Why I Haven't Bought a PlayStation Vita Yet

Is the PS Vita Dead or having a really bad start?

[SilentNegotiator]

I want a smaller one, first of all.
With cheaper, bigger memory cards.
And frankly, I feel Sony needs to prove that developer support will pick up at a faster rate soon before I bother.

[guitarded77]

I don't really see how they can make it any smaller. The screen takes up most of the surface, and the controls are as about as small as they can get without feeling awkward.

In the next model, I'd like to see...
1. Better camera
2. Flash for camera

Those were my two big wants. With a better camera and flash, I could see people buying it just for its utility.

[Cam977]

How about a Ps Vita: Go with onboard internal memory??
Improvements that I, a Vita owner, believes should be made:
• Smaller dead-zone.
• Better camera.
• Make the rear touch-pad easier to feel, perhaps surround it with a rubber border?
• Give us an option to turn of the rear touch-pad in PS1 games and game that use it in some cases rather than the analog (EG: LBP, the vehicle sections stupidly use this intrusive feature)
• I would say scrap the rear touch pad but some games have full integration so that wouldn't be fair towards developers.

[darthv72]

I'd like to see tv out that supports upscaling to 720p as well as traditional controller and maybe move supported controllers.

The unit has a front facing camera that could double as a pseye for a move controller. Internal storage of 16gb like they had with the GO.

[guitarded77]

@ darthv72

Oh yeah... that too. I knew I was forgetting something I really want in the next model, and HDMI out for sure.

[specsmatter]

ive had one since day one and cant possibly see or know why anyone would want a smaller one it would compromise the screen. The vita as it is is a nice looking, sleek system that just feels right in ppls hands.

I agree i was put off by the camera and also the low volume when playing games.

[SilentNegotiator]

PSP did it and its design was nearly identical.

[Muffins1223]

he meant like a mini ps vita kinda like the psp go was to the psp ...
In other words the screen would be smaller

[dedicatedtogamers]

I don't mind the size, and I don't necessarily mind the price of the memory cards (although cheaper is, of course, better).

What I mind is the handheld's focus. Sony is trying to market the Vita as a portable console. Big mistake. They tried that with the PSP, too. It wasn't until the PSP began getting made-for-the-handheld games like God of War, Patapon, Monster Hunter, etc that the handheld really picked up steam. I want unique games that can only be done on the Vita, not console spin-offs with rear touch screen support or tilt control tacked on just because.

The author says he worries about the Vita going "down the same painful path the PSP went down". Um, I'm sorry, but after the first two rocky years, the PSP was AWESOME and continued to be awesome. There were a TON of JRPGs for the system, tons of quirky games (Patapon, LocoRoco, Half Minute Hero, that dungeon-digging game, etc), tons of great action games (God of War, Monster Hunter, Resistance, 3rd Birthday, Castlevania, Dissidia, Peace Walker, Phantasy Star, FF7 Crisis Core) and more. But that was only AFTER Sony began treating it like its own system instead of a port machine for console-style games

Perhaps Tearaway will be the Vita's Patapon. Perhaps Soul Sacrifice will be the Vita's Monster Hunter. I don't know. But I know that I don't want to buy the Vita until Sony turns it into a handheld, not a "console on the go".

[zebramocha]

What's wrong with it try to be a portable console?it can have experience that are better in some repect to a console and completely smash smartphones & tablets but this is besides the point,I stop reading once he brought up the ds,it takes time to come up with a great idea that translates in to a good game and people seem to forget that Sony sold the psx,ps2,ps3,psp to gamers not necessarily to casuals.

@dedicate I don't see why not because people are acting like tablets are some how the same as consoles,at least with the vita some what be the truth,the controls are there and the graphics is on par or the same for certain games.

[dedicatedtogamers]

@ zebramocha

What I'm saying is that treating it like a portable console didn't work for the PSP, and it won't work for the Vita.

People like to pretend that the PS1 and PS2 didn't sell to casuals, but they did. They did big time. Some of the top sellers for those systems were EA's sports games (like Madden) and music games like Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero.

[EddieNX]

@Zebramocha. Sony didn't just sell the ps2 to ''gamers'' . Infact there was more casuals using the PS2 as a DVD player or a Buzz , Dancemat , eyetoy , Shovelware deivce.

The ps2 was amazing , but at least half of the installed base were casual DVD lovers. No disputing that.

