Kotaku: SCEA's Koller on the state of PS Vita

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Father_Brain

Banned
An interesting read from Stephen Totilo. More at the link, but here are some of the highlights:

Stephen Totilo said:
"I think, unfortunately, a lot of those stories were written before Vita even launched," John Koller, Sony's head of hardware marketing told me last week in Los Angeles.

For those of you who think the Vita's already doomed; for those who are unimpressed with this Sony portable and its $40 games in this age of iPad gaming and $1 games, John Koller would like to present his best argument for why Vita's got a fine future ahead of it.
"There's something I want to emphasize because I read a lot of those blog posts too..." Koller said.

"Don't read the comments," I joked.

Laughter. Then back on topic: "You get a lot of questions about 'Where is the content?'" Koller said. "We've seen that. And, first of all, there's a very strong back half coming in physical titles: the Street Fighters, the Maddens, the Assassin's Creeds, the Call of Dutys, PlayStation All-Stars, Sly, those are big games. But the digital side has far surpassed our expectations. It shows the type of consumer who has come into the market. It's a PS3 owner. Almost across the board, the Vita owner has been a PS3 owner."
Click to expand...

The public sees that the Vita has sold about two million units worldwide this year and maybe thinks that's low. Koller and the Sony team see things that don't show up as clearly in sales charts, like the uptake on games downloaded to the Vita from Sony's online store. Sales of those, Koller said, are "several times higher than what we expected." (He declined to state actual sales numbers for the digital games.)

Like the PSP before it, Koller says that the Vita currently "over-indexes" for an "urban" population, which translates, from marketing speak, to the fact that, in America, the Vita is exceptionally popular with black and Latino gamers who live in cities. The Vita is also almost entirely selling to PS3 owners, something Koller kept emphasizing as he described the Vita as, more or less, a portable home console.

Of the Vita cynics, he says, "we knew better. We knew there was a market. Our research pointed over the last four years of creating it that there was a market. We still absolutely believe that.

"Right now we're on forecast to where we thought the platform would be."
Click to expand...

"I don't think there is an issue vis a vis $40 games," he said. "I would argue there's an issue when you have a $40 game that doesn't have the right kind of experience. You have to have the experience that backs up that price point and on a platform-wide level we think—we've seen—there is an absolute demand for $30 and $40 games. Uncharted is $49 and it's [sold to Vita owners] incredibly well. I think that proves that if you have the right game and the right content and franchises, you can price the way you need to, and, by the way, once you get them in, you can start selling them the $5 to $10 games that you have on the Network." That, he added, "is what we're showing here and what we're planning to do."
Click to expand...

Sony has a weird message with the Vita, though. Koller himself says that Sony's approach with PSP had a flaw in that they initially tried to sell gamers PSP games that were too similar to console games. "Ports tended to be very difficult to message," he said. "Consumers go, 'I've got it on console. Why do I need it on this and spend $40 on this and spend $40 for exactly what I have on console? That doesn't make any sense.' I think that's a very relevant position." Relevant position that it may be, Sony and its partners are now pushing the idea that you can get copies of Street Fighter X Tekken and Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time on Vita that are so similar to their PS3 counterparts that you can share content or even, in the case of Sly one save file between the PS3 and Vita versions of the games. The games are, more or less, identical. In the case of Sly, Koller said, there will be some sort of offer that means that if you want the game on both devices you'll at least get a discount (maybe even get one for free; he didn't specify, details TBD, etc.).
Click to expand...

It was clear to me, as we wrapped up, that Sony is targeting one key audience for the Vita: those of you who have a PS3. "Let there be no mistake," he said. "This is console gaming on the go. And that's what almost every consumer has said when they come in: I need to see a game that to me makes me feel as if this is a console game on the go. And that is really how it will be sold as we go forward."
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Koller himself says that Sony's approach with PSP had a flaw in that they initially tried to sell gamers PSP games that were too similar to console games.
Click to expand...
The big first party Vita title so far is Uncharted... =/
 
Er-...They see the problem with the PSP and then they do it again because most owners are coming from the PS3? All my WHAT.jpg
 
Koller himself says that Sony's approach with PSP had a flaw in that they initially tried to sell gamers PSP games that were too similar to console games. "Ports tended to be very difficult to message," he said. "Consumers go, 'I've got it on console. Why do I need it on this and spend $40 on this and spend $40 for exactly what I have on console? That doesn't make any sense.' I think that's a very relevant position."
Click to expand...


