660°

FORBES: How Sony's Big Gamble With The PS Vita Will Lead Them To Victory

Gamers across the UK, Europe, and America, all have February 22nd marked in their diaries.

PSVITAlitysensor4458d ago

I think Nintendo will continue to dominate Sony throughout the 8th generation..

mistajeff4458d ago

well, it's like they say in the article, what does sony consider a victory? you certainly don't have to outsell your competitor to be successful. maybe coke sales dominate pepsi sales, but enough people buy pepsi to make pepsi an extremely successful product. obviously sony wants to outsell their competitors, but when all is said and done, as long as they break even and a profit is turned, it's a success from a business standpoint. i'm no professional when it comes to this stuff, but like you, i could certainly see the 3ds selling more than the vita over their respective lifetimes. but i definitely think the vita will be a success, a 'victory'.

MaximusPrime4458d ago

Nintendo is good at aiming younger audience thus dominating handheld market. IMO, regardless of whether Sony dominate or not, PS Vita will be around for a long time. As long Sony keeps supporting it like PS3 and PSP

mistajeff4458d ago

I agree. And frankly, I couldn't give a crap if they dominate nintendo in sales or not, so long as it does well enough that they support it like you say. I'm so pumped to get mine, and to see how the device transforms over time. I hope they flick the remote play switch to 'on' sooner rather than later. People have been doing it with ps3 custom firmware, so it can't be that far off.

BattleAxe4458d ago (Edited 4458d ago )

I think the real victory will come when the Sony Entertainment Network has the same brand recognition as Apple's App Store. Sony has the tools to be a leader in content distribution (Video/Music/Games), and I think the PS Vita is going to be a huge part of their strategy. Also, their mobile division will play a major role, but Sony has to get their phones out to as many distributors as possible. Right now in Canada you can only buy a Sony Mobile Phone through Rogers(which I can't stand). It would be nice if Bell and Telus carried their phones also. Virtually every distributor now carries the iPhone 4.

Blaine4458d ago

@BattleAxe

I like your vision! If the SEN can get huge brand recognition, then Sony will be able to offer us more awesome content. They definitely need to start by pushing the "PlayStation certified" line they started.

Btw, I have an unlocked Xperia Arc myself. I went with Rogers first, since I had their sim card by default (bought my phone at BestBuy), but I changed FAST. Their service was HORRENDOUS. I'm with Virgin now.

sikbeta4458d ago

@PSVITAlitysensor

Handheld, sure, Home Console, you don't know yet ;)

DA_SHREDDER4457d ago

I agree with you to an extent Mistajeff, but the thing is Sony was the leader for years and they have been living off of their former glory for way too long. We aren't talking Walkman's anymore, which btw, doesn't even exist anymore. The problem is Sony needs to wake up and be more realistic of their vision. They dominated for decades, and now if they wanna have that success again, they need to change alot of their old business practices and get practical.

The Vita isn't gonna sell cause its simply a games machine, and it doesn't have Mario. Even Nintendo hurt when they didn't have Mario games on the 3DS, how do you think Sony is gonna survive when all it does is games. Games that are much better on your tv set I might add.

I think if Sony was serious about being a competitor in the handhelf market, they should have made the premium version of the Vita a cellphone. Sure you people on here might like carrying more than one device, and have the wallet to do so, but millions of people want a machine that can do it all, if not most of it. Tabs can pretty much replace pc's, can the can Sony say the Vita can do that? At least smart phones get on facebook, and since they are phones people will take them wherever they go, Can Sony compare it to phones? Really can they? No of course not, and they will forever be in Apples even Samsungs shadow till they unify all their products that can be used for practical purposes. And no, Sony's tab was not an answer. It barely holds up to budget tabs you can buy for 150 bucks.

Sony is trying to swim up river, and for what?! To be a laughing stock among execs? Something is fundamentally wrong and Sony will not gain any ground till they figure it out. God speed Sony.

dredgewalker4457d ago

@Shredder

I have to disagree, the Vita isn't aiming at regular people, it's aiming at gamers. You can sell a lot of smart phones but those people who buy them aren't in it for gaming. Right here the Vita community is growing since it was available in my country. I have a smart phone and an Ipod touch but I rarely use them for games. I am drooling at my brother's Vita since I am unable to purchase it in the meantime since my budget does not allow it. I assure you that it may even if it may not outsell the tablets and smartphones but Sony will be able to make money on this portable console.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4457d ago
Mikhail4458d ago

As long as it sells 50 million units in its lifetime, it is considered to be a massive success.

