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[charlequin]

There has been no talk about contracts. The AT&T 3G iPad doesn't require a contract so I don't see why the Vita would.

Sorry, misspoke, I just mean paying for 3G service in general. The point is that historically, forced-upsells like this still have something in the package that benefits you even if it's not worth the cost on a pure dollar level -- the extra crap in the PSP "Value Pack," the larger HD on the elite 360, etc. Since there's no difference besides the 3G chipset in the 3G unit, people would be paying $50 extra for nothing -- or, more likely, not paying $50 extra for nothing.

And it was blantantly obvious that they did this with the lower priced 20 gig PS3 so why would it matter to do it with the Vita?

Because it's much harder to get away with this when the forced-upsell model has nothing going for it.

Why would they? There is nothing wrong with the $250 price tag.

Well, besides the thing where it might well sell sluggishly at launch and need a relatively quick pricedrop.

It is also a little too late to change it. Contracts have been made, testing has already been done, parts bought, etc.

It's too late to make the system cost $50 less to make, yes, but it's never too late to drop the price.

 

[Rolf NB]

This, we don't know for sure... We don't know if it's an "off the shelf" processor. Sony could go ARM for the CPU but still being very specific in its capacities. We know it's a quad core processor based on an ARM architecture but it doesn't mean it's a Snapdragon or a Samsung quad A9 processor version of what can be found in a Galaxy S2. Sony could benefit from indirect cost reduction measures because many manufacturers will built similar processors but direct ones from wide adoption of THAT particular processor, we don't know... Well I don't ^^

They'll fab it themselves. They'll make enough of it to get to a decent cost per chip.
It's not as if their particular combination of CPUs and GPU were used anywhere else at the moment anyway.

How much is the price difference between 256 ram and 512? I tried googling it, it gave me ram prices in India.

A couple dollars.

 

[Callibretto]

They'll fab it themselves. They'll make enough of it to get to a decent cost per chip.
It's not as if their particular combination of CPUs and GPU were used anywhere else at the moment anyway.

I thought there has been confirmation that Samsung will be manufacturing Vita's cpu.

 

[Rolf NB]

I thought there has been confirmation that Samsung will be manufacturing Vita's cpu.

Samsung is a big fabber of chips. They serve many customers now. It doesn't mean that this exact chip will show up in, say, Samsung smartphones.

edit: ok, see it now, should have said "have it fabbed" or something. Mainly wanted to go against the "off the shelf" notion. This particular design is probably only produced for the PS Vita, and used nowhere else.

 

[Key2001]

Well, besides the thing where it might well sell sluggishly at launch and need a relatively quick pricedrop.

Have any proof or anything to suggest that it will? Before you say it, the 3DS sellng sluggishly is hardly proof or suggests the PSVita will sell sluggishly at $250.

The 3DS has much more against it than just the price. On top of this, the majority felt the system was greatly over priced at $250. You cannot expect consumers to be happy when the president of your company states that the reason they priced their product higher because of the hype it has received.

It's too late to make the system cost $50 less to make, yes, but it's never too late to drop the price.

It would be stupid to drop the price by $50 after the reception it received and end up losing more money without even testing the market. Even now the price tag has still received much more positive reception than it has a negative one.

I guarantee that even if they dropped the price these so called analyst, journalist, forum posters, etc. would still find plenty to complain about and find some fault with it being offered at a lower price.

 

[Callibretto]

Samsung is a big fabber of chips. They serve many customers now. It doesn't mean that this exact chip will show up in, say, Samsung smartphones.

edit: ok, see it now, should have said "have it fabbed" or something. Mainly wanted to go against the "off the shelf" notion. This particular design is probably only produced for the PS Vita, and used nowhere else.

always wonder about this, I've heard many said that Vita manufacturing cost will go down quick because it use similar design with other smartphone, but like you said, Vita's particular design or modification or whatever they call it is unique to vita, right?, no other device use it, than can it really go down in price that quick too?

 

[Utako]

I'm not even sure why Sony would make a high-end portable that wasn't directly gunning for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is malarkey.

I don't just want to play games with a freaking amazing OLED screen, I want to read ebooks on it, I want to use apps on it, I want to watch movies on it. I won't buy a gaming portable to do those things when I have my choice of several quality smartphones.

An ultra-polished, kicked-up Xperia Play is what Vita should have been.

 

[Callibretto]

I'm not even sure why Sony would make a high-end portable that wasn't directly gunning for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is malarkey.

I don't just want to play games with a freaking amazing OLED screen, I want to read ebooks on it, I want to use apps on it, I want to watch movies on it. I won't buy a gaming portable to do those things when I have my choice of several quality smartphones.

An ultra-polished, kicked-up Xperia Play is what Vita should have been.

it really didn't need phone function, nobody is going to switch their iphone and smartphone for Vita, Vita is too big for a phone, any smaller than it's not going to have enough battery to power those visual. and they have to ditch real analog with nub or touchpad like xperia

but I do think Sony should pursue multimedia function with Vita, it really need non gaming app, I want to check email, web browsing, ebook etc on Vita.

 

[neojubei]

it really didn't need phone function, nobody is going to switch their iphone and smartphone for Vita, Vita is too big for a phone, any smaller than it's not going to have enough battery to power those visual. and they have to ditch real analog with nub or touchpad like xperia

but I do think Sony should pursue multimedia function with Vita, it really need non gaming app, I want to check email, web browsing, ebook etc on Vita.

I agree. Making vita a phone would be a terrible idea now making the vita into a gamer's tablet would be better. Download ebooks, comics, check email, web browsing, downloading APPS! Not to mention a video playback function that can use as many video formats as the ps3.

Wouldn't be cool to sync your calender and contacts with vita from other devices?

edit: Sony could also justify the price of the Vita with all the extra non-gaming stuff it can do, however Sony does have a poor history of communicating to the public about what their devices can do.

 

[Key2001]

it really didn't need phone function, nobody is going to switch their iphone and smartphone for Vita, Vita is too big for a phone, any smaller than it's not going to have enough battery to power those visual. and they have to ditch real analog with nub or touchpad like xperia

but I do think Sony should pursue multimedia function with Vita, it really need non gaming app, I want to check email, web browsing, ebook etc on Vita.

It has email and web browsing or at least it has icons labeled 'Email' and 'Browser'. There is an icon for 'Messages' as well, so it isn't just for messages sent to you via psn.

http://youtu.be/X5yyMypi-bk

The multimedia functions is one of the areas Sony is looking to greatly expand on with the PSVita and is likely one of the reason they have went with the UI that they have. Before this survey about what accessories consumer would like to see for the PSVita, they had one asking which non-gaming apps consumers would like to see on the PSVita.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Sorry, misspoke, I just mean paying for 3G service in general. The point is that historically, forced-upsells like this still have something in the package that benefits you even if it's not worth the cost on a pure dollar level -- the extra crap in the PSP "Value Pack," the larger HD on the elite 360, etc. Since there's no difference besides the 3G chipset in the 3G unit, people would be paying $50 extra for nothing -- or, more likely, not paying $50 extra for nothing.

We don't know what is in either box yet. The 3G version could come with headphones and a soft carrying case. We don't know.

 

[charlequin]

Have any proof

No, I don't have any "proof" of my assertion that something may or may not happen.

or anything to suggest that it will?

The performance of the PSP at the same price point with more hype behind it in a dramatically stronger economy? The increasing polarization of the software market in the US (and Vita's likely inability to capture the most lucrative portions of the current market)? The fact that the entire gaming industry is underperforming horribly right now? The general "why do I need this"-ness of the device?

I guarantee that even if they dropped the price these so called analyst, journalist, forum posters, etc. would still find plenty to complain about and find some fault with it being offered at a lower price.

Some non-zero quantity of people will complain about anything. Pointing that out is not a meaningful alternative to actually taking action when you are confronted with a larger and more factually relevant critique.

We don't know what is in either box yet.

Yeah, but anything they add to the 3G model cuts into the between-models profit margin (which is already not going to be as huge as normal since it's only a $50 difference.) There isn't a lot of blood to eke out of that stone; if they can't afford to do a non-paper launch of the $250 model they shouldn't be bothering to release a new portable at all.

 

[Lonely1]

Yeah, but anything they add to the 3G model cuts into the between-models profit margin (which is already not going to be as huge as normal since it's only a $50 difference.)

Well, a (bigger?) flash card would be my guess. Not that expensive to add. Apple strategy.

 

[googleplex]

I agree. Making vita a phone would be a terrible idea now making the vita into a gamer's tablet would be better. Download ebooks, comics, check email, web browsing, downloading APPS! Not to mention a video playback function that can use as many video formats as the ps3.

Wouldn't be cool to sync your calender and contacts with vita from other devices?

edit: Sony could also justify the price of the Vita with all the extra non-gaming stuff it can do, however Sony does have a poor history of communicating to the public about what their devices can do.

The second after the Vita is hacked, you can bet someone going to get Android running on it.

 

[Key2001]

The performance of the PSP at the same price point with more hype behind it in a dramatically stronger economy? The increasing polarization of the software market in the US (and Vita's likely inability to capture the most lucrative portions of the current market)? The fact that the entire gaming industry is underperforming horribly right now? The general "why do I need this"-ness of the device?

The PSP performed very well at $250. In fact, in the US it performed better at launch than any other Playstation platform. The PSP's problem was the eventual lack of support, which all signs point towards Sony doing everything they can not to make the same mistake twice.

If you are talking about the holiday market, I have already shown a system at launch can perform just as well, if not better in some cases, outside of the holiday season. If you are talking about games, which games would these be? The PSVita is the only handheld to offer small indie games all the way up to large console games.

Some non-zero quantity of people will complain about anything. Pointing that out is not a meaningful alternative to actually taking action when you are confronted with a larger and more factually relevant critique.

It is a fact the PSVita will perform poorly at $250? The $250 price tag has received a lot more praise than it has complaints. A knee-jerk reaction by some due to the 3DS price drop is not a reason to drop the price.

If they launch and it shows that the market cannot support $250, they can adjust from there. They should let the market determine this, not some forum poster that may not even buy the PSVita at $199 or journalist/analyst looking for their next opportunity in the spot light.

 

[charlequin]

The PSP performed very well at $250. In fact, in the US it performed better at launch than any other Playstation platform.

This is a pretty terrible metric when you're holding it up against the notoriously short-shipped PS2.

If you are talking about games, which games would these be?

Specifically the polarization both between handheld and console software, as well as the lopsided shift towards what is often derogatorily referred to as "dudebro" software vs. the rest of the market. The Vita is starting out at a disadvantage by being a handheld in a market that's never loved handheld gaming, as well as by trying to offer high-end game titles despite that handheld handicap.

It is a fact the PSVita will perform poorly at $250? The $250 price tag has received a lot more praise than it has complaints. A knee-jerk reaction by some due to the 3DS price drop is not a reason to drop the price.

No, a well-reasoned consideration of the problems with the price is a reason to drop the price (or, at very least, think long and hard about pricing strategy going forward.)

Also: calm down, breathe deep, consider that perhaps people might have minor criticisms of the PSVita and still be posting with consideration and thoughtfulness.

 

[To Far Away Times]

I'm not even sure why Sony would make a high-end portable that wasn't directly gunning for the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is malarkey.

I don't just want to play games with a freaking amazing OLED screen, I want to read ebooks on it, I want to use apps on it, I want to watch movies on it. I won't buy a gaming portable to do those things when I have my choice of several quality smartphones.

An ultra-polished, kicked-up Xperia Play is what Vita should have been.

I agree with this. I'd like to see Sony give Apple a run for their money. The risk would be immense, but they have the resources to do it, and they could create the next phone/tablet/game system that people want to have but this time it would actually have buttons. Throw in a nice new gui on top of Android and you've got a winner.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Yeah, when it was revealed, rumors stated that the NGP has 512MB of RAM. Then we heard from a certain dev that it was "cut in half." Then Sony execs reported "nothing was cut, don't believe things you hear on the internet." So it may still has 512MB, or 256 is what was planned all along, ergo "no cuts."

In another corner of the internet though, and as reported by Nirolak, we got a semi-confirmation that it has 512:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=28644610&postcount=86

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=28646415&postcount=99

Although admittedly, Niro's posts were made before the new rumors of RAM-cuts made the rounds. "RAM cuts" could also fit in Niro's scenario since early rumors based on devkits pointed to the NGP having 1GB of RAM (ie: beefed up just like most early devkits), so if the Vita ends up having 512MB, that may well be interpreted as a cut too.

As of now, and without a final spec confirmation, It's messy subject. Personally, I'm going through the acceptance stage. If everything looks nice and we still have enough in-game access and apps, I'll be content. The "Party" features that we've seen so far leave me with more optimism.

There is one thing you're forgetting though, there were recent comments from a Vita dev who said "The first PSP had 32 MG of RAM and we have about ten times that now."

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/developer-ps-vita-has-ten-times-more-ram-than-psp-984643

This correlates with the rumoured cut to 256MB (a cut which the dev actually notes in the article, saying that it "won't affect us.") as the rumoured amount would be 256MB + 128MB VRAM = 384MB - Which is around 11-12 times the amount of RAM as the PSP.

On the plus side, the guy also mentions great battery life, so that's a positive at least

BTW, those asking Vita to be a phone are insane. The thing is massive! who would want to use it as a phone?

 

[Key2001]

This is a pretty terrible metric when you're holding it up against the notoriously short-shipped PS2.

Regardless, the PSP did performed very well its first year or so; any system would be considered doing good if it received the same sales. Especially the first 6 or so months; this is in comparison with any system.

Even the 3DS did well at first at $250 in Japan. Perhaps if Nintendo didn't make so many other mistakes it could have continued doing well at $250. The PSVita has more in its favor at $250 than the 3DS and PSP did.

Specifically the polarization both between handheld and console software, as well as the lopsided shift towards what is often derogatorily referred to as "dudebro" software vs. the rest of the market. The Vita is starting out at a disadvantage by being a handheld in a market that's never loved handheld gaming, as well as by trying to offer high-end game titles despite that handheld handicap.

The high-end game titles are being offered at the same price as the competitors games and is far from the only gaming experience the PSVita is offering.

It is by far offering more gaming experiences than any other handheld on the market. It is also offering more experiences outside of gaming than their nearest competitor the 3DS.

If market correct, the wide range of gaming and media experience could give Sony a big edge on its competitors.

No, a well-reasoned consideration of the problems with the price is a reason to drop the price (or, at very least, think long and hard about pricing strategy going forward.)

Except there is no problem with the price. Until after it launches and at some point sales are much lower than expected there will be no problem with the price. A few complaints is to be expected and will always be expected regardless of price.

Eventually there will be a point where the launch price cannot move a great deal of systems and it will receive a price drop just like every other system has. When this time Sony will likely adjust its marketing and price accordingly.

What it will come down to is marketing and support. Consumers have shown they are willing to spend $250 (actually more) for devices that they fell are worth it(via marketing), is marketed accordingly and is given good support.

The price was determined over 2 years ago. There is no one that has thought longer and harder on the pricing strategy than Sony.

Also: calm down, breathe deep, consider that perhaps people might have minor criticisms of the PSVita and still be posting with consideration and thoughtfulness.

I don't know what makes you think I am angry. I am giving my opinion just like you are.

There is one thing you're forgetting though, there were recent comments from a Vita dev who said "The first PSP had 32 MG of RAM and we have about ten times that now."

The same guy that stated this later stated he didn't know how much memory the PSVita has.

 

[Mr_Brit]

The same guy that stated this later stated he didn't know how much memory the PSVita has.

Source?

 

[Key2001]

Source?

http://www.develop-online.net/news/38351/Sony-source-PS-Vita-RAM-not-cut

But the lines of information have been confused further by one PS Vita developer, Novarama’s Dani Sanchez-Crespo, who claimed that a reduction in RAM would not affect the studio’s output.

He now claims he did not know if the handheld’s memory has been reduced.

As opposed to many other tech sectors, game hardware specifications are typically drip-fed before a console is announced, due in part to the many iterations the hardware can go through. This benefits the system owners because they can tailor systems to trends in the market.

 

[Astery]

Vita is suddenly expensive now?

 

[Cygnus X-1]

Vita is suddenly expensive now?

All is relative you know. Comparison does matter. Especially in a market where iOS handhelds are driving the price more and more down.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

The same guy that stated this later stated he didn't know how much memory the PSVita has.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...ta-RAM-not-cut

Ok missed that one, very interesting (if a bit strange how he didn't make any other comment on what he meant before)

Still, why would he say that it had "10 times the amount of RAM" if it was actually closer to 20?

Maybe the system was always destined for 256MB + 128MB in the first place and the Dev kits just happened to have 512MB + 128MB?

All is relative you know. Comparison does matter. