Sony Computer Entertainment believes that the arrival of Apple iPad will inspire further interest in mobile video gaming platforms, which will eventually boost sales of Sony’s PlayStation Portable game console and its successors. The company believes that its PSP provides better gaming experience, hence, the iPad is not a threat for the PlayStation Portable.

“Apple's entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony. When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP,” said John Koller, director of hardware marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America, reports Dow Jones Newswires.

According to Sony, sales of PlayStation Portable increased by times since the launch of Apple iPhone, which is an indicator that the end-users need to have a compelling example of high-quality mobile gaming to become interested in playing on the go. The question is whether universal gadget with large screen (iPad) will draw attention to PlayStation Portable that has much smaller screen and lacks a lot of functionality the iPad has.

It is noteworthy that while high-end smartphones have been gaining multimedia and gaming functionality in the recent years, portable video game consoles have been gaining multimedia capabilities as well. It remains to be seen whether the platforms will converge eventually and from that perspective devices like Apple iPhone, Nokia N-series or other are indeed a threat to Sony PSP.

Market research firm IDC believes that Apple will sell four million of iPad tablets this year. The platform is projected to become popular among casual gamers and multimedia users.

Tags: Sony, Playstation, PSP, Apple, iPad