When Sony released the Vita, we all thought it would make possible the sort of experiences we’d seen first with fantastical PSP demonstrations. More recently, the Wii U had been unveiled amidst demonstration videos showing how innovative a second screen could be with games and media consumption.
Then Microsoft announced SmartGlass at this year’s E3 and our first thought was why the Vita and PlayStation 3 (and even Sony’s smartphones and tablets) combination had failed to meet expectations and deliver that experience.
Well, Sony seems to have noticed that this trend for second screens is picking up pace and although they’re a few years behind where they could (should?) have been, their European head, Jim Ryan, is talking about the promise of the Vita alongside the PlayStation 3.
One of our main strategies is this broadening of the PlayStation ecosystem – whether it’s the use of Vita in some sort of second screen capacity or whether it’s like the announcements yesterday of PlayStation Mobile. We think that ubiquitous access to content is something that consumers are expecting and are entitled to. It’s one of the great things about a company like Sony is that we can provide it. We’re very pleased to do that
Without further details, it’s easy to remember the infamous PSP wing mirror demonstration and how that innovative promise was completely ignored but this time it could be different.
Nintendo will be charming gamers and pursuing their expansive casual customer base with uses for their GamePad second screen and Microsoft seems like they’ll be pushing content providers to create for their SmartGlass initiative. With competitors in a position – and seemingly more willing – to do what Sony should have perhaps been doing since the PSP’s release, there is added pressure on them to finally meet that potential.
Source: CVG
gazzagb
Sony will be all talk, show us a couple of games where it works, then they’ll largely forget about it, just like remote play with the PSP or supporting Move.
parryman
Continuous play was a big selling point on Vita, but it doesn’t work.
They need to sort it soon or they are going to lose a fortune on Vita.
bigbaldwolf
I’m not a fan of the whole 2 screen thing. I’m watching one screen but then have to look away from the game at something else? I don’t mind pausing the game to look at menus or maps. At least it should be optional anyway (except for the Wii U)
Omac_brother
Am I the only person that really doesnt give a damn about a second screen? Im more than happy with just one…
psychobudgie
nope, I couldn’t care less and I for one don’t see how it in anyway enhances anything I play. I struggle at times to concentrate on one screen. Last thing I want is to be hunting for my mobile to play a game effectively just to discover that the battery is flat.
Utter toss and anyone seriously excited by this should put their copy of kinectimals down for 5 minutes and think about it for a bit.
freezebug2
I think that you have misunderstood what people are excited about here, it’s not about playing a game with the TV and Vita’s screen working together. It’s about being able to carry on playing the same game from your PS3 onto the Vita after the TV has been switched off or is needed by someone else to watch mindless brain numbing soap opera’s or similar toss!! ;)
bunimomike
We’re still in peripheral ambivalence and the momentum that Ninty might fashion will be the only thing to push Sony’s situation on using a second screen. Much like the Move controller, devs aren’t really that interested when it’s only able to access a small slice of the customer base. Nintendo have it in the box as standard so will hopefully be able to make this more mainstream. Then again, if it’s perceived as even remotely fussy, people might go elsewhere.