[PSFan]

Not without a massive game. As duckroll already stated, a price drop alone isn't going to work without software to push it.

Around Persona 4G release maybe?

[Kyoufu]

Around Persona 4G release maybe?

Enhanced ports aren't going to cut it.

[Adr1an]

Just asking, but how good are Persona sales in Japan. Could it increase hardware sales

[BlazingDarkness]

Yeah, a price drop would create a temporary rise in sales but they'd just fall back down again after a handful of weeks
They'll wait until there's a substantial amount of software to reveal before announcing it, and then throw it all out there at once. The question is, how long will they wait before doing this? The immediate future for the Vita is very bleak, it needs a remedy right now, I don't think Sony going at Sony's pace is a wise idea, they need to do something a bit drastic, like Nintendo was forced to do with the 3DS

[duckroll]

Around Persona 4G release maybe?

I think this really highlights how sad the entire situation is when something like P4G is considered the biggest title. :P

[Aostia]

Pros Suikoden sales are promising, hope Konami brings it west Gravity Rush sales are higher then I expected, glad to see it selling well Rhythm Thief, Resident Evil Revelations, and Inazuma Eleven continue to show legs Cons Vita hardware sales Tales of Innocence and FFXIII-2 fell off

Perfect post!

[Skiesofwonder]

Just playing devil advocate here, but wasn't there a very reliable rumor saying MHVita was in development? Could of swore I saw a thread on GAF about it.

Either way, I have to give props to Nintendo for securing Monster Hunter like they did. I remember thinking at the announcement that this had "Nintendo five" written all over it. I've been halfway proved wrong already. Desperate Nintendo is scary....

Edit: Here they are.

Nikei Trendy Reports rumore that PS Vita Monster Hunter set for second quarter this year.

SCE France COO: Monster Hunter for Vita in "the coming months"

Were these proven false?

[frankie_baby]

If you look at 3DS software:hardware ration you will notice that even Mario (which defies logic) is 1.3-1.4M for almost 5M 3DS sold. So the percentage is only a little bit better (and can be explained by the fact it's Mario). Sure, the line-up is luckluster, that's always the problem with post-launch period. It impacts Vita in a negative way as well - Nintendo could throw out 2 Mario Games within 7-8 months of system launch, I doubt Sony can do the same with Vita. It's the logical thing to do, but hey, I'm sure you are a better expert at this! Share your thoughts, please!

the 3ds has 3 games with about a 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 attatch rate, vita has 1 with less than 1 in 5

[BlazingDarkness]

Just asking, but how good are Persona sales in Japan. Could it increase hardware sales

No, probably not
It'll sell well but it's not a system seller

[Father_Brain]

Just asking, but how good are Persona sales in Japan. Could it increase hardware sales

Persona 3 Portable sold a bit over 200K, so maybe at launch week but probably not much beyond that.

[Castor Krieg]

the 3ds has 3 games with about a 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 attatch rate, vita has 1 with less than 1 in 5

Now you are simply pushing it. Vita has been out for 2 months, 3DS for a year after nintendo went into panic mode (yes, it was panic) and slashed the price + released 2 Mario games (and really, you shouldn't quote Mario as evidence for anything - it's the only franchise together with MH that can push numbers like that).

[frankie_baby]

Now you are simply pushing it. Vita has been out for 2 months, 3DS for a year after nintendo went into panic mode (yes, it was panic) and slashed the price + released 2 Mario games (and really, you shouldn't quote Mario as evidence for anything - it's the only franchise together with MH that can push numbers like that).

i'm pushing it a damn site less than your batshit opinions

[mclem]

How do we know that again?

Because Capcom lol.


I've never really seen an argument for MH-on-Vita that strikes me as good business sense without assuming some catastrophic failure meaning it's no longer viable on the 3DS. It's a series that's thrived on its local multiplayer (which inherently won't work crossplatform), which has also benefitted from keeping the userbase consistently moving from one title to another within a given platform. Purchasing a new title every few years is acceptable, but expecting someone who's already made the jump to 3DS to now *also* purchase a Vita for MH seems to be asking an awful lot.

You can't ever say never, of course. However, I think offering unique content in a new Vita release would annoy those people who've made the jump to 3DS. Those people who *haven't* made the jump? Yeah, they're a potential untapped audience for a Vita title, but then you're having to appeal to two distinct fanbases with a constant progression of unique releases, and is that really a sensible course of action?

[liger05]

What was the 3DS like after 2 months. Were the sales this bad. Did the 3DS ever get this low?

[Nairume]

Now you are simply pushing it. Vita has been out for 2 months, 3DS for a year after nintendo went into panic mode (yes, it was panic) and slashed the price + released 2 Mario games (and really, you shouldn't quote Mario as evidence for anything - it's the only franchise together with MH that can push numbers like that).

