Sony’s new PSP mascot Marcus (or as we like to call him, “Kevin Butler lite”) engaged in some trash talk concerning mobile gaming in the new PSP commercial. While iPhone is not mentioned, the phone being held in the ad certainly looks like one. Both Sony and Nintendo have repeatedly downplayed the impact of the iPhone on their respective portable businesses, but it’s clear that Apple’s device is eating into their share. And while Sony was reticent to talk directly about iPhone with us, their latest PSP ad would seem like a tacit admission that iPhone is indeed a very real threat.

When IndustryGamers reached out to Sony to discuss the new ad, a spokesperson told us, “The real focus/takeaway here is our strength in rich/deep/immersive gaming experiences that are only possible on PSP platform vs competing offerings.”

John Koller, Director of Hardware Marketing at SCEA, further elaborated to us, ”PlayStation is the leader when it comes to delivering console-quality games for mobile gamers and we have continuously raised the bar by providing deeper portable gaming experiences to consumers for many years. The new marketing efforts further reinforce what PlayStation Portable consumers have come to expect from the platform — the most robust and richest gaming experiences available in the marketplace today at value prices that start at $9.99.”