Sony: "3DS shows that playing on a dedicated handheld device has not gone”

Last year, 3DS was the best-selling games console in the UK. MCV decided to ask PlayStation UK MD Fergal Gara if he believes this bodes well for Sony’s handheld device, the PlayStation Vita.

[PSNintyGamer]

While I agree with him on some points, this I disagree with
" But we are playing fairly differently to Nintendo 3DS, when you think that is a dedicated handheld device with a very strong showing amongst kids. Vita is positioned differently. Yes it appeals to kids but also to committed gamers and as a companion device for PlayStation 4." He seems to make it seem liken the 3ds isn't for dedicated games, which is not true at all.

[DryBoneKoopa85]

I just picked up a 3DS XL. Let me say I'm blown away by the device and library of games to choose from. Nintendo does a great job of bringing exclusives to there consoles. Its the third party situation that needs to be somehow fixed.

One thing Sony needs to do that Nintendo IS doing is bring exclusive 1st party games to there Vita. There have only been a few must have games to come to the Vita IMO.

One thing that completely upsets me is Sony stating how the Vita is a great companion system for the PS4. Its like them saying as a last ditch effort "Hey buy our handheld because our console is doing really well." The price of the system plus the price of memory sticks are just CRAZY.

[rambi80]

i love my vita but it pisses me off to see sony slowly back away from it.

The best handheld hardware ever just sent out to die. The only thing that prevents outrage is the number of games i got for free/cheap from PSPLUS

[DualWielding]

Thats the thing, Nintendo does not do a great job bringing exclusives (unless you only mean first party). The success of the 3DS is that it has lot of third party exclusives which are there simply because the console is very cost effective to put a game on...

For example Shin Megami Tensei IV is an awesome guy but instead of actual battle animations uses some ugly static sprites.... could you get away with static sprites instead of actual battle animatinos in any other console? maybe in a donwload title that's 19.99 at the most but not in a 50 bucks retail title..... but that's why the 3DS get amazing Double A exclusives while all other consoles seem like you only get Triple A or indy

[stragomccloud]

@rambi
I completely agree. I don't for once regret buying my Vita, because of games like Gravity Rush, Uncharted, Persona 4 golden, and Muramasa, not to mention the wealth of PS1 games that I can play on it; however, it's too bad to see Sony back away from it like they did.

[White-Knight]

Ps Vita tried to go too much towards games for everyone.
Should have stayed like on the PSP.
And have more choices in Vitas in prices and quality built.

[C-H-E-F]

"Ps Vita tried to go too much towards games for everyone. Should have stayed like on the PSP. "

Wait, so the PSP didn't have games for everyone? hmph looks at my wide variety of PSP games, smh sorry guys yall don't exist anymore.

[Hicken]

No, he makes it seem like the Vita is aimed at the same audience that wants a PS4, which is quite different from the primary audience of the 3DS.

Face it: while it's not ALL it caters to, the 3DS targets kids far more heavily than the Vita does. I have grown friends that enjoy Mario and Pokemon, too, but you cannot deny that those games are more geared towards children than titles like Gravity Rush and Killzone.

And it's been this way from the start.

[LAWSON72]

Nintendo is good at what they do and that is make child appealing games that also appeal to and keep any older person entertained. The 3DS a device for anyone, unlike the Vita.

[DualWielding]

the question is, do children care about Mario and Pokemon? not really, that's Nintendo's problem kids don't care about the games anymore, even call of duty is more popular with cihldren today than mario..... they are selling primarily on Nostalgia.....

and to the degree that kids play the games is because their parents are gamer themselves that one to introduce into them, or even if they had quit games have memories of playing NIntendo when they were young and buy Nintendo games for their children

[jujubee88]

Only play on the VITA. If I could afford more I would play on other stuff but I'd still play a lot on VITA and probably not leave it since All-stars and the RPG's on it are very good.

[Inception]

I'm glad i had both :)

[Apollosupreme]

I have a day one 3DS and a day one Vita. Honestly, I've used my Vita far more. The 3DS has a lot of excellent titles but Nintendo caters far more to children with cutesy are design. I love Mario games as much as the next guy but the Vita has a lot more games that appeal to me. Paired with PS+ you get a winning combo.

PS4 is the best thing to happen to the Vita though. With a Vita you can play your PS4 games anywhere, anytime in the palm of your hand. That's a beautiful thing and I think it's going to be appealing to all those millions of PS4 gamers out there who want to get the most out of their experience.

