The PS Vita's future lies with the indies and the niche

Nathan Misa of MMGN.com writes: "Even if you don't buy or like indie, the amount of titles on the way collectively continue to shape the Vita into a very promising, enticing purchase. They won't be system sellers on their own, no, but so long as they keep on coming, Sony doesn't have to risk too much money, existing Vita owners will have plenty to play, and potential owners will only see a flood of game releases they need to play."

[dedicatedtogamers]

Personally, I don't mind if Vita becomes an "indie machine" as long as a handful of good "big" games are sprinkled into the mix. A lot of smaller indie games with a few big games added in here and there reflects my current gaming habits.

That said, I can totally sympathize with people who want Vita to have more big games. Sony DOES need to step it up in that regard.

[Apocalypso]

Well said.

You can bet that many indie releases will be on PS4/Vita, much like how we often get PS3/Vita releases now. The PS4 AND the Vita are both easy to develop for, so make it for one, may as well make it for the other.

That being said, I do appreciate it when I play a game specifically designed for the system. I personally would love a good JRPG, maybe implement use of the touch screen (I mean like navigating menus/maps, not gimmicky nonsense).

Looking forward to playing FFX on the go.

[ElementX]

I have my PC for indies. Vita needs exclusives and not different stories for existing franchises. My Vita is collecting dust. I bring it to work so my co-worker can play Hotshot Golf.

[mitchell1188]

I hope it satisfies my jrpg niche.lol would also love a few good mech games. I loved armored core: for answer and played the hell out of Z.O.E 2nd runner. I like getting a niche game once in awhile. =]

[LOGICWINS]

Thats pretty much the only reason I'm getting one. I'm not seeing to much JRPG love on next gen consoles.

[mitchell1188]

I agree on that one. I'm in the process of learning Japanese. I love anime and jrpgs plus the language and culture are very interesting.

[tubers]

Wait for TGS.

[thecowsaysmoo]

The biggest reason for me purchasing ps vita once it gets a price cut is ps+.

[Salooh]

For the million time :

AAA games or vita will be in hell . Trust me , it's the reason why people don't buy it. I can bare the prices if they release games that i love . Any fan of tekken will go and buy vita if it have TTT2 , they will play anywhere they want. Same with games like gta , gt , mgs ...etc

Indies are just extra little games. If you make it the main focus then what's the use of the vita power ?. PSP can have most of these games -.-

For the disagrees , would you go and buy wii u if it doesn't have mario or zelda or big games like these ?.

[mitchell1188]

True the real reason for the vita is powerful games in the palm of your hand I can agree with that. I can say tho that a few smaller indies and niche games are nice for me to kill time while they develop their bigger games. I don't want another "rushed blockbuster". Greatness takes time.

[Salooh]

I'm not against the indies , i actually (love) few of them like limbo , rag doll ..etc

But in ps3 , multiplatforms make me busy until big games comes out but in vita all we get are these small games with 1-3 big games a year which is really disappointing . multiplatforms don't support it and when they do they don't use vita power. Great games Ports sucks like jack and daxter , i was really looking forward to it. Only few big games and they depend on your taste.

You see what i mean ?. I support indies but that's why i'm disappointed. Developers are not serious about it ..

[dedicatedtogamers]

You act as though not a single indie game uses hardware power. Setting aside the benefit of the OLED screen, do you really think that games like Minecraft or The Witness wouldn't max out the Vita if they were ported to it?

[bothebo]

I think he's aruging that indies won't make people buy the system. Why pay close to $300 for a system with a 8 gb memory card and pay $5 for a 200 mb game? What is the logic in that?

[Salooh]

I think vita makes indies better with it's features. The idea of playing them anywhere is tempting but not really exciting for most of the people , they are just extra kool small games to most of the people that's why you don't see people crazy about the vita.

What sony need to do is combine remote play + great exclusives + Real support from multiplatforms + indies and then market it this way. You will see people buy it like a cookies then people will market it themselfs. People who complain about price won't care any more because the vita will be in their wish list and will do anything to buy it. I see poor people buy iphones here because it's really useful , kool and their relatives have them.

To prove my talk . When gta games released on the psp i saw people who's not really interested in gaming buy it because of the game and handheld idea. Not because of indies. That's why it was successful. We saw GOD OF WAR / MGS / GT..etc

[noxeven]

Id have a ton of games for my vita if they would get translated into english

[GreenRanger]

I'd like to see some open-world RPGs on the Vita.

A Borderlands-style game would be awesome.

The Vita could definitely handle those types of games.

[bothebo]

I think Tearaway is in this genera, but it is probably more rigid than what you're looking for. Either way, it looks great!

[nevin1]

@dedicatedtogamers

So for those on the fence of buying a Vita, why would they spend $250 + expensive memory card for a "Indie Machine"?

[TongkatAli]

Indie games save money and they're awesome. If someone were to buy it for that reason there is nothing wrong with that.

Showing the coworkers Walking dead is going to be something i try when it comes out.

[WhyWai88]

To play indies on the go with proper buttons and analog sticks.

[gamer7804]

Some might enjoy indie games but I didn't spend this much on a handheld system to play soley those , a mere balance isn't too much to ask for .

[slivery]

No one is forcing you to play soley indie games on you Vita. Get over yourself. There will never be a balance because indie games are easier to make.

What is so hard to understand about that and it isn't a bad thing. AAA titles take a long time, indie games don't.. Pretty simple math there.

[gamer7804]

I agree with you, but balance doesn't necessarily mean a 1 to 1 ratio, a balance is something that is a healthy balance, that would allow the platform to flourish on both fronts. Right now, there is no denying that there is a lack of titles some would call AA/AAA.

[SpinalRemains138]

Indies?

I don't want an Ouya or a Shield.

I got a Vita so I could play heavy hitters in my hand.

If this really is the case then Vita truly is dead.

Indies are fine and all, but if they're the focus of a device, you're screwed if you paid 300 bucks to play them.

[GdaTyler]

There's always Gamescom for AAA announcements. If that and TGS passes without any bigger title announcements, I'll start to get worried.

[PrimeGrime]

Not that this article was intended to be bad but I can't stand people saying this.

People overreact with everything. Just cause the Vita gets a lot of indie games that is supposed to mean its future? Like that is all the games that are coming out for it or announced are indie titles? Bullshit.

No, it gets a lot of indie games because it is a good way to have something in the meantime until we do get those games from bigger publishers. Indie games are clearly usually much easier to make than AAA titles, it doesn't take a damn rocket scientist to understand that there will always be more indie game than AAA titles no matter what the system.

I don't see how anyone can see that as a bad thing, more games. There have been really great games on the Vita that weren't indie games also so stop acting like they aren't just cause you obviously don't give a shit to play them in the first place. All you do is beg for AAA games yet you never play the good ones that do come out for the Vita. That makes a lot of sense. You want more AAA support but you don't buy those AAA games the Vita has.

Obviously you people who won't accept these indie titles are the type of close minded people who probably sit on one same types of games over and over anyway while considering yourself a well rounded gamer. Sorry doesn't work that way.

Like I have said a thousand times AAA titles take time also obviously, another thing is studios now are so split between work it is kind of very hard for bigger developers working on bigger games to be making games for consoles while trying to make a game for a handheld.. Clearly that isn't happening that often with big titles they never do both. They work on a console game and nothing else until it is done.

People beg for Infamous on Vita, yet they know they are working on Second Son. People beg for battlefield but they know damn well they are working on 4. People beg for a GTA on the Vita, yet again they know they are working on GTA 5.

Do you see my point? What the hell do you expect the developers to do, become super developers, just developing multiple games at once... You know how shitty these dames would turn out if that was the case? Then all you same people would still be whining and bitching.

[PrimeGrime]

I also think Sony has learned to stop messing with so many games that are just passed off to these random developers to work on instead of the actual developers who make these games. It obviously has not turned out well, again that was probably a way for these bigger developers to try and get your precious "AAA" games out quicker but you saw how that turned out.

So would you rather have a bunch of crappy ass games, no name developers working on the titles you know and love only turning them to shit.. Just so you can have more games on the Vita? It also comes back to some of these developers fault having nothing to do with Sony Activision and EA are two that had chances to put a good game on the Vita and what did they do?

What I also don't understand is the PS3 hasn't had that many titles come out for it lately either but do people give a rats ass on console about that? Of course not, they will play TLOU until it is no longer relevant. So you expect the PS Vita to have more support and more AAA titles than a console is even getting at the moment. There are a handful of triple AAA titles coming to the Vita at the end of the year, in the same sense there have been a handful of AAA games on the PS3 that came out. So how is the Vita doing that poorly knowing it has those games coming?

I could completely understand if it didn't have anything lined up for it but that again is utter bull crap. If you can't recognize those games as good then that honestly isn't a problem with the Vita not getting AAA games, it is more a problem with your personal taste in games.

You can't have your cake and eat it to.