How Rockstar’s GTA Could Save the Vita

As we see the early demise of the Vita on the horizon, the Daily Reaction crew of Dan and Seb take a look at one of its announced supporters and see what they could do to bring some life into it. With Rockstar set to bring back its renowned franchise next year with GTA V, the potential for them to eventually bring it to Sony’s newest handheld could be a complete game changer.

[doctorstrange]

By being awesome.

Go on Rockstar, you know you want to do it.

[Foolsjoker]

I really think it's only a matter of time.

[jony_dols]

GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!

Actually at this point I'd take any support from R* for the Vita. Maybe even a Bully 2?

[SandWitch]

After 13+ mil GTAs sold on PSP it must be just a matter of time

[FriedGoat]

Plus the fact R* owe sony an exclusive, It's either agent or something else due to that business with L.A Noire.

[FriedGoat]

Plus the fact R* owe sony an exclusive, It's either agent or something else due to that business with L.A Noire.

[SilentNegotiator]

So long as they don't throw it together in a few short months like what happened with Black Ops: Declassified, which should have been Vita's biggest release yet.

[dbjj12088]

This basically. Rockstar Games is amazing.

[CalvinKlein]

It would be huge for vita in America and Europe but not so much in Japan where it needs help too.

But im sure it would be an amazing game because tehy did prety good on PSP im sure they could make an awesome GTA on VITA.

I would buy it the first day it came out for sure

[jony_dols]

GTA for the West & Monster Hunter for the East.

[GuyThatPlaysGames]

Honestly, there's nothing that can save the Vita.

[doctorstrange]

Superman

[WalterWJR]

Try putting it in a decent case. It will help with vitas lifespan and maybe keep this “author” from chatting more bs.

[SPARDA_426]

There is nothing that can save you*

[andibandit]

By R* making GTA 5 Vita Exclusive.

Im not saying that's what i want to happen, i just imagine this would skyrocket Vita sales.

[Tapewurm]

I wasn't aware that the Vita needed saving???? Hmmm funny how perception works huh? :)

[showtimefolks]

it has happened for sony's handheld before so it could happen again. real questions IMO is this which system would RS rather support? nintendo with wii-u or sony with Vita?

i say its VIta because that could be the killer game for the system while GTA and Nintendo just doesn't add up to sales.

[Yodagamer]

chinatown wars sold pretty well i believe over a million copies which is impressive given that i didn't see a commercial for it until the psp version came along. My friends who love gta knew nothing about the game and when i showed it to them they loved it.

[fantasygamer]

I would love a good GTA game for Vita.

[bubblebeam]

Even a Bully game or a Red Dead game would do it for me.

I think a good GTA game would be most ideal, as it is the most popular. They could even release a special bundle with a limited edition GTA Vita, with that cool art they do.

[Jinkies]

San Andreas Stories where you play as Sweet leading up to his mother being killed in a drive by thus him ringing up Carl in LC where GTA SA starts off.

It's overdue...

[BigStef71]

Funny I was just talking about this in another article. I really hope Rockstar Leeds is working on a new gta for the vita. Please let it be San Andreas Stories or another game set in Vice Ciy. Thats all I ask lol

[ftwrthtx]

Why would the PS Vita be nearing its demise? It's the best handheld on the market, is the next generation of PSP with backward compatibility, and is getting more and more games.

[thaimasker]

prob because the sales are disappointing, Declassified was a disaster, and nintendo's 3DS is dominating the handheld market by far.
Hell it reached its all time low in sales this month

[medziarz]

I think certain US media is in some kind of conspiracy against Sony

Right after Black Friday these "Vita is failing and needs saving" articles started showing up everywhere.

That is right after Sony did the killer Black Friday Vita sales, especially the $180 AC3L bundle with free PSASBR on Amazon.

I THINK PS VITA CAUGHT TRACTION after that because the system is now constantly in Amazon's top60 bestsellers in video games (and wasn't anywhere in top100 since launch),
and the journos are trying to undercut it by spreading negative propaganda

[TENTONGUN]

yeah. my wifes lil 12 year old cousin who owned a psp was shocked i had a psp2. she was like omg i never heard of it. cmon man this was last week and its been out since feb. she loved her psp so i guess she's a demographic. so sad

[SandwichHammock]

Because people are clowns.

