Iced Arcade
Member
- Not went with memory stick duo and then that proprietary vita card.
- used a cartridge instead of the UMD.
- had more studios focus on quick play on the go games instead of trying to make everything close to a home console.
- accept being #2
- used a cartridge instead of the UMD.
- had more studios focus on quick play on the go games instead of trying to make everything close to a home console.
- accept being #2
PSP was fine as is.
Vita should have been all about indie development. Sony should have gone out of their way to court PC indie developers and have them port as much content as possible to the Vita. Sony itself should've veered away from large "triple-A" gaming on the system, and focused heavily on remastering PS2 titles for the system. Exclusives needed to be original IP that fell somewhere between PS2 and PS3 for how good they were.
The memory card should have been an SD or micro SD card. Sure, they'd lose money on system sales, but the downloads would have been game changing for them. They foolishly limited how much people would buy in their store and probably increased store bandwidth costs because people would sooner redownload games than buy bigger memory cards.
Vita was a great console, but thinking people would spend $40-50 per game for what they were offering? That they'd buy $50 memory cards that only hold a few games? Foolishness.
Vita should have been all about indie development. Sony should have gone out of their way to court PC indie developers and have them port as much content as possible to the Vita. Sony itself should've veered away from large "triple-A" gaming on the system, and focused heavily on remastering PS2 titles for the system. Exclusives needed to be original IP that fell somewhere between PS2 and PS3 for how good they were.
The memory card should have been an SD or micro SD card. Sure, they'd lose money on system sales, but the downloads would have been game changing for them. They foolishly limited how much people would buy in their store and probably increased store bandwidth costs because people would sooner redownload games than buy bigger memory cards.
Vita was a great console, but thinking people would spend $40-50 per game for what they were offering? That they'd buy $50 memory cards that only hold a few games? Foolishness.
DonJuanSchlong
Banned
That sd card adaptor was clutch back in the day, especially for PSP OG. But definitely one of it's biggest downfalls. I enjoyed it more than my switch honestly. The games back on the first PSP were fucking awesome!
cireza
Member
Understand the appeal of handheld consoles.
Stop releasing inferior ports from home console series.
Release proper handheld, exclusive games that are fun and adapted for handheld play, such as simpler games (to control), 2D games, turn based games etc... and certainly not "emotional third person action games" or whatever.
Memory cards prices were stupid, but this is not the reason why the Vita failed. Let's be serious a minute.
Stop releasing inferior ports from home console series.
Release proper handheld, exclusive games that are fun and adapted for handheld play, such as simpler games (to control), 2D games, turn based games etc... and certainly not "emotional third person action games" or whatever.
Memory cards prices were stupid, but this is not the reason why the Vita failed. Let's be serious a minute.
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teezzy
Banned
I feel the same exact way about the Switch, oddly enough
Sgt. Pinback
Banned
The memory card issue was suicide so they needed to sort that out, and they needed the PSP and Vita to be clamshell so that you could chuck it in a backpack quickly.
Plies
GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief and Nosiest Dildo Archeologist
The Vita failed partially because no one outside of core gamers knew what it was. There was no awareness of the device. I got mine for Christmas 2013. Since then I have used it out and about a number of times to play through old ps1 games. Every person who has mentioned it thinks its a PSP. In Chicago, a 20ish fella thought it was an old PSP, on the plane a kid said I used to have one of those PSPs, my dolphin also thought it was a PSP, etc. etc.. When I got it (and I'm glad I did) , it was undoubtedly the best handheld experience I'd had
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Elysion
Banned
The PSP started off pretty good; it had great support from Sony and 3rd parties alike, with tons of exclusives. I think Sony's biggest mistake was waiting too long to release a successor, especially once it became increasingly clear that the DS would be far ahead in sales. They should've tried to do what Microsoft did to them with the 360 (or what Sony themselves did to Nintendo with the PS1 and PS2), namely releasing their new system a year or more before the competition. Instead they did the opposite, and released the PSP successor a year after the 3ds. I still don't understand how they thought that would be a good idea.
