PlayStation 4's "potential killer app" might well be remote play with Vita, says Sony

Consumers and pundits alike have been critical of Sony's PlayStation Vita: it doesn't have enough games; both the system and its games cost too much; it hasn't sold well. However, Sony is standing behind its handheld, and the firm's UK MD and VP Fergal Gara believes the next killer app could be developed for the system.

Speaking with VG247's Dave Cook at the Eurogamer Expo today, Gara said Sony remains confident of Vita's position in the marketplace.

"Some people have been critical of PS Vita, and if it wasn’t for the fact that lots of gamers really, really enjoy it, and the feedback has been very good on the device, maybe we’ve been a little less confident," he said.

"But of course there have been concerns that we’ve progressed from. Chief concerns were the cost of the system and the cost of games. The cost of the machine; it’s now selling in the UK at £50-70 less than it was a year ago, and it’s growing year-on-year.

"We’re really pleased. It’s been hard work, but we’ve got there."

Gara said as far as the price of games were concerned, titles are now coming out at a lower price than they were a year ago as well. Plus, there's the option to purchase Mega Packs which come with up to 10 games and a memory card contained within the price of the console - for free. Also, there's the fact that PlayStation Plus offers an instant game collection across three platforms now, and with the launch of PlayStation 4 in November, it too will be included.

With the launch of the new console, Sony is also banking on remote play features between PS Vita and PS4, something Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida wants all first-party games to contain.

Plus, many third-party developers are including remote play with new PS4 titles, and Gara believes Sony's next "killer app" can come out of it.

"The potential killer app might well be the remote play with PlayStation 4," he said. "For example, Watch Dogs is playable on PS Vita over wi-fi and that is very, very exciting.

"To say we should write-off PS Vita … absolutely not. We’re hitting the numbers we want to hit today. We’re pleased, it’s very ambitious going into the big season."

PlayStation 4 hits the US on November 15, and Europe November 29.