Only Sony can save Vita – but it’s not that hard

1. OMG, detective McNulty!

2.I agree yearly Madden and a COD game. Vita needs them to succeed. Shafer or God of War though, won’t help much. Shafer makes superb games but they won’t mean anything to general public that needs to pick up Vita. As for God of War, PSP had 2 great GOW games and yet none of them really helped that system.

Great letter and this what Sony really should do.

But reality is, they can’t even support Playstation Move with Software to begin with. They can’t support Exclusives with marketing. (Starhawk is DEAD for example) All what they are doing right now is a simple battle between teenagers, Fanboys and lawyers.

“PS3 is just hitting it’s stride”

Memory cards that should cost 5$ at best, but cost a lot.

and “NO GAMES” for 35$

Recently i was excited for Soul Sacrifice but now i’m thinking… Why i was excited… If it was on the PS3 or PC i probably would not be that excited because i have a lot of games to play right now.

E3 is their last chance. Maybe Tokyo Game Show, but if they are going to show PORTS of existed games and Zero new games. They can GTFO for forever.

Same goes to Call Of Duty as a mass market appeal. If it is going to be a port of Black Ops II then Sony Failed really hard.

I don’t buy a system for ports and people don’t buy it for ports. PSP is a great example where every port failed.

Also, very important. PS Vita hardware is amazing, but every year other companies upgrade their hardware like Google or Apple too. So if Sony won’t succeed in upcoming years with amazing games, their hardware in the end will be Dated compared to non gaming devices and handheld in the end will die.

What I want from Vita is the ‘buy 1 get both’ like Motorstorm RC with cloud saves.

I know there are a few games but they are all smaller scale, but I want Fifa, COD etc where i’d happily pay an extra £10 for a limited edition that gives me a Vita code to download the portable version.

I want to play on my PS3 and then continue on my Vita at lunchtime at work

The cloud saves between 2 versions is a winner for me and happy to pay a bit extra, just not willing to buy MGS Collection twice for ‘trasfarring’

@ Erth I agree about the ports – UNLESS there is the cloud saves between 2 versions and treat them as 1.

As I said I’m not interested in paying for same game twice (MGS) I want free or a limited edition Dual Pack for say an extra £10

Also – I want proper Remote Play so that I can play BF3 or whatever I fancy whilst the wife watches TV – we know it can be done, its just whether Sony make it ‘official’

@4, Agree with everything.

MGS is a Total rip off.
First of all MGS Vita is without Piece Walker and it’s a port of a PS3 version that was ported from the PS2. That is madness.

Konami should learn a bit how to support their fanbase.

Let’s see what happens at E3, if Sony can’t offer a convincing argument for the Vita after that – let the kicking commence. (said as a big Vita fan)

This article is so true and yet Sony fanboys wont believe it. Sony must focus on Vita at E3. Nothing else matters at this moment, imo.

“Dear Sony. You have in your hands the first legitimately worthwhile portable gaming experience.”

Stopped reading there.

@6 & 7 They absolutely have to deliver at E3 with both games, software updates and services.

The services I want like Lovefilm, iPlayer, Vidzone etc I dont think will be announced until Gamescom though

Thank you for this letter Jimmy. Like you said: its an awesome device, but a device which cannot be stressed out, because there is as good as nothing out there. And they should watch out that the games dont have too much touch controls…to keep the conservative gamers.

I hate to look at Japan and watch how many and what games they are getting:
Pro Baseball Spirit 2012, Samurai and Dragons, Gundam Seed, Dokuro, Ragnarok and the goddamn Tales of Innocence R. I know, for a lot of ppl they are not killer titles, but for some they are very good ones and at least: titles. So the West is already lacking of RPGs again. Like we did in the first three years with the PS3.

When some non-PSVita owners ask me how I think, I just say:”E3 or TGS announcements for international titles, or I will sell it on eBay.”
I know a lot of ppl who have a PS3 AND a PS Vita…what need are exclusive titles and not another port of a port.

I know the times are f***ing hard for Sony and I am sorry for all those lay-offs. But I cannot support Sony, when they are not give me something with that I can support them (Was that good english? Sounds weird.)

I hope your letter appears in the weekly “PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read” article on the official PSN BLOG.

It’s a £200+ piece of kit. It’s not selling because to many it feels like a choice between a Vita, or a *proper* console.

@8, Yet still felt compelled to scroll down and post meaningless guff on a topic that doesn’t interest you I see.

@6 +1 – Lets wait and see, don’t see the point in this article just before a major games show. This happens with every console release yet we still think it’ll be different each time? Time is needed. If knocking out some killer titles everyone wants quick and easy the industry as a whole wouldn’t be in the mess it is.

