After The Dust Has Settled 4: Finally SCEE, finally!

For years when working in video games retail have I done this. Both new and pre-owned. The Combination of a higher spec PS3 and a PSP with a decent  memory card with games that complimented each other seemed like a no-brainer.

Getting mildly woosy on the shrink wrapping fumes in the basement in Northfield or the upstairs at Stourbridge I carefully crafted pre-owned bundles that sang from the window of the shop “buy me!” The best condition PS3 I had plus the best PSP slim I had in stock with memory card and appropriate gaming choices. The ultimate Sony bundle….

Indeed the PSP Go! when it came out seemed packaged ready to be a slot in, into the PS3 retail box if you asked me, but that never happened either, even with the suggestion of PSP titles being on the Blu-ray discs with their PS3 cousins, so you could just download to the Go! Far too sensible a move clearly for the old SCEE (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.)

Now, however we have a new SCEE. New because SCEE UK/SCE UK is headed by someone whose head is screwed on. Fergal Gara is the MD of SCE UK (as it seems they have also realised that the UK needs a different approach to Europe as a whole, hence perhaps the re-registration of the Psygnosis trademark as Shadow Of the Beast approaches on PS4), and things have been aligning since his arrival.

An announcement today finally shows that he, at least, realises that having the handheld and home consoles affiliated as strongly as possible is quite a key ingredient to making both the PS4 AND the PS Vita a success as a combined ecosystem. It’s not a coincidence the PS4 codename was Orbis and Orbis Vita means “circle of life.” Brilliant as PS3 was, it’s slow start put it in 3rd place worldwide sales wise, a position which it will not remain in, however, as Nintendo and Microsoft abandon the PS3’s competitors to oblivion as PS3 goes on for a few more years, and will no doubt (in my mind) overtake both by the end of it’s extended lifecycle, due to developers only really finding the power of the machine in the last 12 months.

Now however with the decision to make PS Vita remote play hard wired almost in to the PS4, with only Move only games being exempt from being playable through the powerful handheld, the obvious became essential. It has missed the PS4 launch, regrettably, but today it has been announced that by Christmas in the UK at least, you will be able to buy an “Ultimate” bundle with both the PS4 and the PS Vita in one pack.

Hopefully they’ll have the sense to put a PS Plus subscription and 32GB Vita memory card in the bundle while really pushing the value of the PS Plus instant game collection while they are there, but we will see.

However for now I’ll sign off with one word…

Finally!

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About Sven Harvey 47 Articles
A professional writer with a couple of decades of writing under his belt, including working on Micro Mart and Model & Collectors Mart, Sven was also the co-founder of Auto Assembly, and long-time Infinite Frontiers team member. This fandom veteran also heads up Geekology on YouTube, as well as the local sci-fi groups; Spacedock Birmingham (Star Trek) and Autobase Birmingham (Transformers), and is an Amiga fan as well!

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