Can BlackBerry 10 take down iOS and Android. Indeed, should it even try?

In the wake of the new platform's unveiling by the rebranded BlackBerry, we decided to get in contact with some of its keenest backers – some who've been there before, and some newcomers – for their take on what BB10 brings to the table.

Next up, we spoke to Chris Ye - co-founder of cross-platform Toronto studio Uken Games - who thinks BlackBerry 10 is perfectly placed to bring former BB users back on board.

Pocket Gamer: Generally speaking, what did you make of the BlackBerry 10 unveiling?

Chris Ye: I was genuinely excited for the event ,which is saying a lot for a brand that's taken a three year long beating from all angles.

I think BlackBerry managed to generate some real enthusiasm and capture the world's attention to showcase a really solid product in both the device and the OS.

Whether that translates into sales is a whole other question.

Are you working on the platform, and if so, why?

Before cross platform became a buzzword, over four years ago we developed this notion that as a customer, you could play a game on whatever mobile device you owned - for instance, while riding the train home from work - and then also continue that same experience on the computer or tablet when you got home in a seamless fashion.

That same seamlessness extended to when you switched phones or even OSes such that you could take your in game character with you to whatever device you chose to use.

We're seeing that through as a truly cross platform game company and BB10 is important enough to be included in that group. BlackBerry has also been a great partner of ours for two year now, so the firm told us about BB10, we naturally got involved.

How do you think it compares to the likes of iOS, Android and WP8 from a consumer perspective?

I think BB10 is a solid OS and holds its own against the competition.

I also think its got some really interesting unique features that will be selling points for certain people. I think given the momentum of iOS and Android and given that they have a lot more apps, it'll be very tough to convince consumers who are intrigued by the device to actually switch.

BlackBerry made much of the 70,000 apps it has ready to go from day one, though many it showcased appeared to be ports from iOS. Why would consumers want to switch formats to play with apps they already have on their existing handset?

It's important to remember that BlackBerry still has a significant install base in certain areas of the globe who will at some point upgrade their phone.

For these people, these 70,000 initial apps that are iOS ports are extremely important as they're likely core apps that have the highest reach.

For consumers already on iOS or Android, it's going to be near impossible to convince them to make a switch if even one of their core apps is not available on BB10.

That's why its so important for BlackBerry to continue striving for a strong developer community through robust tools and the best support.

What's BB10 like to develop for? Has BlackBerry been easy to work with?

With BB10, we've certainly seen a significant improvement over the original PlayBook dev tools and more importantly, I get the sense from speaking with BlackBerry executives that they realise the fundamental importance to maintaining world class tools.

That commitment will be extremely important going forward and hopefully it results in a much more robust app ecosystem.

Many see 2013 as playing home to a race for third place between BB10 and WP8. Who will come out on top?

My guess is as good as anyone's. I really hope they both do well as that's what will drive continued innovation in mobile phones.
Thanks to Chris for his time.