Walmart Manager, ” I have not personally sold a Vita in over a year”.

In a recent interview with a Walmart Electronics Department Manager I have been made aware of some frightening information. The Manager, who wanted to remain anonymous, told me that he has not sold a Vita in over a year. He also said that the Vita is a very nice handheld, but he thinks people just prefer playing DS’s. When he said DS, I assumed he meant the Nintendo DS, since he was the Department Manager and all.

[Snookies12]

It's really unfortunate. People don't know what they're missing out on if they haven't owned one.

[SonyPS4]

Looking at the current game lineup there isn't much to be missed out, and I own a First Edition Bundle that released a week before launch. It's Sony's Wii U at this point.

[BullyMangler]

neh . sony is in a league of its own this time . . the wiiU has way more to offer than an uncomfy vita < fact

[GdaTyler]

There are great games available. So do some research please.

[GdaTyler]

The only people who claim there are no games are people who only like one genre. It has a pretty good library and it's only on its 2nd year. The only reason why the 3DS is doing so well and the Wii U will succeed as well is because the 3ds is as cheap as dirt and Nintendo milks the Mario and SSB franchise like there's no tomorrow. I hate trolls who complain a franchise that gets a third game is too much and yet people play 100 games from the same franchise. -__-

[zebramocha]

Of course he didn't because he's not a cashier.

[Yodagamer]

@gdatyler the 3ds sold better in the first months at the same price as the vita. Plus nintendo is not the one milking franchises with lackluster for their portable. Modnation (didn't have online), resistance (need I say more), Ratchet and clank, and the newest port of the jak and daxter collection. Nintendo has new ips (many of which i bought my 3ds for) and tbh i don't see how some of the things i listed got through sony like they did. Even assassin's creed and call of duty (name brand should have sold it) didn't help sales like most thought they would

[SonyPS4]

People are so defensive in their replies, saying there are great games but didn't even listed one. Proves my point, like really.

[rpd123]

I have to agree. When I first got my Vita there were a ton of games that had already been released. Within a few months I was done with them. The replayability of a lot of the games is almost non existant and I don't want to only play indie games on my Vita. I'd rather have a good balance between smaller games and AAA titles, which are pretty lacking on the system. Sure we have Killzone on the way but other than AC3 Liberation and LBP, most of the AAA titles have been busts.

[jujubee88]

But C'MON! Drop the price or do something to lower the barrier of entry Sony!!!

This thing is still in demand otherwise people wouldn't be talking about it. People want it, so do something or at lest say something! :(

[JoGam]

The key word is personally. Yeah dude you wouldn't. The cashiers would.

Besides, Walmart is not Best Buy. Employees just don't walk up to up and ask how may I help you. If I go into a Walmart game section, I already know what Im looking for.

[yugovega]

u must not have ever worked at walmart. dpt managers do ring people up. and in electronics systems have to be purchased in electronics. so this managers experience is valid.

[HammadTheBeast]

I dunno, I really do want to buy one, but there's just nothing that has amazed me yet. I played for days on my PSP, but I guess I'll just save up until PS4 comes then see if I feel the need to get one. It is great tech and it looks nice, but I just don't have the need for it.

[jimmywolf]

i enjoy the system an the games on it but for $200 + would wait in till their library expand a bit, or the ps4 remote play turn out too be really good.

[GribbleGrunger]

With a display like that, is there any wonder?

[lilbrat23]

He is a manager wth does a manager sell you something at walmart? Well once the Ps4 is release more people will buy the Vita I also hope for a price drop which could be another reason why not many buy it.

[komp]

He is a sh*t salesman then. His boss needs to get someone in who can sell to people the products they offer and tell this dude to GTFO.

Hint, salesman = selling something to someone, not sitting on your backside streaming porn in the back office waiting for people to come in and say "can I have that please?".

[Kevlar009]

Because it's up to the store manager to go out on a limb to support the Vita? I thought that was, I don't know, SONY's job? You're obviously butthurt the Vita hasn't matched the 3DS or even close to matching it. Get mad at the people who have a say in the Vita's life, not a Walmart employee at one store out of thousands

[MetalProxy]

Walmart employees are as helpfull as wet toilet paper...are you xone of them?

[komp]

No. Read my post again and you will understand why I do not repeat myself. Where did I mention Vita? Or does walmart only sell Vita's in your world?