Ps3 is more hardcore than the ps2 was , But even then a lot of people just use it as a dust collecting blu ray player , and a small amount even use it as a PS move.

Sony is a hardcore gaming company , But they do/have catered to the casuals...

[darthv72]

is when they revised the PSP with double internal memory, TV out and a cheaper price.

The sales of the 2000 series eclipsed that of the 1000. If sony revised the vita to make a vita 2000 and added internal storage, tv out and whatever else and made it cheaper then we will likely see the same results.

[aquamala]

I want tv out, psp has this feature, when I play at home I don't want to play games on the little screen

[SheaHoff]

It's definitely on shaky ground.

[DivineAssault]

ridiculous claims.. The vita is a magnificent machine.. If u like handheld gaming, theres no better than this

[Plagasx]

You could have the most magnificent handheld in the world but if you don't support it with enough games then it's nothing but a magnificent paperweight.

[Dread]

It could be the best machine in the world but if it does not sell well, then developers will not make quality titles for it. It is very simple.

you can defend sony to your hearts content, but the fact is that the vita is in trouble.

I, like most gamers, see lots of potential in the machine. In fact, it is arguably the most tech. advanced handheld ever released, but that means nothing if there are no quality games for it.

and please do not make one of those famous Sony lists of annouced games that are not released. I personally have not seen a game i am interested enough to compell me to buy the machine.
Persona is prob. the one that interests me the most, but guess what... I already have it for playstation 2.

[TongkatAli]

Good luck taking your PS2 on the train. You also miss all the extras which they're PLENTY of them in Golden. Attack the Vita to your hearts content bro.

[OptimusC]

Maybe if people purchased it rather than bashing it, 3rd party devs would take notice and more games would come out. Articles like this and people like you only cause more people to think down on the system. Go buy one and then say it's bad.

[CommonSenseGamer]

@optimus:
I did buy one, for my son at least anyway. I was a long time PSP owner and also had a PSP Go but the Vita simply does not do it for me. After selling my Go shortly after Sony ditched further production of it in 2010 I picked up a tablet and for me the Vita cannot compare. Even the games on my tablet look better, sure it doesn't have physical controls but guess what, after upgrading to a Nexus 7 I can just plug in a PS3 controller!

But the big difference for me is having a bigger screen, support for any video format, app support, built in storage and USB OTG support, Chrome web browsing, etc. Honestly, the games I have on my Nexus 7 would not look out of place on a Vita and cost only a couple of dollars each. I know Vita owners don't consider gaming on tablets but I challenge them to play Modern Combat 4 on the Nexus 7 using a PS3 controller. Its plays and looks better than any FPS available on the Vita to date.

[EddieNX]

The 3DS is far better in my opinion. Just because of the games and it feels more ''fun'' . Hard to put my finger on why that is ...

3DS>>>>> PS vita .

I know some of you put graphics ahead of actual gameplay , So feel free to downvoat me at will...

[darthv72]

is a subjective term because everyone relates fun differently. No doubt there are many fun games on the ds line of portables just as there are many fun games on the psp/vita.

A big selling point to nintendo is they have constantly maintained a level of direct BC with previous versions of their platforms. And go figure, that was something Sony was proud of back in the day.

What hurt the vita is people who have a large library of umd games have no way of playing them on the new unit aside from having to download the games again in digital form. Those that are available that is.

i know not many buy a new machine to play old games but when you look at a selection of established games, those effectively become playable titles to that new machine regardless of age.

Wii-u now has 4 times the number of playable games thanks to its direct bc with wii and wiiware games. Not all of them may appeal to everyone but that does not negate the fact that anyone who didnt own a wii and now has a wii-u can play those older games.

[MasterCornholio]

Lol i didnt buy a Vita for the graphics i bought it for the games (which i have a huge library of).

But to each their own i understand what you mean by preferring gameplay over graphics (even though its possible to have both).

[chukamachine]

Seriously what gameplay are you referring to?

Mario or Mario kart?

Only thing slightly crap with the 3DS is the screen pixels. Too low.

http://www.techradar.com/re...

When you play a game on PSVITA, the clarity is shocking.

[specsmatter]

Idk what games these ppl claim the vita doesnt have but games like Uc abyss, Unit 13, Gravity rush, Zombies versus plants, Mlb 12, Ps all stars,lbp vita, Marvel versus Capcom, even Resistance burning skys has satiated my handheld needs. You have more like Ragnarok, Ac liberation and others as well.

