The PS Vita is not dead – Reader’s Feature

A reader takes a look at the troubled fortunes of the PS Vita and argues that it’s not been all bad in terms of games, and that a bright future is still possible.

[smashman98]

Very good article and very true Sony has a real winner on their hands here and you won't find a richer more complete on the go experience than you will here

[profgerbik]

The Vita is classy.

[Knight_Crawler]

We will have to wait to see what type of numbers Sony shows after a year to determine if it will have the same fate as the PSP GO.

My only question is what will Sony do if the VITA does not take off this Holiday season? Will they:

Drop the price which will put Sony more in the red because they are already selling the Vita at a loss.

Drop out of the handheld business for good and make Nintendo take all the cake or allow for another competitor to challenge Nintendo.

Redesign the VITA with 3D and relaunch it.

Sony should have delayed the VITA launch for one more year, I know the 3DS forced Sony to launch early but if Sony would have waited one more year they could have gotten more variety of games at launch and sell it for a cheaper price.

As much as we hardcore gamer hate to admit this but the truth is that gimmicks sells and casuals love gimmicks... the Vita has no gimmicks just straight up raw processing power but to the casuals specs mean nothing.

[joeorc]

Bundle it with the PS3 because that is where the trends are going anyway!

unlike the PSPGo, there is still a damand for the PSVita small number's but still a demand. unlike the PSPGo the PSVita's design and investment was made for the smartphone market, thats why

A: the PSVita uses smartphone chipsets that developers are already quite familiar with.

b: Sony's main priority is Mobile smartphones, with sales per sales quarter of over 7.8 million xperia smartphones every sales Quarter vs the dedicated Game console handheld market which your lucky to hit 19 million sold every 10 months like the fantastic sales of the Nintendo platform does, but still quite pales in the smartphone market for market share.

IF PEOPLE HAS NOT FIGURED IT OUT YET, PSVita was designed for the smartphone market not the dedicated game handheld market, because they are becoming one and the same! why do you think many mobile smarphones support game pads bluetooth and direct wired to the smartphone and tablet on an OS level. android 4.0 supports USB OTG and bluetooth game pad support right from the get go! if your smartphone or tablet has IOS or Android 4.0 GAME PAD SUPPORT IS NATIVE NOW.

why do you think sony made their Playstation Mobile platform work on not only Sony only made hardware, but other hardware made by other companies.

Sony knows first hand where the trends are moving.
AND HAS KNOWN QUITE A WHILE!

wireless net connected Remote play being worked on ever since the 1st PSP. and now you have Microsoft's smart glass, Nintendo with the WiiU, and almost every freaking smartphone and Tablet with HDMI or using sling box or Use of smart TV's. Come on people

sony purchased Sony Ericsson for over $1.5 billion and now Sony has per sales Quarter over 7.8 million xperia smartphones per quarter , do people really think the PSVita is set to be the number 1 priority product for mobile handheld for Sony? No Thats just the truth, but make no mistake about it Sony is not going to pull the PSVita because the trends of mobile devices connecting to a hub is the next generation of gaming forward by the big three anyway, Sonys PS3 already has the companion for this trend its the PSVita

[MasterCornholio]

How is the rear touch pad not a gimmick?

The problem with the Vita isn't the lack of gimmicks because it has plenty of them. The issue is that the Vita is made by Sony which means no Nintendo franchises. In order for the Vita to be successful it needs games that are as popular as Nintendo franchises otherwise it will never do well in the market.

Motorola RAZR i

[Godchild1020]

The problem is that Crash & Spyro are with Activision. And those games would have helped the Vita push sales for the Vita.

Sad day on earth when Activation got their hands on those IPs.

[tehpees3]

"Redesign the VITA with 3D and relaunch it."

3D will not pack the same selling point as when Nintendo launched 3DS though. Iwata himself has admitted the 3D boat has sailed and are now relying on the software to move units.

Adding a 3D screen will just make it more expensive and raise Sony's losses further. The power makes the hardware expensive enough. People need to realize Sony cannot keep selling at losses even in their game division.

[profgerbik]

Yea they can, they have plenty of money is what many don't understand.

Sony hasn't really be losing much besides with the Vita, PS3 is doing good enough and yea not a first but it picked up big time and they are almost selling more than Xbox now.

The Vita will pick up, ton's of high quality games are going to be coming out and people are going to start hearing more and more good things about this system and find themselves more interested in buying one.

There isn't a single company in this world that probably isn't losing something right now, times are changing and even people like Microsoft are trying to adapt with things like Windows 8 and I am sure have taken losses with that, as it hasn't been well received..

Even Nintendo is starting to lose massive amounts of money now.