Just for shits and giggles I decided to dig some numbers out for when the psp came out. Right now the Vita is behind PSP sales (1 year sales) by roughly 200k units.

The PSP ended selling 65+ million units, so if the current trend continues and the Vita sells HALF that, I would call it a success.

[refocusedman]

I agree with you to an extent. The psp and vita are to completely seperate entities. The psp didnt have to deal with tablets and smart phones. The psp didnt have to deal with companies constantly downsizing and companies who were less inclined to take financial risks. I have a vita and as great as the system is, it is only as good as the games and it seems that 3rd party support is scarce at best. That being said I can only go by announced games ( when I say announced Im refering to games that arent niche titles not rpgs and strategy) .

[Hicken]

Bubbles for using your brain, SandwichHammock.

@refocused: If it's only behind the PSP first year sales by a few hundred thousand units DESPITE "competition" from smartphones and tablets, why doesn't that prove that it's actually doing better?

The Vita is selling against- according to many- the PSP, the DS, the 3DS, smartphones, and tablets; by comparison, the PSP was only facing the DS.

Is not such a small dropoff admirable, given the circumstances?

As for your other comment, what's the reason behind that expensive memory card? Do you know, or are you just upset because it costs a lot? I mean, don't get me wrong: I'm finding it hard to shell out the big bucks for a 32GB, myself. But I also understand WHY it's that much money, and I comprehend that, just like EVERY PROPRIETARY MEMORY FORMAT EVER, the price will drop over time.

I'll give you a hint: by now, the PSP was hacked to hell and back. The Vita seems to have evaded that fate, thus far.

Just something to think on.

[EmperorDalek]

@Hicken:
So selling less this time round is more acceptable? You come across as being a Vita owner who will clutch at any straw possible that convinces you that it will be a success. Success will come from sales and they are simply not there at present.

[MikeMyers]

@SandwichHammock

PSP Wiki:
"On October 17, 2004, Sony announced that the PSP would launch in Japan on December 12, 2004, at a price of ¥19,800 (about US$181 in 2004) for the base model and ¥24,800 (about US$226 in 2004) for the Value System.[28] The console's launch was a success with over 200,000 units sold the first day.[29] Different color variations were also sold in bundle packs, which cost more than usual, around $200. Sony announced on February 3, 2005, that the PSP would go on sale in North America on March 24, 2005, in one configuration for a MSRP of US$249/CA$299.[30] Some expressed concern over the high price,[31] which was almost US$20 higher than the system's price in Japan and more than $100 higher than the recently launched Nintendo DS.[32] Despite the concerns, the PSP's North American launch was a success,[33][34] although reports two weeks later indicated that the system was not selling as well as expected despite Sony's claim that 500,000 units had been sold in the first two days.[35][36]

The PSP was originally to have a simultaneous PAL region and North American launch,[25] but on March 15, 2005, Sony announced that the PAL region launch would be delayed because of high demand for the console in Japan and North America.[37] A month later, on April 25, 2005, Sony announced that the PSP would launch in the PAL region on September 1, 2005, for €249/£179.[38] Sony defended the high price, which was nearly US$100 higher than in North America, by pointing out that North American consumers had to pay local sales taxes and that the VAT (sales tax) was higher in the UK than the US.[39] Despite the high price, the console's PAL region launch was a resounding success, selling more than 185,000 units in the UK alone, selling out of all stock nationwide in the UK within three hours of launch, more than doubling the previous first-day sales record of 87,000 units set by the Nintendo DS. The system also enjoyed great success in other areas of the PAL region with more than 25,000 units preordered in Australia[40] and nearly one million units sold across Europe in the first week."

Vita Wiki:
"On December 17, 2011, the PlayStation Vita launched in Japan with around 325,000 units sold in the first few days. Sales dropped 78% in the second week ending on December 25, 2011 to 74,000 units sold.[74] PlayStation Vita sales continued to drop in subsequent weeks,[75] reaching its low since launch during the week of February 13, with only 12,309 units being sold in Japan.[76] (During the same week, it was outsold by its predecessor, the PSP, which sold 14,824 units.)[76] After its global release, Sony announced on February 28, 2012 that the Vita had sold 1.2 million units worldwide, in addition to 2 million game units.[77] The sales number was 2.2 million units at the end of June 2012.[78] PlayStation Vita sales continued to drop in subsequent weeks, reaching its all time low during the week of November 5th 2012, with only 4,021 units being sold in Japan.[79] (During the same week, it was outsold by its predecessor, the PSP, which sold 12,076 units.)"

