-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Gamingbolt: Sony’s Decision To Make PSVR2 Over A PlayStation Handheld Is Baffling
- Thread starter Eddie-Griffin
- Start date
- Status
Little Chicken
Member
I think they could've released something more powerful than Steam Deck in 2023 and it would sell FAR more than PSVR2 ever will.
LRKD
Member
I really don't get the cope that mobile phones are the future. They turn into a nuclear reactor when you play a game on them for even a minute, they destroy your battery, they eat up your storage. It' just isn't convenient or fun. Especially since they don't have dedicated controls on them. Touch screen is ass, and having to use addition accessories for controls isn't my idea of fun either.
Any ways there very much is space and market for a PlayStation handheld. Even when the Vita launched there was a market for it. They just half assed it and gave up right away. Even Nintendo with the 3DS had a rough launch, not because of a dying market, but because they also half assed their launch with too high of a price, and too few games. And shocker, when they lowered the price and released more games, it became successful. And so here we are with the 3DS turning things around and the Switch selling like hot cakes, oh and now the Steam Deck too. And yet people still spout that stupid copeium that there isn't a market for it, or that phones are the future.
Any ways there very much is space and market for a PlayStation handheld. Even when the Vita launched there was a market for it. They just half assed it and gave up right away. Even Nintendo with the 3DS had a rough launch, not because of a dying market, but because they also half assed their launch with too high of a price, and too few games. And shocker, when they lowered the price and released more games, it became successful. And so here we are with the 3DS turning things around and the Switch selling like hot cakes, oh and now the Steam Deck too. And yet people still spout that stupid copeium that there isn't a market for it, or that phones are the future.
Tams
Gold Member
And yet have massive costs associated with it with no guarantee of a return. And no, the Steam Deck is not a good comparison. The Steam Deck has sold terribly for what would be expected of a company like Sony. And we still have absolutely no idea how Steam Deck is doing financially for Valve, as they have mountains of money to throw around.
Sony only fairly recently got themselves out of the financial hole they dug themselves. It involved them pretty much losing/offloading their computer and display divisions.
Last edited:
MasterCornholio
Member
Ronin_7
Member
SONY has a ton of cash to make anything they want. They just decided not too, it's just that simple.
Handheld market apart from Nintendo is just an absolute disaster of past failures, even Steam Deck is a monumental failure, i mean that shit sold 1M in a year lmao
Tams
Gold Member
Having 'a ton of cash' does not mean it would be a good business decision.
And I never called the Steam Deck a failure, but it would be if a comoany as big as Sony sold anywhere near that few.
Valve have cash to burn on relatively small projects like that. Sony have literal factories to keep going and invest in.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Steam Deck is a success only because it's an extention of Steam that they already had going. Sony would have to spend billions just to make everything work on a handheld.
Random broadstroke points; I'm stoned atm.
- Touchscreen gaming isn't all of portable gaming. I find it insulting to interrupt a fight to do swishes on the screen to complete a kick in MK Mobile, not not playing the match myself with at least touchscreen button presses if not hardware buttons. At that point it'd rather set it all to AI only and grind gems or some shit in the background.
- Vita, freed from stupidity like proprietary memory and exclusive carrier iirc, just needed l2/r2/ls/rs, correct? Quibble about its library and dev game's style/focus of mobile vs console experience a little, but with the needed buttons for 1:1 input on remote play or native pstore downloads it would have have a longer tail-end as a portable companion/remote play device.
- We got the non oled revision and psvita TV, and that Xperia cooling fan stream-shell. That's what annoys me, and then Sony took a bath in a TV service for a few years. With was PSVue about anyway?
Sony are already keeping PS4 and PC in the game design loop though, so fuck it let's add portability to the mix with PS4-P too. I don't think anyone's asking for a vita 2 with its own library in this day and age. Switch hybrid library put that nail into that coffin. But a portable PS4 must be doable now. Maybe stage a few developers at PS4 level if they can't keep up with the newer development trends/costs. Rebirth the old AA scene? Stagger PS4 game costs at a certain cheaper level and use it to hold PS5 prices?
El Pistolero
Banned
There are dumb takes. There are ridiculously dumb takes...and then there is this one.
Based on what? Steamdeck sold only 1M in 9months. PSVR2 is likely to sell more than that. The handheld market is competitive with mobile and Switch. It would be difficult to get content support for a new handheld.
Steam Deck is just the one with Valve's name behind it. There's a few portable pc's coming around. Hell if I can tell how comfortable or powerful they all are from each other, especially at running PC ports should WiFi/mobile data fail out in the world. Got my eye on that GPD Win4 personally, for it's shape similar to Vita.
