Nintendo's decline could be 'detrimental' to entire market, says PlayStation UK head

The fall of Nintendo could negatively impact the entire games market, especially if Sony and other major companies don't work towards attracting a younger audience, PlayStation UK head Fergal Gara told TrustedReviews.

Last month in its latest financial report, Nintendo posted an operating loss of over $15 million despite consistent sales of the Nintendo DS family of handhelds. The company also revealed that even though software sales rose 19 percent between April and Dec. 2013, it still was not enough to bolster Wii U sales.

"[The decline of Nintendo] could be detrimental to the market, unless people like us raise our game and help tap into the younger consumer group that they serve rather well", Gara said. "That is the challenge to us. We need to bring maybe more family-friendly, more casual experiences into the market. I think there's a big market segment there that we should take the challenge to engage and I see lots of potential to do that."

Nintendo reported that the Nintendo 3DS and its sibling handhelds like the Nintendo 2DS are still selling strongly, topping hardware and software charts last year.

"The DS family was the bestselling format last year, despite the stellar sales of the PS4 for the last four or five weeks, it was still the best selling console or console family," Gara said.

"I think Vita has maybe not a huge position in the marketplace, but a very unique position," he said of Sony's own handheld, which initially struggled to find its own footing in the market. "First of all it's the only device that offers the same level of control and interaction, it's the only device to offer the same level of visual beauty, and now it's the only console to offer that companionship with the leading home games console."

Sony latest PlayStation Vita Slim model, which launched in Japan last year, will be available in the U.K. beginning this Friday.