Gamescom 2011 has been crucial for Vita, with new game announcements and info on some of the games we already knew about. While most of this news has been aimed at the consumers, a segment of news we’ve come across is just as great for independent developers as it is for consumers.
SCEE’s George Bain spoke today about the price of the PS Vita development kit:
The PS Vita development kit is going to be very affordable, and when I say affordable I mean €1,900 plus VAT.
Considering that the price of the dev kit for the PSP is €15,000 and even steeper for the PS3 at €20,000, this low price means that small independent developers can easily afford to snatch up a dev kit and start work on bringing their titles to Vita.
While this low entry price for Vita’s dev kit is a drastic step by Sony to pull in as many indie developers as possible for Vita, it’s also not the last step either. Sony is also offering up free dev kits and seeing up to 15 gaming pitches daily as well — social and non-gaming apps will be seen at a later date — via the SCEA PubFund, which allows small developers the chance to create games for Sony’s platforms with some nice perks; Sony matching the budget cost with guaranteed royalties; helping with development and market, etc. To top it off, the developer retains ownership of the IP, and the only cost to them is that the game has to remain exclusive to Sony’s platforms. Bain had this to say:
There is no cost to join the PS Vita Develop Program, there's just that cost of the dev kit. If you're a small developer, we’re happy to talk to you about this. It will help if you have a games portfolio. There's no reason we won't speak with smaller studios about joining up.
This is excellent news for any small developers out there interested in bringing their games to Vita, and it’s also great news for those looking to purchase Vita in the future, with the promise of a larger stable of games for the system. PSN’s downloadable service has already seen a swarm of fantastic indie titles come our way with the likes of Everyday Shooter, Flower, Burn Zombie Burn and PixelJunk Monsters to name just a few, and this news heightens the prospect of us seeing more of these types of titles make their way onto Vita. Just imagining the possibilities has already gotten us excited, and if you’re a small developer out there looking to work on Vita, there is no better time than now.
[source develop-online.net]
Comments 9
This is a good move from sony. Can't wait to see awesome indie games being developed for the PSV.
That doesn't sound much more expensive than the mac you have to have to make iOS games.
I'm sure it's a tidbit that all the "sky is falling for handhelds" people will ignore as they constantly repeat the "oh anyone can make an iPhone game" argument.
@Advancedcaveman I can't comment on the iOS dev kit, as I know nothing of it, but I know that the PubFund program that Sony offers is top notch. They really give developers a great deal with this option and guarantee them royalties, which I don't think any other company does - I know Nintendo doesn't for sure. I will still never understand why Sony turned a blind eye to Team Meat and their incredible Super Meat Boy title!
@DrCruse The Vita dev kits come with an HDMI cable port to connect it computers and/or HDMI TV's - which will not be available on the consumer models. If I'm not mistaken, the dev kit also comes with software as well,
Well this may lead to higher prices on games if Sony wants to profit somewhere from the Vita
@ Slapshot: I don't blame Sony for passing on Super Meat Boy. Just like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja, it's something you can fall in love with or totally ignore and be happy anyway. On the other hand, it would be foolish for Team Meat to pass on the chance of working on Vita. With that price point for the devkits, it's very difficult to be more entry level.
@Iz20XX Actually I highly doubt it will. The PubFund has been around since the conception of the PSN Store and it will actually bring more cheaper priced Indie Titles to Vita if anything.
@Strider_Hiryu They've said that developing for an exclusive company was a mistake and they've had a really rough time of it with Nintendo, so I'd definitely think that Vita is going to be an option for them.
I wouldn't call $1,000,000 affordable.
@gamrgod5 Depends if you're a games developer selling your game at $40 a time I guess
@James Sorry, but I was just doing my daily duty of defending Nintendo by ripping on Sony.
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