Just saying.. It won't stop any of them and it's been a year you can't technically say it has been a huge loss for Sony when it hasn't even been a full year yet.

I don't expect Christmas or Black Friday to really boost Vita sales but once people stop following what everyone else says and actually sees one or plays it themselves, they will know what they have been missing.

Anyone who has seen mine didn't even know what the hell it was and were blown away every time at the quality of gaming it brought to the table. I mean every time I am out with that thing, people are like what is that?

It also has to do with the fact people are very uneducated when it comes to electronics these days, they just don't care, they just follow trends and whatever smart phone or tablet is said to be the best, they just believe it and buy it without ever actually questioning what is inside the device or what the extent of what it can actually do is.

Most people could probably careless, they are om facebook and twitter all god damn day anyway and that's sadly about all they usually use these expensive ass devices for anyway.

It's no surprise to me seeing the gaming industry trying to compete hard with the ever evolving trend with smart phones and tablets.

Honestly if you don't have a Vita and you are passing up Black Friday, getting one with a free memory card and game for only $200, I will say you are missing out big time.

No better time to buy a Vita honestly because I am sure the price will jump straight back up after all this.

[wowguytc]

We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! ....or at least I hope so to justify my $350 investment

[joeorc]

"or at least I hope so to justify my $350 investment"

that very same thing was stated over and over about the PS3, HELL WHEN THE ps2 FIRST RELEASED THE SAME THING.

Doubting any and everyone of the game console companys that make the systems, it seems is like a sport to some, maybe this will be the end of that platform, hmm still not done maybe this will be the year of the PS3, no? next year? how about this year? lol

its at a point it becomes mute and moot. Sony has sold 4 systems over 70+ million now has people not guessed the support will still be there?

PS1
PS2
PSP
PS3

ALL HAVE SOLD OVER 70 MILLION SYSTEMS INTO CONSUMERS HANDS! doubt is one thing anyone can doubt, but doubting the support of their products is another whole ballgame in of itself. like i already stated, over 90+ games has hit the PSVita in under a freaking year! on the market, and still more software support is getting released for next year.

saying this you did

"justify my $350 investment"

makes it sound like you do not really think Sony is going to support the PSvita with software?

if so than that may be your opinion on the matter but i fully disagree with your opinion, if of course your made post and whole point is that as to poke a lil fun at the fans of the PSVita keep doing it , if that gives you excitement than that is just you.

[eferreira]

gamecube, xbox, snes and n64 sold around 20-40 million and those are considered success. People still think the psp was a failure when it outsold some of those consoles combined.

People said the same thing about the ps3 and now it's pulled into second place or tied with the 360.

[wowguytc]

Whoa....first off I'm a big fan of the vita. I got one launch day....hell I got it a week early for preordering the 3G little deviants bundle. I own at least 9 vita games and multiple downloadable games. Add me if you want proof, pistolerros17. I love the little machine. I was never doubting Sony. I was simply quoting a movie (ID4) because I want it to succeed. I love my ps3. I love my 360. I love games period. I just want it to succeed and not be a paperweight if it fails. I agree with you that Sony always supports it's consoles and believe they will with the vita. I meant it more like inspiration than doubting. "Justifying my $350 investment " is something anybody wants with anything they buy. Never even occurred to me that Sony wouldn't support it. I want people to buy it so they can enjoy it like I do. I don't think enough people know about it. One thing Sony can work on is advertising it. They did In the beginning, but don't see much lately. Bottom line, I love my vita. My bad if I came off wrong and looked like another hater.

[AnxiousTugboat]

I think WowGuyTC has a valid concern.

Companies like Sony value everyone's opinions on their products so they can get a broad view of its users feedback. Being a Sony fanboy and accepting everything Sony throws at you as gold and knocking everyone's opinions that contradicts your owns doesn't help help Sony. If you truly are a fan of Sony you'll let people's voices be heard so that Sony can get an idea how the general market feels about its products. You might even consider providing constructive feedback on how the product can improve (even if the sight of your vita distracts you from the naked chic across the room)

Having said that, I think the biggest frustration with vita owners is not that it lacks potential or that it lacks an enjoyable catalog of games. Instead, vita owners are frustrated with the fact that Sony made high expectations for the vita that they're just now beginning to deliver. In theory the vita is a sensational concept but as people began buying them they realized it initially lacked many of the features that made it exciting. So like myself and many people that I know bought a vita, it sat unused collecting dust. As features slowly started to become available people forgot about the vita all together. It was PARAMOUNT that the vita work as promised with all the exciting titles and features like cross play right out of the box on day one. Unfortunately this wasn't the case and I think the reason the vita has had limited success.

