440°

Sony and Third Parties killed the Vita but the Vita lives on

SquareXO: PlayStation Vita is a bit of an enigma, a portable console which has sold badly but is still loved by many. Everyone who owns Sony’s portable system seems to adore it, yet for a number of reasons it failed to hit the heights of its older sibling, the PlayStation Portable, which itself went on to sell an incredible 80 million units.

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squarexo.co.uk
CocoaBrother2641d ago

Biggest blunder was the insane pricing for the proprietary memory cards.

32gigs for $100? No thank you.

wotta2641d ago

Yeah, I think I mention that. Really a wrong move.

peewee110162641d ago

Yeah damn cards still cost soo much:?
But the vita/vita Tv were jailbroken sooo yeah its fun

CocoaBrother2641d ago

Yeah you did; good article by the way.

Personally, I believe the memory card prices are what caused the system's sales to be so low.
The system had compelling software its first 2 years(Tearaway and Gravity Rush are two of my favorites) but those memory card prices were brutal.

naruga2641d ago (Edited 2641d ago )

the console didnt have the support of AAA japanese developers which got bored to optimise engines and develop smthing better than lame 3DS game.... thats why it died ...also Sony with continuous bad moves burried it for good ....if Sony had managed to ensure an exclusive Monster Hunter on the system just to begin with.. things would be very different now .....Soul Sacrifise and Toukiden were proved bad made clones not comparable tou MouHun and Killzone /Uncharted form Sony at least generic to bring sales to the console ....

johndoe112112641d ago

@naruga

in which lifetime were Soul Sacrifise and Toukiden bad games? Have you even played those games? Cut the BS.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2641d ago
CocoaBrother2641d ago (Edited 2641d ago )

The official pricing: 4GB card ($19.99) and 32GB card ($99.99). The 8GB and 16GB cards will cost $29.99 and $59.99, respectively, according to Sony.

^Prices when the Vita first released. Even today, 5-6 years after the console released, the 32gig still runs for 70-80 bucks which is beyond ridiculous

xMANB3ARP1G2641d ago (Edited 2641d ago )

also the larger 2 cards had their price spike up after the vita was hacked they were getting cheaper i wanna say i saw a few 64gbs around 60 bucks on ebay before it was hacked and dont dare look now

2641d ago
_-EDMIX-_2641d ago

Agreed

I wanted a PlayStation Vita and the things that always stopped me was the expensive memory cards.

I ended up just getting a PlayStation TV and settling

2641d ago Replies(1)
KillZallthebeast2641d ago

Lol working at bestbuy the employee discount was cost+5% took like 2 dollars off XD

Yui_Suzumiya2641d ago

Way to save a buck or two, lol

yeahokwhatever2641d ago (Edited 2641d ago )

yeah.. and the price of the cards prevented me from buying more games as I saw the card as an added cost to the purchase of games. 15$ for a small title seems reasonable, but when I have to buy another card in order to have it on my system for a hundred bucks, nope. I'm not one who likes downloading and re-downloading games constantly.

C-H-E-F2641d ago

Yeah those memory cards killed it big time, they are still expensive to this day.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 2641d ago
Movefasta19932641d ago

Sony,knows better than anyone that exclusives sell systems. How the hell did they not bother creating or work with a 3rd party to get an exclusive god of war, gran turismo, ratchet, gta, monster hunter, final fantasy game is baffling.They really did give up on it.

gamer78042641d ago

Yup. Just one of the reasons I wasn't interested in the psmove or psvr. If it's not their main console they don't support it.

2641d ago
_-EDMIX-_2641d ago

Before exclusives could sell a system the system itself still actually needs to be affordable.

I had no problem with the PSP in fact I own 2, but before I get excited about a game I need to know that I'm even able to afford the platform in the first place.

So it's basically a catch-22 without the install base you're not going to see that type of support and to my understanding you only started to see titles like Crisis Core Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Grand Theft Auto etc Because the actual platform was selling and had a stable install base.

Mind you Sony cannot force any of those companies to create portable versions of those games

TheCommentator2640d ago (Edited 2640d ago )

Gamer7804, this is exactly why I fear Sony may screw up the PSVR in the long run too.

rainslacker2640d ago

Sony made quite a few exclusives for the system early on. Every time they did, they were dismissed as lackluster console ports or crappy spin offs.

Vita had several years of people constantly claiming it had no games, despite it having more games released for it than any other console release for it's first year, and quite a few new IP's.