GraveLord4458d ago

As long as Nintendo doesn't have 100% market share, Sony wins. Sony is probably happy with ~30%

dcortz20274458d ago (Edited 4458d ago )

That's what people have a hard time understanding. Sony doesn't have to own one hundred percent of the handheld market for their handhelds to be considered a success. Nintendo has dominated the handheld market for years, and Sony was brave to go up against Nintendo who dominated the handheld market for years and snatch a nice percent of the handheld market share.

Jio4458d ago

With a username like yours, I can't tell if you're trying to troll. As Mistajeff said, Sony doesn't really hope to outsell the 3DS, but in my opinion, the PS Vita is the better machine and will thrive.

fluffydelusions4458d ago

Console wars are stupid, the real winner is gamers.

Megaman_nerd4458d ago

no one is winner if the console is forced out of the market because of poor sales like the Dreamcast did.

SilentNegotiator4458d ago

Obvious troll. You would have been less obvious if you named yourself "I-Am-a-fanboy-that-hates -playstation"

Enjoy your sales charts and single thumbstick controls, I guess.

Godchild10204458d ago

I have the Vita and have had it for the pass 3 days. I bought the trigger grips(i advise those that are buying the Vita to get one).
Compared to the 3DS, the Vita’s web browser is better(typing from the browser). I love the screen on the Vita, I can see everything without it hurting my eyes. Its kind of like a mini tablet with buttons and games that I want to play.

I have played asphalt on both platforms and the Vita is way better. Rayman is great and UMVC3 is great, but i really want Mortal Kombat.

I wouldn’t get rid of my 3DS, but my Vita has replaced it as the handle I choose to leave the house with.

My bluetooth works with it and i can use my Wireless Headset and listen to my music and game on the go. I wasn't going to put music on the vita, but i did just to see how well it worked with the game and I fell in love.

I can’t wait for the 22nd to get the other games that come out that day.

brolik864457d ago

How was the sound quality when you put music on?

I love the psp (still use my 1000 series to this day over ipod/ itouch etc). My only gripe with the system was that the sound quality was sub-par to other mobile devices

Thatguy-3104458d ago

Were you around last gen or the gen before that?

Guwapo774458d ago

I don't have anything awesome to say other than I'm really happy to have finally read a positive article about the Vita. Really really tired of the biased reporting I have seen from so called "gaming" sites. A big nod to...Forbes.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 4457d ago
CarlitoBrigante4458d ago

Sony is the future and the future is Sony

Make.believe

Ethereal4458d ago (Edited 4458d ago )

Wow its not a doom and gloom article....I got the 15th circled 100x on my calender.

longcat4458d ago

my thoughts exactly.

Its been a long time since a major western media company said something this positive about a sony product.

This thing must really be awesome

BitbyDeath4458d ago

That's cause Forbes is a respectable business website and not relying on hits for made up titles unlike 95% of everything else that comes to N4G.

Blaine4458d ago

I know right! So few positive articles nowadays, especially about Sony, ESPECIALLY about the Vita.

hellzsupernova4457d ago

thats because the in thing atm and for most of this gen was to hate on Sony every article always had a negative spin, so now the in thing is to back Sony it comes and goes

pbasson4458d ago

This will sink. All these articles supporting it, goes to show how much free promotion sony needs. The device is like a hybrid between PSP and DS, this is not original or innovative in anyway. Yes you have things like iPad which innovates and changes up over time, but cost a arm and a leg. This is not the 80s, 90s or early 00s. The time of smartphones and tablets is on the rise and the handheld market is being hell of tough to take over as even Nintendo is feeling Apple's breath down its neck. Not the mention the whole package is looking to cost £300+ you could get a PS3/Xbox 360 for £200. The current economy look out will also affect sales. This is one of many reasons.

yesmynameissumo4458d ago

The free promotion comes from people being excited for a fair priced, awesome piece of kit being DEDICATED to games. As well as being able to supports apps like Netflix and Twitter. Smartphones are great, but games like Mario or Uncharted are not ever going to appear on smartphones in their current form. Tap, Tap, Tap games are what excel and should. There's plenty of people that can and do enjoy both. I don't want to make calls from a Vita or 3DS and I don't want to tap myself into frustration trying to play the rare "core" game on Android or iOS. The entire smartphone argument is tired and really a grasp at straws.

gamingdroid4458d ago

I do wonder about the PS Vita and I guess in about a month the numbers will start trickling in.

Nintendo came out slow with the 3DS and managed to turn the business around. That's show promise for PS Vita turn-around if necessary. Unfortunately, it is a double edged sword... as 3DS also eats out of the same market.

We will just have to wait and see....

ginsunuva4458d ago

What supporting articles? They all usually say Vita is dooooomed.

