john koller | GIZMODO.cz

Sony isn't sharing exact numbers, but Sony Computer Entertainment America VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles John Koller teased that "almost all" PlayStation Vita owners are also PlayStation 3 owners. We were discussing the potential crossover between Vita and PS3 -- the obvious comparison to Nintendo's latest offering, the Wii U, and its tablet controller. The Vita and the PS3 are capable of producing similar functionality, and, if anything, with higher fidelity, as the Vita is a standalone console.

Koller says Sony invites the comparison. "We tell our PlayStation fans all the time that what the Wii U is offering is something that Vita and PS3 can do quite easily," he says. It's not just about the functionality, however, it's about whether implementing that functionality makes any sense. "It's dependent on the content. So we need to make sure the content isn't force fed. And, to us, making sure that the gamer receives the right type of experience is what's most important. So we're gonna pick our spots, but that technology does certainly exist here."

It wouldn't be hard to imagine Sony bundling the Vita and its new PS3 model together for holiday sales, pushing up against this holiday's Wii U launch. Koller says not just yet, though. "As we look at the lineup, there are gonna be some opportunities to do that. Whether we want to bundle the hardware together remains to be seen," he explains. It sounds like we'll be hearing more on that front in the future, as "retails asks for it all the time," Koller says. For now, however, he's happy knowing that the vast majority of Vita owners are already prepared for cross-functionality between the two consoles. "In the meantime, you look at the Vita consumer and a very high percentage -- almost all of them -- own a PS3. So you see that crossover works."

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

Of PlayStation Vita owners, 'almost all' own PlayStation 3 as well originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Call it the "SuperSlim," the "Ultrasvelte," or the "LipoStation 3" -- just as long as "it stays positive," says Sony Computer Entertainment America VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles John Koller. The new, even thinner version of the PlayStation 3 doesn't have a new name to distinguish itself from the myriad other PS3 models. Like Apple's third iPad iteration, the third iteration of the PlayStation 3 is simply, "The PlayStation 3." And like the second PS3 console, Koller says the new model is Sony's new standard, with previous models going the way of the Puerto Rican shrew (poor little guy is totally extinct).

The new PS3 comes in two models for North America, 250GB and 500GB, which Koller says is a result of North American consumers being more "digitally inclined" than other territories. "We have to provide the hard drive size and the opportunity for them to be able to, out of the box, utilize that content," he argues. But this philosophy may be flawed -- one of Sony's main competitor's, Nintendo, is applying the same logic to its Wii U, albeit with starkly different results. Nintendo argues that it doesn't want to pass the rapidly declining cost of memory on to the consumer, so you'll be able to attach any form of external memory to its console. That functionality also exists in the PS3 -- Flash memory via USB or a full-on internal HDD replacement -- but Koller says consumers are more inclined to purchase additional consoles rather than replacing internal storage. "When you look at some of the earlier chassis, and the really early adopters -- the 20GB, and the 60GB -- that consumer had a choice. They could either go out and buy another hard drive -- and it's an easy install, so we make it easy for the consumer if they want to take a hard drive off the shelf and plug it in, they can do that. They had a choice of doing that, or purchasing another PlayStation 3. And what's been happening is we're seeing a lot of adoption of second consoles in-house," Koller says.

That philosophy is why Europe's the only territory getting a 12GB Flash-based PlayStation 3. Sure, consumers can expand the system's memory with Flash -- the new model allows for internal memory expansion as well -- but that doesn't line up with SCEA's goals in its territory. "The smaller Flash drive isn't coming to North America, and a lot of that reason is the digital consumer," Koller says. "We really want to make sure, out of the box, that there is an option for them to be able to download that content. That is really critical for us, very very important."

Gallery: Sony PlayStation 3 (2012) official press shots