This is how I look at the Vita. There's enough software now that justifies the Vita for me and if it dies off, I'll be fine. I eagerly anticipate getting one next year
Just a shame it has to be this way sales-wise though
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Gamescom: PS Vita has sold 2.2 Million Units Worldwide
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Just a shame it has to be this way sales-wise though
Kacho
Member
Can the Vita survive on the Japanese market alone?
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
They were actually posted earlier ITT: 4.28 million in North America, 2.32 million in Japan, and 1.97 million in Europe. That doesn't add up to 10.6 million though, so I dunno where the missing sales would have gone.
There was a second one as well with a guy walking down the street. But yeah, of course these features wouldn't be killer apps today, but the point is the Vita ads are boring. I don't even want to comment on those Japanese CM's because that's just a completely different level of awful.
If the trend of Japanese game announcements continue the PSP will get more support than the Vita at TGS.
specialguy
Banned
Nothing they can do imo but cut the price. The last thing they want or even can do.
We can debate the Vita and will until the cows come home on this message board, but the bottom line imo is a high spec, somewhat expensive, hardcore handheld isn't a proposition consumers desire. That's why I find all this talk of saving the Vita funny. IMO it literally cannot be saved.
The only thing that will move the needle in a significant way imo is hardware price cuts. And even those will be of limited effectiveness imo.
South America and Asia probably
how did the DC sell in the first six months though? I guess that's hard to find
Supermanisdead
Member
Not the way things are going. TGS needs to be huge for Vita, like mainline-exclusive-FF-huge, since Nintendo has Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest now.
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
It sold fairly well from it was launched in Japan in Nov. 1998 until the PS2 was announced in March 1999, then sales fell of a cliff.
Giant Panda
Member
I think the three main things Sony could have plausibly done to save the Vita are:
1. Launch before Christmas in NA. There aren't any new parts in the Vita really so I don't buy the idea that Sony was unable to make more of them.
2. Less expensive memory cards with a basic one packed in.
3. Moneyhat monster hunter to at least be on the platform.
1. Launch before Christmas in NA. There aren't any new parts in the Vita really so I don't buy the idea that Sony was unable to make more of them.
2. Less expensive memory cards with a basic one packed in.
3. Moneyhat monster hunter to at least be on the platform.
And this isn't necessarily Sony fault but more so to with the fact that Japanese game developers hate change.
lol @ Sony one of the top guys at playstation disses the 3ds cos he thought it was for kids and now someone else at the company admits they need to target those same kids with the vita.
Bad news for Sony is Nintendo are not letting up and still have plenty in the pipeline to make sure the vita stays insignificant.
The dreamcast was a commercial failure but one thing you can't say is Sega never tried. With 1st and 3rd party support they went all out it was errors before they dreamcast which cost them. With the vita Sony have just plain messed up. To me it looks like they believed that it was simply a matter of making a nice piece of hardware and then watch the money roll in. Not sure if the slow start to the 3ds made them think that the consumer was now done with Nintendo and was waiting for the vita.
I think Nintendo going with such a price cut so early took Sony massively by surprise and they either didn't know how to react or didn't think it would effect them in a big way. Not sure if they realised that Nintendo was working on a strategy to basically steal psp owners before the vita was released and with the right software giving them no reason to et a vita when it was released.
I would really like to know what territory Sony thought the vita was to have the most success? You would assume Japan but I get the feeling they genuinely believed in the west they could get audience that rush to the store for a new iphone or ipad just cos the vita looked nice with a fantastic screen.
I'm surprised those so called technology experts/journalists have not penned the same kinda articles we saw about the 3ds being doomed and how the price cut meant Nintendo was in trouble and there was no way back for the 3ds with smartphones and the vita on the horizon. They should be queuing up to lay into Sony right now.
Bad news for Sony is Nintendo are not letting up and still have plenty in the pipeline to make sure the vita stays insignificant.
The dreamcast was a commercial failure but one thing you can't say is Sega never tried. With 1st and 3rd party support they went all out it was errors before they dreamcast which cost them. With the vita Sony have just plain messed up. To me it looks like they believed that it was simply a matter of making a nice piece of hardware and then watch the money roll in. Not sure if the slow start to the 3ds made them think that the consumer was now done with Nintendo and was waiting for the vita.
