IGN: Is A Perfect Storm Sinking the PlayStation Vita?

It's clear now, a few weeks removed from PlayStation Vita's Japanese launch, that all is not well with Sony's new handheld. After pushing a somewhat respectable 325,000 units in its first 48 hours, Vita has nosedived. In the week leading into Christmas, Vita sold only 72,479 additional units. And while we're still waiting for new sales figures from the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012, something tells me those results aren't going to be good, either.

[ssb3173]

If you think about it, the PS Vita hasn't been released in the rest of the world yet, so it's too soon to make any assumptions. The Vita will most likely do better outside of Japan but considering that the holiday season has gone, it can be argured if people are willing to pay that much money for one. The fact is that with the 3G model, paying around £15 a month for it seems very expensive, considering that youtube doesn't even work properly on it. Software sales wise, digital downloads are not counted for in charts and so nothing can be based on that. There might be more digital downloads as prices are lower for them, but considering that no one has any info on them, it shouldn't be judged so early into its life. Not only that, but it has only been two weeks since release, and that isn't nearly enough time to judge if it will fail or not.

Having imported one myself, I can say that it is really amazing, and something worth buying. Also having its main competitior, the 3DS, I can say that both consoles will do well because that are different to eachother. They also said that the 3DS was dead, and yet look at it now. If Sony can do what Nintendo did and get even more better software, then the Via should sell well.

[Abash]

I can't wait to see IGN's "Why the PlayStation Vita was always bound to succeed" article a few months after it launches in the US and EU

[yesmynameissumo]

I'm still amazed at the doom & gloom people who "love gaming" throw at devices like the 3DS and Vita. Hell, PS3 and Wii have seen their fair share too.

[ABizzel1]

A bit of my Vita excitement has died down just a tad bit, due to some inner confusion going on with Sony and what the features Vita is lacking as of it's Japanese launch.

But it's still the best looking handheld ever as far as gaming goes, and I'm going to get one, but I hate when something that has so much potential misses greatness due to minor negligence. Hopefully Sony will get everything worked out before the US launch.

1. A 4GB card should be included in all Vita bundles as well as Little Deviants for free.

2. PS Vita games shouldn't cost over $40.

3. All PS1, PS2 (add more games on PSN), PSP, PS HD Collections, and PSN games should be playable on PS Vita.

4. They need to drop the 3G version, and focus on the Wi-fi model only.

5. They need to market the Vita everywhere.

[badz149]

the only thing that I see sinking is your integrity in gaming journalism, which is down to the new low!

[ChrisW]

Abash,

The author said that he wrote an article about how it was set to succeed a couple months back.

[lumley666]

it makes me laugh at how many people people moan about the price of vita, just look at smart phones, for the latest one your looking at £600, i know vita is no phone but for the tech your getting the price is fine

[darthv72]

I agree with what you said about waiting to see how it reflects on the rest of the world. However, your last comment about the 3ds lacks a specific point. The 3ds was all doom and gloom until the price came down but not only that, it is backward compatible with existing ds carts in physical form.

Something the vita lacks completely. So in essence people buying the 3ds can continue to play their existing library of games but vita owners will need to rebuy their psp titles in digital form.

The digital idea is what hurt the GO (a great little system) when you look at the vast selection of UMD titles. I know those who have UMD's will likely have a PSP to play them but this day and age its about convenience. It is more convenient to have a single unit that plays old and new. This was a big selling point when the DS first came out and had BC with gb/gba games.

I believe the vita will be a success in its own right. I am not on the fence on this one. Its going to be in my hands when it launches and I will enjoy every minute of it.

edit: i should point out that generally, nobody buys a new unit to play older games but that is a selling point with people looking to upgrade. That way they arent out anything when it comes to the games they already own.

[irepbtown]

'No one looked at Vita twice, whether in the airport terminal or on the airplane'

I dont know about you, but if you was to see the PS Vita from several metres away, one would think it might be a PSP, ESPECIALLY non gamers. Apart from the extra analogue compared to the PSP, what major difference is there (not hardware, just the look). So he kind of lost me there.

'Here I was, holding an electronic device that virtually no one in the United States has yet, and folks around me were more interested in their iPads'

Precisely the reason why no-one would look twice. They'd either think it's fake, or a PSP (like I said before). So twice he lost me.

And you are talking about an AIRPORT here. People are more excited about going away for the Holiday.
Walk into a gaming store with the PS Vita then lets see what the reaction will be. Because that's where the sales will come from, not the bloody airport.

[snipes101]

Uhh guys, if you read the article, the author notes that he already WROTE an article awhile back talking about how the Vita WOULD succeed. This is a response to that. So he waited until he saw some numbers before he said anything about "doom and gloom."

Number two, he also admits in the article that, no, it hasn't launched in other territories and that, admittedly, one of the Vita's largest launch titles (Golden Abyss) is a wholly Western game, something that won't catch Japanese consumer's eyes like a Monster Hunter title would.

I won't summarize the whole thing here for the arrogant jerks that see "IGN," "Vita" and "failure" and write the whole thing off, but I will tell you he makes some valid points.

Cheers to reading the article before posting!

[dedicatedtogamers]

Wow, IGN. Wow.

Hey, lemme use your logic.

*ahem*

Xbox 360 has sold horribly in Japan since launch. Therefore, it will be a flop around the world.

I'll be happy to accept any editor positions you might be offering, IGN, since I have now proven that my logic is on par with your writers'.

[Snookies12]

Haha, good stuff sir! That made me laugh, IGN is getting worse by the day... I've just about stopped going there, just like I did with Gamespot long ago.

Thankfully N4G is here, with all its gaming news goodness.

[TheFirstClassic]

Uh, actually in the article he says look at the xbox 360, even though it sells poorly in japan it thrives elsewhere. Really, this isn't exactly a doom and gloom article. He's just pointing out what problems the Vita might have.

This is the same guy who wrote why the Vita was set to succeed a while back. Not saying I agree with everything he says, but let's not get out of hand here.

[Rush]

Actually it's not that simple, The DS brand is a lot stronger around the world then the PSP brand which is most likely why Sony dropped it.

The PSP though always did really well in Japan, hence the tons of awesome J-RPG's on the system.

So it's a little worrying that a system who's predecessor sold so brilliantly in Japan is now selling poorly there.

The PSP was never a hit in the UK or the USA why the DS most certainly was.

So if the Vita is selling so poorly in it's home land when it's older brother did so well there, what makes you think the rest of the world will be willing to accept it when they didn't the first time?

[kaveti6616]

The PS VITA is a portable console. When it was shown that PS3 wasn't selling as well as PS2 did in Japan, the reason was: the Japanese love portable consoles now, so it makes sense.

The PS VITA is a Japanese portable console. It should have launched with better sells than it did. What was the reason why?

You're trying to assume that you can talk about Xbox 360 in the same vain as a Japanese portable console. The original Xbox fared poorly in Japan. It wasn't expected for Xbox 360 to do very well, either. IGN is making a decent point.

[dedicatedtogamers]

@ Rush

You do realize that right now the Vita has sold roughly twice as much as the PSP did at launch, right?

What about Windows 7 Phone? Remember how that was shown off not long ago? How's that doing? Where are the doom 'n gloom articles for Windows 7 Phone?

[DivineHand125]

Did u read the article. The author already established that they are in no way jumping to conclusions because the vita didn't fly off the shelves in japan and he used the 360 as an example where it sold very poorly in japan compared to the rest of the world.

The author's argument is based off the reality of the situation where the vita might have many hardships in the future because if things continue they way there are now with all the limitations sony has set in place for the vita such as no memory card included with the system, 1 psn account to a memory card and the price of the memory card it self.

Another point the author sourced was his own personal experience with the device where on his way back to California from Japan, no one payed him any attention while he was playing it in public and he was really surprised by this because he was probably the only person in the US that had the device using and no one cared.

Don't write this off as just a FUD article because nothing in it sounded biased and it even concluded with recommendations for what he thinks could improve the situation which in my opinion are good ideas.

[YodaCracker]

Except Japan was a very strong sales region for the PSP. It was often the best-selling platform every week in Japan (ahead of handhelds and home consoles alike) in its day.

On the other hand, Japan has always been the 360's worst region. Take away every 360 that has ever sold in Japan and it would still be ahead of the PS3 in total worldwide numbers.

[snipes101]

Uhh guys, you DIDNT READ THE ARTICLE.

He says right in the article that Xbox 360's success everywhere but Japan ran counter to his point and that, upon Western release, it could sell well. Here's the direct quote for those that will probably be too busy spouting their too-eager-to-jump-to-conclusio ns opinions to click the damn link:

"Let's not forget that it's only been released in one territory that represents well under 20 percent of the worldwide gaming market. This is the same market that couldn't possibly care less about Xbox 360, and yet Xbox 360 still thrives. So let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

As you can see, the author covered his bases with this article. Something many of the posters here clearly are not doing.

