[Cthulhu_]

I'd argue that an MVP is a minimal game with limited features - say, a platform game where you can walk and jump and finish the game, whereas a vertical slice is the complete experience, walk, jump, collect items, fight, achievements, etc, but the story is just a concept and there's only one level.

In other software, MVP is what you can go live with to all of your customers (often replacing something existing and omitting half the existing features to much chagrin).

[scott_w]

I think this is a better comparison than what the article gives. I do think it's not quite necessary to go live to all customers to be an MVP, however. Functionality that requires manual input from the company to make it work might be a reasonable MVP but not viable to go to everyone. It lets you validate what you're doing works, the customer is none the wiser that there's smoke and mirrors, but nonetheless that smoke and mirrors is there.