520°

Sony PS Vita: Game Changer or Game Over?

Sony's new portable gaming machine packs a punch, but is the PS Vita the victim of being the right hardware at the wrong time?

Popzara looks at the next-generation portable's potential in a mobile world dominated by smartphones, iDevices, and Nintendo.

Titanz4443d ago

Let's just chill out for a second.

darthv724443d ago (Edited 4443d ago )

from the perspective of those it is geared towards. No doubt the core audience that has been following along (myself included) are taking in every bit of sexiness this unit has to offer.

It would only be a game over if the casual consumer didnt find the same appeal as the core audience. That is the big hurdle to get over right now. Creating the mass market appeal to get consumers to bite.

To them, it doesnt offer anything new. Meaning it isnt a complete convenience package. This society is spoiled on tablet/phone convenience that a dedicated platform might not offer. True that sales of the ds/3ds have been great from a "gaming" pov. From an overall pov they are small. You have to figure the target audience for the ds are kids (and older but mostly kids) and parents buy them to shut the kids up.

So would that same sentiment translate to the vita? It certainly offers the better gaming experience (technically) but parents may see that price and think twice. It certainly is worth every penny but it isnt disposable. I for one wouldnt let my kids play with a vita considering i know how they treat their ds's. If theirs breaks I buy them another one. That seems to be the edge nintendo has in the "gaming" portable market.

Vita, I would say, is the more adult portable gaming market but for those that really know what its all about. You have already caught our attention sony. Now what to do about the millions of others who arent paying attention?

S_C4443d ago

agreed definate game changer

SilentNegotiator4443d ago

With the twin sticks and all that power? It's a definite game changer so long as the good games keep coming. I've dreamt of having 6th/7th gen style games in portable form for a long time.

ABizzel14442d ago

Less than 1 week in and I can say from a hardware perspective the Vita is the best handheld ever made by a large margin.

Now Sony and the devs. have to prove the Vita is worth the asking price with more games and more features.

If the Vita fails then gamers have failed themselves. Regardless if you're a hardcore fanboy of another system the Vita is the best of handheld gaming and being on this website proves that most of your are hardcore gamers so you should have a Vita.

Death4442d ago

"If the Vita fails then gamers have failed themselves. Regardless if you're a hardcore fanboy of another system the Vita is the best of handheld gaming and being on this website proves that most of your are hardcore gamers so you should have a Vita."

Of course this only applies if you are interested in a dedicated portable.

-Death

Elimin84442d ago (Edited 4442d ago )

I say game over... And it aint for sony.. My wallet's already hurting on the PS3 so imagine how raped my Bank account will feel in the next couple weeks having to buy both PS3 and Vita games..

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4442d ago
StraightPath4443d ago

still too early but price drop will be good :D

DragonKnight4443d ago

Oh for the love of... ENOUGH OF THIS B.S.!

Look, absolutely NO ONE can say ANYTHING about the Vita's success or failure. The damn thing just came out and we have already been plagued with 923489123491242347134891723489 1273987 "articles" about it's success or failure (mostly failure). I'm not even going to bother reading this damn article because A) Who the hell is popzara? And B) There have been too many articles about this.

Hell, any Vita article doesn't even have to be read. All you have to know about pretty much every Vita article is that they all contain at least 1 of the following.

-$250 is too expensive. (Even though we loved that price at E3, if Nintendo can't sell the 3DS for that price, no one can sell anything at that price.)

-Japanese launch was a flop (even though it wasn't)

-Memory cards are too expensive (in addition to the $250 price being too expensive)

-X Feature isn't included at launch (disregarding things like licensing and copyright issues)

-Smartphones are teh pwnz and will take over all gaming. (Even though core gamers don't want that at all and no smartphone can match the prowess of a dedicated gaming handheld for games)

Am I missing anything?

Ser4443d ago (Edited 4443d ago )

"-$250 is too expensive. (Even though we loved that price at E3, if Nintendo can't sell the 3DS for that price, no one can sell anything at that price.)"

LOL - It's funny because this is how people actually act.

Spot on post, all of your points rang true.

PinkFunk4442d ago

@DragonKnight
Hahaha. You said it brother.

TotalHitman4442d ago

American's are spoilt for shit, $250 is £157 here in the UK. People would run to the shops for a Vita at that price. But because we get fucked all the time, the RRP for the Wi-Fi version is $349 (£220). And you don't even want to know how much the 3G version costs but here is a little hint. It's over $400.

