260°

Is the PlayStation Vita Dead in the Water?

MasonicGamer.com - It’s only been a few months since the Western World got their hands on Sony’s shiny new portable system, and already, people are preparing for its funeral. In fact, worries began appearing shortly after its launch in Japan, with weekly sales quickly entering a downward spiral that still hasn’t reversed. By the end of February, soon after the system appeared in the US, Europe, and Australia, Worldwide sales stood at 1.2 million; by the end of March, only 600,000 more had made their way into the hands of gamers.

Many are calling the Vita “dead”, and lamenting Sony for not pushing harder on studios to get major titles out. But is it too early to start pointing fingers and placing blame?

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masonicgamer.com
jacksonmichael4345d ago

My serious answer is no. My less serious answer is, hopefully not, Innocence R isn't out here yet.

black9114345d ago

Here's Whats the Vita needs to do sell.

Free or Cheap 3G!

Imagine if I only had to pay about $50 a year for mobile online handheld gaming anywhere. You'd be able to play call of duty anywhere. And it also allows you to browse the web,watch netflix,facebook,youtube even face chat. Sony needs to come up with a something quick.

JhawkFootball064344d ago

Sony needs to advertise it more

THESONYPS34345d ago

I feel people lack a basic quality now a days. PATIENCE. If you decide to be an early adopter realize YOU will have to wait for a substantial library to be built and supported by the community. To write a system off 3 months after its US debut is absurd.

FriedGoat4344d ago

And what's funny is, The Vita lineup has been the best in YEARS. I'm still loving my Vita. Unlike my 3DS which didn't have ANY software for ages. It even lacked a basic webbrowser and store :/
PSN alone has more vita titles on it than the 3DS has on its store, and its been out for a YEAR.

Pillville4344d ago

@FriedGoat although the 3DS had the ENTIRE collection of original DS games available at launch. So when someone bought a 3DS, they had 100s of games that they could buy for it.

da_2pacalypse4344d ago

@pillville You make so much sense!!!! Hey guys, I have a perfectly fine ds, but I'm going ot purchase a 3DS so i can replay the exact same games on my new shiny $250 system!!!! WOOOOOOO

/sarcasm

Pillville4344d ago

1) Do you really think everyone who buys a 3DS already has a DS?

2) Having 100% Backward compatibility is a HUGE selling point for new systems. Existing DS owners can upgrade and still be able to play all their DS games.

topekomsi4344d ago

@pillvill The vita also has psp compatibility (even if somewhat limited) that still makes the # of games a vita owner has to choose from pretty good.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4344d ago
dangert124345d ago

have not spotted any in the water yet...ill let you know

Tainted Gene4345d ago

lol, stupid seagulls.

(since they're the ones taking the "dead" vitas from the ocean)

MasonicGamer4345d ago

Hand on heart I want it to be a great but there are just no games, I have played my vita 2 or 3 times since I bought it and at the moment it is sat back in its box.

Lets see what E3 brings and hopefully we will see some great games that this system deserves

user54670074345d ago

No...just no

Don't play the "Theres no games" speech, there are games, some great ones in fact....hell theres more then what the 3DS offered when that came out.

MasonicGamer4345d ago

Name 10 games that have pushed Vita or in fact are fresh and new?

There is 1 that I can think of that is fresh and that is Escape Plan...

There are no games and the few games that are available do not warrant the high price tag for a digital download but that is a different argument.

As i said I so want the vita to do well but we know sales are low, marketing is bad and without those killer AAA titles the future is bleak...

