Will The Vita Benefit From The PS4?

Sales for Sony's new portable haven't been too hot lately, but will the arrival of the PlayStation 4 spur Vita sales? Will consumers want that great combo?

[MariaHelFutura]

It could. Gaikai is gonna play a big part in that and obviously great Vita software.

[iGAM3R-VIII]

Agreed, I am sure Sony will see an increase in Vita sales when the PS4 releases, also the Vita could be bundled with the PS4 at launch

[G20WLY]

I think so too. The new Gaikai features will be available on Vita and the PS4 unlocks tonnes of potential (like the offscreen play WiiU owners rave about). All this without even factoring in the amazing new games out recently and coming soon!

Oh, and shouldn't that opening line read, "Sales for Sony's new portable haven't been too hot UNTIL lately..."? ;)

[miyamoto]

PS4 = Super Carrier
PS3 = Destroyer
PSP & PS Vita = STVOL Fighters

[-Alpha]

Sure, but if I'm investing in buying a PS4, I'm not going to get a VITA on top of that. I only have so much money and PS4 is the bigger priority. It's a bit of an awkward time to sell VITAs as a complimentary to PS4's, when PS4 has all the attention. Consumers need to manage price and necessity, so it's tricky for Sony to be selling both. The biggest benefit PS4 will give VITA is how PS4 seems to be built easily with VITA compatibility in mind, so that is a great way for VITA to piggyback off PS4's success.

VITA should focus on more exclusives/self contained games to spur sales for now. FFX HD should be a good boost, the indie support seems to be good. They need to get games like Minecraft VITA on that thing, as I think it would be a really hot seller (and if I'm not mistaken, MS's exclusivity contract with Minecraft is ending soon). Minecraft is the one hot third party title I can think of that has some seriously untapped potential to boost VITA sales.

They can focus on the "PS4 on the go" concept for the long run, but I think VITA could seriously benefit from traditional enticements like lowering the price, remodelling, advertising, and bigger exclusive blockbusters for now. I at least hope this is the focus at E3 for VITA.

[LOGICWINS]

Correct. After spending $400-$500 on a PS4, the prospect of having to buy an extra $200(assuming the price drops) machine for the luxury of playing PS4 games on your toilet via Gaikai won't sway many people. If Sony doesn't bundle the Vita with the PS4 for $499, then they're missing out on a HUGE opportunity to get Vita in the hands of consumers.

Still, if Gaikai works as intended and all old PS3 games eventually make the jump, then the Vita can effectively become a miniature PS3. Thats an enticing offer. But I would like to know what happens to all the old PS3 games that people downloaded off of PSN for the past half decade.

Are we getting free Gaikai versions of games that we ALREADY paid for? That would make the most sense IMO.

[DarkBlood]

tough question to gander but a good one none the less i assume it will work like the cross buy idea

so if u sold the disc or whatever you cant get a free gaikai version out of it etc etc

[GamersRulz]

"If Sony doesn't bundle the Vita with the PS4 for $499, then they're missing out on a HUGE opportunity to get Vita in the hands of consumers"

I don't think Sony are in position to take such hit ( financially). I believe they will sell PS4 at a loss, adding PSVITA to the mix is like adding salt to the wound.

the good news is that VITA remote play with PS4 is hardware implemented inside PS4, which means you can stream any PS4 content to the device day 1, even playing PS4 games on the go, just like WiiU.

[G20WLY]

I agree Aplha, and I also think that could explain why Sony are touting these PS4/PS Vita linked features so soon before the PS4 is available - it gives some people the opportunity/time to get their Vita now and then save up in readiness of the PS4 release.

Sounds like a decent plan (from a consumer perspective) to me!

@GamersRulz above, to be clear, you can't actually play WiiU on the go - you have to be in range of your WiiU, which means you can't leave home. So Vita/PS4 (although, clearly more expensive!) takes it to the next level, by allowing you to play PS4 games on the train, restaurant...everywhere with wifi. It's good to see that rather than emulate something you can get cheaper elsewhere they're bringing something new to the table. :)

[sherimae2413]

as long as it can use remote play properly on any ps4 games right out of the box... im sure it will really help the sales of vita ^_^

dont let us down on here, sony this feature will add an extra benefit for vita

[PopRocks359]

Cross-compatibility can encourage people to buy the two in tandem, but obviously the two need to be worth buying on their own as well. The Vita is a $300 handheld gaming device, not a controller and needs to have a strong library all its own with cross-compatibility being a secondary feature.

Sony theoretically could do a bundle, but only if they can find a way to keep the price competitive.

[NastyLeftHook0]

psp was for ps3

ps vita is for ps4

[MasterCornholio]

I think that Gaikai would benefit more from the Vita than the PS4 from Sony´s handheld. If Sony streaming technology works as well as they say it does plus they have some sort of netflx model for it then the Vita could become extremely popular. But the only problem that i see with that is that not everyone has a highspeed internet connection and how would you play Gaikai games if your on the bus for example?

[Jdoki]

Sony would be smart to do an ultimate bundle of PS4, Vita and at least one cross play game. With a nice discount, this could get the Vita in to a lot of hands.

[FrigidDARKNESS]

Nope because Sony is telling consumers to spend an extra 400 dollars on a handheld device to enjoy the other functions of the ps4 . Consumers are getting smart now they can invest in a samsung galaxy 4 that plays games surf the internet video camera ect. Lets face it people hand held gaming devices are dead.

[Sanquine90]

Oke, while you play dead trigger on your galaxy s4, i will play persona 4 the golden on my vita and fire emblem on my 3ds ;)

[tubers]

PSV can ONLY benefit having stronger ties to the PS4.

A lot of PS4 buyers would finally at least know of an existence called the VITA assuming that the VITA is advertised on the box and in the packaging slips.