[Kevlar009]

Neither of you have to act so immature. Implying I'm a MicroSlave off of nothing, telling the manager he's a "sh*t saleman" because he hasn't sold a Vita (the fact this article is solely about the Vita means your comment was based off of the Vita, no other topic at hand), or that he's jacking off to porn any chance he gets (it's a weird accusation to make out of the blue).

@Komp it seems to me (just my opnion) you almost act like Walmart is playing favorites with systems, also a bit of resentment towards Walmart and its management, (whether it's blind resentment towards Walmart or from a past experience)

[GdaTyler]

The 3DS is crap. The only reason it succeeds is because it's cheap and it has Mario on its side. In my opinion it's a horrible console.

[feeter]

@Gda Tyler... 3DS has some great games and more on the horizon... Yes the Vita is more powerful but the 3DS has games may people want... plus Sony needs to push the Vita more, give a larger memory card as a bonus (8gb)...portable has always been Nintendo's market if you want to succeed in it you have to be more attractive

[SonyPS4]

It's been almost a year and a half and the Vita has a single digit (probably no more than 6) number of games worth playing on it. It's nothing special. I own a Vita since the release of the first edition and all it does is sit there collecting dust.

-Gravity Rush (I really don't like this game)
-LittleBigPlanet
-Uncharted GA
-Wipeout
-Disgaea 3
-Persona 4

This is all I can come up with. The rest are cross-buys, ports, Lego games, mediocre spinoffs (CoD, Resistance, Assassin's Creed, ModNation) and free Park apps.

[GdaTyler]

Of the entire library that's all that interests you? That's nice. Nice story bro.

[Hicken]

Your list is missing:

Atelier Totori
Soul Sacrifice
BlazBlue
Mortal Kombat
DOA5+
Escape Plan
Lumines
New Little King's Story
PS All Stars
Sound Shapes
Super Stardust
Unit 13
Zero Escape

And a few others I could have mentioned, as well.

By the way, it's stupid of you to leave out cross-buys and ports, since they have, on numerous occasions, been called the best version of the game. Especially if you're gonna have two ports on your list of the system's best games.

Make no mistake, they ARE among the handheld's best. But so are a lot of games you obviously know nothing about.

[SonyPS4]

"By the way, it's stupid of you to leave out cross-buys and ports"

"The rest are cross-buys, ports, Lego games, mediocre spinoffs (CoD, Resistance, Assassin's Creed, ModNation) and free Park apps."

Didn't leave them out, Hicken. Didn't feel it was necessary listing each and every game of those categories but thanks for the rather defensive reply, it was fun reading it.

[Hicken]

You dismissed them as unimportant. You listed all of six games, then dismissed the rest.

Why?

If you didn't feel like making a list, you shouldn't have started in the first place. Since you did, you should have made it comprehensive.

Instead, you decided to make it seem like the few you "felt like" listing were all there were that was worth buying or playing. Clearly that's not the case, but if you acknowledged that, you wouldn't have a point.

[izumo_lee]

That is your decision & i have no qualms about that but i am going to say that you are missing on a lot of games cause of that simple minded thinking.

Unlike the 3DS the Vita is region free so if you are willing there are a lot of games that one can import if they desire. I have 2 Vita's, one for playing localized games & the other is set for Japanese that require DLC.

My import library alone was worth the purchase of the Vita & i bought the Hatsune Miku limited version that cost me over $400.

Hatsune Miku Project Diva f
Senran Kagura Shinovi vs.
Demon Gaze
Monster Monpiece

Also having PSone games on the Vita is a nice shot of nostalgia. Often i get questions about that when i play FF7 when i go to work on the bus.

Your thinking is the same reason why the Vita is where it is at now. People are unwilling to have an open mind about the system. There are tons of games for the system that do not have to be 'system' sellers to be good.

[GusBricker]

Do Walmart employees get commission pay?

[girevik]

No. There really is no incentive to sell more of anything other than feeling good about doing your best each day. I use to be a Manager at one.

[Yo Mama]

I have my Vita pre-ordered with my PS4 and 7 games. It's the perfect companion. Paying it all off weekly.

[NYC_Gamer]

Sony might not visit the traditional gaming handheld market again if Vita sales don't turn around

[Williamson]

Personally I never buy any games/consoles from Walmart since they usually have sh*t deals.

[JewyMcJew]

It should be noted that as of now, the vita is the only way to play your PS4 on the toilet.

[Faztkiller]

Thats all the incentive I need to own one.

[bjmartynhak]

While you are turning your Vita on and connecting both, I'm already back to the big screen.

[imXify]

I'll say nothing and wait for gamescon.

[fhizikz]

poor poor vita

[GamePeace]

Ps4 will shit on Vita, PC, Xbox One, Wii U, Steambox, Nvidia and 3ds...

[UNGR]

The 3DS? Really? Don't push your luck.

@GamePeace

You mad son? You seem fairly narrow minded, you're hardly worth my time, except for entertainment value.

[GamePeace]

Don't push your luck with me. With your star from "Converse" and so is your head => converse.

[No_Limit]

Man, to make the PS4 look good you have to throw the VITA under the bus as well. Good job buddy, so now how in the world can you play PS4 games while you are in the toilet?

[IIC0mPLeXII]

Jesus Christ, want to throw a few more in there. ITS GONNA SHIT ALL OVER SNES, GENESIS, PS2, GBA AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[GamePeace]

Make what you want. My Ps4 is pre-ordered, now the shitstorm can come...

[Lovable]

Oh well sorry but I'd rather play on a home console. When I go out, the last thing I wanna do is play games. :}

[UNGR]

LOL at this article, the Vita might not be doing great in some places but this source is a joke. I've worked at a Wal-Mart, since when do managers work? Never.

[yugovega]

its from a dept. manager and they do work.

[UNGR]

No they don't, they don't have to. Even in the WalMart's that have less employees they still don't work. But the troll disagrees can stay, I've worked at WalMart, and I've worked in a few different locations after moving. Same thing every time, like they would know, and I wouldn't.

[yugovega]

i worked at walmart 7 years so i believe i do have a clue. 3 different stores. some people just get butthurt whenever sony isn't the greatest ever everywhere. asisstant mgrs dont work. dpt mgrs are normal employees that do price changes and catch crap the sales floor don't. get your facts straight. if you worked at walmart you would know this. but i guess you just pushed buggies so how would u know?

[girevik]

Yeah they do. The higher ups, not so much.

[UNGR]

Price changes to them are sheets of paper they print. I did all of the physical work. WalMart is the prime example of a communism. Higher ups get paid more for jack all, while the grunts do every bit of work for the same menial wage as the rest of the grunts. I had one manager that liked to work with me in seasonal and left soon after starting the position because of the crap she got. How on Earth somebody would get crap for being a good worker is beyond me, but it's WalMart, it has no soul.

[MadMax]

I have not personally stepped foot in a Walmart in over 6 years. Thats no joke either!

[Ragnaarock]

Man I do love me some Sony and I found myself with some extra money after selling a paintball marker. I sat down and looked at the options. PSVita or 3DS. I sat down and thought to myself, what game do I just HAVE to play. After thinking it through I said to myself, Fire Emblem. I know there are some interesting games for vita released and coming soon like Gravity Rush, Soul Sacrifice, and others but none of those to me were must play titles.
Maybe Vita will start doing better 2-3 years from now when good games are cheap(maybe) and there are a good amount of PS4/vita games out.

[No_Limit]

Damn, not a single VITA console in a year? I don't know what to think, It is tragic and funny at the same time.

[fatstarr]

Man, people still going on about the vita like its still relevant. Admit it you doubted the 3DS.

you gave it the doomed treatment that you should be giving to the vita.

IMO when it goes on clearance im picking it up for 2 games. but those 2 games right now dont warrant that purchase when you get a better deal with the 3DS.

but hey 80 million is a success for sonys psp or so they claim. so sony already admits they arent going for first. 20million in sales is what they are going for.

imo what the 3DS would say if it could talk about the vita. http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[wishingW3L]

but the 3DS had a price reduction of almot 50% in less than a year you know. That's not exactly what I would call a success when Nintendo is probably still selling the device at a loss, something that they never do.

[NihonjinChick]

The 3DS has been selling pretty well lately. Nintendo is making some money of of it.

[fatstarr]

Nintendo Did something edgy and tried to get over on its loyal customers by believing the hype that the wii and DS created for them the hype saying

" hey we are bot shit we can sell this for what ever and people will buy" but that corrected its self because people avoided it like the plague. Handhelds arent meant to be 249-300$. the sweet spot is 150-230. and it had less than a 50% price reduction.

[DarkHeroZX]

I would say the 3ds offers a better deal. At least not now. I've had a 3DS since the Zelda edition bundle and the only thing I play on it is black 2 because my games of desire aren't out yet.

[Nightfallen]

My Vita gently weeps for some new games. 3DS has a way better line up at the moment and hope Sony starts to secure some titles for it.

[HakatoX]

The sad thing for me is the 3ds or DS library isnt one I am fond of. I want more shooters and thats why I bought a Vita.... you see two analog sticks, you think... "Awwww man, shooters on the go!!"
Suddenly gamers are focused on shovelware and JRPGS..... awesome. ppl say look at the 3ds...
35 year old gamer, here. I am beyond burned on mario and I was there for hourglass launch...

so where does that leave gamers who want MLG capable games on the go?
MLG (for those who dont know) = Major League Gaming.

[BuffMordecai]

Well that sucks, the Vita is a great system, it just needs less reliance on ports and more exclusives. I hope at Gamescon Sony delivers some awesome Vita news regarding price drops and games.

[GdaTyler]

Thank you for being the only positive comment.
Games will be announced at Gamescom. Remember last year Tearaway, Killzone etc were announced there, so don't worry. There's also a new AC on the horizon. The more games the better.

[nevin1]

E3 didnt help either.

[HakatoX]

all this shows is those who want dual analog shooter games are the minority. The whole time owning aFEB all I read is the denand for JRPGS and seeing the focus. I still hope for shooters.

My point is people bought this system for persona, when sony should be pushing hard for a CoD experience. If I knew that my Vita would only be a browser and youtube on a daily basis .... I may have just bought another ps3.

Sony has great hardware with a narrow minded fanbase and the focus is one that only makes sense with beer goggles on.

[HakatoX]

why disagree without reason?
every word is true. JRPGS JRPGS JRPGS is all ppl are clamoring for.
Yet the hardware screams shooters..... where is that not narrow minded or focused.
thats like tv going back to black and white..... when hadware is made for color....

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Just catching up on some news, noticed your comment and remembered your name. Don't flatter yourself, you're not stalk worthy :)
GG no re.

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Told you ages ago I would make a more informed purchase than you. A smart man knows exactly what to expect out of his purchase and shouldn't resort to selling all his stuff to buy something that could potentially be such a disappointment. I guess that ipod touch could have been your handheld browser and youtube, huh?

[HakatoX]

ah, resorting to mindless stalking to justify an ignorant statement made a couple weeks ago.
Get over it. Most of all get over yourself. I have far too much to do than deal with someone trying to be some kind of net nemesis.

[IIC0mPLeXII]

So uh....Fuck Walmart then.

[Colossal_Dragon]

I was really surprised Sony didn't do a price cut for the vita or its memory cards at E3, maybe they will give it a price cut once the ps4 it out.

[HakatoX]

wait for gamescon. Price drop at gamescon has been a standard. E3 has always been focused on hardware and games. Economic strategy is usually saved for foreign shows i.e. gamescon, TGS and so on.

[juanpi31]

I "personaly" don't buy games at Walmart

[IIC0mPLeXII]

Why not you can hop on those sweet deals, like Singularity still going for $59.99.

[Shinobi100]

Ahahahahahaah. I like the Vita. But it deserves to be treated like this. Retail games sell systems. Price drops sell systems. Updated hardware sells systems. Sony has so little support for Vita that it hasn't offered any of that in the year that this Wal-Mart dude hasn't sold any

[Victorvondoom8]

Vita has no audience its a good system tho......PS4 is going to be a success because americans created it ps3 failure is due to japanese.So is vita.

[pkb79]

Well I have bought 2 at my local Walmart over the last year so that even things out. My 3 year old gave my first one a bath and that not covered by warranty.

It has some great games but I mostly use it for old FF titles. Still waiting for KH BBS.
Don't regret the purchase at all. Posting this comment with my Vita.

[just-joe]

So what did Sony show at E3 regarding the Vita again?

[tubers]

2 new upcoming bundles:

GoW 1 and 2
Season 1 TWD + 400 Days

Booth:

KZM + Tearaway
Ports/Multi-plats (Batman/Dragon's Crown/J&D/etc.)
Indies

[TwilightSparkle]

The vita is great it has great games, i just don't understand why sony wont support it they barely said any thing about the vita at e3 sept what we already knew, sadly I traded my vita for a ps3, sony honestly think people will buy a vita for indies thats 300 for indies

[spurgeonryan]

What does this actually mean?

The largest demographic in this area is African American and Hispanic. Does this mean that these two demographics do not care about the Vita in the United States. I know that many will be mad at me for saying this, but I am only going off data pulled from the internet people! But from the information that we have, it seems that this is the case. Maybe there are just more families with kids in the area that would prefer a tablet or a Nintendo handheld. What is certain though, is that the Vita is in big trouble if this is not just going on here.

That was what was originally in the article, but my editors made me take it out. Just something I thought I would point out.