
If it seems that every new gadget that comes down the pike is eventually referred to as a "rival" to one or more iDevices, you're not alone in that estimation. This week, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Sony hyped its next-generation gaming device - the PlayStation Vita - which will turn up in the US before the end of 2011.
The new device is aimed at competing with the likes of Apple's iPod Touch and the plethora of smartphones and tablets on the market. After the device was first unveiled in January, the show on Monday revealed other details, including the name and basic price.
No shortage of mobile gaming fans, however, are psyched about the PlayStation Vita, which serves up a quad-core processor as well as quad-core graphics to go with dual analog sticks and - you guessed it - front and rear-facing cameras. Still, despite what most see as "competitive" pricing, some analysts believe that Sony is putting too-high a price tag on the Vita for its initial market introduction. "That's fine for core gamers who want to play games all the time, but it's too expensive for the mass market," Dan Ernst, a Hudson Square research analyst, tells Yahoo Finance.
Regardless of whether the Vita will hit it big and capture some of the iPod touch market share, the global games market is more lucrative now than ever, with some projections putting the market at $65 billion this year, an increase from $62.7 billion in 2010.
Source: Yahoo Finance
Message