Instead of trying to prolong the PSP's lifespan with the PSP Go in 2009, Sony should've released a proper successor around that time. It wouldn't have been as powerful as the Vita, but that wouldn't have been necessary anyway. A PSP successor roughly on par with the 3ds in terms of power, with dual sticks and touch screen, but released in late 2009, more than a year before Nintendo launched the 3ds, could have been a much more competitive product than what the Vita turned out to be, especially since its price could've been much closer to that of the 3ds. In fact, since a PSP successor would lack both a 3d screen and a second screen, Sony could've theoretically undercut Nintendo in terms of price. And without the need to render in 3d, games on Sony's handheld would've probably still looked better than 3ds games despite being on a system that launched earlier and possibly had a lower price.
An earlier launch of such a PSP successor would've also given Sony the opportunity to release many of their later PSP titles on this new system, and with better graphics (and controls): LittleBigPlanet PSP and Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier could've been launch games, while God of War: Ghost of Sparta could've been a great visual showcase in 2010. There are also tons of 3rd party games that came out late during the PSP's life cycle that would've greatly benefited from being on a more powerful system with dual stick controls (though most of them would probably still have PSP versions): MGS Peace Walker, Monster Hunter Portable 3, Final Fantasy Type 0 etc. Most of these games would've come out between late 2009 and 2010, giving Sony's handheld a strong software library before the 3ds had even launched.
I also think Sony should've come out with a high-quality Pokémon clone a long time ago, and I still don't understand why they never even tried this. Unlike their attempts to make a 'Halo-killer' (Killzone), or a 'GTA-killer' (The Getaway), making a 'Pokémon-killer' should've been much easier, and less costly, considering the relatively low production values of Pokémon games.
Instead of trying to prolong the PSP's lifespan with the PSP Go in 2009, Sony should've released a proper successor around that time. It wouldn't have been as powerful as the Vita, but that wouldn't have been necessary anyway. A PSP successor roughly on par with the 3ds in terms of power, with dual sticks and touch screen, but released in late 2009, more than a year before Nintendo launched the 3ds, could have been a much more competitive product than what the Vita turned out to be, especially since its price could've been much closer to that of the 3ds. In fact, since a PSP successor would lack both a 3d screen and a second screen, Sony could've theoretically undercut Nintendo in terms of price. And without the need to render in 3d, games on Sony's handheld would've probably still looked better than 3ds games despite being on a system that launched earlier and possibly had a lower price.
An earlier launch of such a PSP successor would've also given Sony the opportunity to release many of their later PSP titles on this new system, and with better graphics (and controls): LittleBigPlanet PSP and Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier could've been launch games, while God of War: Ghost of Sparta could've been a great visual showcase in 2010. There are also tons of 3rd party games that came out late during the PSP's life cycle that would've greatly benefited from being on a more powerful system with dual stick controls (though most of them would probably still have PSP versions): MGS Peace Walker, Monster Hunter Portable 3, Final Fantasy Type 0 etc. Most of these games would've come out between late 2009 and 2010, giving Sony's handheld a strong software library before the 3ds had even launched.
I also think Sony should've come out with a high-quality Pokémon clone a long time ago, and I still don't understand why they never even tried this. Unlike their attempts to make a 'Halo-killer' (Killzone), or a 'GTA-killer' (The Getaway), making a 'Pokémon-killer' should've been much easier, and less costly, considering the relatively low production values of Pokémon games.
The Hamburglar
Banned
They should have handled them with more care
ZehDon
Member
I think the PSP was great; it did well and was well received. The Vita needed some work. Too expensive; memory cards have already been discussed. They tried selling it as "A PS3 in your pocket", when they should have focused on hand-held exclusive properties. When paired back handheld versions of their console heavy hitters didn't make a splash, Sony basically threw its hands up and let the console die. Like Nintendo, they ran into issues trying to support two exclusive pieces of hardware with quality games. But unlike Nintendo, they never really delivered the Nintendo-quality classic games for the Vita. Truthfully, I get more use out of it for PS1 classics, PS2 ports, and indie games.
vaibhavpisal
Member
Games like Final Fantasy 7R and monster hunter rise could have ensured 100 million sales.
Bo_Hazem
Banned
Just like what they're planning now:
www.eurogamer.net
Mobiles are the new handhelds.
Sony plots big PlayStation push into mobile gaming
Sony is plotting a big push into mobile gaming - with the biggest PlayStation games key to the effort.
www.eurogamer.net
Mobiles are the new handhelds.
Yoboman
Member
PSP was a monster hit. It sold about the same as PS3 and 360. It's just that DS was a even bigger monster
Vita had its issues but it felt like they never went back to the drawing board to properly address them. DS and 3DS took a revision for them to properly catch on so Sony should have done more to revive the system
I think it also just released at a weird time where in 2006 console quality handheld was super hype but when Vita came along all the talk was on smart phones. Which didn't last long as Nintendo eventually got success with a console quality handheld in the switch
Vita had its issues but it felt like they never went back to the drawing board to properly address them. DS and 3DS took a revision for them to properly catch on so Sony should have done more to revive the system
I think it also just released at a weird time where in 2006 console quality handheld was super hype but when Vita came along all the talk was on smart phones. Which didn't last long as Nintendo eventually got success with a console quality handheld in the switch
PSP success is somewhat deceptive, due to rampant piracy and firmware. If not mistaken, it doesn't have an impress software attach rate. But still, it did fairly well.
Sony wasn't in a strong position at the start of the Vita and PS4 life cycle, they really turned it around. Perhaps if they were as secure as they are now, the Vita would have fared better. It would be insane if the Vita had a decent install base, the digital and PSN revenue would be significant.
The Vita sorely missed a proper R3 and L3, the back pad was not great. The memory cards were also a step backwards, but after the piracy on the PSP, I can understand the over reaction. It would have been a remote play powerhouse.
With all these x86 based hand held gaming pc coming out recently, maybe there is hope. Any future success would need easy porting from either the PS4 library or downgraded PS5 releases.
Uncharted Golden Abyss is the perfect candidate for an HD remake or remaster.
Sony wasn't in a strong position at the start of the Vita and PS4 life cycle, they really turned it around. Perhaps if they were as secure as they are now, the Vita would have fared better. It would be insane if the Vita had a decent install base, the digital and PSN revenue would be significant.
The Vita sorely missed a proper R3 and L3, the back pad was not great. The memory cards were also a step backwards, but after the piracy on the PSP, I can understand the over reaction. It would have been a remote play powerhouse.
With all these x86 based hand held gaming pc coming out recently, maybe there is hope. Any future success would need easy porting from either the PS4 library or downgraded PS5 releases.
Uncharted Golden Abyss is the perfect candidate for an HD remake or remaster.
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Raekwon26
Member
I will always maintain that the lack of 'pick up and play games' is what killed their handheld system.
They should of found a way to get SEGA to agree to put some of their IPs on the system. They had a lot of great niche Jap games there, but people looked at this as a mini PS3, not a portable system.
They should of found a way to get SEGA to agree to put some of their IPs on the system. They had a lot of great niche Jap games there, but people looked at this as a mini PS3, not a portable system.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
Rean no Kiseki
Banned
LOL no, DS was big because it had a touch screen and the advertisements focused on that aspect rather than the actual games, the ratio of GOOD DS games to the shovelware/bad was like 2/10! and i actually prefer the 3DS library over it ESPECIALLY in the 1st party department, the PSP was MASSIVE in Japan with the core gamer demographic and i may be biased because it's my favorite handheld of all time but it's library ratio of good to bad was like 5/5 and at worst 4/6, there were many hidden gems and overlooked and unloclized games.
The VITA is a sad case, many would point to the memory cards stuff but i think Japan leaning more and more into mobile games (gacha shit REALLY took off in 2013-14) spelt its demise, still a great device especially when hacked.
EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
I think Sony made a lot of mistakes with a PlayStation Vita but I believe overall similar to the Wii U the reason behind the massive failure has more to do with the direction of the market than the system itself especially when you consider nothing is really wrong with the software.
It's not like Sony Gamers don't like Uncharted or killzone or anything like that. I believe the biggest difference is by the time the PlayStation Vita released the generation that originally purchased the PlayStation Portable is also a generation that has moved on to Facebook gaming and mobile phones for casual gaming needs.
Keep in mind this is no different than what you saw from the Wii and the Wii U it is not to say something is wrong with those games in regards to Quality simply that the same generation of people that purchased that platform have moved on to other casual experiences and prefer them on their phones.
The fact that the 3DS is basically meeting PSP numbers very much shows that those days are pretty much over if even Nintendo is not moving the same units.
How the fuck with Sony survive in such a market where even their enemies are not moving the same units on portable? The fact that Nintendo needed to put all of their eggs in one basket on one system goes to show how aggressive the market is and that moving those type of DS numbers and Gameboy Advance numbers are basically unlikely. So I think Sony was as lucky as they were when they released the PSP at the time that they did to move 80 plus million.
That being said this is not 2004 anymore and I do not believe the PlayStation Vita shortcomings have as much to do with it moving 14 million as much as people might actually exaggerate. So what could have Sony done to make the PlayStation Vita successful? Get a fucking time machine....that's it.
The time frame where you saw those Portables moving monster numbers is also a time frame in which smartphones did not meet Mass Market penetration, you can't go back to ever get that.
It's not like Sony Gamers don't like Uncharted or killzone or anything like that. I believe the biggest difference is by the time the PlayStation Vita released the generation that originally purchased the PlayStation Portable is also a generation that has moved on to Facebook gaming and mobile phones for casual gaming needs.
Keep in mind this is no different than what you saw from the Wii and the Wii U it is not to say something is wrong with those games in regards to Quality simply that the same generation of people that purchased that platform have moved on to other casual experiences and prefer them on their phones.
The fact that the 3DS is basically meeting PSP numbers very much shows that those days are pretty much over if even Nintendo is not moving the same units.
How the fuck with Sony survive in such a market where even their enemies are not moving the same units on portable? The fact that Nintendo needed to put all of their eggs in one basket on one system goes to show how aggressive the market is and that moving those type of DS numbers and Gameboy Advance numbers are basically unlikely. So I think Sony was as lucky as they were when they released the PSP at the time that they did to move 80 plus million.
That being said this is not 2004 anymore and I do not believe the PlayStation Vita shortcomings have as much to do with it moving 14 million as much as people might actually exaggerate. So what could have Sony done to make the PlayStation Vita successful? Get a fucking time machine....that's it.
The time frame where you saw those Portables moving monster numbers is also a time frame in which smartphones did not meet Mass Market penetration, you can't go back to ever get that.
Kokoloko85
Member
PSP done very well, I think its sold more than 3DS and around the same numbers as the Gameboy Advance. So not a failure.
The Vita on the other hand....what killed the Vita was the memory cards and lack of games.
But with todays technology. They can just have the entire PS4/PS5 library downscaled To play on a PSP 3. Kinda like Switch ports of Witcher, Dark Souls, Doom etc
Use Micro Sd cards and it would have dual analogue sticks and shoulder buttons. So they dont need to have seperate teams working on PSP games, kinda like how Nintendo is doing. Then they just need to focus on buying smaller games.
Also if they put the PS Vita/ PSP store on there that would be thousands of games and PS1 games too
The Vita on the other hand....what killed the Vita was the memory cards and lack of games.
But with todays technology. They can just have the entire PS4/PS5 library downscaled To play on a PSP 3. Kinda like Switch ports of Witcher, Dark Souls, Doom etc
Use Micro Sd cards and it would have dual analogue sticks and shoulder buttons. So they dont need to have seperate teams working on PSP games, kinda like how Nintendo is doing. Then they just need to focus on buying smaller games.
Also if they put the PS Vita/ PSP store on there that would be thousands of games and PS1 games too
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NeoIkaruGAF
Gold Member
I have little experience with both, but I think the PSP was handled correctly. Lots of support, excellent tech, portable versions of older classics, original games that wouldn't have great sales perspectives on their home hardware at the time.
Vita likely had too much competition in the PS3 itself. Why buy portable Uncharted when you can have "the real thing" at home? On the other hand, scores of obscure (and often questionable) Japanese games that no, you probably didn't want on your living room TV, and for all the wrong reasons.
Vita likely had too much competition in the PS3 itself. Why buy portable Uncharted when you can have "the real thing" at home? On the other hand, scores of obscure (and often questionable) Japanese games that no, you probably didn't want on your living room TV, and for all the wrong reasons.
Chukhopops
Member
Specifically about the Vita:
- too many features that were barely used, like the back touch panels, the cameras (front and back lol), 3G version and even in the end the touchscreen. I can think of only two games that used those properly: Gravity Rush and Tearaway;
- memory card price, enough said about it already;
- game library with a lot of PS3 ports running poorly, a few good exclusives but not much more.
- too many features that were barely used, like the back touch panels, the cameras (front and back lol), 3G version and even in the end the touchscreen. I can think of only two games that used those properly: Gravity Rush and Tearaway;
- memory card price, enough said about it already;
- game library with a lot of PS3 ports running poorly, a few good exclusives but not much more.
ReBurn
Gold Member
so you can play uncharted when not at home
Shifty1897
Member
This is a big one that no one mentions. Yes, there were other mistakes made, but Sony thought they could come in and half-ass their way into dominating the handheld market, a market held by Nintendo since 1989.
There's still money to be made by being number 2 if you make a competitive handheld. Right now Nintendo is making money hand over fist because no one is willing to even try entering the market.
custardbun01
Member
PSP was great. Vita cost too much and it's expensive memory format was silly. They should have lowered the price with an led screen, and sd card memory and made polyphony port GT6 to it.
twerkouting
Banned
By not even trying.
fart town usa
Banned
PSP selection on the PSN was embarrassingly bad for PSPgo owners, the system wasn't worth buying at all for that reason alone. You have to soft mod the system in order to access the full library which these days can be done in a matter of minutes thankfully.
It's a gem of a handheld though, thing is tiny as shit but still totally playable.
It's a gem of a handheld though, thing is tiny as shit but still totally playable.
Trogdor1123
Member
They should have dropped the touch screens on the vita, front and back, and integrated memory into the cards or the system itself for game saves.
Memory cards should have been a standard.
It wasn't rocket science
Memory cards should have been a standard.
It wasn't rocket science
Great Hair
Banned
Promise every publisher to lower the platform, license fee from 30% to 15%, should they have a PSP2 version of their games ready.
ArtemisClydeFrog
Banned
A lot fucking better. PSP and Vita were wonderful and Sony didn't even care.
Imru’ al-Qays
Member
SD card slot on the Vita and remove the cameras and back touchscreen to cut costs. Spend whatever it takes to make sure Capcom doesn't take Monster Hunter to 3DS.
The long-term play is to find a way to release a portable console compatible with the last-generation home console (i.e. a PSP released today that could play PS4 games). This is the only way Sony will be able to compete with the Switch. But the shift to x86 has made this unfeasible, I think, barring some major advance in battery tech. At the end of the day Sony and Nintendo are bound to their current strategies by the hardware choices they've made.
The long-term play is to find a way to release a portable console compatible with the last-generation home console (i.e. a PSP released today that could play PS4 games). This is the only way Sony will be able to compete with the Switch. But the shift to x86 has made this unfeasible, I think, barring some major advance in battery tech. At the end of the day Sony and Nintendo are bound to their current strategies by the hardware choices they've made.
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StreetsofBeige
Member
Yup.
Nintendo has always had the weaker cheaper handheld vs. any Sega or Sony handheld. And the Gameboy or DS obliterates all competition even though everyone knows the games arent as slick.
As you said, handhelds are different.
More about fun and being affordable. Never super serious gaming. If someone really wants trailblazing gaming, they'll sit in a chair play games on a pricier console or spend more for a PC.
stevecro7
Neo Member
PS Vita was doomed from the start, no one wanted it because we were so spoiled by the PSP, a console which had every game + movie + music available for free forever - via easy "hacking",
Every PSP could be hacked very easily, and the Games + movies can be Dumped from the UMD to the psp memory without any additional equipment, or just torrented in minutes
And sony did almost nothing to stop it
the Hardware team brought out 5 different versions of PSP all were hackable to the same exploits
the Software team were told to fix it, but it was a hardware issue, so they failed
if the PSP Slim - (PSP2000) had been released without the same security flaws as the OG PSP I honestly think PSP's would be selling today
They would have made a killing, selling itunes like films + tv episodes + games on the store
And the demand for hacked titles would have dropped off hacking meant losing access to your paid account,
PSP original games, scale up with emulation really really nicely - so every nextgen psp could play them at higher and higher quality
but because sony had already sold 80million hackable PSP's and no one wanted the 2012 PSvita which couldn't be hacked, we were so spoiled
also PS Vita should have come by default in white or silver - no one saw that thing in real life, without thinking, oh he is using an old PSP, I own both in black, and I still can't tell them apart
Every PSP could be hacked very easily, and the Games + movies can be Dumped from the UMD to the psp memory without any additional equipment, or just torrented in minutes
And sony did almost nothing to stop it
the Hardware team brought out 5 different versions of PSP all were hackable to the same exploits
the Software team were told to fix it, but it was a hardware issue, so they failed
if the PSP Slim - (PSP2000) had been released without the same security flaws as the OG PSP I honestly think PSP's would be selling today
They would have made a killing, selling itunes like films + tv episodes + games on the store
And the demand for hacked titles would have dropped off hacking meant losing access to your paid account,
PSP original games, scale up with emulation really really nicely - so every nextgen psp could play them at higher and higher quality
but because sony had already sold 80million hackable PSP's and no one wanted the 2012 PSvita which couldn't be hacked, we were so spoiled
also PS Vita should have come by default in white or silver - no one saw that thing in real life, without thinking, oh he is using an old PSP, I own both in black, and I still can't tell them apart
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Firestorm ZERO
Member
PSP was mostly fine. It was a great competitor to the DS.
The big mistake was they took so long for a successor. They could of easily made a PSP2 before the Vita with slightly better specs, a 2nd analog and touchscreen. It would of at least closed the hacking and piracy of the PSP due to the new hardware even if it had backwards compatibility.
Vita had so many mistakes. Games was the biggest. They allowed Monster Hunter and Kingdom Hearts to go to the 3DS. They focused too much on Western AAA games for some reason when their biggest market was Asia and Europe for portables.
The big mistake was they took so long for a successor. They could of easily made a PSP2 before the Vita with slightly better specs, a 2nd analog and touchscreen. It would of at least closed the hacking and piracy of the PSP due to the new hardware even if it had backwards compatibility.
Vita had so many mistakes. Games was the biggest. They allowed Monster Hunter and Kingdom Hearts to go to the 3DS. They focused too much on Western AAA games for some reason when their biggest market was Asia and Europe for portables.
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