The N4G troglodytes that write off everything and anything that is IGN make me sick.

[DeeZee]

I agree, I think people need to see these out in the wild. I took mine to my local game place, and people that had no intrest in the Vita at first were gushing over it after playing with it for 10 minutes.

[Veneno]

You're right. back when psp launched I really didn't have much interest in it until a college friend brought it to class with Darkstalkers on it. Everyone was impressed with how cool it looked.

Vita will rock even better than PSP.

[mcstorm]

There are two problems with the psv in japan. One is the size. (for me it is good as i have big hands but Japanese and Chinese people tend to be smaller and have smaller hands) the other problem is price. If the price included a memory card then ok mybe the price is ok but not spending around £300 for a device with one game.

I can see sony dropping the price before it is out in the uk amd usa or bundle a game and memory stick for the same price as the devce on its own. I dont think the psv will be a flop and never did but i stil think the 3ds will sell more but the psv will out sell the psp total sales in the end.

People say something is doa alot of the timw like they said about android the ps3 even he 3ds but they have all turned it around. It will be the sae for some of the new devices like he psv and windows phone 7 they are in it for he long hall and sales will pickup.

[GribbleGrunger]

ssb, although you are clearly a Vita/Sony supporter you are getting drawn in by the media. you say it will probably do better outside of Japan thus confirming that you believe it has done badly. as i said below and has been confirmed in a breakdown of ALL PS branded consoles, it is perfectly normal sales behaviour for a Sony console. don't try to think around the so called problem, there isn't one. when it's been released for six months or so then come back and discuss. until then just keep reminding people of the truth.

it's also telling that the 72,000 number is being used when they would normally go with the VGChartz numbers which are 103,000 units sold. i'm not saying they are reliable but why change their source now?

[ChrisW]

The PSP Vita looks awesome, it even has my attention.

But here's my theory:
Many people have PSPs in Japan. I see MORE people playing PSP (of any version) on the trains here than I see playing DSs or other GameBoy devices. My belief is that the Japanese (outside of diehard fans) have been given little incentive to upgrade. Their PSP works perfectly fine and they enjoy playing the games they already have for it.

Here's one other thing... There have been 5 PSP versions released since 2004. The only thing that's worse in the portable market is iPhone, which has 5 versions since 2007! However a major difference is, the iPhone isn't primarily portable game console. Annnnnd, I see more people playing smartphone on the trains than PSPs. So really, it's just an over-saturation of the market for portable gaming devices.

[andibandit]

To the casual gamer the vita looks like another version of the PSP.

[vickers500]

Jesus f*cking christ, do we really need ANOTHER Vita is in trouble article?

Regardless of whether or not they are true, we've had enough of them. If my fellow n4g members hate these articles as much as I do and are tired of constantly seeing these, then join me in reporting this piece of crap article and any others that may pop up and annoy you.

[fei-hung]

The article is A_R_S_E all around.

If only 500,000 units were shipped to Japan for xmas from which a percentage was 3G models and over 400,000 units being sold, that is pretty good. Especially considering the thing is more expensive to purchase, it is only being sold in Japan and the remaining Vita's may only be the 3G models.

Oddly enough, VGCHARTZ, although not the most reliable of sources shows it has sold over 100,000 units leading upto the 24th December making it 425,000 units sold out of 500,000.

It would be good to see some figures from Sony on how many units they shipped and how many titles were purchased online.

However, if things are not going as smoothly, I would suspect a starter Bundle to be sold for Europe and USA - Vita, memory card and game. This wouldn't be the smae as a price drop, but it would knock of some money on the overall purchase.

[TBM]

Im still purchasing the wifi model because the system gives me what i want while im on the go, true core gaming experience period. i won't let the naysaying gaming media, or the db hating gamers out change my mind about the vita.

[geddesmond]

Lol just remember the PS3 was doomed for 2 years from its launch as well. These gaming websites think if something doesn't sell millions in its first few weeks then the product is doomed.

But they keep forgetting that Sony make these products to last 5-10 years and if the launch line up or launch price doesn't suit people then the handheld will get a sales bump when new software gets released or the handheld gets a price drop.