You can't just say you dug up a bunch of sales figures and then not provide them. With that said GTA V could be a big seller on Vita. Previous GTA games have done very well on the PSP.

[JamieL]

You know what, I don't have a Vita right now, and it pisses me off. I don't own one for 1 reason. I can't physically use one. A couple months before it dropped I was in a motorcycle wreak and lost the use of my right arm, so I can't even play console games without a custom made controller. (*thank god for Evil Controllers assessable controller service) I can’t have the Vita moded to work for me, so I'm s.o.l. on that and it sucks. I can't believe it's not more popular. I've dreamt about a handheld like this forever, and now it's out I can't even use it. It fu$%ing sucks a$$. Even with the online ability it has, I would have thought it would be a lot bigger. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter to me one way or the other.

[ftwrthtx]

@JamieL

If your custom controller uses bluetooth and works with the PS3, you could use that with the Vita.

[kingPoS]

You know that movie Inception.
It's the same basic principle working here, only without the dreams.

[dbjj12088]

I can't believe LC Stories and VC Stories aren't supported in PSP BC yet.

[Godchild1020]

I can play VC stories on my Vita. I haven't touched it since the 2.00 firmware update but prior to that I have been playing it. Unless you mean its not in the Vita store, then that is another story. I transferred mine from my PS3.

@zmanacura; I have it on my Vita already, so I never checked. Thanks for letting me know.

[zmanacura]

it's in the vita store

[zmanacura]

they are...i have vc stories for vita...

[El_Colombiano]

I have VC Stories on my Vita right now. Bought straight on the Vita. What are you talking about?

[TheUndertaker85]

As people said, both titles are supported.

With VC Stories being on their Vitas I'll add I have LC Stories on mine.

[wishingW3L]

what makes people think that a console/handheld can be saved by just one game? I know Halo saved the first Xbox but I think the only thing that can save a console is a nice library of games. But without a decent fan-base devs are not going to jump in... If people weren't so hesitant by now the Vita would have had a much more bigger library of games.

[Ben_Grimm]

Everyone is talking about a game being the savior for the Vita. First we relied on CoD, but now the focus is GTA.

The Vita already has games that are more than enough to keep the Vita strong and going. One game won't save the Vita.

[Godchild1020]

You are right; No game can save the Vita, only the people. Because it takes people to buy the system, but the games are needed to persuade the people.

So, yes a game can save a console that needs all the sales it can get. Look how a single game improves the sales of a console when it releases. Halo for the Xbox and Gran Turisumo for the PS3. There are other games that boost sales of a console. Mario for Nintendo consoles

[SAE]

who the hell said cod declassified would save the vita ?.. o.o
people knew it will not be a good cod game befor even watching a video for it because the company that worked on it sucks , imagine playing cod 4 in vita , isn't that more exciting then this crap ?. people would buy vita just to play an old cod game , sony needs to be smarter ..

but AC looks and plays great , but one game wont save a hardware , it needs hype from the people to spread how great the vita is , to create hype make exciting things , look how apple handle their products , they release new hardwares that doesn't have significant changes but still sell a lot , because people hype it them selfs , you hear your friend is waiting outside the store at midnight for hours to buy an iphone 5 for more then 500$ even though it's only faster then iphone 4s , the same iOS in all apple softwares , so that will makes you do the same because everyone you know do it , people like to do the same things with their friends and family's , to keep up with them , that's why kids buy ipads and iphones , not because of games because it's kool to have one ...

limiting stuff / expensive memories and games / developers aren't interested on trying to make games for it / apps are less and slower then other hardwares / great but useless features such as remote control..etc , These things create less hype , it's sony's fault not the people or any other company fault , they can fix all of these easily if they want , but they are taking it easy just like the ps3 ...

[CaptainYesterday]

GTA5 Los Santos Stories would be pretty awesome, I would buy a Vita right away. Hopefully Rockstar is at least thinking about it! There were 3 GTA's on PSP and they were a ton of fun!