I think Nintendo going with such a price cut so early took Sony massively by surprise and they either didn't know how to react or didn't think it would effect them in a big way. Not sure if they realised that Nintendo was working on a strategy to basically steal psp owners before the vita was released and with the right software giving them no reason to et a vita when it was released.
I would really like to know what territory Sony thought the vita was to have the most success? You would assume Japan but I get the feeling they genuinely believed in the west they could get audience that rush to the store for a new iphone or ipad just cos the vita looked nice with a fantastic screen.
I'm surprised those so called technology experts/journalists have not penned the same kinda articles we saw about the 3ds being doomed and how the price cut meant Nintendo was in trouble and there was no way back for the 3ds with smartphones and the vita on the horizon. They should be queuing up to lay into Sony right now.
The Vita has already lost the war in Japan.
It launched in NA September 1999, and hit one million sold in NA before December. So less than three months to get to a million in NA.
So it started much stronger than the Vita, but Vita launched late so won't have a competitor waiting to storm in and kill its sales further.
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
Byakuya769
Member
You mad.
But why though? Didn't you just describe every thread on any discussion forum anywhere?
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
I guess Nintendo could make us a pack of cards if we asked them, since they have expertise in the field, but they're busy being doomed.
I do know, because I researched this a little bit 2-3 days ago, that Dreamcast broke a million in America by its first December.
So it definitely was on a better pace in the US than Vita is.
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
I'd buy a playing-card video game for my doomed handheld video game system, but they don't make games for it anymore so I can't find one.
They seem to be advertising it more like Apple advertises Siri. Exaggeration bordering on lying, in regards to the 3G stuff.
Four_Chamber
Member
I'm not Nostradamus, but I think any of us could have seen this from a long ways off. Tretton's arrogance is probably reflective of the entire jacked up bureaucracy at Sony. This gross incompetence is contributing to the market uncertainty regarding Sony.
The shitting #gamechanger ads are the icing on the cake. For all those saying they didn't see those commercials, they flooded the airwaves with them for a while around launch. Ultimately, I just don't see the market for the Vita. I think this holiday season will be the nail in the coffin for it. With Sony's credit rating possibly being lowered again, the company's in rough shape if this flops.
The shitting #gamechanger ads are the icing on the cake. For all those saying they didn't see those commercials, they flooded the airwaves with them for a while around launch. Ultimately, I just don't see the market for the Vita. I think this holiday season will be the nail in the coffin for it. With Sony's credit rating possibly being lowered again, the company's in rough shape if this flops.
One strange thing about Sony is even as far back as the psp Sony liked to claim that that the 3ds/ds was no competitor to the psp/vita. Sony liked to try and claim that that the products are not targeting the same audience which is just absurd. The main audience is those that want a dedicated handheld and for Sony to try and claim Nintendo wasn't really a main competitor in the handheld business was just ridiculous.
alfredofroylan
Member
Most of the features aren't selling point anymore. Movies? the screen is too small, the prices too high and the storage too expensive. Music? Social Networks and internet? Those things are done by almost every phone in the planet. Vita's a gaming device and games and an affordable enviroment are the only way to improve its situation.
Are you implying that they've been advertising it at all? Because they haven't really been doing that.
AdventureRacing
Member
What pessimistic attitude are you talking about? The vita is failing on the market and that is what people are discussing. I'm not a shareholder of sony, i'm just a random person on a messageboard discussing sales numbers. I have no reason to try and make the situation sound more positive than it is.
This is 100% sonys fault. If you're going to release a handheld/console that is almost completely reliant on 3rd party software to sell, you better make damn sure they are actually on board to support said handheld. Ultimately sony released this device and trying to pin its failure on 3rd parties is disingenious (just like blaming 3rd parties for the wiis fate).
What works for Apple doesn't necessarily work for others.
Holy shit is that real? :barf
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
It's very real, sadly.
