UFC Personal Trainer Devs: PlayStation Vita Will Be “A Car Wreck”

PlayStation Vita is set to hit shelves in Japan later this year, with a US and PAL release in early 2012. The handheld has so far, been heavily supported by the developer community, with many speaking highly of the device.

That is until today, as Heavy Iron employees Lyle Hall and Matthew Seymour have said that the console is over-priced and stated that a device having a single function, in this case gaming, is no longer going to cut the mustard. The success of Android and Apple’s iPhone were an example of consumers wanting a device that carries out multiple tasks, according to the UFC Personal Trainer developers.

Speaking to GI.biz, Hall stated that “If people aren’t willing to pay $249 for a Nintendo 3DS why would they pay $299 for Vita? People don’t want to carry more than one thing in their pocket, that’s why Android and iPhone have done so well, they are the devices of choice, they offers multiple functions outside of gaming,”

Seymour was a little more to the point while giving his opinion. “With all due respects to Sony and Vita, it’s a car wreck. And how about Xperia Play? I’d love to pull up the numbers on that.”

Many would argue against the points of the Heavy Iron pair, but with Nintendo being forced to effectively half the price of its fledgeling 3DS handheld, it is easy to see where they are coming from.

Even though the comments may seem harsh, Heavy Iron do not want Vita to fail and actually admire the technology involved.“The technology is sweet, I’m a huge fan of mobile technology, but I just don’t know there’s a market out there anymore for the hardware. I can’t see why you would want to put a device out that only does games.” Said Hall.

One thing is for sure, the market is changing. What remains to be seen is if there is a real place for dedicated handheld systems in the current market, with many young people desperate to get their hands on the latest smartphones. Devices like Nintendo’s 3DS and PlayStation Vita are sure to be compared to iOS and Android phones and tablets, but until those devices really catch up in terms of power and graphics, there does seem to be a large enough gap for PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3Ds consoles, in my opinion.

Do you think that a handheld such as PlayStation Vita has a place in your pocket along with your smartphone? Or would you rather just play Angry Birds while out and about? Let us know in the comments.

Source: GI.biz