for my DS and my PSP, which I despise lugging around for 'diversionary' fun. Maybe it's ok for you to carry a DS or a PSP around, but I don't want to carry one or pull one out in public.
I mean, flat out, the negative opinions don't matter: the games are happening anyway, the spice is flowing, it doesn't matter if you don't consider it a gaming platform or not. People are having fun.
novus82x @ Mar 19th 2009 12:02PM
Well put... this has already arrived and is going to be a huge success.
If it's a threat to Sony's bottom line, that's disputable though. I honestly think it just boils down to iphone = casual..... PSP = more hardcore.
I bring my PSP with me 5 days a week to work. I just slip it in my peacoat or in the summer, slip it in my "manbag". So I don't really mind lugging two devices. On the weekends when I'm just out doing whatever, I won't have my PSP with me because I'm in a different mind set. I'm either home playing consoles or out hanging with gf/family (PSP = rude at when in that situation).
Either way, god bless the PSP. I am addicted to video games and although I am fine when distracted with work, I cannot stand the idle moments in life like walking to the parking garage or waiting in a line. I have an hour lunch and I am typically done eating in like 10 minutes so then I either go back to work or just sit there bored, surf the web... with the PSP, lunch is like my escape time that breaks the day up. I get to put on my earbuds and veg out for an hour.
What's funny is ever since I got my PSP, I am more productive at work. I'm more tolerable in group projects. I think getting my gaming hit in the middle of the day stops me from getting all edgy and twitchy, fiending for some gaming action. LOL
David Black @ Mar 19th 2009 1:08PM
@novus82x
Are you my clone? All joking aside, I have the exact same routine with my PSP.
Albert @ Mar 19th 2009 11:16AM
iPhone/iPod either way just not in the same platforms. iPhone is completely a what can I do while I'm bored style gaming/games. PSP/DS offer hours of gameplay, with battery life that makes more sense
Albert @ Mar 19th 2009 11:16AM
In the end its more likely both devices will move towards each other
lego91994 @ Mar 19th 2009 11:54AM
The iPod Touch can use atleast 95% of the apps out there, the only thing seperating it from the iPhone is the obvious phone features, camera, and microphone. Those feautures aren't used in the majority of apps anyways.
lego91994 @ Mar 19th 2009 11:59AM
ugh... stupid comment system! this was meant as a reply to Skyzbig
Mr Khan @ Mar 19th 2009 12:00PM
Also: its not about complexity. The language this exec used to dismiss the iPhone is the same language other execs have tried to use to dismiss the Wii. "It's a diversion, not something you seriously play,"
Gaming itself is a diversion to most. The hobbyists are a dedicated core, but a core only. The best handheld games have been the diversionary games, the games that were trying to be different from a console experience. If anything, the iPhone being more diversionary, yet clearly having the power to also create matching experiences, should make it a severe threat to handheld gaming as we know it. It's being held back by the fact that its a phone, and is thus limited by expense
Change up the interface and introduce a "pay as you go" model, or something like it, and it would sweep the competition away.
Maverick Saturn @ Mar 19th 2009 12:14PM
Sony's issue here is that they are trying to keep thier gaming market seperate from thier phone market, and thier TV market seperate from thier TV market etc, in a sense they have kind of shot themselves in the foot because while trying to avoid saturating a market by merging two markets together, they are loosing market share.
There is no reason the PSP and Phones can't be merged together with Sony walkmans and media players other then the fact that people will have less reason to buy a normal Sony phone when they can buy the PSPhone with everything in it.
Apple has no limitations so they can afford to do that, they have no markets to saturate, they have only just entered the Phone market, and they only entered the MP3 and media market with the Ipods, so all this is new to them, theres nothing to loose as the markets they enter into aren't already existing like Sony's.
Take PS3 and Bravias for example, there could be a PS3 Bravia, or a Bravia with built in blu-ray player, or all three merged. The possibilities are endless, but what would this mean for Sony's existing markets and products.
Personally I think Sony should start making moves to merge markets, its risky for each market, but its a chance they'll have to take to ensure they aren't overtaken by other media businesses with new and innovative ideas like Apple, that Sony had in the grasp of thier hands.
ToRo @ Mar 19th 2009 1:12PM
I'd be more interested if this involved the G1. But apple and it's over priced products win again!
Miguel @ Mar 19th 2009 2:12PM
I would see the iPhone as more of a threat to the DS than the PSP. The PSP seems to cater to larger, more powerful, longer, bigger budget, hardcore games, while the DS, although it does have hardcore games, also has a lot more casual, simple, casual games.
Among the some of the best selling DS games are the Brain age series, Nintendogs, Cooking Mama, and Mario Kart. These are games that could arguably be very well recreated or copied for the iPhone/iPod platform. Plus, I'm sure there are many more titles that could be included in that list.
ill trooper @ Mar 19th 2009 3:45PM
I totally agree, and I posted something similar a few weeks ago in a post about the DS:
"In fact, the smart move here for Nintendo would be to port games like
Nintendogs, Mario Cart, Animal Crossing, Brain Age, etc., over to the
iPhone platform, get them on the AppStore, and make even MORE money,
especially if they feel the hardware isn't really in competition
anyway."
That seems like the best way for Nintendo to benefit from the iPhone's success. I don't think there's really the same sort of path for the PSP games other than Lumines-type puzzle games.
Extinction @ Mar 19th 2009 3:00PM
"but I have never gotten an alert saying I was getting 10 new levels, and with no charge none-the-less"
Killzone for PSP did that. NO game for iphone has