You speak as if the release of MK7 and 3DL were a part of panic mode.

[duckroll]

Modern Persona games are 200-300k titles. While that's vastly better than anything the Vita has right now, it's still pretty insignificant when we talk about pushing hardware. Especially alone. Without momentum, a 200-300k title is really effectively nothing. It could boost hardware for that week, but so what?

What you need to really boost sales in a meaningful way is to offer at least one or a combination of the following things:

a) A steady flow of games each month with at least a portion of them selling 200k or more, most selling 100k at average. While these might not be amazing titles, they represent a spectrum of core gamers who buy games, and if you interest enough of them, they'll pick up a Vita and tell their friends about it too.

b) A franchise which can sell over a million for each game, and is released in a semi-regular schedule at the very least. Once every 2 years, with the ability to also support spin-offs on the same platform.

c) A few major headliner games which can sell over 500k up to almost a million, maybe one game like this every 12-16 months. These would be games with large marketing budgets, which in turn means the system gets put in the media spotlight more often in a positive way, raising public awareness and interest in the platform.

[Father_Brain]

Just playing devil advocate here, but wasn't there a very reliable rumor saying MHVita was in development? Could of swore I saw a thread on GAF about it.

Nikkei Trendy? I think that was just speculation, albeit from an industry insider.

Philippe Cardon from PlayStation France flat-out said it was coming a few weeks ago, though that statement was swiftly retracted by Sony. There are two possible reasons for that retraction, I suppose.

[Castor Krieg]

You speak as if the release of MK7 and 3DL were a part of panic mode.

2 Mario games within 10 months of a new system? Hell yeah it's panic mode.

Even if it wasn't bringing Mario into the argument does not really prove anything - this franchise cannot sell badly, it is simply past this point in history.

[BishopLamont]

Now you are simply pushing it. Vita has been out for 2 months, 3DS for a year after nintendo went into panic mode (yes, it was panic) and slashed the price + released 2 Mario games (and really, you shouldn't quote Mario as evidence for anything - it's the only franchise together with MH that can push numbers like that).

Thats called competition, being late to the game with a high price and no games is not going to do you any wonders when your competition is the complete opposite. Nintendo could've launched late too, or have a high price or have no games. They remedied all those problems.

What was the 3DS like after 2 months. Were the sales this bad. Did the 3DS ever get this low?

You could say pre-price drop and before the Marios came out it was selling bad, but never Vita bad.

[schuelma]

2 Mario games within 10 months of a new system? Hell yeah it's panic mode. Even if it wasn't bringing Mario into the argument does not really prove anything - this franchise cannot sell badly, it is simply past this point in history.

I'm not sure I am understanding your point on this.

[frankie_baby]

Nikkei Trendy? I think that was just speculation, albeit from an industry insider. Philippe Cardon from PlayStation France flat-out said it was coming a few weeks ago, though that statement was swiftly retracted by Sony. There are two possible reasons for that retraction, I suppose.

sony needs all the buzz it can, there is only one possible reason for the retraction, its just flat out not true, wouldnt even surprise me if some of these supposed vita monhun rumours have been deliberately done by sony just to try and get some publicity

[olimpia84]

Happy to see RE: Revelations hanging in there, love the game! Also it seems like the 3DS is shaping to have a 4 headed monster if RE keeps selling this well :D

[mclem]

2 Mario games within 10 months of a new system? Hell yeah it's panic mode.

Nintendo releases damn near every system they bring out in a panic, then. Indeed, crucially, they plan in advance to panic. As soon as it's on shelves Iwata (and Yamauichi before him) runs about the office like Chicken Little proclaiming that the sky is falling.

[duckroll]

sony needs all the buzz it can, there is only one possible reason for the retraction, its just flat out not true, wouldnt even surprise me if some of these supposed vita monhun rumours have been deliberately done by sony just to try and get some publicity

See now you're just as bad as Castor Krieg. Lol.

[Skiesofwonder]

Nikkei Trendy? I think that was just speculation, albeit from an industry insider. Philippe Cardon from PlayStation France flat-out said it was coming a few weeks ago, though that statement was swiftly retracted by Sony. There are two possible reasons for that retraction, I suppose.

Thanks, I just googled it.

Seems somewhat likely....

[BishopLamont]

I'm not sure I am understanding your point on this.

He's making excuses for why the 3DS is selling so well.

[frankie_baby]

2 Mario games within 10 months of a new system? Hell yeah it's panic mode. Even if it wasn't bringing Mario into the argument does not really prove anything - this franchise cannot sell badly, it is simply past this point in history.

2 mario games that were planned since before launch, yeah thats panic mode

[Kazerei]

Now you are simply pushing it. Vita has been out for 2 months, 3DS for a year after nintendo went into panic mode (yes, it was panic) and slashed the price + released 2 Mario games (and really, you shouldn't quote Mario as evidence for anything - it's the only franchise together with MH that can push numbers like that).

