PlayStation General Topic

http://vita.ign.com/articles/121/1215557p1.html

Vita sales have already collapsed.

I expected the system to flop in the long run, but I thought it would atleast get off to a better start in Japan, where the PSP has found success in recent years. Honestly shocking figures for a brand new console launched in the Holiday season.

The worrying thing for Sony is they really don't have much room to maneuver on pricing the Vita. Nintendo could afford to significantly drop the 3DS price because they were frankly ripping off consumers with the original price point. The 3DS had a huge profit margin for Nintendo at the original price point. But Sony is already selling the Vita at a loss.

They have to drop the price of those ridiculous memory cards though. That's clearly where they're trying to make their money.

The vita is gonna fail for the same reasons as the 3DS sadly. People want their mobile devices to do everything a computer does, and since people's attention spans are getting shorter every day, they are more susceptible to the latest app/game. I called it before the 3DS came out, this will be the last generation of dedicated handheld consoles.

bornforthis43 said:
The vita is gonna fail for the same reasons as the 3DS sadly. People want their mobile devices to do everything a computer does, and since people's attention spans are getting shorter every day, they are more susceptible to the latest app/game. I called it before the 3DS came out, this will be the last generation of dedicated handheld consoles.

But the 3DS isn't failing. It certainly was at first, but it's actually beating Nintendo's own projections now with the price cuts and new software. Its building momentum, not losing it.

I also think you're wrong that this is the last generation of handhelds. You could argue that this is the last generation where a dedicated handheld system is still viable but its a certainty that Nintendo will keep trying beyond this generation. The handheld market is Nintendo's most important stronghold. Losing it may be inevitable, but there's no doubting they're going to keep fighting as long as possible, and I think that includes atleast one more generation beyond 3DS.

I played two games on it yesterday but I don't know what to think of it. The games themselves were lacklustre, one was a samurai hack and slash that looked pretty but got boring way too quick and the other one was a game where I was controlling lots of midgets trying to take down a giant ogre. To be honest, the graphics in the second game were much lower than my expectations. They billed the graphics of the Vita as comparable to the PS3, but this had the same low textures as in Skyward Sword.

The device itself, while slim, is way too big. The screen, however, is huge and gorgeous. It was the feature that most stuck out to me. But considering how many people carry bulky tablets around these days, I doubt size would be a major factor.

Also, at the store there was a queue to try the 3DSes yet there was always at least 3 Vitas free to try.

I think people are being way too quick to write-off the Vita, I mean it's only been out two or three weeks.

Give it time and it'll do fairly well, I think.

( Edited 01.01.2012 18:45 by Marzy )

^ I think so too. Same happened with DS, 3DS and PSP. Poor games at launch, same with Vita. Way too early to start saying it's going to be unsuccessful. PSP is doing amazingly well in Japan. Its games top the charts consistently. Vita could do a similar thing once it gets games.

( Edited 01.01.2012 18:51 by Azuardo )

Yeah, if you consider the fact that the trial 3DSes were loaded with the likes of Mario Kart, Super Mario 3D Land and Monster Hunter, it's easy to see why their lines were so long. If the Vita gets a strong line up it will do similarly. But I'd still be more incline to use it indoors due to it's size.

The reason I'm inclined to be down on the Vita is the price -- once again, Sony is at a difficult place with the price tag. Nintendo could afford to drastically reduce the price. Sony can't. They're kind of stuck at that price point, which will hamper their ability to stimulate demand.

Again, Christmas release of a brand new system. It can't really be understated how weak a start this is. It bodes poorly for the future of the system. It's certainly too soon to say it's over, but if you can't generate excitement even with a new system launch in the middle of the Holiday season, when can you?

PSP is doing amazingly well in Japan.

Which is another reason why the Vita bombing in Japan is a surprise.



( Edited 01.01.2012 22:00 by Jacob4000 )

I've thought about that too. It launched in the holiday when you'd expect a decent start. And like you say, the price is against them since it's always at a loss. I felt the release batch of games was too Westernised. Uncharted, whilst growing stronger in Japan as seen with great sales of U3, was probably the biggest game for it, but it's not exactly aimed at Japanese. Imagine if FFXHD had launched for it. Clearly that game won't be coming for a while yet though, and it seems they were forced into announcing it early to generate excitement for Vita.

If there aren't any decent games for it, people won't buy it though. They needed a big RPG for it or something. But it's the PSP and 3DS that's getting all the quality titles right now, with F Type-0 and Monster Hunter, among plenty of others. So I definitely see the concern, but if there aren't many appealing games and a hefty price tag, people won't buy it. They can't change the price at all yet, so they just have to see it out and deliver on the games.

