Somehow I'm actually expecting this to happen...
Sony: Vita was designed for a different world, but changes are afoot
- Thread starter m.i.s.
- Start date
Somehow I'm actually expecting this to happen...
PSP Go's issue was that it cost more for less. I guess you're right in that a portable only handheld as a successor to the PSP would be more successful than the Go, but there is literally no reason to do so because the successor wouldn't be stuck with UMDs and rampant piracy.
By being digital only, retailers demand a larger chunk of the pie since they're not making up costs in games, which translates to a higher price.
Agreed
Vita has games. Quite a bunch of them actually. And some of them are really good. People just don't give a fuck about it as a system, and the points Sony make explain why quite well. The 3ds faired better than the Vita because it has Nintendo brands like Mario and Pokemon which sell like cupcakes.
Ingueferroque
Banned
The Vita is (imo) a bigger tragedy than the Dreamcast, when it comes to lost potential. The hardware is so good.
SlavetodaBOX
Member
Well said, you can have that handheld phone garbage, I'll take a dedicated device from Sony (anyone for that matter) with a service like ps+. In my opinion it's a good value. I have all kinds of games on my Vita.
Vita has games, but a good deal of them are ports or spin-off titles that are not as good as their PS3 counterparts. The system needs more games on the caliber of Gravity Rush (original IP unique to the system) and Wipeout 2048 ("spin-off" that matches/surpasses the home console variant).
j0hnny_385
Member
Well, they convinced me. *shrugs*
Never owned a handheld before. Bought:
- PSVita Wifi
- Persona 4 Golden
- 32GB card
- carrying pouch
all for ~252GBP total (including shipping). It's in the post now, hope it arrives by the end of the week.
Really excited for it. The game library is great (
), the price is OK now after the price cut and the device has a lot of potential with PS4. I'm not saying Remote play is a system seller, but it will be a nice feature for PS4+Vita owners.
I think SmokeyDave said it best. The times have changed.
I hope Vita will live on for a long time.
Never owned a handheld before. Bought:
- PSVita Wifi
- Persona 4 Golden
- 32GB card
- carrying pouch
all for ~252GBP total (including shipping). It's in the post now, hope it arrives by the end of the week.
Really excited for it. The game library is great (
and yet, 99% people still say "Vita has no game"
I think SmokeyDave said it best. The times have changed.
I hope Vita will live on for a long time.
Agreed. Dreamcast had quite a few games that showcased the hardware. While the Vita is staying afloat with indie games, there haven't been many games that have truly pushed the hardware.
Wickerbasket
Member
Did the UK get a price drop? The prices don't seem to have changed yet.
I've been looking for good deals on Vita since the conference, but the prices seem to be staying stable.
They really need more big games, but I get the feeling that they'd rather focus their studios elsewhere.
I've been looking for good deals on Vita since the conference, but the prices seem to be staying stable.
Killzone looks amazing though; can't believe it's running on a handheld.
They really need more big games, but I get the feeling that they'd rather focus their studios elsewhere.
Eh, Uncharted, Gravity Rush, Wipeout, Virtua Tennis, and Killzone are all knock out titles in terms of graphics. I don't think there is any question as to the quality of graphics the Vita can pump out.
geek_box12
Banned
Just returned my Vita to Best Buy yesterday after picking up the LG Otimus Pro and a Moga pro controller. Playing Jet Set Radio Future on my phone is great, but the controls with the Moga controller are just as good, if not better than using a Vita. I just don't see any reason to own one anymore. Especially when you consider physical controllers will be available on iOS this fall and already on Android. As much as I love dedicated handhelds, there days are severely numbered.
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
What does that say to the SW situation though? You returned your Vita when it's poised to have some amazing games in the horizon. Doesn't make sense.
You really did return your Vita eh? Power to you but Vita is only really starting to hit its stride and that isn't even accounting for remote play with PS4.
I'd hate to prematurely abandon a platform when it's about to get amazing games.
The Vita went into R&D well before two years ago, and even when it released Japan at least hadn't surrendered completely to smartphones and tablets.
The Vita began R&D while Stringer was still CEO and Stringer had zero pull with the Japanese hardware engineering end of Sony.
What should they have done instead? Just shut the thing down when it was all but done, when they had nothing else in the mobile sector at the time worth producing?
They weren't losing much of anything per unit at release, likely still aren't now, and have some pretty impressive tie ratios on software along with fat markups on memory cards. I'm sure they're doing ok from a profitability standpoint, and any little bit they can squeeze out of it helps subsidize the already sunk R&D costs their engineering teams led them into.
There's a reason why Sony handed the lead position on PS4's R&D over the Cerny, an American born software guy, instead of the traditional hardware engineering side who for decades have made all design decisions almost unilaterally, and it's not just that Cerny's dulcet tones wooed Kaz over. The Vita was the last "old Sony" product where the engineers got to have their fun and not think about market realities. Hirai has made it quite clear there will no longer be competing products developed in-house, no more engineering teams working effectively in secret from management, and no more backstabbing between divisions. Stringer paid lip service to this while spending all his time doting over his media division darlings. Hirai has already thwarted one activist investor attempt to fracture the company, broke against the hardware engineers on multiple fronts (most notably the PS4 but also their TV division overhauls), and is the first CEO to actually make Sony Pictures show the fuck up to a Playstation event.