[JBSleek]

"PS4 is the best thing to happen to the Vita though. With a Vita you can play your PS4 games anywhere, anytime in the palm of your hand. That's a beautiful thing and I think it's going to be appealing to all those millions of PS4 gamers out there who want to get the most out of their experience."

So the Vita is a $200 accessory. If that is what Sony thinks will sell then I think they are mistaken.

[Hicken]

Yes. Because the Vita is a superb companion to the PS4, it's automatically relegated to being NOTHING more than an accessory.

To hell with all its own games and standalone features, right?

[Apollosupreme]

"So the Vita is a $200 accessory. If that is what Sony thinks will sell then I think they are mistaken."

I think you're the one who is mistaken. You clearly know nothing about the Vita and what it does, what it can do or the games which are currently available for play or what's coming down the pipe in the next few month.

[WeAreLegion]

Same here. I love both systems, but I'm sitting in my bed playing Lone Survivor and Killzone: Mercenary tonight.

[Apollosupreme]

Last night I was playing Need For Speed Most Wanted, Dragons' Crown and Hotline Miami. The versatility in terms of genres is great.

As of March 18th I'll have FFI to FFX plus Tactics all on my Vita, how cool is that?

Beyond FFX, you have Borderlands 2, Minecraft, and Walking Dead Season 2 all coming to Vita by the end of this month. That is a pretty sweet month.

[ArbitorChief]

The problem with the VITA and Sony handhelds, is they have no must have VITA exclusive like Pokemon. VITA's library most consists of Indie titles that are already on PC or consoles and that's a niche market of consumers wanting to play those games.

[Inception]

It's not as big as Pokemon, but Digimon: Cyber Sleuth will cover that for Vita.

And surely Vita's library are not only consist with indie titles. I had Vita and i'm playing a lot of great titles that aren't indies.

[LAWSON72]

No game will ever be a replacement for a Pokemon game.

[youndamie]

@Lawson Yea Digimon tried and failed lol.

[Inception]

@Lawson

I knew Pokemon is BIG but Digimon had it's own charm, even though i'm not a fans of both franchise.

@youndamie

Failed? Maybe but they got their own fanbase. It's like God Eater, Soul Sacrifice, and Toukiden got their own fanbase compare to MH.

[WeAreLegion]

Pokemon is amazing! However, Gravity Rush and Tearaway are brilliant, innovative masterpieces.

[yewles1]

I remember a time when Vita used to have its own games in variety... that seem so far away now.

[SteamPowered]

The 3DS has never left me short on entertainment.

[Agent_hitman]

Dedicated handheld gaming devices has analog stick, physical buttons and exclusives, what's not to like?. I don't think it will die

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

Sony needs to lay down some deals and get games that made PSP popular or, just new exclusive titles from their many studios.

[Geekman]

I just kinda dropped out of handheld gaming. I haven't even played Pokemon X or Y. ALl I played last year was Dream Team, Dark Moon, and Dual Destinies.

[_FantasmA_]

Vita is geared more towards tech savvy young adults, but it just needs more games. Wouldn't mind another Killzone, some Syphon Filter, a Tomb Raider, etc. It just needs it own games that aren't on PS3 or PS4.

[porkChop]

It needs Sony to stop half-assing it and actually offer some proper support. Making 1 or 2 big games a year isn't enough. They have so many studios, each with multiple teams. They need to start making more games for the Vita, and they need to be games built from the ground up to take advantage of its capabilities. And they need to market the damn thing.

[lemoncake]

Vita is going after a market already saturated and not delivering the killer games, 3ds has found itself a nice little hole to slot into.

[Spontogical]

And that's precisely why I still don't have a Vita.. they're just not putting in any effort into making 1st party titles. Throwing everything at the PS4 even though we know that system is secure. By end of May the PS4 would've eclipsed the PSV's LTD sales. >.>

Teraway and Killzone Mercenary are the best 1st party games for the Vita. Anything else Sony???

[MegaRay]

I say sony should hire more people and open two or three teams to make vita exclusives. Me thinks

[donwel]

Well we're not going to see the same amount of growth year after year, especially when the casuals who bought a DS are now enamoured with their smartphones.
Either way that kind of constant growth that for some reason people are expecting to see just isn't sustainable.
Sales of hardware will decrease, in a couple of years they may increase again, that's just the way the industry works.

[Shinobi100]

Start pushing out consistent AAA 1st-party titles like 3DS is and you'll start to see similar sales. Which means you're gonna have to put some of your best console devs on Vita duty like Nintendo did for Luigi's Mansion and Smash Bros. on 3DS