"Let there be no mistake," he said. "This is console gaming on the go. And that's what almost every consumer has said when they come in: I need to see a game that to me makes me feel as if this is a console game on the go. And that is really how it will be sold as we go forward."
Click to expand...

I... what?

All of the strong 'back half' titles are very heavily console-identified, and a number of those are ports.
 
Should've made it so that it could play all PS3 games from the get go. Would've had that crowd and then they could focus on the original and new stuff
 
This post is honestly not meant as a troll, but absolutely nothing he said made me feel that the state of Vita will improve anytime soon.
 
What the hell is going on over there?

Wasn't Koller the "Nintendo is for babies" guy? He is the absolute worst. Absolutely nothing he has ever said makes any fucking sense.
 
Instead of making games that are similar to console titles, we'll release games that are exactly like their console counterparts
 
This is the upcoming lineup of titles funded by SCEA for Vita:

Sly: Thieves in Time
Guaccamelee
Sound Shapes
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Warrior's Lair

Tell me if you see something in common.

They're all also on PS3.
 
So the problem of PSP is that they tried "to sell gamers PSP games that were too similar to console games"

Then, in order to prevent that problem, they make games "that are so similar to their PS3 counterparts that you can share content"

I see...
 
I have the most titles preordered for the Vita this fall. Loving Gravity Rush. The future for the Vita is fine as long as they give it a price drop this summer.
 
Takao said:
This is the upcoming lineup of titles funded by SCEA for Vita:

Sly: Thieves in Time
Guaccamelee
Sound Shapes
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Warrior's Lair

Tell me if you see something in common.

They're all also on PS3.
Click to expand...

Well he said they are targeting console experiences on the go.......
 
Fun fact: there is literally not one retail Vita title scheduled for release in the US in between Lego Batman 2 (June 19) and Ragnarok Odyssey (August 21). At least Sound Shapes is in that window...
 
I think that a major difference was pointed out here. 3DS owners could very well be Wii owners, but I know plenty of people that own one and not the other. Is it a good thing that every Vita owner is a PS3 owner? Doesn't that shrink their sellable market?

DoctorWho said:
I have the most titles preordered for the Vita this fall. Loving Gravity Rush. The future for the Vita is fine as long as they give it a price drop this summer.
Click to expand...

All signs point to there not being a price drop...so...
 
I tried a Vita for a bit at Best Buy. Nice big screen but holy fuck did games take forever to load. And a lot of the games seemed meh, including Gravity Rush. But then again its just a demo.
 
The sad thing is that, with the small games market being eaten up by your cheap mobile games, positioning the vita as the "console on the go" is kind of the only option. However, this isn't a really compelling option. It's really just a tight spot no matter how you look at it.
 
Teetris said:
Should've made it so that it could play all PS3 games from the get go. Would've had that crowd and then they could focus on the original and new stuff
Click to expand...

I tend to think they should have come at it from the other angle--given it solid TV-Out capability and a good add-on controller and then marketed hard that this is a console "you can take with you" but that also functions as a console. Have a dock that stays hooked up to your TV, release a couple of titles as Vita-Exclusive, make it so you don't have to buy a game twice if you want the home experience and the on-the-go experience...

But really at this point I've given up and hope Nintendo decides to do that with their 3DS successor.
 
Ahh.
Good ol' Sony, once again acting like a strictly hardware company and laser-targeting their market to concurrent platform-holders from the onset...
 
Takao said:
This is the upcoming lineup of titles funded by SCEA for Vita:

Sly: Thieves in Time
Guaccamelee
Sound Shapes
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Warrior's Lair

Tell me if you see something in common.

They're all also on PS3.
Click to expand...

Which isn't a problem. The problem with that is they want to charge you TWICE for "on the go gaming"/"transfarring" as Kojima would say.

Console gaming on the PSP wasn't bad, but it also showed the hardware wasn't too strong for it. The PSP2's hardware is built for it, but really it shouldn't be the main focus.
 
I'm re-reading this and it is striking how little confidence there appears to be in compelling, exclusive, retail content.
 
I mean he's right, the reason I haven't bought a Vita is because I don't want portable versions of games I already own, made by Sony's B-teams. And I never bought these kinds of games for my PSP.

So I don't get how they have that information right infront of them, spelled out so clearly that they can easily acknowledge it, yet keep repeating these same mistakes.
 
Our mistake with the PSP was making it too much of a console on the go.

Buy a Vita! It's a console on the go!

REALLY????