The point is, Vita has a software problem, the 3DS does not.

2 Mario games within 10 months of a new system? Hell yeah it's panic mode. Even if it wasn't bringing Mario into the argument does not really prove anything - this franchise cannot sell badly, it is simply past this point in history.

The Mario games were planned for holiday release before the 3DS even launched. Nintendo didn't just pull them out of a hat because 3DS hardware was slow.

The thing is, even though the 3DS software lineup sucked for awhile, we knew Mario and Monhan were coming and that they would be system sellers. But there's nothing in the Vita's software schedule that will do the same. That is troublesome.

[Man God]

Sony really did not take Japanese tastes into account when they went with these launch games, did they?

Not like Sony has much direct control over the franchises that they typically buy in droves though, but boy does this ever look like a bad spring.

Even last year the 3DS was able to point to stuff like OoT 3D and SF 3D and the gigantic mountain of stuff in the future while Sony goes the opposite way and stuffs the launch, trickles some stuff out and then becomes fairly tame until their next announcement dump.

[DECK'ARD]

2 Mario games within 10 months of a new system? Hell yeah it's panic mode. Even if it wasn't bringing Mario into the argument does not really prove anything - this franchise cannot sell badly, it is simply past this point in history.

They were both always planned for the first Christmas, both announced before the system had even gone on sale.

It was the launch line-up that was lacking, the second wave was always going to be solid.

[Father_Brain]

sony needs all the buzz it can, there is only one possible reason for the retraction, its just flat out not true, wouldnt even surprise me if some of these supposed vita monhun rumours have been deliberately done by sony just to try and get some publicity

I say two because Capcom's response to the various rumors has been the suspicious "we have not announced any MH for Vita at this time" wording, rather than outright denial. Which is hardly a smoking gun, though.

[frankie_baby]

See now you're just as bad as Castor Krieg. Lol.

hehe not quite

[mclem]

Happy to see RE: Revelations hanging in there, love the game! Also it seems like the 3DS is shaping to have a 4 headed monster if RE keeps selling this well :D

I'm curious about that, actually. On the one hand I'd expect it to drop away after a few more weeks because it's not usually a leggy franchise... but on the other hand, it seems that a *lot* of people are utterly raving about Raid Mode... and that's the sort of foundation that built Monster Hunter's success.

[Castor Krieg]

Thats called competition, being late to the game with a high price and no games is not going to do you any wonders when your competition is the complete opposite. Nintendo could've launched late too, or have a high price or have no games. They remedied all those problems.

What makes you think Sony will not remedy them as well?

[BlazingDarkness]

Modern Persona games are 200-300k titles. While that's vastly better than anything the Vita has right now, it's still pretty insignificant when we talk about pushing hardware. Especially alone. Without momentum, a 200-300k title is really effectively nothing. It could boost hardware for that week, but so what? What you need to really boost sales in a meaningful way is to offer at least one or a combination of the following things: a) A steady flow of games each month with at least a portion of them selling 200k or more, most selling 100k at average. While these might not be amazing titles, they represent a spectrum of core gamers who buy games, and if you interest enough of them, they'll pick up a Vita and tell their friends about it too. b) A franchise which can sell over a million for each game, and is released in a semi-regular schedule at the very least. Once every 2 years, with the ability to also support spin-offs on the same platform. c) A few major headliner games which can sell over 500k up to almost a million, maybe one game like this every 12-16 months. These would be games with large marketing budgets, which in turn means the system gets put in the media spotlight more often in a positive way, raising public awareness and interest in the platform.

So pretty much
a) A third party (exclusive?) from a recognised franchise, like Tales or some other JRPGs

b) Monster Hunter

c) Final Fantasy/ Metal Gear Solid

[Cosmonaut X]

2 Mario games within 10 months of a new system? Hell yeah it's panic mode. Even if it wasn't bringing Mario into the argument does not really prove anything - this franchise cannot sell badly, it is simply past this point in history.

Casting up Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land as points in support of saying Nintendo was in "panic mode" doesn't really work. Both games were well in development and obviously targeted for year-end 2011 (though I suspect MK7 may have been aimed for Q1 2012 originally and was pulled forward when early results started to come in) - they weren't whistled up when the 3DS started to nosedive.

Price cuts, change in marketing approach etc. were Nintendo in "panic mode". Two games well in development already weren't.

[BishopLamont]

What makes you think Sony will not remedy them as well?

How? When?

[jman2050]

What makes you think Sony will not remedy them as well?

Frankly, I straight up think they can't.

[cw_sasuke]

2 Mario games within 10 months of a new system? Hell yeah it's panic mode. Even if it wasn't bringing Mario into the argument does not really prove anything - this franchise cannot sell badly, it is simply past this point in history.

They had already planned those titles before - maybe MK would have been a Q1 2012 title, but its not like they just arrived unexpected.

Nothing against 3D Land and MK7 - but with Animal Crossing, Pokemon and 2D Mario to 99% being released this year they have even stronger titles to be released this year. This coupled with a Redesign, they could go for the kill this holiday season.

If Sony dont have the right announcements in upcoming months, it`ll be tough.

[RurouniZel]

Sony needs to pay Square-Enix whatever it takes to get FFX Vita on the system in the next 2 months.

[DECK'ARD]

I say two because Capcom's response to the various rumors has been the suspicious "we have not announced any MH for Vita at this time" wording, rather than outright denial. Which is hardly a smoking gun, though.

After the Capcom Five, I'd say Nintendo will have been pretty careful this time round.

Plus with the marketing support Nintendo will be giving them, the way they bent over backwards with the Frankenstick, and the way MHTriG is selling there is no reason to think it's coming to Vita anytime soon. It makes more business sense for Capcom to focus on the 3DS in the lead up to MH4.

I think Capcom's hands will be tied until at least 4 is released, by which point the damage will have been done. Which was Nintendo's whole reason for shelling out, and Sony's huge mistake to not secure it in the first place.

[cyberheater]

At what point can you say Vita has bombed in JPN.

[Kyoufu]

So pretty much a) A third party (exclusive?) from a recognised franchise, like Tales or some other JRPGs b) Monster Hunter c) Final Fantasy/ Metal Gear Solid

Sony's best bet was grabbing God Eater 2 for Vita but alas... it's a PSP game. So PSP will outsell Vita that week too. Poor Vita. :(

[BassForever]

Sony needs to pay Square-Enix whatever it takes to get FFX Vita on the system in the next 2 months.

They'd be better off getting them to cancel the PS3 version so people have to buy it for Vita, and that's never going to happen.

[frankie_baby]

Sony needs to pay Square-Enix whatever it takes to get FFX Vita on the system in the next 2 months.

i'd be surprissed if that does particularly well

[Man God]

Sony needs to pay Square-Enix whatever it takes to get FFX Vita on the system in the next 2 months.

While this has every chance of being one of if not the best selling Vita games this year it's probably not going to set the world on fire because it is a port and the same game is going to be released on a much more popular platform presumably on the same day.

[The_Darkest_Red]

The fate of Sony's platforms has always been in the hands of 3rd parties somewhat but I feel like they could really be screwed here if some of the major 3rd parties just decided the investment isn't worth it. What if Konami decides to make a new MGS game for 3DS (possible given the existence of Snake Eater 3DS) or Square Enix decides to focus on making FF games and other RPG's for 3DS only (wouldn't surprise me given SE's fickle nature). Then you have Capcom who already looks pretty satisfied with the 3DS given Super Street Fighter IV and RE: Revelations among other games.

Is it a good business decision for any 3rd party to invest heavily in Vita at this point?

[Kenka]

At what point can you say Vita has bombed Gamecubed in JPN.

Very soon. After the first six months of availability, compare the two LTDs, factor in the fact that Vita will not have received Smash Bros. and here you go.

At what point can you say Vita has bombed died in JPN.

If Sony announces it ceases production for good.

[Nairume]

Casting up Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land as points in support of saying Nintendo was in "panic mode" doesn't really work. Both games were well in development and obviously targeted for year-end 2011 (though I suspect MK7 may have been aimed for Q1 2012 originally and was pulled forward when early results started to come in) - they weren't whistled up when the 3DS started to nosedive. Price cuts, change in marketing approach etc. were Nintendo in "panic mode". Two games well in development already weren't.

Nah, Mario Kart 7 is the kind of game that would have been obviously targeted for a holiday release to begin with.

If Nintendo had allowed a panic to determine the game's release, they'd have rushed it out the door and just set aside whatever content that had to be cut for a later game.

[lunchwithyuzo]

Just playing devil advocate here, but wasn't there a very reliable rumor saying MHVita was in development? Could of swore I saw a thread on GAF about it. Either way, I have to give props to Nintendo for securing Monster Hunter like they did. I remember thinking at the announcement that this had "Nintendo five" written all over it. I've been halfway proved wrong already. Desperate Nintendo is scary.... Edit: Here they are. Nikei Trendy Reports rumore that PS Vita Monster Hunter set for second quarter this year. SCE France COO: Monster Hunter for Vita in "the coming months" Were these proven false?

If you like that Nikkei speculation piece, you'll love this one:

Nikkei: Vita WW prospects doubtful (major JP pub moving Vita projects to 3DS?)

Funny how one got tons of GAF discussion while the other got immediate mod lockdown.