Tanaka: MMOs on PSP and DS could work

Hiromichi Tanaka, vice president of software at Square Enix, has said that it's possible to bring an MMO to PSP and DS.

Speaking with Videogamer during E3, Tanaka said he believes bringing games such as Final Fantasy Online to the handhelds could work.

"Yes, I believe it's definitely possible," said Tanaka. "The DS and PSP both have networking systems implemented, so it's definitely do-able.

"The CPU of mobile consoles are much lower spec compared to other consoles, or even to PC, so that could be a difficulty if you want to simply transfer a console-based MMO onto a mobile machine. But if it's built specifically for DS or PSP that's definitely possible, even on the current technology."

Publishing a game such as Final Fantasy Online on DS and PSP in Japan would almost certainly be a hit, what with games such as Monster Hunter Portable taking on a life of its own in the country.

Whether this sort of title would be welcomed in the West is anyone's guess.

Tanaka's Final Fantasy XIV is out later this year, and the E3 trailer for it is posted through here.