Like he literally JUST said they were making the exact same mistakes as with the PSP. It's right there! Is he high? Is Sony high? Am I high?
 
iammeiam said:
I tend to think they should have come at it from the other angle--given it solid TV-Out capability and a good add-on controller and then marketed hard that this is a console "you can take with you" but that also functions as a console. Have a dock that stays hooked up to your TV, release a couple of titles as Vita-Exclusive, make it so you don't have to buy a game twice if you want the home experience and the on-the-go experience...

But really at this point I've given up and hope Nintendo decides to do that with their 3DS successor.
Click to expand...

A SEGA Nomad for the next generation! (also included second controller port and TV out...played all Genesis games)
 
Like the PSP before it, Koller says that the Vita currently "over-indexes" for an "urban" population, which translates, from marketing speak, to the fact that, in America, the Vita is exceptionally popular with black and Latino gamers who live in cities. The Vita is also almost entirely selling to PS3 owners, something Koller kept emphasizing as he described the Vita as, more or less, a portable home console.
Click to expand...
I'm a latino gamer, I live in a city (not in America though) and I don't feel attracted to the system at all. I would if they lowered the price heavily (like Nintendo did with 3DS).
 
First he says this:

And, first of all, there's a very strong back half coming in physical titles: the Street Fighters, the Maddens, the Assassin's Creeds, the Call of Dutys, PlayStation All-Stars, Sly, those are big games.
Click to expand...

Then he follows up with this:

Koller himself says that Sony's approach with PSP had a flaw in that they initially tried to sell gamers PSP games that were too similar to console games. "Ports tended to be very difficult to message," he said. "Consumers go, 'I've got it on console. Why do I need it on this and spend $40 on this and spend $40 for exactly what I have on console? That doesn't make any sense.' I think that's a very relevant position."
Click to expand...

I'd say laugh at him but I spent $350 on this fucking train wreck. Laugh at me.
 
Fewr said:
I'm a latino gamer, I live in a city (not in America though) and I don't feel attracted to the system at all. I would if they lowered the price heavily (like Nintendo did with 3DS).
Click to expand...

Then you are technically attracted to the system, just constrained by the price.


Tobor said:
First he says this:


Then he follows up with this:


I'd say laugh at him but I spent $350 on this fucking train wreck. Laugh at me.
Click to expand...


You know that interviews are often cut together from much longer conversations and rearranged by the journalist right?
 
DangerousDave said:
So the problem of PSP is that they tried "to sell gamers PSP games that were too similar to console games"

Then, in order to prevent that problem, they make games "that are so similar to their PS3 counterparts that you can share content"

I see...
Click to expand...

Bwa ha ha ha....... :)

I love Sony games...but that damn company...

the Vita is exceptionally popular with black and Latino gamers who live in cities.
Click to expand...

Hmm...based on sales..black and latino males that already own a PS3 must be the only people buying Vitas. And since I'm black, and I own a PS3 I guess I'm the main target...to bad all my disposable income goes to my PS3 and tablet device.
 
I just want to see more games up to snuff with Golden Abyss.

This console-on-the-go question bores me. PSP ports sucked because they didn't feel good to play. One awkwardly placed nub didn't cut it for GTA and Metal Gear. Vita fixed this problem.

There are games where I want a console experience on the go. I want an uncompromised Elder Scrolls game on Vita. I'd play the shit out of a portable Borderlands. I'd actually prefer a handheld Demon's Souls to the console versions.

The only problem is identical content. I want to play identical content on Vita, but I'm not going to buy it twice. I already have Rayman on PS3, but I'm not going to re-buy an identical version on Vita. Work that deal out, and we're good. $80 for blu-ray+vita download of brand new games seems fair to me.

Stop forcing the issue with touch. Touch works in some games. It's better than I expected in Resistance, but pretty shitty in Uncharted. Experiment, use it when it's fun, don't use it because you have to differentiate from consoles.

Most of all, just make good games. Make original games for Vita. I'll pay $40 for them if they're good.
 
Criminal Upper said:
Sony will never really get the portable market, even when it seems like they do.
Click to expand...

Maybe...but the portable market they *should* be going for is also a portable market I don't really want.

I'm glad they are doing what they are doing with the Vita. Do I think it will work out? Probably not. But I want to support these type of games whilst I still can.
 
DangerousDave said:
So the problem of PSP is that they tried "to sell gamers PSP games that were too similar to console games"

Then, in order to prevent that problem, they make games "that are so similar to their PS3 counterparts that you can share content"

I see...
Click to expand...

