Sony: 3DS sales “confounding the naysayers” over space for dedicated gaming handheld

SCEE CEO Jim Ryan has said soaring sales of Nintendo 3DS have confounded "naysayers" who say there isn't room for a dedicated gaming portable in the current market.

His remarks come ahead of the launch of PlayStation Vita in Europe on February 22. Sales of the new handheld have been sluggish since it launched in Japan last month.

In an MCV interview, however, Ryan said that the company was encouraged by current sales of 3DS.

"One of the encouraging things about 3DS’ sales performance at Christmas is that it is confounding the naysayers who say that there is no room in the market for a dedicated handheld gaming device," he said.

"And to that extent we were encouraged by how 3DS did over the last month."

Ryan said Vita had a place alongside 3DS in the current landscape.

"There are two distinct markets. The quality, the immersiveness, the richness of the experience that we believe we are going to offer on Vita, way exceeds anything that we believe to be available on any smartphone."

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