The PG.biz Hot Five: How BlackBerry might rebound, while PS Vita starts to dive
Welcome to PocketGamer.biz's weekly rundown of the stories clocking up the hits, picking up the click-throughs and generally keeping the advertisers happy by serving up page views.
Or, if you'd prefer, the top five stories currently dominating our readers' attention.
Each week, we'll be counting down the biggest news from the previous seven days, giving just a glimpse of the industry's big issues, from five to one.
Fishlabs CEO on why he thinks BlackBerry 10 gaming could outgun Android
Will RIM rebound with the launch of BlackBerry 10?
Some developers think so; one of which is Michael Schade, the head of German developer Fishlabs, which is pushing onto the platform with its Galaxy on Fire 2 HD title.
He's particularly keen on BlacKBerry's ability to sell premium games; something that doesn't happen on Android.
"The paid model just doesn't work on Android," he argues. "I wouldn't be surprised if BlackBerry App World did up to 50 percent of the revenue we see on App Store."
The Super Voinov Twins on how brotherly love for the ZX Spectrum eventually led to Cut the Rope
Want to know more about the twins behind Cut the Rope?
Well, we have just the article for you, which looks back at their Russian upbringing, their first games made for the ZX Spectrum and their various professional jobs.
Of course, there's also discussion of how Cut the Rope came about, as well as hints about the twins' future games.
BlackBerry 10 has potential but RIM needs to win over non-Apple users says GlitchSoft's Rob Price
Continuing on our BB 10 theme, we spoke to Canadian developer GlitchSoft.
Obviously, the big requirement for the platform will be a large install base when it launches - likely in September. GlitchSoft's marketing director Rob Price suggests RIM focuses on getting its new devices into the hands on non-Apple users.
PS Vita hardware sales less than a third of the PSP after 10 weeks
The launch of PS Vita has clearly been slow, but only now can we put a number on it - at least in terms of the UK situation.
According to Gfk Chart-Track data, Vita has sold around 100,000 units in 10 weeks, around a third of what the PSP did during its launch period in 2006.
Caution has been suggested in terms of making direct comparisons between the two systems, though, both in terms of Vita's higher price and the seasonality of the launch periods (February for Vita, September for PSP).
Opinion: PS Vita risks becoming this generation's Dreamcast
Why hasn't PS Vita sold more?
It's nothing to do with price, reckons Pocket Gamer EIC Kristan Reed.
Instead, it's a combination of a lack of high profile games, the high price of games, and - indeed - a widespread shift of the gaming audience from console platforms to what we could call an open smartphone content ecosystem with lots of very cheap games that work across a range of different hardware.
"I would love to be proved wrong, but all the signs are that we have another Dreamcast on our hands: a much-loved system doomed to delight the hardcore while the masses spend their money elsewhere," Reed concludes.