I do think they should have gotten some more of the better well known IP's like you mention, but the Vita had, and still has IMO, a great library of games. Sony unfortunately seems to have given up with the big games. And more unfortunately, I doubt they're going to revisit it, since one of it's best exclusives just got it's sequel for PS4.

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2641d ago Replies(2)
Elda2641d ago

The last game I played on my original Vita was KZ:Mercenaries.My Vita is just collecting dust.

xMANB3ARP1G2641d ago

thats the only kz game i liked.

Yui_Suzumiya2641d ago

Does Killzone: Mercenary have a good single player campaign like the console counterparts? I'm finally getting a Vita this year and want to know.

KeeseToast2641d ago

Send it to Kinda Funny's Vita Relocation program, if you're not going to sell it. There are a lot of people out there who'd appreciate a Vita.
https://kindafunnyforums.co...

_-EDMIX-_2641d ago

So much in my opinion hurt the PlayStation Vita.

Clearly the one to blame for this is Sony since it is their product and I believe their choice of going with expensive memory cards is what ultimately hurt that device.

I owned the PSP indefinitely planned to purchase the Vita but even years after its release used added with the memory cards it's still a very expensive purchase I ended up just settling for the PlayStation TV and purchased it on sale to play a lot of the Vita's games.

Because I used the PSP 2000 to play a lot of my games on the television I at least wanted the same option for the Playstation Vita and they actually never released a specific cord to allow such a thing.

But on top of Sony I also believe it's the current market.

This just isn't 2004 anymore and even the 3DS is significantly lacking in the same sales but the DS received.

Now I understand it's unlikely that the PlayStation Vita was going to be getting something like 40 million sales but I believe it definitely could have sold a couple more million if priced appropriately.

Because of low sales Sony ultimately had to pull support.

I think the best thing Sony did for the PlayStation Vita in my opinion was having a very smart and easy to use architecture as it's actually still getting games today.

If Sony creates another handheld I believe they need to price it appropriately based on market demand cuz I just don't think there's room for an expensive handheld in the market.

I believe they also need to be able to have lots of the same features that their previous handheld had especially being able to out to a television.

But in my personal opinion I actually don't believe Sony Should create another handheld, not at the moment anyway.

Nintendo and mobile phones absolutely own that market in there may not be room for a third player.

yeahokwhatever2641d ago

If a new sony handheld had open game development and ran android, it would sell like hotcakes.

_-EDMIX-_2641d ago

I would hope so but based on how the market is right now I just don't know.

KeeseToast2641d ago

Just like the other thousands of Android consoles out there /s

yeahokwhatever2641d ago

"Just like the other thousands of Android consoles out there" huh? This really doesn't make sense. Sony has never released an Android console. I'm also talking about a handheld.

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150°

PlayStation Vita Issues Have Tarnished the Legacy of an Otherwise Great System

The Vita is a well-designed system, albeit one that Sony left for dead as soon as it hit its first bump in the road. If it weren't for a couple negative quirks, it might have even been one of the best handhelds ever made. Unfortunately, those quirks have turned into awful problems as of late, and have only served to tarnish the legacy of what has otherwise been an excellent cult system.

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playstationenthusiast.com
lptmg2422d ago

I like the Vita a lot. I actually blame Sony in putting less faith in it than it should

Prince_TFK2422d ago

I love my Vita. Fantastic system. The screen totally destroy the 3DS. Too bad that Sony drop the support as soon as the sale slow down.

I wonder what would had happened if they had used SD card instead of that expensive card.

PhoenixUp2422d ago

I'll always find it hilarious how even when Sony seemingly abandoned their second handheld, Vita still outsold Wii U which was heavily supported by Nintendo.

Never underestimate the power that third party support can do for a platform.

freshslicepizza2422d ago

Which cleary shows why it's good to have a nice balance between the two. Sony knows this but some of their fans seem to only want to talk about exclusives.

Prince_TFK2422d ago

I thought it is all about exclusive here on n4g? So third party is only important as long as we don't talk about Xbox? Oh the amount of spin.

rainslacker2422d ago

Sony had 3rd party support, and still has it to this day on the Vita. IN fact, it's about all they have. They even had some pretty good 1st party support in the first few years.

But no one would give them credit for that support, and "vita has no games" was the constant mantra being spewed on every vita article until Sony finally dropped all its meaningful support for the system.

