Yoshida: Sony was "too happy" with the PSP

Sony won't make the mistake of complacency with the PSP, according to worldwide studios head Shuhei Yoshida, and won't repeat it with Vita.

"We were too happy with ourselves, having a PS2-like experience on a portable at that time. We didn't go too much further from there," Yoshida told Kotaku of the PSP.

"The initial couple years were great. People were excited to be able to play 3D graphics on the go, but after a couple years, people get used to looking at pretty pictures."

Onbce the lure of impressive graphics has dulled, what's left?

"When you compare the gaming experience on PSP to what you get on PlayStation 2 and later on PS3, because of the bigger screen on the TV and the dual analog sticks, [players] feel compromised playing on PSP. You're not getting much unique on the PSP," the executive admitted.

The Vita, on the other hand, isn't all about what the hardware can do, but what developers can do with it, and Sony has commented repeatedly that the system's multiple inputs will provide scope for unique and core gaming experiences.

Outside Japan, the PSP's star is definitely faded, but in its home territory the humble portable is still performing.

"Some of the people in Japan insisted that Japan can wait longer for the Vita. The PSP is still so popular," Yoshida explained.

"Some of them fear that once we announced Vita, like we did in January, that we might lose momentum, but it didn't."

" ... Development support from Japanese companies has been incredibly strong; they have some of their best teams working on portable systems. And that's one of the biggest reasons why the PSP is so popular."

PS Vita is expected to launch before the end of the year in Japan.