Kz mercenaries,
Tear away
Phantasy Star online 2
Soul sacrifice

and a good amount of other games coming soon why wouldnt you want a vita? I know why some ppl just dont have the money to afford it or splurge on it. Its like the ps3 got so much hate when it was 600, 500, 400 but as soon as it hit 300 those same haters jumped on the wagon lol Same here ppl just hating bcus they cant afford it but once it goes down in a year or so theyll be the number one fans smh!!!! Get a job and shut up lol

[TheGrimBunny]

interesting

[remanutd55]

the problem i see with the system is the price, i think sony needs to lower the price to $199.99 wifi version, $229.99 wifi/3G version and lower the memory cards as well $49.99 for the 32 gb, $29.99 for the 16gb and bundle every single vita with an 8 gb memory card. Games i dont see why people say the system has no games when it clearly has a lot for a first year on the market and getting more with psmobile, exclusive games and of course unannounced ones as well.

[NastyLeftHook0]

times are tough, were in the recession right now. im sure many people would love a bmw but can only afford 1991 honda civics.

[deafdani]

Are you implying that people are buying 3DS's because they can't afford the Vita?

Not completely true. Yes, the price difference is an important factor, for sure, but more so are the games. And, currently, the 3DS's library is much more appealing to the main audience than the Vita's.

Although, come to think of it, the Vita's hidden cost is big - those propietary memory cards are ridiculously expensive. :/

[Janitor]

Except, BMW has no trouble selling their cars, unlike Sony with Vita. But I guess recession is as good an excuse as any right?

I thought it was lack of advertising? No, that's right, its the overpriced memory cards. No I forgot, only reason 3DS sells is because parents buy it for their kids. Oh wait a minute, silly me. Sony's products are "slow-burners" and this is all part of the master plan.

As of right now, this thing is a major flop. Those who think otherwise are delusional, or just defending it because they spent (wasted) so much money on it.

[specsmatter]

Exactly some of these ppl think Nintendo lowered their price and it broke their pockets with the 3ds. No Nintendo lowered the price because they could. They sold the original 3ds at an inflated price that didnt warrant that price tag with its weak specs. Sorry guys but the first consumers got duped and the 3ds was being sold at an outrageous amount of profit so Nintendo had the luxury of lowering the price by 80 dollars
Vita on the other hand has great tech in it and expensive tech so Sony cant just say lets lower the price bcus ppl cant afford it or because pablo on n4g says its their best move smh. Some of you ppl lack common sense. The reason Sony made the proprietary mem cards and made them expensive was to recoup that money they were losing on each vita sale. Yes if you ask me are mem cards too expensive i would say yes. If you ask me if the vita would sell more if it was cheaper i would also say yes, but Sony cannot take an even bigger lose on an expensive product!!!!

Do you ppl understand the difference now? 3ds is way cheaper to make than a vita so Sony cannot just give it this magical price cut. The evidence is in the caliber of games on the Vita and the graphics and scope of these games like LBP vita, Unit 13, Marvel versus Capcom, Gravity Rush etc.... most of these games arent possible on 3ds or would look like crap!!!!

[tubers]

After a year they can. Mobile tech has been improving ever so faster that includes the ARM chips in the VITA. (almost identical to the iPad 3's internals but with non disclosed clock speeds)

Every year, generally you get better hardware for basically the same price. Case and point: tablet/smarphone industry.

The VITA is no different in that sense.

The industry has changed. Sony has to adapt.

TL;DR - demanding a slight price cut in 2013 is completely within reason.

[ziggurcat]

wow, it's noon and i haven't seen any sony/vita doom arti...

nevermind.

[NastyLeftHook0]

thats why i am relentless at voting the site down and never clicking on the article.

[Janitor]

Yeah.....how's that working out for ya there chief? Never click the article but always make time to comment on it, making it more visible to others. Voting sites down here does absolutely nothing. Are you new?

[PHiSHLoC]

Who gives a fuck why u haven't bought yet...
Do you wanna know why I haven't bought a Ferrari yet???

[Protagonist]

Loving my PSVITA and I have many games for it.

[poo342947294792]

wish nintendo cereal was back on the market ahhhh it came with half the box Mario and half Zelda,,,nin ten do its a cereal du du du du du

[THESHAUNZY]

I'd rather buy the Power Glove

[Its_a_me]

I always said if sony had a game like pokemon for the Vita, it would have been seller..I always wondered why sony never bought Digimon, and made it the pokemon of the Sony-brand..

