Sony: Gran Turismo 6 on smartphones would be "lousy"

If Sony were to port Gran Turismo 6 to smartphones, the experience would be "lousy," SCEA CEO Jack Tretton has said. Speaking with AllThingsD, Tretton said Sony wants to bring its games to as many platforms as possible, but only where it makes sense.

"If gaming exists somewhere, we want PlayStation to be there," Tretton said. "So we’ll bring our games to smartphones and tablets, we’ll certainly make it available on competitive devices, we have our own smartphones and tablets. Anywhere the gamer is, we want to be."

However, Tretton acknowledged that there is a limitation to this vision.

"We can’t take Gran Turismo 6 and put it on a smartphone or a tablet. It’s just gonna be a lousy experience," Tretton said. "It’s not going to be what it is. Conversely, you can go out today and play Angry Birds on your PlayStation 3 and have a great time. I’m not sure why you’d want to do that, but you could.

"You can’t go playing Grand Theft Auto V on your smartphone or tablet. It’s easier to migrate up. I’ve seen some great videos on YouTube, but I don’t confuse them with Hollywood Oscar-winning hits," he added." That’s why you go to the movie theater, even though there’s something to be said for watching something on your smartphone. We call it 'good-enough gaming.'

Tretton continued his explanation using a wine metaphor.

"Your first wine tastes good, and you start drinking more of it. You go from white to red, and you go from $10 bottles to $50 bottles. Some people just stop at $10, but some people become wine aficionados and, all of a sudden, if it’s not Screaming Eagle, it’s not good enough," he said. "People don’t drink Screaming Eagle because it’s $800 and they want to throw away $790. They perceive that that’s a much better wine than the $10 bottle. Smartphone gaming might be good enough for somebody. For other people, they find themselves wanting more, and they’re looking for better controls, more technology and a more immersive experience."

Gran Turismo 6 will be released exclusively on PlayStation 3 on December 6. Polyphony Digital producer Kazunori Yamauchi said in September that Gran Turismo 7 will be released on PlayStation 4 in "a year or two," though this game has yet to be announced.