Speaking during Gamescon 2011 in Cologne, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau claimed Sony's PS Vita stands a much better chance of surviving in an industry impacted by mobile gaming than Nintendo's 3DS.

 

Specifically in relation to the PS Vita's new social features and control technology, Gibeau condemned 3DS's comparative lack of titles and the confusing nature of its launch.

Disruptive smartphones

"I think that part of the videogame business is tough right now because they have had some significant competition come in that was totally disruptive, and that was the smartphone," Gibeau said.

"I think [Sony has] got a shot because they have some really unique innovation in the control scheme, the technology and the screen.

"It's got a lot of social features now so that you can actually communicate with your friends and be social."

Gibeau noted PS Vita's users won't be able to 'ring their friends up' in the same way they can on mobile, but he maintained Sony's new device has "most of the capabilities that you'd find in a smartphone."

Show me the titles

In contrast, 3DS feels entirely disconnected from the mobile market.

"3DS was a really interesting piece of technology but I think there was some confusion over it and the title slate was a little different," he continued.

"I think Vita has a better chance because it has a stronger title slate at launch.

"PSP's had a great run in Europe ... it seems to have reached a much larger audience here than it did in North America. So I think they've got a good shot. We're going to publish a few games on it and see how it develops."

[source: CVG]