The system has barely been out half a year in one region, less than three in another.

I’m not sure where you guys were when every other system ever released was at the same point, but right now this software support is rather strong.

I cant take this article seriously?

Hes an ios fanboy, he thinks theres quality control on it, there isnt all the games stink

As sony said, its doing fine

And seriously, your insulting the 3ds?

The highest selling system in the world>?

Great article although I think you are talking absolute shite about the 3DS

Well I think sony will release a hell lot of games for vita at E3. They have already announced 3 major ps3 titles before E3. I am personally waiting for great JRPGs and sandbox like GTA on vita, psp was the home for them last generation.

@15 at which point is he an iOS fanboy?

Sorry, but I’ve been playing Kingdom Rush on my iPad over the last week or so.

It cost me 69p.

SIXTY NINE P!

No word of a lie, if I’d paid £40 for this game on a 360 or PS3, I wouldn’t complain. It’s one of the deepest and most fun games I’ve ever played in my life, and it cost me 69p!

Why in the world would I want a Vita, when all of my portable gaming needs are solved for a few pennies? More games, bigger screen, better functionality, and the biggest app store around.

Vita is going nowhere, guys.

As per a recent VG247 article, surely all they need to to is introduce a subscription based form of pament? I’d get one if I could pay £15 a month for 18 months or something.

@19 ouh, thats a good one.

/grabs beer, lights a cigar

I don’t really disagree with the sentiment of this article, but I’m staggered how short people’s memories are. I’m not saying it’s ideal, but almost every console in history has struggled in the months immediately after launch. Let’s not forgot that the Vita has still only been on the market for about three months in most of the major territories (six in Japan).

Resistance: Burning Skies and Gravity Rush are coming. Mortal Kombat just came out — and E3 is around the corner.

I’m not defending the situation — I’d love for there to be more games too. But please let’s get some perspective before we go with the hyperbole. There really hasn’t been much coming out on PS3/360 in the last month or so either.

@19 I played the same excellent game last year completely free on my laptop.

Free. On a system with more games, a bigger screen, a much larger and more diverse range of available apps and just as portable.

You’ll find that there’s always people willing to pay. One person’s experience will be that they got fantastic value for money, another person will wonder why someone would pay over the odds for what amounts to the same (or lesser) experience. It’s just a matter of perspective, not a universal truth.

JM

Well, simultaneous worldwide releases would help a lot. And not restricting games from certain PS stores, like Mortal Kombat not available for download in Poland… Whaaa? Seriously?
And the thing is… there are 2 outstanding games already. Great, deep, huge Vita exclusives. Lord of Apocalypse and Ragnarok Odyssey.
Guess what, they’re only available in Japanese. Now this is disastrous. Basically we have 1,2 millions sold in Japan and 0,5 everywhere else, because THE games are only available in Japan…

@24: Ragnarok Odyssey is coming though and, to be fair, the issues regarding localisation certainly aren’t exclusive to Vita.

@23:

Good point, but the Vita isn’t competing with laptops.

It’s competing with smartphones, tablets and the 3DS.

Sure, an ultrabook beats tablets under the table in just about every way possible, other than price and, in some ways, convenience; but in terms of like for like, a Vita and a laptop don’t match.

You need a laptop and a tablet, or maybe a laptop and a Vita. But do you need a tablet and a Vita?

No.

There’s absolutely no point in having both, unless you’re an ultra hardcore gamer. I say, most consumers would agree with me and get the one which does more and offers the most value.

So that’s where the gaming price difference between iOS and Vita games makes real sense.

Good point, but the Vita isn’t competing with laptops.

It’s competing with smartphones, tablets and the 3DS.

I don’t see the overlap between a Vita and smartphones/tablets. Those devices, in no way, provide a comparable or versatile gaming experience to a handheld games console.

And this is fine for each group that enjoys one/other/both types of gaming. But neither device’s content threatens the other devices viability in any meaningful way.

I would absolutely want both/all for the unique qualities the machines offer. But handhelds are devices that are designed to play games. Tablets and smartphones are devices that happen to also play games. That difference sounds slight but it becomes very significant when you look at the nature of the games that each can host.

And if push came to shove and my priority was on games – I’d favour the one that’s cheaper and better suited for that task.

JM

“I don’t see the overlap between a Vita and smartphones/tablets. Those devices, in no way, provide a comparable or versatile gaming experience to a handheld games console.”

That was my original point.

Games like Kingdom Rush DO provide a comparible gaming experience. You said it was an “excellent game”, yourself.

In fact, if it actually was available for Vita, it would probably be one of the best 2 or 3 games available for it!

