With many Game Industry veterans voicing their expectations regarding the iPad recently, it has become clear that developers have mixed feelings with respect to the viability of the iPad as a gaming platform. However, SCEA Director of Hardware Marketing John Koller stated that the launch of the iPad would be a ‘net positive’ for Sony in the long run, as he expects that the iPad will introduce a new segment of the market to portable gaming. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he stated that “when people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.”

Koller also pointed out that since the release of the iPhone in 2007, which quickly proved itself to be a viable handheld gaming platform, PSP sales have nearly tripled.

Several third parties, amongst which EA, have already announced they will develop games for the platform. Others have voiced their disappointment, with Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata calling the iPad “just a bigger iPod Touch.”