If I were mad at anything, it'd be your near constant attempts to incite rage in threads with cunning bait
The better discussion here would be about the consumer market and how it responds more to marketing and media hype than it does to hardware or games. Sony has, in my opinion, failed to do this with the PSP, PS3, and Vita. Nintendo and Microsoft have it down to an art.
I think it would be wise of Sony to show off things like cross game chat in public places, and highlight near and social interactivity in their adverts. They need to show off Apps, etc., I think. I don't believe that Sony knows the market very well anymore. Instead they are (still) selling a portable PS2/3 in commercials that are too "artsy" and lack any real substance beyond a simple message ("Play anywhere").
But, I'm no expert
Nope they haven't
Ya I guess your right
I'm talking about these commercials: not that fake Siri nonsense
UncleSporky
Member
Threads like this are interesting. Some did see it a long ways off - GAF did learn some things from the DS vs. PSP. But others seem to have thought it'd be a much closer race than what we've seen.
^so the DC did sell well during its first year, thanks for all the replies
as real as his I will always love you cover, even though it's more like I will always heev you
best comment: "A tribute to vita."
as real as his I will always love you cover, even though it's more like I will always heev you
best comment: "A tribute to vita."
If I were mad at anything, it'd be your near constant attempts to incite rage in threads with cunning bait
The better discussion here would be about the consumer market and how it responds more to marketing and media hype than it does to hardware or games. Sony has, in my opinion, failed to do this with the PSP, PS3, and Vita. Nintendo and Microsoft have it down to an art.
I think it would be wise of Sony to show off things like cross game chat in public places, and highlight near and social interactivity in their adverts. They need to show off Apps, etc., I think. I don't believe that Sony knows the market very well anymore. Instead they are (still) selling a portable PS2/3 in commercials that are too "artsy" and lack any real substance beyond a simple message ("Play anywhere").
But, I'm no expert
Why would you advertise so much so early on, especially in this market? Those convinced by hype and adverts would probably sell their vita at this stage, which would be badd. It would be best to push the mass-market ads when the prices drop and the games come out.
BassForever
Member
I really don't see many scenarios where Vita doesn't end up dying out, it's eventually going to get to a point where stores won't order/stock it anymore.
UncleSporky
Member
AdventureRacing
Member
Because the way a console launches and the way it is recieved early on can have a big impact on its future sales. When you generate a ton of hype around launch (like with the wii or an apple product) it gets every talking about it and gets more people interested. It is far, far harder to achieve this outside of the launch period. This is why peripherals released halfway through a generation tend to struggle.
Also i think the bigger issue is that we are still waiting for the big games to come out. If you don't have the big games to push the system and you can't advertise your product because your worried people will be disappointed and sell it, why are you eve releasing it yet?
metareferential
Member
And Apple doesn't even need to advertise its products. People just want them.
The Vita? Some don't even know it exists.
Sony has nothing that truly makes its portable stand out in the market. Nintendo has its first party software, Apple has its Appeal (and quality, whether that's real or perceived it doesn't matter).
Even if Sony just carpet bombs the Vita's line-up with great games, it won't work. Their "true console-like experience everywhere" concept is a failure.
2.2m worldwide though they still have to reach the 1m mark on a single market. That's sad.
They need something really big at TGS; like someone mentioned earlier a mainline FF, together with FFVII remake for those who preorder or buy the bundle xD
Probably one of the most perfectly executed ad campaigns ever. Even the music is perfect. And the dialog that touches on their prior product line of the iPod. Just flawless. An impossible standard to hold anyone to these days, including Apple themselves.
Wow, that's better than I expected to be honest lol, I thought it was somewhere along the lines of 1.1 million. It will pick up after a price drop, and I mean a massive price drop. If only they were still able to take large ass losses on hardware like they used to. I mean I'm sure the PS4 will be sold at a loss, nothing close to the amount they were losing on each PS3 at launch though.
The real question here is how in the stickey-motherfuck is the PS2 still selling?
The real question here is how in the stickey-motherfuck is the PS2 still selling?
If they cut the price and keep the hardware the same, sure I'm game on Vita, but if they pull a PS3 and make it inferior later and drop the price, fudge them.