[THC CELL]

Oh ign stfu

[jujubee88]

Is Moriarty acting insecure. Do you like the device? Than go into it and write you thoughts about it! Don't worry about 3DS supporters being jerks or iPad owners being the trendy upper class.

This article just looked like he was begging for the mercy from a couple of anonymous scumbags on the internet (for a previous article he made).

BEYOND!

[TheGamingArt]

I can't believe IGN just sunk this low. Pathetic article.

[WooHooAlex]

The small detail that these articles conveniently leave out, is that the PlayStation Vita had the second strongest launch in Japan of any PS device, the only console that had a stronger launch was that the PS2. All of them saw a large drop off in their second week of sales too.

Vita will be just fine...

[ronin4life]

The market has grown much bigger since these previous launches, so it should be expected to do better regardless.

[BiggsnWedge]

in Japan? I don't think so. They have a very aging population and are very work intensive over there(which is part of the reason why their suicide rates are so high) and they, believe it or not, put their work before their hobbies. Crazy I know.

[cooperdnizzle]

Yea the market has grown across the globe, but the market has shrunk in Japan. So learn your stuff buddy. Everybody knows that japen is in the worst economic state right now, and they haven't been buying games like they used to for years

[Megaton]

Mostly just IGN and CNET, no perfect storm.

[Matrix2k]

Youd think ign wouldnt learn to be stupid after the 3ds

[GribbleGrunger]

it's certain now that the press are after Sony and have been for years now. the launch in Japan went exactly the same as every other PS branded product: high sales for the first week followed by low sales in the second week. this is business as usual for Sony but the press just want to destroy its chances before it even releases in America and Europe.

IGN, stop taking the money and try true journalism

[kaveti6616]

Stop selectively choosing articles that confirm your worldview.

[TurretKiller]

Why don't you stop telling people what to do

It's a comment site...let him post his comment

[kaveti6616]

"Why don't you stop telling people what to do"

Stop telling me what to do. It's a comment site. Let me post my comment.

[Hicken]

How many articles go the "doom and gloom" route for Sony products, as opposed to articles that do the same for the products of Microsoft or Nintendo?

I can't say I've seen and/or read every single article on the subject, but I do know it's rare to see this sort of thing written about the other companies. Therefore, it's a rather simple educated guess to say that the gaming media, in general, DOES have something against Sony.

[ronin4life]

@hicken
Ever since the game cube, Nintendo has always had the most doom and gloom receptions from the gaming media. And if you were paying attention to last march untill August, the majority of Nintendo stories on n4g were about "3ds is doomed and so is Nintendo".

[maniacmayhem]

@hicken

You only see the doom articles for Sony because that is what you stick to, Sony related articles. but if you were to open your eyes you would see that every company gets their fare share of doom articles.

There's no biased or great conspiracy against Sony. Reporting bad news is more interesting than reporting good news. CNN, Fox, and your local stations can vouch for that.

And I would like to know, what is the goal of this conspiracy "media" and Sony? What's the end game and what would they accomplish by always reporting bad news about Sony only?

[YodaCracker]

Whose money should IGN stop taking? Are you implying that they are paid to make the Vita and all other Sony products look bad?

[clrlite]

Once again, you people should not be surprised to see vita doom articles.

Lets see though if IGN can outlast the Vita.

Perhaps they should consider their own future as well.

Taking bets...

....anyone?

[Machioto]

Yes,I wager one-mililion dollars!

[clrlite]

did you say "million" ?

http://www.solarnavigator.n...

...dollars

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/...

hmm....

http://www.confluencefamily...

[metsgaming]

Ok thats it im not clicking on these kind of IGN articles ever again and the other sites too. I may click on ones that seem legit maybe if everyone else does that then they will make real articles. So im thinking dont boycott the entire site but only click on articles that look legit.

The numbers proved the "media" wrong time and time again and they completely ignore it. Its one thing to call doom but to keep doing it when the numbers say nothing is out of the ordinary is over the top disgusting.

[WooHooAlex]

Yep, unfortunately that's what most of these gaming media outlets do. They throw together flamebait articles to attract hits and encourage trolling, as opposed to writing well thought out articles that they put time and research into.

[danielle007]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I thought the article was balanced and made sense. If they aren't going to bundle a memory card, but force you to buy an expensive proprietary one on the side, it will make me wait, since there will undoubtedly be good deals in the future. The cheapest card is $20 for 4gb, and the 8gb is $30, according to a Kotaku article. That would drive the price up by at least $20, so it would be $270. That's $100 more than the 3DS currently, and it's definitely a potential issue for people.