The Vita isn't the child of the current power players within Sony. They don't want it to be a failure, but they'll never prioritize it over the PS4, the Xperia line, or even Gaikai as a gateway into all smartphone gaming. The Vita wasn't built with a forward thinking market vision and trying to reverse-engineer one for already released hardware isn't exactly an easy task.
This is some of the stupidest shit I've read on NeoGAF this week. Sony has been far and away the content leader at retail for Vita. Their launch window alone was one of the best this industry has ever seen with Uncharted, WipEout, Unit 13, Stardust Delta, Hot Shots Golf, etc. all coming out in the first few months. Gravity Rush, Soul Sacrifice, LBP Vita, and the Drinkbox games they've helped to fund, etc. are all good games regardless of format. This holiday they have Killzone: Mercenary and Tearaway, two of the most interesting handheld releases of all time.
Sony's support for the Vita isn't the problem. The fact that no one (well, very few of us) actually wants console gaming on the go is the problem. KZ:M looks absolutely incredible but will have very little market penetration because the number of people even receptive to the idea of handheld FPS gaming is comparatively small and it gets far smaller when the FPS in question isn't name Call of Duty.
Is it? Outside of Tearaway and Killzone, what exclusive big name titles do we know of that are coming to it? All I can think of is Ys.
The PS4 remote play is one thing but I can't really say it's starting to hit its stride - especially if we're talking exclusives. I love the Vita but even so I understand that its appeal is extremely limited right now.
Canis lupus
Member
Since when is Tearaway midrange stuff? It looks like a full fledged 3D platformer to me. Handheld games should cost less than console games and I think its good their games are priced cheaper, its hard to pay 50 euros for a handheld game today.
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
You mean you're going to ignore all the indies? Games are games. If you haven't been following Vita news then you've answered your own interest in the platform.
List me any of the announced games that are coming to any other portable.
I have a few of the games that are coming on PC but will be getting then on PS4/Vita because none of my friends have them and they are not going to be on another portable except for the button-less iOS.
I'm not doubting the limited interest but you can't discount the avalanche of great games and indies coming.
Well if the PS4 indeeds end up being the bees knees and very popular and sell like hotcakes, I think Sony have what it takes and know what to do to turn that into an advantage for the PSV. Sadly unlike Nintendo who seem to be doing almost nothing in that manner for the WiiU using the 3DS success..
A swarm of cheap games aren't going to convince many people of a platform's viability, especially when they can be had on other platforms. I would take a sequel to Uncharted: Golden Abyss over two dozen multiplat indie titles.
j0hnny_385
Member
Don't get me wrong, I really like the Vita and I game on it more than any other system. However after November I can't name a single game I'm really looking forward to.
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
That's where your perception of good games falls flat. You should know by now that great games come in all sizes.
As I said before, please, list me all the games which are coming to Vita which are not coming to their direct competitor, the 3DS. iOS is getting some of the games like Terraria but I'm not sure how good it will be minus buttons. I want someone to come in and discredit the Vita's lineup.
It's not just about big games and I know all the great games won't necessarily move more units. That does not discredit the ton of games coming via retail and PSN.
m.i.s.
Banned
They were. Sony [and Nintendo] were caught out. They both underestimated the appeal of ever cheaper Smartphone and Tablet hardware with onboard storage and free to 99 cent games. Puzzle games were previously ubiquitous on handhelds, for instance, and are the perfect fit on Android / iOS.
Sony made their mark on the video gaming landscape with Playstation [and cemented this with Playstation 2 and 3]. Theirs [and their 3rd party partners] was an emphasis on FMV, multi audio stereo, voice acting and cinematic presentation. Exactly the kind of games that don't translate well to a smaller screen and compromised controls.
I agree with this. I was very excited before launch got the system at launch and I pick it up more then I pick up my 3DS I dont play smartphone games I play my vita for portable games. The system has everything I wanted in a system. We are getting even more in the future people need to stop complaining and suck it up.
Freedom Wars from Sony and we still don't know what Bend or Team Siren are doing. We haven't gotten to TGS yet.
Also, exclusive to Vita is a complex standard. Exclusive across all formats, or just exclusive to all handheld formats? Because I can play Spelunky on my PS3, PC, or X360 but I can't really play it on any other handheld than my Vita.
This fall we'll have Terraria and Minecraft in effectively full version glory which no other handheld device can offer.
Being able to play a game on another format isn't much of a negative if the other format isn't even a portable. The Vita is designed for gaming on the go. If you do all your gaming in front of a PC or TV then the Vita is going to have a near impossible time selling to you anyway. Just like all the people who don't share a TV and see no appeal to remote play.
That1BlackGuy
Member
They can have all the (valid) excuses they want, I'm" still buying one.
I've played many of the current and upcoming Vita indie games last year on PC and Xbox 360. They may not be on the 3DS but they've certainly been on other platforms.
TechnicPuppet
Nothing! I said nothing!