Maybe people don't want to spend £££ on a handheld games console. It's not as if 3DS' are flying off shelves, either. I've already got game playing devices. Good ones which work with my awesome TV. Why would I want to stare at a crap little screen playing shit versions of good games that I already play? For money, as well..? Hahaha. Portable consoles can kiss my balls.

I've always had the same opinion as Martin on this, but strangely enough I still go and buy handhelds. It really is for the games though, I wouldn't want to miss out on some great Nintendo ones.

But yeah, handhelds are uncomfortable to hold, they have a small screen and tiny speakers.

Well, I'm in total agreement. I was going to bring up about my lack of interest in handhelds nowadays, but thought it might not be necessary at the time. Sure, I bought a 3DS, but only when the price crashed since I thought it'd be a good deal, even if there are still no games on the thing that interest me. If you look at Vita, it's not far off the same level of HD console graphics. But why bother with either when I can just play what I want on my TV? It's not like I go on trains often where playing a handheld might be worth it. When I was a kid in school and played with friends, sure. But not now.

However, that's just us lot. You have to admit it's a bit odd to see it not doing so well in Japan when the PSP has been really successful. But maybe they do have sense about the whole thing after all. I'm sure it'll pick up, but personally, yeah, handhelds don't do anything for me now.

Still definitely looking forward to this, but I just hope it doesn't end up being one of those where the gameplay gets repetitive after a short time with it. I can see it happening. I'll likely just wait for it to drop to £10-£15 like I do with most games now. Shouldn't take long either.

Will be a day one purchase for me I think. Love all of grasshoppers games, for me they keep gaming fresh and original, and very quirky. Should be good!

Azuardo said:
Still definitely looking forward to this, but I just hope it doesn't end up being one of those where the gameplay gets repetitive after a short time with it. I can see it happening. I'll likely just wait for it to drop to £10-£15 like I do with most games now. Shouldn't take long either.

Yeah, I'm in agreement with this. I can see it being one of those games that flops at retail and quickly becomes obscure.

PSVita's camera sucks big time, even the 3DS has better image quality apparently:

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/01/04/how-good-is-the-ps-vitas-camera

( Edited 05.01.2012 09:44 by Squidboy )

Squidboy said:
PSVita's camera suck big time, even the 3DS has better image quality apparently:

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/01/04/how-good-is-the-ps-vitas-camera

But, of course, the big question is how the PS Vita compares to its closest competitor -- the Nintendo 3DS. In terms of resolution, the devices have near-identical specs and results are similarly grainy and out of focus. However, Nintendo's camera produces better color.

It's not exactly a big deal. They're both ridiculously-shit at taking photos. The Vita is just slightly shitter.

( Edited 05.01.2012 08:04 by Martin_ )

I find it very surprising given the fact that Sony make some of the best compact camera's available today. They should have at least included some Cybershot technology in Vita, the fact they didn't suggests they couldn't even afford to do that after expenses elsewhere.

For a device that costs in the region of £280, this won't to go down well with fans who expect Sony hardware to include the very best current technology.

At least the 3DS images are 3D and can be used in imaginative ways using on-board software.

Shining Blade PSP

Squidboy said:
At least the 3DS images are 3D and can be used in imaginative ways using on-board software.

But it's still just a crap toy of a camera. I had a phone many years back which could take photos at that resolution. The 3DS camera really isn't of any valuable use beyond having a bit of fun.

Well if SOny is smart (which can vary drastically...) they'll be offering free downloads for psp titles on Vita if not DRASTICALLY reduced pricing since SOny is making us pay for psp games we already own in solid form.

And if there's another 3DS style price drop then they'd BETTER offer something similar to what Nintendo gave us to make up for what they needed to do.

Yeah but are you really going to buy the Vita at launch anyway at the price it is? Non-buyers don't deserve anything by waiting for a price drop. Nintendo had the right idea with the NES/GBA gifts for early adopters, even if they were wrong with the high price to begin with. Sony make a loss on the Vita, so can they afford to slash it after 6 months? Maybe they would, but any gifts should be for early adopters.

Yeah that's what I was referring to, reward early adopters in a similar manner like then the psn was hacked. It's still a crime that SOny is gonna make me rebuy (& have to play since there IS NO psp memory slot) my old psp games just cause I prefer physical over digital LDed titles so they better make up for that to say the least...

The games you own on PSP can be rebought at a 'discount price' onto your Vita for around £4-£12.20. It's a shame really, since they shouldn't make you pay at all, but we have had the backwards compatibility problem with PS3 Slims. The main point in a new console is its own games though. Just make sure you keep your PSP is all.

It's not too much different from Nintendo making you rebuy downloaded Virtual Console titles on 3DS, if you already have them on Wii. At least Sony had that right in making them transferable between PSP and PS3.