People see Vita as 'iPod of handheld gaming' says Sony

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Digital sales on the rise

“Compared to PS3, Vita has had a higher percentage of games bought digitally since it was first launched,” says PlayStation UK’s Managing Director Fergal Gara, in an interview with VG24/7. “It’s interesting and it demonstrates how many people look at it as the iPod of handheld gaming.”

Gara continues to explain that, “More Vita games are still consumed through physical game cards than they are through digital, but things are increasingly moving the other way,” before pondering that wince inducing future where, “Could be that in future physical games becomes the side we do without.” The hesitant Luddite in me still shrinks at that notion every time.

Of course, doing a lot of digital sales for the Vita is all well and good, but the system needs to sell a whole lot more hardware and software in general before we go around making iPod connections. Gara was equally humble and conciliatory that the Vita hasn’t done as well as they hoped.

Still, with Sony, it’s always a long game, and with the successful release of the PS4, the Vita may be just about to hit its stride. “We always planned for Remote Play with the PS Vita and PS4,” Gara explains. “From an architecture point of view, that compatibility between the two was always designed into the Vita’s system. By the time PS Vita development started we were well into the development path of the PlayStation 4, so things were very much designed to work together.”

What with my three favorite games of the last two years all appearing on the Vita and Gravity Rush 2 on the horizon, I’m about as big of a Vita supporter as there is. It will be interesting to see how the PS4 launch, as well as the PS Vita TV and a small redesign, affect development and sales for the handheld.

PS Vita: “People look at it as the iPod of handheld gaming,” says Sony boss [VG24/7]