The Vita seems to have no weakness as a platform. Brilliant hardware much more powerful than anything else, well designed with plenty of features you would expect from a modern console.
The thing is though it isn't selling, Sonys current plan of well spaced 1st party games and indies to fill the blanks isn't working.
The thing is though it isn't selling, Sonys current plan of well spaced 1st party games and indies to fill the blanks isn't working.
I am not saying the indie titles announced are not good or even great games--I did not purchase the Vita to play a bunch of games I can play on the PS3 or PS4 when it's released. I want more games like Uncharted, Gravity Rush, Wipeout, Persona, Tearaway, etc. Suddenly going dry on those titles and replacing them with a plethora of indie titles does nothing for me.
You say "ton of games" coming to retail. I just don't see them.
I really hope Bend brings us an Uncharted GA sequel with multiplayer (where 4v4 will actually work well), where they can flex their muscle and really show off the system. If Sony announces even three solid titles to look forward to, I will be satisfied. But between E3 and Gamescon, they've done nothing to appeal to my needs in the system.
LiquidSolid
Member
Crappy troll. Sony's statement is the opposite of what Nintendo said.
And marketing. Loads of it.
Toukiden (hunting game, sold well in Japan), FFX/X-2 HD is a very loved game, it may sell decently. Europeans have Dragon's Crown in October to. That Freedom Wars game (hunting genre too...)
There has been some localization announcements lately. If they give me some Tales of on Vita it's value is gonna be over 9000 for me.
synce
Member
It's all about the price. If the Vita was $200 from the start and didn't require stupidly overpriced memory cards it could've been neck and neck with the 3DS.
Although even at $200 I'm hesitant to buy one. The thing is just so damn big and ugly, they've gotta have a redesign in the works.
Although even at $200 I'm hesitant to buy one. The thing is just so damn big and ugly, they've gotta have a redesign in the works.
IncandescentPrecept
Banned
It's definitely the price. If the Vita was $129, sales would be through the roof.
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
How does that strip them of relevance though?
Let me share something, I'm a father. THe convenience of my smartphone, 3DS, and Vita are showing their muscle right now.
I cannot turn on the PC or PS3/360 all the time. Something like Vita is a savior when it comes to having tons of great console and portable like games with the ability to play them on the John or in the middle of the jungle if I want.
Just because they've been on PC doesn't mean they are suddenly worth discrediting. This is the common mistake others have made alongside you.
Starbound, FEZ, Minecraft, Borderlands 2, Tearaway, Rogue Legacy, Assault Android Cactus, Terraria, Hotline Miami 2 Wrong Number, and I will stop there.
A lot of these games will also have cross buy, cross save, or even cross play. I cannot do that on PC or any other platform right now. I'm tossing in that benefit because it absolutely does add up to extra value. If someone wants to dance around and go down this road then be prepared to discredit amazing games.
I literally left out dozens of games but I just brought in a small sample of stuff coming to Vita
There are your standard games like the Lego Marvel things but that's multiplatform. The strength is in PSN though. I'm not going to magically tell you that Vita's retail offerings match 3DS but on the whole with PSN, they stand up there or even exceed the lineup (depending on the types of games you like). I'm not going to play the HW card but I'm sure a lot of us know some of the multiplatform stuff will look better on Vita but I don't want to hinge my point on something like that.
I will stand by the games any day though.
Is it something you personally want, or is it something you think will save them?In this day and age, people care about shit like apps and half a dollar games, instead of full fledged actual quality games. Sony cannot fight it. As someone mentioned above, the best thing for Sony is to build on the probable success of the ps4 for a Vita comeback.
KillerTravis
Banned
I think it needs more retail games, games that need to be seen by people that don't already own the platform.
Sony has two or three of the most publicly acclaimed devs in the business; put them to work on the device like they do on the console, i.e. make them pull TLOU and GT level games on the Vita. Nintendo has been promoting and developing for their handheld as if iOS, Android, et al, wasn't around, it's clear that quality games make the difference. We praise the Naughty Dogs and Santa Monica's yet they treat Sony's handheld like it does't exist, these are the guys that need to step it up.
Yeah we have Uncharted Golden Abyss, but that is not enough in my opinion.
Yeah we have Uncharted Golden Abyss, but that is not enough in my opinion.
But why look forward to a bunch of games I've already played before? You're honestly telling me you'd rather have a bunch of games you've played before or can play somewhere else, over a bunch of unique games built for the system?
I am not saying you can't be happy with what's to come. I just question the claim that the system is just hitting its stride when we already saw a lot of awesome games come out. To me, the system's stride was its first year.
Well this relates back to my first post in the thread. I do not see why someone would pay for a Vita to play a bunch of cheap quick games when they can be played on a cell phone. I mean, when Sony showed off the Vita with full console controls and powerful hardware, did you dream of playing gamers like Killzone Mercenary or Cut The Rope? That's why I don't get the argument that Sony should have catered the Vita towards the market where cell phones and tablets dominate.
TechnicPuppet
Nothing! I said nothing!
Nearly everyone that has a Vita seems to love it. What Sony can't do is convince people to buy one. How do you market indie games to sell a failing console?