And did you say ipad innovates? Iphone innovated, but ipad is a big ipod touch that "innovates" with a new processor each year that's all. And for a tablet, it does nothing out of the ordinary.

extermin8or4458d ago

the original iPhone innovated the iPhone's after have been your usual run of the mill yearly hardware upgrades since then :/

xursz4458d ago

Apple devices aren't made for gaming and they're way overpriced.

tarbis4458d ago

Economy? You're talking about economy? I don't see the economy affect the millions of people buying terribly overpriced iphones and ipads.

TBM4457d ago

OMG bingo someone who says what i say all the time about people who keep buying overpriced iphones/ipads every 6 months.

if people think vita is expensive at 250/300 then what the hell do they consider the iphone/ipad?

in 2 wks i'll be playing games the way they should be played on a great dedicated handheld system instead of poking, and swiping at a tablet/phone.

smashcrashbash4458d ago

I don't remember either Sony or Nintendo ever claiming they were competing with tablets and phones. I always thought they were competing with each other for gamers not phone users. Also you, like most of the other non thinkers, have failed to realize that the point of handheld gaming is that it is PORTABLE. Of course I could buy a system for a certain amount of money but it's not PORTABLE. I can't take my PS3 anywhere with me. But I can take the PSV with me. You see how that works?

And to top it all off by your logic I could buy a console or two with the money I buy a smart phone or tablet with, so why buy them for gaming? You say the VITA is expense and you could buy consoles with the money and yet you are here advertising tablets and phones that cost more saying they are better?

CarlitoBrigante4457d ago

How the FK is this a hybrid between a PSP and DS? What thinks of those handhelds are in the VITA? WHat thinks of the iPad are in the Vita? Dont open your filthy mouth if you dont know what you're talking about troll

UltimateIdiot9114457d ago

Don't know how old you are but with enough experience in gaming, you'll know the whole tablet/smartphone gaming cannot replace or replicate the experience you get from true handheld/console gaming. It's day and night.

I grew up with handhelds as many gamers in their 20s+. There is something special about handheld gaming, it's a social experience. I remember Pokemon Red/Blue, and how all my friends and I just gather to chat and play together. Battle and trade. There were competition in games like Tetris. You meet new people when you whip out your gameboy. People ask what games you have to see if there is a common interest. To see if there is a game where they can play together. With smartphone/tablet games, that experience really isn't there.

I have a high end smartphone (far more expensive than getting a handheld) and I absolutely hate playing games on that. It's not ergonomic friendly (hands feels like it will get carpal tunnel after 20 minutes of gaming anything non flick and tap.)

Yes, let's compare a brand new handheld device (with a lot built in) to a 6 year old system. I'm surprise you haven't demand that smartphone to be the same price as a flip-phone.

Ethereal4457d ago

Sorry, Vita has several innovating features. Rear touch pad...The 3DS has shown that the portable gaming market still exists when a unit is priced appropriately.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 4457d ago
Yangus4458d ago (Edited 4458d ago )

Vita never lead handled(console)market its 100%.

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40°

Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell Of Ar Ciel Retro Review – Love Conquers All

Gary Green said: You’ll be forgiven if you haven’t heard of the Ar Tonelico trilogy. The previous two games arrived so late in the PS2’s life-cycle that they simply went unnoticed. While most were tinkering with their shiny new PS3s, Ar Tonelico: Melody of Elemia and Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica were being ‘returned to sender’ by your local Game stores. Luckily, you won’t need to have played them to understand and appreciate this third and final chapter, Qoga (pronounced k-yoga) tells the story of a racial war between humans and Reyvateils, a breed of biologically produced female cyborgs capable of reproduction, while still having a digital mind.

Read Full Story >>
pslegends.com
Giga_Gaia10m ago

Oh my god. I kinda wish this would get a remaster on PS5, it would be awesome. One of my favorite games on PS3.

That and 3D Dot Game Heroes. It's a shame that some stuff is stuck on PS3.

270°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv721d 3h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle14h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic188111h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio11h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning776h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga14h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

darthv7217m ago

to you it may seem like the minority... but your bubble is shrinking because more and more are following suit. convenience is a hell of a drug and its also why physical sales only amount to 30% of overall game sales. times are changing, you either get with them or you get left behind.

shinoff218313h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga12h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan8h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

S2Killinit50m ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus236h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv726h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

TheEroica33m ago(Edited 33m ago)

Perfectly reasonable post down voted by insecure corporation friendly folk.... But not gamers. Real gamer want accessibility and ease of acquisition for all.... Company shills are the only ones still telling us that hardware locking people from games is good for us.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 17m ago
purple10116h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos16h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-6h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac15h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad15h ago(Edited 15h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10115h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos14h ago(Edited 14h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic13h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead6h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6h ago
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140°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein1d 2h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno22h ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k421h ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson20h ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu21h ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson20h ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -