Gamasutra recently spoke to several first-generation minis developers about their experiences working with the platform so far, concentrating in particular on comparisons between the minis and iPhone apps.

Some of the developers’ comments were very illuminating indeed. For example, Sergei Gourski, the co-founder of Subatomic Studios, makers of Fieldrunners, said that applying for ESRB ratings is actually a very expensive business, which possibly explains the difference in pricing between the two platforms, as iPhone apps don’t have to have an ESRB rating. It also explains why the European and Oceanic stores have got so many more games than the US store.

Speed of QA is one area in which Sony appears to be beating the opposition hands down. Kimmo Vihola, CEO of Mountain Sheep, the makers of Minigore, praised Sony’s quick approval turnaround times, in comparison with that of Apple’s App Store, which he says is almost a victim of its own success, with so many apps requiring approval that it can take up to six weeks to clear a game.

“We had this happen with Minigore’s Episode 2, which we now expect to go through after two rejections and almost two months in the system,” Vihola told Gamasutra. “Apple should consider changing their process such that re-submissions take priority over new submissions.”

Generally speaking, Vihola was extremely positive about the minis programme: “I think minis is a brilliant idea and exactly the kind of thing the PSP needs to make it a really appealing platform,” he enthused.

Vihola also addressed Sony’s insistence that minis remain single-player only, saying that this stance has both pros and cons. On the plus side, Vihola says that it speeds up QA time even more, but on the minus side he points out that it’s somewhat limiting to restrict minis to single-player only. And of course he does have a personal axe to grind on this issue as he’s naturally itching to get the co-op multiplayer version of Minigore onto the PSP!

It’s probably true to say that most people would like to at least have the option of multiplayer minis, but would they be happy with the resultant delay in getting their hands on new games?

Let us know what you think. Would you like to see Sony sanctioning online and wireless minis, even if it meant you had to wait longer for them?

Source: Gamasutra.com