Everything people have brought up calling this article flamebait, isn't even there, though. It's not a doom and gloom article, he says straight out that Japan is less than 20% of the total market. They say straight out that the 360 failing hard in Japan obviously didn't make it a flop. They're just saying that it's not living up to their super high expectations, and these are SOME of the reasons it could be, but who knows what will happen when it comes to the rest of the world -- and they aren't even sure if it will come bundled with a memory card or not.

[WooHooAlex]

Last week IGN wrote an article that rated their top ten favorite menu screens.

That is all.

[Ethereal]

LMAO! This is why I stopped reading IGN years ago.

[Neko_Mega]

More trash from UK.IGN.

[DonaldBeck]

lol

as a proud owner of the most hated console (on the internetz)
and it looks like the new most hated handheld (on the internetz)

i say keep up the best work sony, you are doing us true gamers proud!

[Ethereal]

I agree.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

Im really wanting to check a Vita out... mainly for Uncharted.

But personally my jeans only have room for 4 things. Gum,keys, cellphone, and wallet. So most likely my Vita if I were to get one... would remain at home, and if Im at home... I'd rather just play my PS3 or 360!

I also have a buddy at work who is totally stoked he got a 3DS and a Kinect for christmas... wonder how soon the novelty will wear off for him! I told him all this time not to get one. But he justifys turning on his system by talking and moving the menu by hand swipes as his reason for having one. If you ask me, thats wayyyyy too expensive of a device to be "lazy" when in all actuality you're doing more for the same thing... so lame if you ask me. Also he's big into shooters. When I asked him what games are coming out for the Kinect that look amazing, he said the new Ghost Recon. I told him it don't count cause I wanted to know what Kinect ONLY games it had. I said for him to look at Rise of Nightmares reviews... the look of shock in his face was hillarious!

[Zynga]

Oh god shut the hell up. Who are you to judge your friend on what he loves and enjoys. Its his opinion and just bc you think its lame what he enjoys, doesn't give you the right to judge him. Sheez what a fanboy and if you were my friend, I would told you to go f$%@ yourself and be a gamer.

[Why o why]

Zynga

leave him alone hes a....

real human being and a real hero

[JellyJelly]

I got that :)

[GraveLord]

Did we not learn anything with the 3DS?
Started out as the worst launch in history and in less than a year it already sold more than the Wii in its first year!

These flame bait articles are annoying. I'm not giving any of these troll sites any of my time.

[Optical_Matrix]

The memory cards aren't even expensive. £16 for a 4GB Memory card on Shopto.net . £39 for a 16GB Memory Card. Think back to 2004 when the PSP came out, a 256MB Memory Card cost about £40.

[danielle007]

If you think about it, though, (Sorry, USD here) with the system being $250, if they require you to buy a separate memory card without it being bundled, the minimum price will be $270, $100 more than the 3DS.

That won't help the system sell, especially since the 3DS is finally shipping out the good games.

[Ingram]

There IS a storm of shit against the Vita since its inception, that I know.
90% of it comes from western press right out bought by Apple, Nintendo and MS.

Developers are the only one not badmouthing it.Good developers that is.Developers of 2 dollar phone apps and shovelware, we all know who they're serving.

[Burning_Finger]

Dang, IGN must be sinking if they are desperate for hits.

[Majin-vegeta]

What baffles my mind is why is it cool to hate on Sony this gen is it cuz it offers an experience unlike the other 2 consoles??Some answers would be great??.

[Death]

Here's the thing, it offers the same experience. People who claim it does more are just setting others up for the grim reality which is it isn't better than a 360 or worse. The only difference is the exclusives and personal preference. The PS2 easily had the most robust library last gen which made it the gaming standard. This gen there really isn't much that gives it the same advantage. Third party software which makes up the majority of releases looks nearly identical on both platforms.

-Death

[andron]

Lol they never tire of making these PS is dooomed articles do they.

Sales go up and down, Vita isn't even released outside of Japan yet...

[MadMax]

Ive been saying this for awhile and seems like all the game reviewers are as well. Its not going to sell well. Sales dont lie people. You can get a PS3 for less!!! In this economy right now its doomed im afraid. 3DS is a much better choice! Broke 4 million in the U.S alone. Vita doesnt stand a chance!