one2thr4345d ago

@Masion
Army Corps of Hell
Escape plan
F1 2011
Hot Shots Golf
Little Deviants
Mortal Kombat
Modnation Racer
MLB 12 the Show
Lumines
Lego Harry potter
Hustle king
Fifa soccer
Micheal Jackson the experience
Pinball Arcade
Plants vs Zombies
Playstatioj fire works
Playstation table soccer
Reality Fighters
Ridge Racer
Sumioni
Super Star dust
Mma unrestricted
Tales from space
Touch my katamari
ultimate MvsC
Unit 13
Virtue tennis
Wipeout 2048
And the 3DS is full of games that came out on previous consoles, and yet it didnt get bombarded in the way that Vita is. It seems as though people like you have some sort of secret grudge against the Vita. Did it by any chance come into your house and kick your dog or better yet 3DS? Like dude wheres the beef, coming from?
Lay off guy, its going to be the same thing that happened with the PS3 and 360. "Oh the PS3 is wack cause it has no games" now look where its at, it over shines its competition with higher quality games that are available for them as of now... Geez dude, you need a hug lmao

firefoxprime4345d ago

All I can say is there's always room for improvement.

kikizoo4345d ago

Oh look, one2thr is teaching what a guy with a blog should start to know before spreading stupid things...

poor troll, today everyone is making dumb game's blogs.

Dojan1234345d ago

Needs a great on the go multiplayer FPS and people will buy. Better yet it needs to be able to play against PS3 players.

A true COD will sell systems for kids who can get enough of COD when at grama'a house for chirstmas.

darx4345d ago

one2, that list sucks.

TekoIie4345d ago

Mike i own 2 games (Uncharted and MK) for my Vita and then its a case of everything else looks mediocre or not my sort of game.

It desperately needs support on the level of the 3DS.

god_o_war4345d ago

LOL what support is the 3ds geting?
bought a 3ds last year with OOT,
after completing OOT there was literally NOTHING new on the 3ds til what december 2011?
Kid Icarus delayed till a few months ago has anyone got their hands on munster hunter for 3ds? hows dream drop distance?
my point is 3ds has had terrible support but because its cheap and competing with SONY people ignore its flaws...

tiffac0084344d ago

@Pekolie

Don't forget at the same time period after its release the 3DS was also criticized for the lack of games/support outside of its 1st party. No surprise the Vita is in the same situation in that regards.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 4344d ago
MariaHelFutura4345d ago

"Between the head and hands there must be the heart"

Bell Boy4345d ago (Edited 4345d ago )

lol...you seriously expect us to believe you bought the supposed overpriced Vita with no research on what software it launched with and upcoming release dates...and have only played it 2 to 3 times

Seriously it can't be your money to be dropping that amount with no idea what your buying..lol...you deserve to have made a purchasing error (not your 1st I wager)

Hicken4345d ago

one2thr has a massive list of games down there. They may not all appeal to you; they may not all be AAA quality. But how you can look at a less than six month-old system and say that number is the same as "no games" is a scientific mystery.

If your Vita is sitting in its box, that is purely your fault. Between the library of Vita-only games, whatever you can play from your PS3, and all the PSP titles available, there's SOMETHING to catch your interest. And if there's NOTHING in all that gaming that DOES interest you, then perhaps gaming isn't for you, after all...

Ben_Grimm4345d ago

I love the way you get all upset and call people out by name like you did me. You have no idea or the definition of Troll.

All those AAA titles you keep yelling about and yet the Vita is no where near selling the way the it should be.

It's obvious there is something wrong with the system. Just because the system is not someone's choice and they feel to voice their opinion on it doesn't automatically make them a troll.

Grow the hell up.

badz1494345d ago

what is this "it has no games" thing? what are these things that I've been playing on my Vita?

so far I have played Uncharted GA, UMvC3, Rayman Origins, Motorstorm RC, Escape Plan, Little Deviants, and Unit13 in little than 6 months after I got mine! many more I haven't got time(money too) to get them as I'm gaming on PS3 too but no games? that's BS!

Bowzabub4345d ago

Name 10 must have games the 3DS had in it's first 3 months. Take your time..

Aggesan4345d ago

...even better, name 10 must have games ANY platform had in its first three months.

MasterCornholio4345d ago (Edited 4345d ago )

Ooooo wait I know the answer to that.

Pilot Wings and Nintendo Dogs and Nintendo Cats. Yup those games were much better than any of the Vitas launch titles, I guess we know what kind of taste Nintendo fans have in games because of this.

