Now that Nintendo has officially revealed the Wii U to the world, all three platform holders are jumping on board dual-screen technology. During its E3 press conference, Microsoft announced Smart Glass – a feature that will allow players to interact with the Xbox 360 using a tablet computer. Meanwhile, Sony has focused on the interaction between PS3 and Vita.
While this functionality didn’t exactly headline the company’s E3 line-up, the platform holder was running a rather interesting demo of LittleBigPlanet 2 being played with Vita controls in a shadowy corner of its booth.
In that demo, the game was able to take advantage of both the processing power of the PlayStation Vita and the PlayStation 3 – something Sony executive Scott Rohde believes is an advantage over the Wii U.
Speaking with GamesIndustry International, he said:
That Wii U tablet doesn't have a processor in it, so it's got to be fuelled by that box sitting under your TV.
We can do some pretty special things that you'll start to see on the [E3] floor this year and you'll see more over the upcoming months about what you can do when you actually have a processor in the thing that's in your hand as well.
Of course, the big caveat that Rohde’s not addressing is that – unlike the Wii U gamepad – the Vita is an expensive unit on its own. For significant resources to be put into Vita to PS3 cross-controller connectivity, developers will need to ensure that a substantial number of consumers own both devices, and that’s unlikely.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 5
It's more of a way of saying to PS3 owners: Hey, do you want to spend $300 for a Wii U? Or do you want to spend $250 for a Vita, which works the same way and is also a true portable? Ups Vita sales and holds onto PS3 owners. A good plan, I'd say.
You dont need to be a rocket scientist to know that the PS Vita have one thing that the Wii U dont have and that is portability. I would like to see a Wii U owner take the tablet outside the living room and use it as a gaming device. If Nintendo wanted an advantage, they should have made the controller a true tablet where it is portable and can function independantly without the set box. this would not only make them a true contender to xbox and Ps3/PS vita but possibly the apple Ipad, nooks, and other tablets in the market today.
The only problems I see would be how much more optional this is compared to Wii U. Sure, developers have the option to alter functionality with the controller on Wii U, but not only do PS3/V developers have that option, but so do consumers.
In order for something like this to be marketed well, I think we need to see a couple of things.
1. True remote play
2. A few solid games that use Cross Controller
3. A PS3/Vita bundle at a solid price ($400?)
Just get a PS3 first, then a few months later, get a Vita.
I really hope the cross play for LBP2 comes sooooooooon!
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