I rooted for the vita and I still do but I think Sony has some work to do if they want to make the vita the success that it's capable of being. For example, apps on the vita are sh*t. Most of today's smartphones run software so smooth that it makes using apps on the vita sluggish (the few that are available). I think Sony needs to make this experience better maybe even consider running android on the vita. If the vita was a combination of good quality Sony xperia phone (minus the radios for phone) and a high performing PSP,they'd have people flocking to pick one up. Also, without cross play being executed 100pct and available on mostly all popular titles, the vita is just another handheld. With smartphones becoming more robust with functionality and games its even more important now for handheld companies to be innovative. I want a ps3 in my pocket. I want to be able to pick up my Vita while I'm on the plane and jump online with my buddy back home on his ps3 and play coop with some the top titles available on the ps3. I understand the vita is headed in this direction and slowly titles are supporting cross play but I'm afraid if Sony can't get it together soon...they may lose out on a big opportunity.

Cheers to vitas future.

[Brian1rr]

Sony needs to lower the price of the memmory cards if they want to sell more vitas. I was lucky and got a 16gb from Amazon warehouse for 32 bucks. I hope they keep the price of the vita at $200 after black friday

[smashcrashbash]

Gamers, developers and game journalist are mostly a bunch of drama queens these days. They over exaggerate and say anything to get attention. When someone says 'This game is the WORST game EVER' when you play it you find out it is not the best but far from the WORST game EVER. So when they say 'THE VITA IS DEAD' despite the fact that it is struggling but far from dead seeing that we still have more games coming and are in for a price drop.It like the people who say 'CONSOLES ARE DEAD AND PHONES WILL KILL CONSOLES' when people are still anticipating the next gen consoles. But saying 'CONSOLES ARE DEAD' get more attention then 'consoles may not have as much as the market as before but they will most likely survive as there is still a market for them'. That kind of journalism doesn't insight enough hate spewing, lynch mob behavior and chaos.

[Kingthrash360]

People are making this too complicated. It's simple, history shows when a system ANY system is released at the max price ( remember ps3 600$ tag or wii 250$ or Xbox 400$ or 3ds 250$). They do this to get the hardcore gamers who will pay full price...(apple is the master of this). After about a year they will drop the price and that's when they will determine whether the console/handheld will fail or not. The vita is less than a year old its far too soon to play the numbers game to measure if the vita is doomed or a Successful.
In my opinion it will be successful because that's what most people are waiting on, the price cut.

[profgerbik]

Well said sir, it is simply far too early and like you said all systems struggle at release and they all were just as expensive.

So the whole Vita is more expensive argument kind of doesn't fly when the 3DS cost just as much at one point and we all know that was never worth $250.

Thing is I could say the Vita is actually worth the price tag.. I mean they just made these new Ipods for christ sakes that cost more than the Vita and do far less and are far less more powerful also.

Of course no one questions Apple's absurd price points when they are far from the best anymore.

[Kingthrash360]

Your absolutely right, the vita is worth the price tag. the 3ds was not. I'm not a hater of the 3ds I love the lil handheld but I don't think it was worth the 250$ price tag. That said people always want a deal and will receive it when the cut happens for the vita. Ill be glad when it does happen so the dooms day articles can stop.

Apple ... Lol they overprice everything! But hey for some reason it works...smh

[CommonSenseGamer]

I don't believe the Vita is completely done but its has faded from public view and that needs changing. Poor game reviews (e.g. Black Ops) is not the right way to get it back in peoples minds either.

Consumers have more choice today than they've ever had for gaming on the go. Why should the masses choose a Vita over a smartphone or tablet? The masses don't care about hardware specs or physical controls otherwise the Vita would already have sold over 10-20 million. Why do consumers buy millions of ipad minis or Google Nexus 7s and not the Vita? Is limiting the device to (predominantly) gaming at its current price point the problem or is it that the masses don't see any real difference in the games they can get for a tablet/phone over what you can get on the Vita?

People say the Vita is not expensive for what you get and that it has enough games, so why is it not selling? What will turn things around?

[joeorc]

"I don't believe the Vita is completely done but its has faded from public view and that needs changing."

faded from public view? really?

It's a Rough Fall for the Playstation Vita
http://www.forbes.com/sites...

The media IS not letting it FADE FROM PUBLIC VIEW!

THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW HOW POOR ITS DOING IN THE MARKET!

Look i would agree with you on that is if there was no real interest in the product, but that is the thing the interest is indeed there, no one would really push any story in the media is if it was a dead product. ever hear the term.

to:

paraphrase Oscar Wilde, the poet and writer.

"There is only one thing worse than being talked about and that is NOT being talked about."

The fact that the PSVita keep's getting put front and center many times in a negative light only bolsters the support it will get the longer this keeps staying front and center. you can be the center of attention, but if the center of attention keeps getting you put there its free publicity. that makes it far from faded from public view, if no one was talking about it that would be a problem.

[CommonSenseGamer]

If a negative message is constantly reinforced then it becomes the norm and hence fades from view.

[boybato]

I agree. Another advantage is that Sony resorts to act, sometimes I would say desperately considering how they've restructures PS+ for the Vita(damn good deal)cross buy etc., to make the system better.

[tiffac008]

^I do not believe making the PS+ available on the PSV was a desperate move. Its just common sense to have the same feature since your using the same PSN account.

What Sony really needs aside from making at least the smallest capacity card free with every Vita purchase, is to stop supporting the PSP in Japan. So the 3rd party developers would start moving their games to the newer device.

I mean not even the multiplatform games that is popular in Japan is available on the Vita but they are on the PSP and the Vita is selling better in the west than in Japan and that is the number 1 market for handheld gaming.

So the Vita will continue to struggle until Sony can get those 3rd party developers off the PSP and into the Vita. Easier said than done but the ball is in Sony's court and the battle is far from over.

[soljah]

well i think adding skype support and the upcoming complete email suite is a help. the vita needs more apps along with the gaming aspect of the device.
why doesn't the 3g model has full text messaging when you get a 3g plan with att isn't the vita assigned a phone number so it can work on the att network? how about turn by turn nav? google maps. gamers today want to carry a device that makes them feel connected 24/7. make it happen sony

[Tuxmask55]

After reading that headline, all I can think of is 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.

[joeorc]

say for instance you point that the PSVita only has sales upto this point of 1.8 million world wide. Say for arguments sake that is the install base number.

Now i going to show you the real truth of that matter.

The PSVita even though has not had the largest number of sold units in quick order, does not mean the PSVita software support is going to go away anytime soon, and there is a good reason why it will not.

there is the blunt truth the the number of platform's are much higher than the number of resources that development houses has to support a system that has not grown fast , but it does not mean they will not support the system at a later time.

you have.

the Wii
DS LITE
DSXL
3DS
3DS XL
XBOX360
XBOXLIVE
PC
WINDOW'S SURFACE
WINDOWS PHONE
MAC
APPLE IOS
ANDROID
PLAYSTATION NETWORK
PLAYSTATION PORTABLE
PLAYSTATION HOME
PLAYSTATION MOBILE
PLAYSTATION 3
STEAMWORKS

NOW HOW MANY DEVELOPMENT TEAMS DO PEOPLE THINK ARE AT LIKE FOR EXAMPLE EA, Epic games,VALVE, Naughty Dog, Insomniac etc?

there is only so many resources AND SO MANY DEVELOPMENT TEAMS TO GO AROUND! priorities are shifted, that does not mean that a platform will not or could not be supported at a later time.

even with such a low install base right now the PSVita is still in the millions of consumer's hands. even if you still count the PSVita was not selling since may of 2012. 1.8 million is a sizable chunk of people to sell your game too!

as the numbers increase so will 3rd party support. as of right now the fact that there is over 90 games that has already been released for such a "poor selling system" to some that think Sony should get out of the handheld biz. than having an install base of 1.8 million may seem like small install base which is is but its far from a dead bottom out install base of zero!

when you can sell 200,000+ copy's of your game that can be produced in 5 months or under @ $50.00 a pop, that is nothing to sneeze at.

the groth may be small month to month but right now there is still growth in install base.

is it worth the time of developers?, indie developers seem to think so, 1.8 million to sell their playstation mobile game or app to that was low production cost's to make in the first place.

sales are not great, but not as dire as some seem to think or those that try to paint the picture of the viability of the PSVita in the market as dead right now, they tried that with the PS2, they again tried that with the PS3, many of the same people tried that with the Wii and the 3DS also and some even so far as to think the WiiU's market viability is in question.

I think they do it to gain attention..lol

[strigoi814]

little monster is just sleeping...just wait and see

[mangoman3000]

SONY need to pay attention to see what happening to the vita,why developers are backing off the vita.All those developers should take a closer look at uncharted on the vita.I dont care if they bring over ports from the ps3 to the vita because the vita can handle it.Here are a few games that can make the vita great :NBA 2K13,GTA 5,NHL 13,GT 6,FIGHT NIGHT,SYPHON FILTER,INFAMOUS and GOLF.Once the vita get those games or ported over from the console(ps3) it will make the 3DS,Wii U look like rubbish.And make REMOTE PLAY completely compatable with the vita