Shawn Layden: PSP Once Worried Nintendo in the Handheld Market
Former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden admits that the PlayStation Portable (PSP) once made Nintendo nervous. He made the remark in an interview with the YouTube channel The Expansion Pass, as reported by Gamebrott.
Layden recalls that Sony showed off the PSP around 2003 to 2005. A friend of his who worked at Nintendo then sent him a message that showed irritation. Layden replied that the industry is fundamentally about entertainment and video games.
On the numbers, the PSP sold around 70.4 million units worldwide. That was a huge success, but not enough to beat the Nintendo DS, which sold around 154 million units. Layden also discussed its successor, the PS Vita, which he considers a failure because Sony misread its position in the handheld market and took a long time to realize it. In his view, consumers only want a handheld that delivers a play experience without having to imitate a console, and he pointed to the PS Vita's attempt to bring third-person shooters to the device.
As someone who collects old consoles, I find this story interesting, because the PSP and DS are now in the retro device category. Imagining two giants watching each other in that era makes old handheld collections feel like they have stories of their own.
Source: Gamebrott
Layden recalls that Sony showed off the PSP around 2003 to 2005. A friend of his who worked at Nintendo then sent him a message that showed irritation. Layden replied that the industry is fundamentally about entertainment and video games.
On the numbers, the PSP sold around 70.4 million units worldwide. That was a huge success, but not enough to beat the Nintendo DS, which sold around 154 million units. Layden also discussed its successor, the PS Vita, which he considers a failure because Sony misread its position in the handheld market and took a long time to realize it. In his view, consumers only want a handheld that delivers a play experience without having to imitate a console, and he pointed to the PS Vita's attempt to bring third-person shooters to the device.
As someone who collects old consoles, I find this story interesting, because the PSP and DS are now in the retro device category. Imagining two giants watching each other in that era makes old handheld collections feel like they have stories of their own.
Source: Gamebrott
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