[zebramocha]

They do to an extent its called invizimals,I'm not sure if there is a vita version,it's a ar game were you search the world for these pokemon like creatures.

[Its_a_me]

es the player to hunt and capture these creatures within the real world, using the concept of augmented reality, a camera attachment for the PlayStation Portable, and a physical "trap" square-shaped device used as a fiduciary marker. -

Never heard of them untill i saw in on the wiki..Its sounds good but they have to keep it simple..

I think that most players dont need to use the real world..

They have to make a simple game as pokemon..Make many creatures that can evolve..

[Ult iMate]

Yeah, right. So haters can bash the game with "it's just a Pokemon rip-off", like they did with PSASBR or Mod Nation Racers, although they are games on their own, with their own unique features.

[KrisButtar]

I bought a vita, came with AC:L game is game, my only problems with the vita are not having a video output to tv, and can't play retail psp games. The memory card price don't bother me as when I bought a psp years ago and the new 16GB memory cards came out they were 80 something bucks plus tax. It the same thing here a new system and new memory cards before they even told me the price I was thinking another 16GB card was going to be 80 something like it was for the psp, and to my surprise I got a 32GB for just about the same price. So I was pretty happy getting twice the amount of GB's.

[deafdani]

If you compare it with other propietary card formats, then maybe you're right, the Vita's cards have standard pricing. That doesn't change the fact that propietary cards are much more expensive than regular cards.

For comparison, here's a 32 GB memory card for the Vita, on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/32GB-...

90 bucks, as you can see. Now, for comparison, a 32 GB regular memory card (like the ones that the 3DS uses):

http://www.amazon.com/SanDi...

$21. As in, LESS THAN 1 / 4TH OF THE VITA'S CARD PRICE.

That makes a HUGE difference in the end. A lot of people were turned off by the price of those cards...

[darthv72]

the vita memory card is not that different from Sony's other proprietary format the M2. Perhaps it was their way of preventing hacking of files by using a format that could not physically be plugged into a PC or other device.

The PSP Go used the MS in place of the MSPDuo because it was smaller and quicker (i think it was quicker). I had an Ericson phone that used an M2 card and when i got rid of the phone, i used the 4gb M2 card in my GO.

It would have been nice to just take my existing M2 card and use it in the vita instead of buying something new.

[Hicken]

You cant just say, "Oh, look at the price of this memory format now. It's so much cheaper."

You have to go back and find the price of the non-proprietary memory when it first released. Neither SD nor compact flash cards were cheap when they first came out. Nor was anything else.

Solid state drives are getting cheaper, but how much did that non-proprietary format cost when it first came out?

How quickly- or conveniently- people forget these things.

[Nexgensensation]

is because it has no true identity. I believe sony should take more risk with vita exclusive so the vita can have more orginality.

remember there is no nintendo without Mario, Link, and Samus. There is no Xbox without masterchief, and there is no Playstation without kratos, solid snake, and Nathan drake.

with the amount of studios sony has, I don't see why not invest more in the vita?

[-Gespenst-]

It saddens me that Nathan Drake and Kratos have taken the place of Crash and Spyro.

[dragonknight4]

It has no JRPGs that I want.

[Kingthrash360]

I don't think it need a smaller version I actually like it how it is. I would change the camera and make the back screen easier to touch without touching it by accident.
I mean people complain about size but look at the 3ds its was small first then the came with the XL. (Probably why it sell so much making you buy another bigger one.) but they never go big then small. Psp went big then small with go and it produced the exact opposite of the ds. I don't think there gunna make another one of this mistakes.

[-Gespenst-]

I got one the other day for my birthday. Admittedly I did chip in 100 myself because of the price (expensive because I bought a 16gb memcard and Virtue's Last Reward with it.

Honestly I think the first price drop on the console was quite generous, it's just the memory card that needs a drop. Way too expensive in this day and age.

Nevertheless, it really is a lovely handheld. So slickly designed and so nice to hold. Annoying that you have to use the touchscreen only for LiveArea, but that doesn't seem like anything a firmware update couldn't solve. (If they want to go that route.)

The lack of games is the only bad thing. Developers seem scared of the Vita or something. People need to get all this shallow smartphone, android, ios BS out of their heads, I'd say that's part of the reason devs are ignoring the Vita. I mean, even the Vita itself is verging on Smartphone territory with the whole LiveArea interface.