[KMCROC54]

So now R* is Suppose to save, I could sworn I read ,heard people say COD was going to save Vita & AC 3 was going to push it over that nobody wants it hill. So now people are pinning their hopes on another game to help save that failure of a handheld, that most of it's on home country won't buy .just so sad.

[Arnagrim]

Your grammar is sad.

[KMCROC54]

Do I look like give a shit, you do realize where your at right. last I checked I wasn't typing a document for heads of state or a term paper. so get over it.

[proskatercam]

Please no.

[Lethalsuperhuman]

Its simple. Just make GTA San Andreas Stories. One of the best Gtas come to the vita bigger and better than ever. With multiplayer (dont forget that).

And Nba 2k14. Stop making Nba games for psp. the players look like boxes.

[WetN00dle69]

The VITA is doing fine. It doesnt need saving. All this "VITA is doomed" crap needs to stop.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

We'll get a GTA Vita game and then they'll port it to consoles and iOS a week later.

Also, stop saying the Vita needs saving.

[swansong]

Give me a side story of red dead redemption with a zombie mode. Also for the west here I think a elder scrolls game would be awesome. Sony should have already had the complete library of ps one games working on the Vita (crash and spyro). Regardless of all the doom and gloom articles,I am very much enjoying my Vita.Picked up a 16gb card at my local walmart for $30.

[refocusedman]

Not to go on a rant but as a fairly new Vita owner, I have to say that the system is great but its a rip off. I mean 85 dollars for a 32gb memory card. Its great that I can download multiple games onto one card but its grand larceny when you have to buy an outrageously priced memory card to go along with a downloadable game thats not even discounted. Sorry for the rant but I hate being hustled especially if I support the company.

[Yodagamer]

I know how ya feel I've always thought that it's stupid to have memory cards on a system that uses game cards, but other than that I've enjoyed what few games I have for it

[refocusedman]

People can disagree but please tell me other than when external flash drives were introduced since when has basicslly $90 been a deal for a 32 gb card. I can get
1.5 tb for the same price. Its like I'm paying 2x the money to download a regular game.

[skrug]

The memory stick pro duo was $100 for 1gb, then a year or so later you could get 4gb for $100 (I bought it when it was on sale for $100), now they are dirt cheap.

And most phones/tablets cost $100 to go from 16gb to 32gb or even from 8gb to 16gb...

[KonaBro]

Didn't know the Vita needed saving.

[knifefight]

They're referring to the low sales.

We Vita owners love our systems, but they're selling way, way below expectations right now -- and have been since its release 11 months ago (9 in NA/EU).

[Kingthrash360]

early demise? On the horizon? Wtf did I miss something?
These fucking dooms day article BS is getting old. Old for any device.
This article looks interesting too but to open the article with these words.....ill pass.

[SAE]

It feels like religion fight xD

lol

[TheLastGuardian]

The Vita doesn't need saving, but I've been wanting San Andreas Stories for years. I hope it's in the works.

[Pillsbury1]

I've been replaying GTA vice city stories for psp. It's a lot of fun, ive wanted a GTA vita since Vita was announced.

[profgerbik]

New uncensored Manhunt? Bully? GTA? I will take any of those.

With Gaikai, the Vita could play GTA 5 in the future by streaming it.

As for now though I hope it's something along the lines of GTA 4 or maybe they could even fit a version of 5 on the Vita, you never know. Uncharted: Golden Abyss, AC3: Liberations and Need for Speed: Most Wanted are pretty good looking games some even open world.

Really excited to see what Rockstar does with all that.

I actually forgot how much fun Bully actually was, I would love to see that come back as well.

[joeorc]

for people worrying about the PSVita is going to be removed off the market, the fear is unfounded, for several reason's.

Sony did not mainly design the PSVita for the dedicated game Handheld Market, and if people think they did they have a real shocker coming. Sony in fact designed the PSVita for direct connection for the central Hub of the living room. Its about the living room not about the Mobile game console market, because Smartphones have taken the largest chunk of that market.

that is just the Truth, Dedicated Handheld Game consoles are not the Main driver for software sales anymore in this market, Smartphones and Tablets are. Sony knows first hand because they have seen first hand with experience when the smartphone absorbed the dedicated PDA market, they know first hand what happened.

The trends of Mobile devices connecting to a central gaming hub for the living room is the trends going forward, be that a smartphone, a tablet a touch screen game controller. etc. do people really think Sony is not going to bundle the PSVita with the PS3 in the near future. when already Amazon already did that in black friday this 2012 year. do people not see how the WiiU, or Microsoft's surface, smartglass and Windows phone has xbox360 and xbox live functionality to once again connect to a Hub, IE: the xbox360. or how about Apple with IOS devices or Android with smart TV's. do People think that the PSVita was really designed for the dedicated game handheld space?

when Sony made the Playstation Mobile platform, cross buy, cross play and with instant game collection that you pay for PSN+ ONE ACCOUNT AND BOTH SERVICES APPLY TO BOTH SYSTEMS!

Do people really think Sony did not see how the trends were going?

Do people really think the PSVita was set and designed mainly for the dedicated handheld game console front, when the WiiU was being set to release, or Microsoft with the Smartglass or surface and windows Phone. or Apple iOS devices, or Android devices connected to smartTV's?

Do people really think that anymore with how mainstream the smartphone has become, or the fact that the big publishers such as EA has decided to put more production resources to Mobile more so than even PC and Game console packed Game content!

Electronic Arts is in a particularly precarious position, because it must grow its mobile profits without cannibalizing sales of $60 packaged games.
Its response is a strategy EA calls “fewer, bigger, better.”
It’s slashing the number of new console and PC games it releases each year from 67 in 2009 to just 22 this year. Next year EA will release just 14 packaged game titles, but it’s doubling down on digital, with more than 30 mobile and social games, building on its library of over 500 mobile titles.

from 67
down to 22
now down to 14

for game console and PC

but it increased to with more than 30 mobile and social games !

http://www.cnbc.com/id/4992...

wake up people

[strigoi814]

Vita is dead?? Yeah right..try to save yourselves from stupidity and fanboyism coz it wont do you no good at all..

[Smokingunz]

It would be nice to see a gta on the vita but it probably wont happen for a number of reasons,for one, gta 5 probably couldnt even fit on a vita cart, two, the vita doesnt have a big install base, and three, it'll probably be a rush job similar to what nihilistic did with both resistance and declassified for the vita.

With that said though, I honestly do think if rockstar themselves made and it, and take their time it would be great and probably move units. Either way im all for it.

The vitas main problem is that sony advertises it as a ps3 in your hand when it should've been its own console and different, similar to how the ds is. Thats why nintendo was successful and also the psp before it.

[medziarz]

I think certain US media is in some kind of conspiracy against Sony

Right after Black Friday these "Vita is dying and needs saving" articles started showing up everywhere.

That is right after Sony did the killer Black Friday Vita sales, especially the $180 AC3L bundle with free PSASBR on Amazon.

I THINK PS VITA CAUGHT TRACTION after that because the system is constantly in Amazon's top60 bestsellers in video games (and wasn't anywhere in top100 since launch),
and the journos are trying to undercut it by spreading negative propaganda

[JoelT]

Rockstar is in the business of making money. In other words, you'll see it on iOS and Android before Vita.

[mrbojingles]

What point would they have in making a GTA game for Vita? It has low hardware/software sales and it would likely sell pretty badly given the small amount of users. A 3DS version makes 10 times as much sense since it, well has 10 times as many users. But I don't see them making any games for 3DS/Vita anytime soon.

Also, it isn't their responsibility to "save" the Vita.

[Yodagamer]

Man I'd love a 3ds GTa I bet the 3d would look awesome XD, maybe a top down sequel for the 3ds and a 3rd person style for the vita or maybe 3ds as well

[mrbojingles]

I think people forget that Chinatown wars sold much better on DS then it did on PSP.

[HalfNerdHalfAmazing]

Vita is like the ps3 it gonna take some time before sales pick up

[ziggurcat]

why do people keep insisting that the vita needs saving?

this doom article is getting no click from me...

[Phil32]

That's what saved the PSP in America, right?

But seriously, one game does not "save a system." It needs a steady stream of content, which the Vita currently does not have or will be getting.