EA backs DS in handheld war

Electronic Arts is putting more of its weight behind Nintendo DS, according to top-bod David Gardner, who argues that Sony needs to address PlayStation Portable's price and performance.

Speaking to MCV in an interview due to be published next Friday, Gardner declared that Sony can't afford to sit back. Having originally "bet more" on the PSP, EA is now changing its priorities in response to consumer demand, he said.

"We must never forget that what we need to focus on is fun and so EA is putting more effort behind DS games," the publisher's executive VP and COO of worldwide studios said. Those games will be "creative ones that really take advantage of the hardware," he added.

Judging by EA's current release schedule though, you shouldn't expect things to change immediately. The publisher currently has four games listed for release on DS - including FIFA and newly announced Sims 2 Pets - while it has 14 PSP titles on the cards. Five of those are due out by the end of September alone.

PlayStation Portable has enjoyed huge sales, according to Sony's sales stats - CNN/Money's Chris Morris claimed this week that the company had shipped 20 million units worldwide. But despite this, the console has come under attack in some quarters for its software catalogue's lack of depth.

Morris also quotes American Technology Research analyst P.J. McNealy as expecting the PSP to drop from $199 to $149 in the US later this year.