Kingdom Rush isn’t the only high production value game that you can get for pennies, either. There are loads more.

“And this is fine for each group that enjoys one/other/both types of gaming. But neither device’s content threatens the other devices viability in any meaningful way.”

So how do you explain the ridiculous profits that Apple are making from the iPhone/iPad and the totally underwhelming Vita sales? This is even wore obvious when you bring 3DS sales into the equation.

@ G1

The 3ds is the top selling gaming device in the world right now and has been for almost a full year…….how is iphone/ipad affecting that?

The vita is doing fine, pretty much every system starts out this slow, they are expecting another 10 million units this year, the must have a plan

enough with this ios is good crap, games like kingdom rush are shovelware and dont provide a comparible gaming experience……..

Anyway the vita is turning into quite the rpg machine ( like the 3ds) and that is good enough for me

Kingdom Rush is a quality game. But, to me, it is not comparable to an equally good handheld game’s variety or longevity. I’ve yet to find a tablet/smartphone game that offers depth of gameplay beyond the initial conceit+repetition. In part this is held back by lack of gaming controls with the alternative to be shallow/gimmicky controls or cluttering up screenspace with virtual buttons which feel disconnected to the gameplay. Or you get great examples of one-finger gaming such as Jetpack Joyride. Superb in their own way, but they show the divide in the nature of the games that the devices can host.

It’s that divide that prevents the overlap between dedicated gaming handhelds and electronic devices that happen to also play games.

As for sales – marketing, budget pricing and immediacy. Apple are succesful but they don’t produce systems that can produce systems that can host games that play with the same depth, control or scope offered by dedicated gaming handhelds. Apple are also marketing differently and coming from a different direction (social, trending, usability, phone) from that of the likes of the dedicated handheld manufacturers.

I’ve played the wünder-game-of-the-moment – be it Sword and Sorcery or Infinity Blade and the limitations are painfully apparent to me.

There’s two discussions going on here: the quality and scope of the games on the machines and the success of the machines themselves.

Personally, the games with richer scope and depth are the ones I happen to find more appealing.

JM

Oh and I cant believe the article writer linked to that bias and provenly false study on revenues…….its sad……

The king of the portable hill right now is nintendo

Anyway this article is just 1 lying, hating, generalizing, sensationalizing, no fact piece of garbage……I am actually sorry i read it

not only does he hate on the ds and psp, he hates on the 3ds which is the worlds number 1 system right now……all for what? pretending you like vita so you can insult it and prop up ios?

@ joe

I agree with you

infinity blade might be one of the best rpgs on ios ( i would say chaos rings is the better series)

but on the ds or psp? it would be one of the worst, and be considered shovelware…….

The 3ds is outpacing the ds in every region, even with the world economy in the crapper

The vita is actually doing pretty consistent with every other slow launch device, remember the ps3?

@33 you haven’t obviously read the same article as I did. He actually pointed out that iOS and Vita can live happily in coexistance …

We must of read a different article, i remember him linking to a ridiculous pro ios article, and him saying its the king of gaming when it isnt

squee

“I spent a month with my 3DS before buyer’s remorse sent it unto the eBay chasm, for example.” thats exactly what I did with the Vita. But it doesn’t mean that I wont rebuy it, when more games are out that I like to play.

@stealth read this for example “Let them have their 99 cent games, let them be 5-minute experiences, let them enjoy it. That’s great. They’ll own these devices whether Vita exists or not. It’s a different market”

Here’s my letter to sony

Dear Sony

With regards to the Vita, you can not only save it, you can be the first to make a bold move in the handheld gaming industry by announcing subscription based models. e.g.

£15 p/m over 18 months – Vita 3G
£15 p/m over 12 months – Vita

You could also consider charging per month and allowing users free access to some or all of the games on the PS Store – again different prices for different levels.

£5 Per month – basic games service, 1 new release per month and full access to other titles
£10 per month – silver, as above but 3 new releases per month
£20 – gold – Unlimited downloads of all games

This would be account based subscription and should not need DRM. If a user wants to have his games on more than one machine he should be able to so long as that machine’s MAC is associated to his account. Also if a machine is multi-user as per the PS3 then there should be no restriction on where the user can get his games, as long as he’s logged into PSN.

There you go, I’ve just opened up the Vita to tens of thousands of new sales and solved your piracy problem.

You are welcome.

^ bravo!

@mana

I read that too. I just think this entire article is generalistic sensationalism

I’ll say it again, I reckon you guys have some sort PR deal with Sony, I cant remember the last time I read a supportive editoral for Nintendo, Microsoft and the PC.