But I kinda don't want to be paying around the 1k mark trying to get one that hopefully runs the of ports well enough as fallback, and be fooling around with Chinese kick-starter and import tax, even if I was rich enough. I'd be happier on a smaller scale if Sony just released a PSP for just their OS/ecosystem and literally act as a cheaper companion device. Some form of local storage on there for when remote playing into WiFi/data is throwing a wobbly. Probably easiest way is a PS4 sku, even if it's a firmware fork with different bits restricted, like PSNow's fake PS3 menu. They're literally still already-bringing PS4 along for the latest rides. Portability is value-add. Or do Switches sales also lie?
Crayon
Member
A $400 portable that plays the aaa games you already played. 1 minute load screens and 90 minutes of battery life. Sorry, this portable ps4 is dumb as shit. The fuck does sony even gain from trying to sell more ps4 while the ps5 is well on it's way up. To take on this engineering challenge. So you can spend the same amount on games and play them in bed?
Crayon
Member
Do you mean against valve and epic on handheld pc's?
Well yeah, but depending on how much you're looking at it with portability of Sony's ecosystem vs wider benefits of pc, I'd love to split the difference cost wise and get something like a PS4 portable which solves the old issue of split game libraries.
ToTTenTranz
Banned
Exactly. Just look at the massive failure that Steam Deck has become!
To all the people asking for means to play their games on the go, the joke's on them, ha!
CamHostage
Member
I kind of feel either choice would be baffling in this current market. It's just so hard to invest players in yet another ecosystem, even Nintendo abandoned its multi-pillar approach. Sony could possibly have done a portable that wasn't a divided platform ala Switch or Deck, but it's not that easy. (A "PS5 Portable" or even PS4 Portable would be a stretch even with the general power levels of SteamDeck and Xbox Series S. However, maybe they could have established a scaling threshold where compatible games could move over, while more demanding games would be available through streaming? Or maybe economics somehow make sense where they could have released hardware specifically for the classic PS1/2/3/PSP/Vita library that they otherwise have left out of the console equation?)
...But personally, I would much rather have had a new portable than VR. I just so rarely feel like dragging a headset out and stretching out and shutting the world off (...the limited breadth of games really doesn't help convincing much either.) Meanwhile, I currently have two portables sitting on my nightstand and I play one or the other most nights. PSP and PS Vita meant something to my gaming life in their time, and I'm sad to be without a portable PlayStation for the foreseeable future.
...But personally, I would much rather have had a new portable than VR. I just so rarely feel like dragging a headset out and stretching out and shutting the world off (...the limited breadth of games really doesn't help convincing much either.) Meanwhile, I currently have two portables sitting on my nightstand and I play one or the other most nights. PSP and PS Vita meant something to my gaming life in their time, and I'm sad to be without a portable PlayStation for the foreseeable future.
Last edited:
Crayon
Member
How is a million steam decks in a year better than a million psvr2's in a years? They are both experiments in nascent markets. Seems like a wash.
How is a million portable ps4's in a year better than a million psvr2's? It's not. It's launching into a known territory where switch lives. a milllion would be a disaster.
So, trying to muscle in on valve and epic on handheld pc's. Do you realize how tiny that market is? The steam deck is growing that nascent market but they have much bigger goals than getting a few more game sales. That's why a million is a success. They have long term goals for the deckard and steamos, and they have still not done much hardware in the first place.
The whole premise of the article is based around 5 million headsets being a failure. And how many of these portable ps4's are supposed to sell? And how does it not split the game libraries when ps5 is just coming into it's own? Do you really think people are buying steam decks NOT expecting new games to come out?
Brigandier
Member
consoul
Member
Y'all don't get it.
The next Sony handheld will be exclusively in VR. You don your PSVR2 headset & Sense controllers and THEN you can play PSVRita in the virtual location of your choice. Home, train and bus-stop will be included on day one. First DLC pack will add library, office toilet and air traffic control tower.
The next Sony handheld will be exclusively in VR. You don your PSVR2 headset & Sense controllers and THEN you can play PSVRita in the virtual location of your choice. Home, train and bus-stop will be included on day one. First DLC pack will add library, office toilet and air traffic control tower.
THE DUCK
voted poster of the decade by bots
The problem with that thinking is the VR is so much more narrow in terms of potential buyers. You have 30 million potential owners, only a fraction of which even have interest in vr in its current state. In your best most optimistic scenario, you end up with 120 million ps5's sold and 10 million psvr's. Maybe 15 million in the most optimistic of any scenario.
This is Vs the handheld hybrid market that has a potential audience far far broader. Here they have potential sales of 50-70 million.
And a much easier time creating and porting software in mass and greater 3rd parry support for higher software sakes and royalties.
As to steam deck having more appeal, a machine that plays some games, has no true exclusives and isn't sold in stores would never have anywhere near the appeal a sony machine would have in the mass market.