Android / ios is the future if you want to please morons, and if you want to acquire more money than you know what to do with, but consoles and PCs are where the real experiences happen.

[r21]

Actually you can now use your buttons and sticks to stroll around the UI :D Just enable it in settings. Enjoy your new vita buddy!

[-Gespenst-]

Hey thanks man! Yeah someone actually PM'd me about that, meaning I can cross a complaint off my list!

[Genuine-User]

So many negative articles toward the Vita. What the fudge is wrong with this industry?
It's all a propaganda I tell you.

[deafdani]

"So many negative articles towards everything".

/fixed

[noelo]

Sony is in a big pickle with the Vita and they have to do something before it goes the way of the PSP Go. Nintendo lowered the price of the 3Ds within 6 months from $250 to a more reasonable $179 when initial sales tanked. Like it or not Sony needs to lower the price of the Vita and the stupid media cards (required to play but way overpriced).
I love my PSPs, original Japanese white PSP-1000 and silver PSP-2000, but at this prices and lack of games I will not buy a Vita for now. Compared to regular SD cards the price per GB of Sony proprietary cards is insane (even more expensive than the memory sticks when they came out).

Sony needs to do the following if the want the Vita to survive:

1. Lower the price of the Vita! $175 for the WiFi version and $199 for the 3G version.

2. Lower the price of the memory cards to $20 for 16GB and $32 for the 32GB. They control thhe propietary format, what they loose in price they will gain in volume sold.

3. Put some of your studio teams to crank out UNIQUE games with QUALITY. Together with a lower price for media and hardware sales will pickup like they did for the 3DS.

For a redesign I will like the following wishlist:

1. 16GB built-in flash memory ala PSP Go (flash memory is cheap in bulk). They can raise the price a little bit accordingly (~190).

2. A better rear camera (~5MP) with LED flash and front camera (~ 3MP).

3. A better browser! Anything is better. Pick a choice between Opera Mini, Firefox, or Chrome. All open source.

4. Finally a GOOD media player application. How about VLC (it plays everything you throw at it).

I sincerely hope that Sony have some cojones and do what is necessary to save the Vita from going away like the PSP Go It is a beast of a machine with great potencial, just need some refocusing and TLC from Sony for it start selling like hotcakes!

[LOOK_AT_THIS_I]

Besides the cost of the memory cards, and the lack of remote play option, my only complaint is the lack of a physical set of L2/R2 physical buttons. It would have made this device even better. It wouldn't have had to gain much size as it could have had them tucked in somewhat like the Wii u gamepad. Makes things a little bit easier to function for games with the buttons rather than fumbling with the rear pad and would make remote play even more promising.

[Jag-T1000]

I'm waiting for it to get hacked. I'm perfectly fine with my 3dsXl ritht now.

[THESHAUNZY]

PS Vita = waste of money

[r21]

I dont think its nose diving in all parts of the world, its doing ok, not glorious, in Europe and US. The only parts where its not stable is in Japan :L

[tubers]

Shh.. I got this. You also do too. Just reference the PSP 1000 to 2000.

Price: $ 199.99

1. Lighter.

2. Slightly thinner.

3. Slight increase in battery life.

4. Better and brighter screen (improved Q.C. Google PS VITA Yellow Tints or PS VITA Vertical Lines).

5. Better rear and front facing cameras (at least 3.2 MP at the back and 1.2 at the front)

6. 1 GB ram (like the PSP 2000 doubled from PSP 1000).

7. Higher clockspeeds from firmware update (like the advent of PSP 2000).

(8. Slightly raised PS, Start and Select buttons.)

P.S. More ram and higher clockspeeds means faster load times and a better browser. Not to mention increasing the chances two fold for finally running a game and YouTube at the same time (better multi-tasking).

Anything more than that is unrealistic.

Remember this and bookmark it. You'll be surprised how right I got it.

[Indo]

If it didnt cost as much as my PS3 then i might buy it. But then again cheaper is always better as we all hope for next-gen consoles to be priced like the Wii U ,but it aint gonna happen. Same with the Vita unless they find a way to cut prices and still make some profit.

[mamotte]

I'll wait for more games to come out. Just in case, I'm waiting the same thing before buying a 3DS. And I didnt buy a PSP.

Also, maybe that day the memory cards will be a bit cheaper...

[Losyak]

Credibility level = 0