@20, They already have http://www.vodafone.com.au/personal/tablets/tablets/playstation-vita/index.htm

You either get it free outright & just pay a ridiculous amount for a limited amount of internet data or you add a little more to a certain phone plan & get it for free.

There’s also thousands of different finance options across the world so the concept of a subscription model being the saviour for home consoles is just ridiculous when it already exists.

I personally think Vodafone Aus is on the right track, but I’d imagine it working better with a home console+Broadband package, it’s how I got my X360 but the console was just free on top of the plan, not worked into it. I’d imagine the manufacturer being more involved with alternative distributions next generation. Perhaps even have a built in modem with Ethernet out ports (I believe Sony actually attempted this with the PS3 but turned out to be too expensive for the end product which was already ludicrously overpriced).

As soon as the article started putting down the 3DS it lost creed. The 3DS sales speak for themself.

One common theme to be learned across this entire site: just because you don’t like something, doesn’t mean others don’t like it. In the case of Nintendo systems(Wii and 3DS), alot of other people like them. Look at the sales. To deny that is to be in denial yourself.

I like Sony. Own and game on PS3. Own a PSP. But I wouldn’t buy a Vita right now. And if you can’t understand why we prolly won’t have much to talk about.

When the system came out alot of us went bonkers over it. Remember the unpackings? The lofty praise? I mean complete bonkers, some of you. I rolled my eyes. I knew it would be in this situation.

I also know it will pick up. It will get better, saleswise. But not before a drastic Price cut. 250usd. 300usd. Just way too much cash for most people(including me) to put down on a handheld. 3DS didn’t catch fire till it was reduced in price. Now the 3DS costs 170usd. If Sony can get the Vita in that range, they will move more units.

If they can’t afford to sell one for what gamers are willing to actualy pay for one, take a note Sony(and MS). Next gen systems will work the same exact way. It won’t matter how many features you think you are offering, or how powerfull you think your system is, or even what kind of mind blowing experiences you think you offer – if people can’t afford to pay for your systems, they won’t buy one.

Its not complicated.

No one needs a Vita(or a 3DS), where as most people with smart phones will not only tell you they love their phones, but that they NEED their phones. I wouldn’t give up mine.

One last sad fact for Sony(and Nintendo) is that gaming on the go is a small market in the west. Mobile phone gaming works not because there are millions of gamers clamoring for mobile games, but because the games are so cheap and work on a device people would own with or without the games to play.

And I am not talking about the comparitive handfull of hardcore nerds that make up a gaming website. I am reffering to the general masses. the folks that have 10mins to kill during the day, and 99cents for a game like Angry Birds is an acceptable filler. No way that person invest 300usd in a Vita and then 40usd for games to play on it.

I think that Mr McNultry had one thing right: that andriod/iOS are different markets from Vita. But 3DS isn’t a different market. And Nintendo is killing Sony in that handheld space.

Price, price, price.

The problem the PSV has if finding itself, the 3DS is doing so well by brand power alone, the 3D gimmick is cheap & it’s awfully expensive for what it offers in comparison to the PSV, but if people prefer the current & upcoming games for the 3DS than the empty space that the Vita currently occupies, of course they’ll see more value in the 3DS.

The Vita already has a few gems, but they’re mostly niche, it needs brand power behind it, it needs CoD, both an original & a console port couldn’t hurt its sales in my opinion. I don’t get this hatred of ports, so long as the core remains roughly the same- The main point is of course that you can play a full console game with few sacrifices on the go (of course visual quality will take a big hit).

The only problem I have with ports is when there’s no original games to make the console stand out, it desperately needs its GTA San Andreas Stores & some brand new IP to make it stand out.

In my opinon in order to turnaround things they need to take care of three things, first games that are only found on vita, and ones that use the unique vita features to the fullest, also games based with a handheld mindset, not focused on delivering the same experience as in a console, second solve the psp games issue, and third , which i think is not the most important, reduce the price of the handheld alongside with the memory cards, if they will focus on these issues, well they will bounceback an they have a great change of surppass the PSP and coming close to the 3DS.

Its very obvious what the problem is.

A small group of technophiles and forumites care about the tech. The public doesnt.

The public want mobile games, forumites want console games on a mobile.

Sony listens only to technophiles/forumites.

This is why Sony is dying.

Edit: 47 gets it.

@47
“also games based with a handheld mindset, not focused on delivering the same experience as in a console”

I think one of the things which Sony haven’t communicated well enough is that they have understood this a lot better this time. They have pushed the console experience in your hand but not really added on the “but adapted to a handheld experience too”. The OS and games I have are nicely suited and adapted with stuff like notifications, message play, daily challenges, more bite-sized gameplay.

@Christopher Jack

Stop hating on the 3ds, its an amazing system so far