The Vita is now an 'extender' as Sony focuses on its network

- Sony executive Andrew House seeks the silver lining in the fact that AAA development is shrinking and consolidating, looking to indie development and the PlayStation Network to buoy company fortunes. Sony Computer Entertainment president and group CEO Andrew House was onstage at Sony's E3 press conference in Los Angeles this week to sell viewers on the future of PlayStation, but prior to that he spoke at length about Sony's current state of affairs in an interview with Edge Online. Notably, the company is shifting gears in how it sells the PlayStation Vita, looking upon it less as a standalone game console and more as an accessory that extends the PlayStation Network. "We’ve taken a more holistic view with our platforms. With Remote Play, Vita has now essentially become an extender or an enhancer for the main platform for other rooms in the house, or when someone else wants to use the main screen," says House, claiming that Sony is also hoping to market it to younger players in the future. The company is also embracing the Vita's indie appeal and seems keen to use it as a way to introduce more independent creators to the PSN ecosystem. "It’s becoming a very accessible and easy on-ramp for independent developers," said House. "Those who have had some success in the mobile space and now want to work on games that are that little bit richer, that have a more dedicated gaming interface." House also speaks a bit about how technically challenging it has been for Sony to build the PlayStation Now game streaming service, prognosticating that it will be "a harbinger of where we will be able to take the business once the technologies come more fully online." That sort of message falls in line with our own belief that Sony's future rests on the strength of the digital content distribution network it's trying to build. The full interview with House is worth reading over on the Edge Online website.