Death4442d ago

It's funny how people from other regions complain about SRPs. You need to consider cost of living and wage scale when comparing prices. SRP should be relatively close when factoring these in.

-Death

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4442d ago
dragunrising4442d ago

Game changer. Dual analog sticks and digital downloads available same day as retail made me a believer, not to mention the gorgeous games.

arika4442d ago

definitely a game changer! if you are a real gamer and tech savy person you have to own this. there is nothing like this out in the market right now. i believe when people realizes how amazing this machine is, it will be sold out and people will have a hard time finding it.

sikbeta4442d ago

Game Over, dedicated handheld gaming is on the way out, IOS, Android and Wphones will fix your gaming needs in the future :)

arika4442d ago

@ sikbeta game over for you probably. but unlike you a lot of gamers still prefer to have analog sticks and real buttons on their gaming machine just like me and w/ ps vita you have the best of both and then some. touch screen front and back dual analog sticks, 6 buttons, cameras, six axis or tilt control and quad core. tell me a phone that have all of this features? none? right? maybe after 2 years there will be one but as of right now vita beats every phone or handheld device out there.

mantisimo4442d ago

You just stick with angry birds Sik I'll be playing Uncharted with 2 analogues.

xtremeimport4442d ago

the biggest problem with it right now and i guess always with portable gaming these days is that its directed at a niche market. only the most dedicated gamers are going to be looking for a portable console. all the others are just gonna be on iphones or tablets.
i shouldnt say "all" the others..but a big number of them. I'll get a vita, just not the right time for me.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4442d ago
LX-General-Kaos4443d ago

The Vita has not had a chance to put up a fight yet. It is far too early to make any predictions. It is fair to wait and see how things are in a year from now.

FrigidDARKNESS4443d ago (Edited 4443d ago )

I totally agree it's far to early and the developers barely scratch the surface of what it can do. I'm picking up my Vita this weekend or sometimes next week.

JoGam4443d ago

My opinion, its a game changer. This is coming from a guy who had every PSP and who currently owns two PS3's. So far, this is by far the best handheld experience I every had. I got the 3G model from Amazon.

Pixel_Enemy4443d ago

I just realized that I have also owned all the PSP models (except the go) have two PS3s and a new vita.

PSN D4RkNIKON

Game3s4443d ago ShowReplies(2)
Soldierone4443d ago

If you are not an Apple lover, it's a game changer. Anyone with eyes can see what its made for and how well it does it.

The media will do this and that to try and compare it to Apple Icrap and say its failing because it didn't have a bunch of brainless drones sitting in line everywhere when it launched, but who cares. This isn't for them. If they get a few of them to tag along that is great, but Sony is targeting the gamers and people that want actual casual games.

brettyd4443d ago

I'm a fan of Apple products, not a fan of IPad gaming though. Just got my vita this morning and in my opinion it's definitely a game changer. With the apps, console like game experiences and PSN connectivity it does everything. I was surprised how well the browser worked. I've only spent about an hour total with it and am loving the hell out of it.

Soldierone4443d ago

I don't classify you as an Apple drone. nothing wrong with liking their products, but its the people that think Apple are gods of everything that I can't stand and are the ones that are "drones"

dredgewalker4443d ago

True, you can buy any Apple product as long as you don't buy into it's fanaticism. Even PSP games are far superior to what Apple's game library.

BigBoss19644443d ago

Bloody hell it just released :/

Show all comments (91)
100°

Sony Could Increase Your Game's Difficulty If It Sees You Complain About It

Sony has recently published a new patent that wants to dynamically handle the games' difficulty and gameplay based on the player's emotions.

jznrpg4h ago

This is something I might use. Sometimes I play some good games but they don’t have difficulty option and are a little too easy.

Profchaos4h ago

Souls games will be like that players struggling make it harder

PassNextquestion3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

I think if used correctly it could work well

80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple10111d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref10d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde10d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander197210d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville10d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff218310d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos10d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 10d ago
isarai11d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref10d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan10d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0079d ago (Edited 9d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197211d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

11d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197211d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

11d ago
10d ago
Zeref10d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde10d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander197210d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander197210d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier10d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto10d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff218310d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto10d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 10d ago
Hofstaderman10d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts10d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts9d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic9d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)