Games are what sells a system. Doesn't matter if they're multi-plat or exclusive. Sony had a lot of both, they just failed to get more of the really big exclusives like they got with the PSP. PSP didn't really take off until they started getting things like Metal Gear or GT. When they looked like they were finally going that path, they pretty much gave up on it, and it's kind of sad, because it's a great system.

chris2352422d ago

got the vita although it was dead on arrival. mobile gaming on dedicated machines is deadder than dead. oh wait, the switch is doing stellar, even rivaling the ps4, the xbox and the new xoxbox. ok, let's forget for one second about the absolute market dominator: when was the last time you saw someone playing his or her dedicated machine outside? I can't really remember. what I'm seeing everyday though is that everybody and their little daughter got smartphones when they are on their way to go somewhere.

2422d ago
thatguyhayat2422d ago

Vita was and still amazing. Playing uncharted and gravity rush on it was simply epic. Such a shame Sony gave up on it

InTheLab2422d ago

Was...perhaps. still? Those games came out years ago. The vita is a terrible handheld that Sony pushed out with Insanely overpriced memory cards and a handful of games. It was amazing for maybe a year then reality set in.

Sony only cares about the home console. Vita, PSP, Move, and now the PSVR all rely on 3rd party support after Sony pushes them out the door.

2422d ago
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40°

Top 5 Best Cancelled PS Vita Games of All Time

Are you a huge PS Vita fan? If the answer is yes, and you absolutely adore your Playstation Vita then this video is going to be tough for you. The VitaBoys count down the top 5 best PS Vita games that got cancelled.

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vitaboys.net
390°

PS Vita 2 Will Be Better Than Switch

The PlayStation Vita is such an underrated handheld device that it's almost sickening on how it just disappeared in the hands of gamers. And even though the Vita vanished off the face of the earth, this does not mean that a next gen Vita isn't welcomed. If another iteration of the PS Vita does come to be, than this could spell disaster for the Nintendo Switch.

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goodnewsgaming.com
naruga2589d ago (Edited 2589d ago )

i m calling it now...No Monster Hunter 5 No portable console for me .....if Vita 2 is to be released with games like 'portable"Uncharted&a mp;a mp;q uot; , portable "Horizon", portable Assasin Creed , is Hell NO ...portable consoles need proprietary games (ex Splatoon Monster Hunter, Gravity Rush ..games that can be played portbale) and not degraded versions of home console games (huge mistake from Sony to support Vita with Uncharted and Killzone (two mediocre appeal IPs that could only be enjoyed on pS3 because their graphical superiority) and most importantly Vita died because its main life source MHou series was stolen/went Nintendo exclusive ...

Kaneki-Ken2588d ago

Ignorance at it finest. Vita died because no one bought it and the games. The reason that no one bought it and it was because the pricey Memory Card.

2588d ago
princejb1342588d ago

One of the many reasons. My reason was because I just don't game while traveling

fiveby92588d ago

I agree the pricey memory cards really diminished the sales of the Vita. I recently read that one of teh reasons Sony stuck with their pricey card rather than standard SD cards had something to do with concerns over piracy of games. One would have thought cheap standard cards would open up software sales on the PS Store. But oddly piracy was some major concern. Regardless, I'd like to see a new handheld from Sony.

The 10th Rider2588d ago (Edited 2588d ago )

But the 3DS floundered at first and had comparable sales, however it's now a success. I think the Vita was less salvageable due to the memory card costs. On top of that, Nintendo moved development to the 3DS, resulting in great 3DS support but poor Wii U support, and Sony moved development away from the Vita, resulting in poor Vita support but great PS4 support. On top of that, Vita was clearly the more powerful device, which is great, but games with a higher visual fidelity take more time and money to develop, making it far easier for Nintendo to turn around and get games out than it would be for Sony.

The big reason I think we won't see another Vita is because Sony would have to split their development teams between PS4 and their handheld, and it would be even more powerful leading to increased dev times and cost. It may be possible to make a handheld that plays the same games as a console (in 720p) if consoles go native 4K next gen, especially if it released a few years after the home console. Other than that I don't see Sony making another handheld that pushes power. (Maybe something different that's affordable, portable, versatile, and doesn't push power though.)

freshslicepizza2588d ago

sony is about tradition, they will come out with another handheld. they invest quite a bit into in-house studios and want more than just the ps4 to sell their ip's on.

nveenio2588d ago

I don't think Sony wants a new Vita. I think they want to get Playstation Now ready on all mobile devices. Then people can play whatever whenever and Sony doesn't have to worry about the hardware headaches or being first to market or anything like that.

Erik73572588d ago (Edited 2588d ago )

Nintendo had better games on the 3DS , hence why third party sucks. Who wanted the shitty assassin game on vita?

zb1ftw7772587d ago

By saying no one bought the vita and it's games, you essentially agreed with everything naruga wrote.

He literally listed the best games on the vita and then explained why no one bought them.

Funny how two people say the same thing, but word them differently and obtain different levels of likes.

toyzombie2587d ago

I kinda disagree.... They had to release the Vita at the correct price. We've already seen what happens when something is priced to high. Lets say they would have released the PS Vita at $350 with an internal 64GB of storage. People would have lost their minds because its $350. People just arent willing to spend a high dollar amount for a high quality portable device due to cell phones.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 2587d ago
conanlifts2588d ago (Edited 2588d ago )

Uncharted is a mediocre ip? Have you even played the game?

xMANB3ARP1G2587d ago (Edited 2587d ago )

the memory prices would have been forgotten and went down if monster hunter and some other games came to it the PSP memory card prices were way worse than the vitas at release. I never understand when people want the newest and greatest up till it comes time to pay. Sometimes new things cost money sucks but it is a fact of life. uncharted wasn't bad and resistance was sick but overall they misfired on this one would of loved one now built with ps4 in mind and a real mobile connection that can be used with your current plan and plan data limits for like a 10 buck a month fee better quality stick and hopefully sd card support but it would still need stuff like monster hunter Patapon LocoRoco wipeout and final fantasy games. unfortunately mobile games ruined handhelds to many ppl are ok with the garbage mobile games anymore and its a tough sale for a handheld and a handheld game now there will always be ppl like me who love portables but now with everyone owning a cell phone and every dev having at least 1 cell phone game of all various quality its hard to sell a buck cell phone game much less a full priced handheld game.

2589d ago Replies(4)
EddieNX 2589d ago

There is no PS Vita 2 lol so good luck with that. PS Vita had way worse games than the WiiU and was a disaster outside of Japan.

Kaneki-Ken2588d ago

Good Luck with the Switch having no 3rd party support from Big Publishers after Skyrim releases. After Zelda hype dies off, no a lot of people going to buy a Switch for a port Mario Kart games and Indie, a sequel that doesn't feel like a sequel *cough* Splatoon 2*cough*. And the puchies game that doesn't seem nothing new and The only good exclusive is coming out in the fall, Mario.

EddieNX 2588d ago

I was just playing Splatoon 2 before on the global test fire and I can confirm now that its fantastic, an iteration sequel like COD but its gunna be worth owning a Switch for the amount of hours you can sink into its sensationaly addictive multiplayer. Mario kart is a perfect game 10/10 the only thing wrong was balloon battle and they've fixed it made it 1080p and portable you can play multiplayer anywhere, fantastic, can't wait.

Mario Odyssey is gunna be epic, so is Xenoblade chronicles 2 and Fire emblem. Fire emblem warriors and Arms will both be great, there's a TON of amazing indie games and other games already announced, god knows what they're going to show us at e3.

Honestly, Switch is turning into my favorite ever console. The portable nature of it is amazing. Im so excited about the future of Switch and I really feel sorry for people who are going to miss out on the games I've listed above. I have an XB1S and will be getting a Scorpio as well, so I won't be missing out on any third party games. But I'll also have the ultimate portable/ hybrid console with Nintendos truly amazing games

conanlifts2588d ago (Edited 2588d ago )

"The only good exclusive is coming out in the fall, Mario"

So you think xenoblade 2 is not a good exclusive?

Prince_TFK2587d ago (Edited 2587d ago )

Kaneki-Ken

You seem to forget that Nintendo has many unannounced games that is coming such as Pokemon star, monster hunter, fire emblems...on top of that E3 is coming and who know what Nintendo has up their sleeves.

But yeah...keep putting your fanboy google on and keep on hating Nintendo, while i keep on enjoying their games.

V0LT2587d ago

I think your crystal ball has been hacked. You couldn't be any more wrong.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2587d ago
2587d ago
PhoenixUp2588d ago

Switch has Dragon Quest XI

The next potential PlayStation handheld will not.

That alone spells which will be more successful

Platformgamer2587d ago

Ps4 also has DQ XI and sony could do a cross-platform thing with a potential psvita2 so...

_-EDMIX-_2587d ago

I don't know how you came to such a strange conclusion.

The likeliness is statistically if Sony does release another PlayStation Portable it's going to be what the PlayStation 4 is in regards to strength or near it.

PhoenixUp2587d ago

If Sony couldn't get DQIX for PSP, I doubt they could get DQXI for a future handheld

Miguelitons2588d ago

There will be no PS Vita 2, that's just it!

InahimeHondaSengoku2588d ago

I love how you are always right. :-)

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