Judging Vita before its first Christmas is "preposterous" - Sony

I haven't seen anyone at Sony say anything like that.

I never suggested they did. I just hope that behind closed doors they don't have the same defence mechanism as some on GAF. Thankfully, nobody in this thread works for Sony.

Actually it's bang on. If people are looking at the Vita library as sequels, spin-offs and ports, it would be daft to omit the fact that the exact same criticism can be levelled at a far more successful direct competitor.


It does stand on its own two feet, it's just that not many people care. The 'swipes' aren't 'petulant and childish', they're perfectly accurate.

Accurate or not, they're irrelevant to the success of the Vita.

The 3DS has ports and sequels just like the Vita does, and the 3DS has new exclusive content just like the Vits does. But only one of those systems is selling. The decreasing market for a dedicated handheld console is showing it is prepared to support the current trend of established franchises and ports, to an extent, but only on one platform, leaving the other to sink.

Saying its unfair to criticise the Vita lineup unless you also do so for the 3DS is entirely pointless. Nobody needs to worry about the 3DS. That's doing fine (not extraordinary, but fine) irrespective of the criticisms you or anybody else labels at it. The Vita might share some of the same issues as the 3DS, but it isn't selling or performing through those issues. The Vita isn't doing fine.

The fact that the 3DS is propped up by ports and sequels isn't even remotely the same thing as the Vita being propped up by ports and sequels, as things stand right now.
 
No one, sony included, expects vita to outsell the 3ds, it's all about better sales.
Vita actually isn't doing well, but with all the good games coming it's normal to expect decent sales on holidays.

Sure a pr that is able to advertise vita without leading to the creation of hate treads would be a good start.
 
I'm a big fan of the Vita, but if I were in charge of it at Sony I'd be curled up in the fetal position under my desk. Sucking my thumb with a carrot in my ass. For dramatic purposes, clearly.
 
No one, sony included, expects vita to outsell the 3ds, it's all about better sales.
Vita actually isn't doing well, but with all the good games coming it's normal to expect decent sales on holidays.

Sure a pr that is able to advertise vita without leading to the creation of hate treads would be a good start.

Its the holidays and sales should pick up regardless but its not just about the holidays.
 
Vita's success this Christmas will no doubt lie in the hands of four key titles:


Assassin's Creed III: Liberation / Actual reason for small hope but it has to compete with AC 3.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified / Half assed port by a second class developer. BLOP2 as competitor.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted / Pretty much the Assasins situation.

FIFA 13 / Two year old game. Such a slap by EA and moneygrabbing move its actual pretty disgusting.

Anyone disagrees?

Sonys problem with handheld is and always has been that they offer the same experience on vita as on the home consoles, except slightly worse.
 
Ahhh the smell of a Vita doomed thread in the morning. It's been apparent since launch Vita is not in great shape and is getting little support by developers. Since Sony just admitted that a few weeks ago I have little faith in them and the console at this point. Some great stuff is coming over the next few months but having bought one near launch I'm not happy with it at all and hardly play it.
 
Sony hasn't marketed the Vita at all, this could be for a few reasons, but I imagine it's because higher-ups have put a very strict budget on marketing, and they didn't want to spend that money outside of November, but their system release was lined up for a far earlier. It'll be interesting, this Xmas is do or die for the Vita, either Sony actually put effort behind it, or they bail next year.
 
Can Sony win at all? I already own the handheld but would like to see more content. Start putting PSN games on the vita and tell devs to make cross-saves the norm. More ps1 games. Try putting ps2 games on it....such and such.
 
All I hope is that the Vita slowly gains a sustainable user base over time and that PSMobile kicks off.

This will give me a handheld that can play

• Vita games (both full console style ones like uncharted, wipeout, gravity rush and assassins creed and PSN games like sound shapes and mutant blobs).
• mins
• psp games
• PSOne classics
• PSMobile games and apps.

So it has everything from ports / spin offs to original games to classics and indie games.

Im happy with that. Both vita and PSMobile would have to completely fail and not release anything for the machine to become worthless down the line.

I have just started seeing Vita adverts appear on the telly (in UK) which kinda surprised me so yeah.... maybe they are going to start putting some effort into it. I hope they have a successful xmas period and continue to get stronger throughout 2013. I dont think the xmas period will be "holy crap amazing" but It has a chance of doing well as long as Sony handle it right.

The likes of assassins creed and NFS-MW show how this thing can give you full blown gaming experiences, its a shame how COD is looking and will probably end up as an example of how not to put out a popular franchise on a handheld but time will tell on that. If its a solid frame rate it has a chance of still being a fun online shooter (however its clear there are going to be some major flaws regardless).

The hate is odd from some people but the fact is that its not selling to well.

I actually think it does have plenty of fantastic games but the problem is people dont know it really exists and what its library is like. Advertising / marketing is where Sony have truly screwed up so far and they can turn that around if they put the time and money into it. Pricing is an issue for some. However this again comes down to marketing. The device is totally worth its price considering what is can do and the quality of the product. But when all you see is "psp2" because of no worth while marketing, you dont get an idea of its true worth.

It will be interesting to see how this machine turns out. Il keep my fingers crossed that it continues to grow at least at a somewhat steady pace. To see it fall flat would be a huge shame. However I bought mine at launch and have playing it practically every day since. It has already been a worth while purchase.

Hopefully Sony can pull it together but it is Sony so who knows.
 
I think a price drop below $200 and getting PS2 games to work on it would be a start. From there get more developers on board with some type of monetary incentive.
 
I just hope that behind closed doors they don't have the same defence mechanism as some on GAF. Thankfully, nobody in this thread works for Sony.

Yes,honestly I can't understand it. I have a vita and my dissatisfaction with Sony´s policy can´t be bigger.Is it all what Sony can do in support terms?I doubt it.

I can´t see how the vita can overcome this situation,but for sure ignore this sad reality not going to help us.
 
The 3DS has ports and sequels just like the Vita does, and the 3DS has new exclusive content just like the Vits does. But only one of those systems is selling. The decreasing market for a dedicated handheld console is showing it is prepared to support the current trend of established franchises and ports, to an extent, but only on one platform, leaving the other to sink..

I think thats a stretch. First, I wish people would stop spouting 'shrinking market, ipad pwns' (paraphrasing you). Wasn't the DS the most successful handheld ever?

Secondly, I think people need to separate 'ports and franchises' and 'NINTENDO ports and franchises'. There is just something almost intangible about Nintendo content and its ability to sell hardware.
 
I think thats a stretch. First, I wish people would stop spouting 'shrinking market, ipad pwns' (paraphrasing you). Wasn't the DS the most successful handheld ever?

Secondly, I think people need to separate 'ports and franchises' and 'NINTENDO ports and franchises'. There is just something almost intangible about Nintendo content and its ability to sell hardware.

That's the danger with paraphrasing. I don't own an iPad and don't play any games on my smartphone (which is a Windows Phone 7, just to be clear).

However, isnt it pretty much accepted as fact at this point that the market is decreasing? I never said it was dead, or is going to die (I hope not, given that I own and enjoy a 3DS), but i believe it has minimised and i believe sales data reflects that.

And, regarding Nintendo, i agree with you. That was exactly my point when i said comparing sequels and ports on Vita to the sequels and ports on 3DS was a waste of time. Especially when you bring in the Nintendo factor with regards to original content, vs the selling power of Sonys original content.
 
I think a price drop below $200 and getting PS2 games to work on it would be a start. From there get more developers on board with some type of monetary incentive.
I believe we'll see a price drop on Memory Cards by the time PS+ hits the Vita, with a price cut of €/$50 on the hardware by the first months of 2013.
As for the PS2 games, there's no way they'll come to the system; see how difficult is to emulate PSone titles on the Vita (or PS2 titles on PS3/PC, for that matter)

The same can be said of the 3DS. Sony's problem is they don't have the kids, and that's Nintendo's strong point and the reason why they dominate.
This. Also, Sony does not have system sellers - apart from Gran Turismo which...takes some time.
 
Sonys problem with handheld is and always has been that they offer the same experience on vita as on the home consoles, except slightly worse.

The same can be said of the 3DS. Sony's problem is they don't have the kids, and that's Nintendo's strong point and the reason why they dominate.
 
After AC3:L and P4G, the PSP2 has...?

Also naming it anything other than the PSP2 has been kinda ironic. They wanted to get away from the PSP "failing" name and gave it a name that meant "life" only for the system to be dying. Should've probably named it "Mors" in this case.

...Or just kept the PSP2 name that they've given it internally. Whichever.
 
That's the danger with paraphrasing. I don't own an iPad and don't play any games on my smartphone (which is a Windows Phone 7, just to be clear).

However, isnt it pretty much accepted as fact at this point that the market is decreasing? I never said it was dead, or is going to die (I hope not, given that I own and enjoy a 3DS), but i believe it has minimised and i believe sales data reflects that.
I don't think it's an accepted fact yet, even though all the signs point the same way.

And, regarding Nintendo, i agree with you. That was exactly my point when i said comparing sequels and ports on Vita to the sequels and ports on 3DS was a waste of time. Especially when you bring in the Nintendo factor with regards to original content, vs the selling power of Sonys original content.
My point was that people do in fact want sequels and spin-offs, but they want them to Nintendo IP's. I think we're saying the same thing in different ways.
 
The same can be said of the 3DS.

..... what? There are a lots of games that are not looking to replicating the home console experience on ds(and 3ds and vita before i forget :P) ......... and games that are arguably better on portable like Pokemon and animal crossing and monster hunter.

I have to say most who tried to emulate home console experience are not really doing so good :P
 
The whole reason Sony is waiting to announce a price drop is because they are waiting on Nihilistic to start making the Ambassador games.
 
I think we're saying the same thing in different ways.

More than likely.

I feel for the Vita, though. I bought and sold mine, but would consider another at £100 or something for PS1 games and the PSP/PSV library.

Waiting until Christmas is an acceptable thing to say, theoretically, but in practice I do fear for the system this year. If there are consumer dollars, pounds, Euros and Yen available this November/December, I just can't see them being spent on a Vita over a Wii U, 3DS, iPad, PS3 or Xbox 360.
 
That's the danger with paraphrasing. I don't own an iPad and don't play any games on my smartphone (which is a Windows Phone 7, just to be clear).

However, isnt it pretty much accepted as fact at this point that the market is decreasing? I never said it was dead, or is going to die (I hope not, given that I own and enjoy a 3DS), but i believe it has minimised and i believe sales data reflects that.

And, regarding Nintendo, i agree with you. That was exactly my point when i said comparing sequels and ports on Vita to the sequels and ports on 3DS was a waste of time. Especially when you bring in the Nintendo factor with regards to original content, vs the selling power of Sonys original content.

Yes. The overall pie for dedicated handhelds is shrinking, and Sony's slice of the pie is also shrinking. It's not a good scenario for growth.

Even worse is that the Vita is still being treated like trash by retailers. It's tucked away in the farthest corner past the overflow shelving at every Best Buy I've checked.

Absent a colossal marketing push, most consumers still won't even know this system exists by this Christmas.
 
obligatory

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What does 'proper support' mean? There are a ton of great Vita games, especially when you bear in mind how young the device is. What franchises are people waiting for? Killzone? On the way. Uncharted? Already done. LittleBigPlanet? Already out.

God Of War, maybe? Gran Turismo? A ton of quirky PSN games by the Japanese teams?

I think people expect to see a huge avalanche of 3rd party games as well and that just isn't realistic for a handheld, especially one that's struggling as much as the Vita. Hell, even the 3DS looks barren from a 3rd party perspective and most of the 3rd party releases so far seem to have flopped.

I get that people obviously want 'something', I just don't get what that 'something' actually is.

yeah, that's about the crux of it, isn't it? it's so subjective.
i wasn't paying attention early in the PSP's cycle, but...after GTA spinoff got big attention, what kept that ball rolling? MG PO, Crisis Core, God of War etc i imagine? stuff like Lumines and the hoard of J/SPRGs couldn't have hurt, but as you kinda pointed at, it's the same chicken/egg problem they had with 3rd parties early in the ps3's life: you need momentum to get them on board/invested, and you need them to provide said momentum.

speaking for myself, im all about the quirky japanese PSN shit, but if i had to point at one single factor the help it out, it'd be the price. AC liberation bundle is a step in the right direction bundling a wanted game + memory stick, i need more of that.

they/no one should ever realistically bundle towards my specific tastes though, a Katamari/EDF would sell terribly. PSO 2 might do well though, and id go in on that!

Thread gone to shit already. Congrats.

happens in vita and WU threads: whining about the whining does nothing. you want to salvage things? talk around the mess
 
Personally I could give a rat's ass about what the sales numbers will be in comparison the other systems, etc..

I enjoy the games, and for me Vita has delivered. Looking to the future all I care about is that Sony's supporting Vita with solid first party games. Killzone looks great as does Ratchet and Clank. Bring on more Sony franchises I love like Motorstorm and God of War and I'm a happy camper.
 
All I hope is that the Vita slowly gains a sustainable user base over time and that PSMobile kicks off.

This will give me a handheld that can play

• Vita games (both full console style ones like uncharted, wipeout, gravity rush and assassins creed and PSN games like sound shapes and mutant blobs).
• mins
• psp games
• PSOne classics
• PSMobile games and apps.
I'd also mention:
• Crossplay
• Crossbuy
• PS+
• Bundles

With this and the big upcoming / current games like LBP or Killzone I'm pretty sure that they can make a huge and great marketing campaign for this holydays.
I would push it hard focusing on showing these games, platforms and how they features stuff like touchscreen, motion, backtouch etc. instead of making their bizarre, abstract commercials they use to make.
It would help to have good numbers for these holydays. Then I'd make a good price cut for March if not early and would announce more great games. And then start marketing it hard showcasing the new price and new titles in addition to the previous things mentioned until late 2013 where they would ships their efforts to the PS4 once the Vita sales have a good, stable number of sales and 3rd party support.
 
I completely agree. The 3DS didn't really take off until many months later and Christmas definitely helped. What's fun is that many were saying the 3DS was doomed at the time.
 
The main problem imo is that even if Sony does secure solid games from well established series (FF, MGS etc) right now, it will still take at least a couple of years of dev time for them to be made (or in Square's case...). Vita could easily be dead by then.

Its a difficult situation for sure, wonder how it will eventually turn out.
 
Secondly, I think people need to separate 'ports and franchises' and 'NINTENDO ports and franchises'. There is just something almost intangible about Nintendo content and its ability to sell hardware.

it's not 'intangible' - it's simply parents knowing/trusting that it's kiddie-safe. nintendo/mario handhelds will always be the (particularly non-gamer) parents go-to systems for their kids...
 
Starting to think GAF has a crush on the Vita, but keeps fabricating excuses not to fall in love. Quite the nerd drama.

Give in to your emotions.
 
I completely agree. The 3DS didn't really take off until many months later and Christmas definitely helped. What's fun is that many were saying the 3DS was doomed at the time.

these situations aren't comparable, for reasons that should be obvious: they slashed the price significantly (something they totally should do) and pushed development to drop several titles that are habitually known to sell in the millions (something many of us wish sony had the power to do, but if they did, wouldn'tve struggled early on with the PSP either).
 
it's not 'intangible' - it's simply parents knowing/trusting that it's kiddie-safe. nintendo/mario handhelds will always be the (particularly non-gamer) parents go-to systems for their kids...

it's safe for anyone. You know they'll ship decent software if they haven't already. You know the Mario, Pokemon and Zelda games plus whatever other franchises they wake up briefly will be at least half-decent, because they will have the best teams working on them.

You know they won't pull a GT Portable kind of bait and switch, five years after releasing press shots including the game.
 
Starting to think GAF has a crush on the Vita, but keeps fabricating excuses not to fall in love. Quite the nerd drama.

Give in to your emotions.

well, this is exactly how it should be. It has huge potential, let down by software choice for many right now. Why wouldn't I want one? Except I can't find more than a tiny handful of released or announced software that I really want thus far.
 
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