Lol I didn't mean to offend the fans but the Vita was out on the market for a very short amount of time and it already has a better library than the 3DS shortly after its launch. Anyways the logical thing to do is wait until E3 and see what Sony announces for the Vita. Maybe they will announce system sellers for the holidays that will cause the Vita to fly off shelves or maybe they will stop producing the Vita due to low sales and the competition being so strong. We won't know the answers till E3.

XperiaRay

Virtual_Reality4345d ago (Edited 4345d ago )

one2thr added the list of games, and MasonicGamer didn't even replied, this guy got owned.

Ser4344d ago

Wow, really? I've been playing MK9 on my Vita like...almost nonstop since it released. It's a blast.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4344d ago
NovusTerminus4345d ago

Well, in truth most gaming systems go through a rough spot at launch... Anyone remember the first year on the PS3? Not allot for it, but now look at it.

Just give it some time.

one2thr4345d ago

Sad thing is, most people still don't understand this phase... But kudos to you

CommonSenseGamer4345d ago

Most of those games you listed above were shovelware. The Vita lacks some AAA exclusives, not ports but exclusives. The Vita needs some AAA games and a price cut to attract more consumers. Games alone wont do it.

AnotherProGamer4345d ago

another website looking for hits.

fazor3d4345d ago

Yeah, how dare a website post articles that are designed to get people to read them.

. . . ?

suicidalblues4345d ago

"Yeah, how dare a website post articles that look like they were written by middle-schoolers and come just shy of blatant bs just to get people to read them."

Fixed for you.

Show all comments (99)
280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
ChasterMies11d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken11d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga11d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken11d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6411d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long11d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197211d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic11d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 11d ago
DivineHand12511d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91311d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer11d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91310d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit10d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 10d ago
Christopher11d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6910d ago (Edited 10d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit10d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher11d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken11d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197211d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic11d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2311d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218311d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder11d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts11d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

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80°

Sony May Soon Let You Decide How Much NPCs Talk In Games

Sony has patented to add multiple dialogue modes to let players switch between how many conversations with NPCs they want in the game.

blackblades17d ago

Sony is like the only ones outta the 3 that has atuff like like this pop up changing thing in ways.

just_looken17d ago

Sony in the past has always been first at bat with new ideas/tech but in the end never fully use it or just toss it away.

blackblades17d ago

I think they did use some but yeah most usually never happened but at least they thought about it. Sony seeks things like this and other, Nintendo seek different ways of playing going by there different controler designs and console designs.

just_looken17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

some of the other stuff sony want's/owns never used
https://gamerant.com/sony-p...
https://gamerant.com/sony-p...
https://www.eurogamer.net/s...
https://metro.co.uk/2023/03...
https://decrypt.co/114754/s...

monitor/adjust game difficultly as you play
https://www.techradar.com/g...

Sony nfts
https://www.theblock.co/pos...

Pay ai to play the game for you
https://thebusinessofesport...

Oh all the above last 12 months

I just imagine a evil scientist with test subjects when it comes down to sony recent patent reports.

Kaii17d ago

Will we get dialogue options that won't spoil puzzles in a matter of seconds? :p

280°

Judge rules in PlayStation's favour in $500m patent infringement lawsuit

Genuine Enabling Technology was seeking damages, claiming the tech allowing PlayStation consoles and controllers to communicate infringes its rights.

Read Full Story >>
gamesindustry.biz
S2Killinit19d ago

Big victory for Sony. And a long time coming.

DarXyde19d ago (Edited 19d ago )

Crazy to think the savings from this lawsuit allows them to develop one AAA game.

Make it Bloodborne 2, please and thank you.

19d ago
Profchaos19d ago

Sounds like patent trolling they tried the same thing against Nintendo with the same pattern.

Motion and control input traversing over higher and lower frequencies seperate from each other allowing the controller to do both

Pyrofire9519d ago

Patents suck. Most of them are complete garbage.

Knightofelemia19d ago

So to recoup the money Genuine is going to take on Nintendo or Microsoft next. I hate patent lawyers they are some of the worst bottom feeders out there.

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