Someone is actively trying to kill the hand-held division from the inside?
 
All the console action games are the reason I have no desire to buy a Vita. I've tried to convince otherwise myself because I love the hardware, but I just can't. I play portables for experiences I can't get on consoles.
 
BigDug13 said:
A SEGA Nomad for the next generation! (also included second controller port and TV out...played all Genesis games)
Click to expand...

Basically, yeah, but with better battery life and its own library. The idea of being able to move from big screen TV gaming to on-the-go gaming seamlessly is great, and I think there's a lot of potential there if somebody manages to do it right.
 
theBishop said:
I just want to see more games up to snuff with Golden Abyss.

This console-on-the-go question bores me. There are games where I want a console experience on the go. I want an uncompromised Elder Scrolls game on Vita. I'd play the shit out of a portable Borderlands. I'd actually prefer a handheld Demon's Souls to the console versions.

The only problem is identical content. I want to play identical content on Vita, but I'm not going to buy it twice. I already have Rayman on PS3, but I'm not going to re-buy an identical version on Vita. Work that deal out, and we're good. $80 for blu-ray+vita download of brand new games seems fair to me.

Stop forcing the issue with touch. Touch works in some games. It's better than I expected in Resistance, but pretty shitty in Uncharted. Experiment, use it when it's fun, don't use it because you have to differentiate from consoles.

Most of all, just make good games. Make original games for Vita. I'll pay $40 for them if they're good.
Click to expand...

This. All of this. Particularly the bundle of PS3+PSP2 game. Why the fuck they haven't done this is beyond me. (Oh, wait, that won't bring the more money) It would pretty much kick-start support for the system if they provided a free download of the game with your PS3 copy if there is a PSP2 port coming in the future.
 
outunderthestars said:
Well he said they are targeting console experiences on the go.......
Click to expand...

Going for a console experience on a portable doesn't mean that all the games have to be games that are coming out ON consoles. That's what Sony doesn't seem to get. They say that Vita owners are by a large number PS3 owners. So, do they really expect them to buy these games on both, or choose the Vita one instead?
 
outunderthestars said:
Then you are technically attracted to the system, just constrained by the price.
Click to expand...
True, but maybe they should announce a game that would make me want the thing without even looking at the price. (umjammer lammy sequel please!)
That's what Nintendo did with Wii Sports. Everyone was buying an overpriced console just because they wanted that one game.

EDIT: I'd buy in a heartbeat if they announced a new Tomba! too.
 
TheSeks said:
Which isn't a problem. The problem with that is they want to charge you TWICE for "on the go gaming"/"transfarring" as Kojima would say.

Console gaming on the PSP wasn't bad, but it also showed the hardware wasn't too strong for it. The PSP2's hardware is built for it, but really it shouldn't be the main focus.
Click to expand...

You don't think there's a problem that this fall from SCEA there won't be a single Vita exclusive game from them?

TheSeks said:
This. All of this. Particularly the bundle of PS3+PSP2 game. Why the fuck they haven't done this is beyond me. (Oh, wait, that won't bring the more money) It would pretty much kick-start support for the system if they provided a free download of the game with your PS3 copy if there is a PSP2 port coming in the future.
Click to expand...

The only retail game that SCE has released identical versions of on PS3 and Vita has been MLB, and they offered an $80 bundle at the checkout. Sounds like they'll do the same for Sly, and maybe PSABR.
 
I think it is less of a matter of focus, and more of Sony competing in a dying market. It really doesn't matter what games Sony gets on the system. In the West the writing is on the wall for dedicated portables.
 
TheSeks said:
Er-...They see the problem with the PSP and then they do it again because most owners are coming from the PS3? All my WHAT.jpg
Click to expand...

He's saying: Instead of selling people similar titles for PS3 and Vita at full price, they are tinkering with selling the same family of titles for both PS3 and Vita (at a discount) so that people can play the same game away from the livingroom. What he did not say is: There will be exclusive Vita titles also.

That said, I don't think Sony should get someone else to market Playstation. It should not be a hardware focused marketing guy to begin with. They can't define user experience. It should be a hardware + software product marketing guy.
 
outunderthestars said:
I think it is less of a matter of focus, and more of Sony competing in a dying market. It really doesn't matter what games Sony gets on the system. In the West the writing is on the wall for dedicated portables.
Click to expand...

Maybe. I think 3DS can still do well in the West- I think they still have a pretty massive base with the Pokemons and what not.

The issue I see for Vita right now is Japan, which is the market it conceivably could have done well in.
 
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