The rise of smartphones and tablet devices has raised the issue of whether or not dedicated portable gaming devices have a place anymore. EA COO Peter Moore is definitely in a contemplative mood when it comes to the PS Vita.

“I think Sony does brilliant hardware, as we all know,” said Moore. “I think the broader question is what is the role of dedicated handheld gaming years from now More and more we see the ubiquity of smart-phones and tablets, how does a dedicating gaming device fit in, add value, and still get the same volumes that it needs in terms of hardware that we were used to in the golden days of Game Boys and PSP So I think the broader question is what is the role of a dedicated device compared to these relatively cost-effective tablets and smart-phones that have great screens and plenty of buttons to control the game with ”

“To their credit I think they saw that they had a sell-through issue and they dropped their price. I think it’s going to be an interesting test for them this Christmas, I think we’re all hoping it will be a tremendous Christmas present,” said Moore on Nintendo 3DS. “I think it is aimed at a younger consumer for the most part. We continue to look at it. We have FIFA coming out on it. We have Madden in the U.S. on it. Like any device we wish it all the best and we will monitor it and watch the sell-throughs and if there are business opportunities to bring new content, different content, or bring some of our great brands there in the future on top of what we have already committed then we will certainly do that.”

Source: Sydney Morning Herald