If I could clap over the internet I would at that statement.

'dedicated gaming portables evoke a purity of purpose and interface that brings the best out of developers.'



I would argue that Tiny Wings on iOS has both purity of purpose and interface that are far superior to any game that ever appeared on the PSP. I can't think of any games on the DS that can compete either, but the catalog there is much larger, so I could be forgetting one.



And Tiny Wings is not the only such game. It seems like you're arguing the opposite here - that dedicated gaming portables allow for a much deeper experience (at least in theory). Less pure, less focused, allowing for more complexity. And the theory that the user is willing to invest more time mastering the richer vocabulary for a more rewarding experience.

Curious; I've owned everything from Lynx to GBA to Game Gear to Turbo Express to Neo Geo Pocket to DS to PSP and my feeling is exactly the opposite. When I hear people decrying the 'simplicity' of the iOS market and how it's not for 'real' gamers, I know that they simply have no knowledge of the sheer variety of experiences available on the platform these days and are just dismissing it out of hand. Is Cave, to choose the most convenient example, not a 'pure' or 'deep' game developer? They've chosen iOS over the other portable platforms to bring their shooters to. I suppose Jeff Minter doesn't qualify as a Pure Game Developer either? All the new Llamasoft titles seem to be aimed at iOS. Yes, there are plenty of casual experiences on the platform too - which is something that can also be said for the DS, for instance - but there's absolutely no shortage of hardcore gaming either. I can't fault gamers for dismissing the iDevices out of hand, but to hear companies like Sony and Nintendo doing it just leaves me with the impression that they Don't Get It - and it's hard for me not to feel that that abject dismissal is what's gotten them into the trouble they're already in.

It's not really abject dismissal, and I acknowledge that a lot of respectable "core" developers like Cave and Mr. Minter have dipped their toes into the profitable iOS pool. And yet what they have in common is that they're having to fit their style of game design into the iOS format and its inherent gaming options. Yes, they can still execute an expression of their game design using overlayed touchscreen d-pads and intelligent touch controls, and it's often workable or outright wonderful in original titles, and but that's not necessarily the shoe-horning that a hardcore gamer desires for traditional console genres.



Someone below stated: "But 'Hardcore' consumers are going to look at this; do I want a game system in my hand when I already have a game system at home?"



I think that's exactly what we're dealing with, and what Sony is somewhat arrogantly over-stating: Yes, I really do want a game system in my hands that behaves very similarly and plays similar games to the game console I have at home. Because there it is, my console, at home, and here I am, on the road looking for a real home console-like experience.



I can try thousands of different game design efforts on my iPad or Android phone, but I understand the inherent capacity of those platforms and what's required to execute (or mimic) home console-like, traditional genre experiences.



And I find myself wanting the Vita's twin analog sticks. I want the big overkill quad core CPU, 5-inch capacitive multi-touch, rear touchpad (for L2/R2), etc. I want that home console, traditional genre experience in a portable. I have room for that in my gaming appetite, and I know it's a hunger that cannot be satiated on my iOS and Android devices due to inherent constraints.



I think the Vita will find its place and moderate success. I know I'll pack it up alongside my iPad for traveling, because I won't have stunning, properly-controllable Uncharted, Wipeout, and Metal Gear games on that iPad. Some really cool iOS efforts, even in genres I like? Yeah. Just not at a level that correctly mirrors the contemporary home console, traditional genre experience that I desire.



It's OK to have multiple portable gaming options.