It could easily launch with downscaled ps5 games like gow ragnorok, gt7, horizon, and ratchet and clank day one. With plans for future games day and date.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
So you are just going to ignore the PS Vita huh? Plus, I'm guessing gamers would have a better time playing GT7 in VR, than on a handheld. Think about that for a second.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
This movie is literally our timeline now.A $400 portable that plays the aaa games you already played. 1 minute load screens and 90 minutes of battery life. Sorry, this portable ps4 is dumb as shit. The fuck does sony even gain from trying to sell more ps4 while the ps5 is well on it's way up. To take on this engineering challenge. So you can spend the same amount on games and play them in bed?
Honey Bunny
Member
They cant compete in handhelds and they know it. Coming from a former vita apologist.
Dr. Wilkinson
Gold Member
It’s not, at all. Don’t tried and failed at a follow-up to PSP and burned probably untold amounts of money on trying to make Vita work. Their vision for it was bad, and their timing was even worse. I don’t think they’ll be doing a handheld again any time soon
diffusionx
Gold Member
Potential sales of 50 million from where? Vita sold like 12 million units or something. Where is this massive market that Sony totally missed when they put out that handheld? Steam is a much bigger community/market than PSN believe it or not. The Deck is a good idea of what this sort of premium handheld market is, and it’s not very large. Valve also has ulterior motives for it, in that they are trying to establish Linux/SteamOS as viable for PC gaming. I have a Deck and it’s great in a lot of ways but I totally see why Sony would not want to go down that route. Also - I don’t think that having “downscaled” PS5 games is easy on a handheld consuming 15W no matter how many times it is said in this thread.
THE DUCK
voted poster of the decade by bots
I guess you are forgetting about all of the issues vita had that didn't relate to the fact that it was a portable, but ok.
You know, the price, the ergonomics, the difficulty to develop for, the fact that it wasn't a hybrid, the memory cards, the lack of exclusives, the list goes on and on.
I think you need to think about it for a second. Way more people overall would be interested in gt7 on a handheld than vr. A large percentage of people have zero interest in vr in its current state.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
A hybrid? How would a hybrid to a PS4 even work? And why sell that now? The PS5 will be 3 years old later this year. You don't think it's a little too late for that?
THE DUCK
voted poster of the decade by bots
It's not a hybrid ps4. It's hardware a bit more powerfull than a steam deck similar to a series S. It would play scaled down ps5 games and ps4 games, as well as some of the older emulated stuff. I don't think it's late at all, the switch is 6 years old and 1/4 the power and it still sells. This device woth Sony's softeare would have broad appeal in the market. Including a dock just makes it more appealing and justifiable purchase allowing it to be used 2 ways.
Eddie-Griffin
Banned
Probably the profit margin, Valve is likely not losing much on the Steam Deck, their sales ended up being better than they expected. That 1 million sold was probably unexpected gains sooner than later. I don't see how PSVR2 will be profitable at all outside of all-in people who buy a PS5 and the Headset together, instead of just the headset, along with at least 2-3 games.
Eddie-Griffin
Banned
Since 2018? Where?
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Since 2016.
Sony Confirms PlayStation VR is Being Sold at a Profit
www.dualshockers.com
Sony is already selling PlayStation VR at a profit
Sony's bet on virtual reality seems to be paying off so far, but will the profits last?
www.tweaktown.com
Last edited:
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Since 2016.
Sony Confirms PlayStation VR is Being Sold at a Profit
Sony is already selling PlayStation VR at a profit
Sony's bet on virtual reality seems to be paying off so far, but will the profits last?
He won't believe the words coming from Sony weirdly enough.
Eddie-Griffin
Banned
So not since 2018? You guys seem to be going around what I actually said in the post,
Unless you guys believe 2016 is after 2018 that is.
Last edited:
Shakka43
Member
And why would anyone buy just the headset?
leo-j
Member
There is a market for handhelds now because of the switch success, which no one really expected. Sony thought the market was being eaten by smartphones / tablets, hence the drop from 230 million with psp/Ds to 90 million with vita/3Ds , another drop was expected. Switch doing 120 million + is unusual, as it should have followed the 3DS trend downward but it didn’t.
Eddie-Griffin
Banned
...Because they already own a P55?
Shakka43
Member
So why don't you see buying just the headset as profitable as buying the headset and PS5 together?
Eddie-Griffin
Banned
Because if a person is paying $1050 for both, Sony would get more money than someone only spending $550??
VR market isn't a high margin industry.
Satansblade
Banned
So Nintendo should have abandoned hardware after the WiiU?
Im not sure about the success of a new handheld from Sony, but this board is far, far out of touch if they think pSVR2 is gonna be some big success.
I bought one, but I spend a lot of money on gaming and have a high paying job. I can afford to waste 500$> Most of the world is struggling to by groceries, they aren't buying accessories for consoles.
- Status