I just bought one brand new last week. I wanted a PS2, don't trust my PS3 BC 60 and PS3 Slim doesn't play my PS2 games.
I just bought one brand new last week. I wanted a PS2, don't trust my PS3 BC 60 and PS3 Slim doesn't play my PS2 games.
An advert showing a person playing a game, talking to a friend playing a different game, with a quick shot of a trophy unlocking would show an XBL-esque experience on a handheld.
An advert showing a guy checking near and finding new friends / game goods could take 20 seconds and explain the point of near better than the app does.
A montage of apps could also work well as an online advert (YouTube).
I just feel like they have a lot of room to sell more than simply "play anywhere" and capture a bigger market than simply grabbing a small fraction of PS3 users.
Again, I'm no expert, and I don't think this will "fix" anything. I do think it'd be more helpful than spending money on the CoD name and attaching it to a sub-par studio. It's also more realistic than a price cut right now.
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
There are still developing countries where the PS2 is doing fairly well. That thing just keeps on trucking.
It's been clear since the start of this generation japanese game developers have always been very reluctant to jump on new hardware, giving them ample time/incentives and preparation for a new hardware transition isn't necessarily going to change anything (see Xbox 360 and Japan) . Western 3rd party devs had no problem with transitioning from the PSP to the Vita, there should be no other reason why Japanese developers wouldn't follow suit.
I wonder if Sony actually undershot on hardware. I think their only play in the market (I've long been on record as saying the thing has no reason to be) was to try and convince western publishers that Vita would be an easy third leg of the stool. You're already making PS360 games, why not port to Vita? Super easy! A third platform to spread the costs onto, etc, blah blah.
Buttttt I think Vita's not actually strong enough to do that. Remember at the launch conf when they trotted out Kojima who "ported" the MGS4 cutscene in like two weeks or whatever? Granted, it ran at 15 fps, but I dunno.
Or maybe no one gives enough of a shit.
Buttttt I think Vita's not actually strong enough to do that. Remember at the launch conf when they trotted out Kojima who "ported" the MGS4 cutscene in like two weeks or whatever? Granted, it ran at 15 fps, but I dunno.
Or maybe no one gives enough of a shit.
MeBecomingI
Member
Ugh, those numbers are brutal. The games that they were showing off at GamesCom can't come soon enough... at least just to help the Vita. The bigger the library, the better. Most of the games are a long way off and there are going to be long months of nothing for the Vita. They desperately need to cut the price and at the same time, restart the marketing focused solely on the games and how they differ from a simple iPhone game or something. I think they need to focus on telling people that you just aren't going to get some of these amazing games on a phone or a 3DS. When Assassin's Creed comes along, they need to tell people that it isn't simply a port and you just aren't going to get it anywhere else. I doubt they will, but they need to inject some energy into the Vita. I hope Sony doesn't kill this thing off in a year. An absolutely amazing machine that just needs a lot of love and support and we are at least finally starting to see some love. Hopefully at TGS they can keep some of the momentum from this show and keep the games flowing. They can't slow down now.
But ugh, those numbers make me cringe. No wonder third parties don't want to touch the thing. Makes me happy Ubisoft is giving the Vita a chance with Assassin's Creed. Hopefully it does well so it can entice more third parties to get on board with original, unique titles.
Shame that these numbers come out after the wonderful showing Sony gave the Vita at GamesCom. Not a smart thing to share those numbers... it really deflates a lot of the excitement for the machine when you understand how much it is struggling.
But ugh, those numbers make me cringe. No wonder third parties don't want to touch the thing. Makes me happy Ubisoft is giving the Vita a chance with Assassin's Creed. Hopefully it does well so it can entice more third parties to get on board with original, unique titles.
Shame that these numbers come out after the wonderful showing Sony gave the Vita at GamesCom. Not a smart thing to share those numbers... it really deflates a lot of the excitement for the machine when you understand how much it is struggling.
CadetMahoney
Member
That's going to be real hard with Nintendo in the way. Just goes to show they could never depend on just core gamers and PS3 downports.
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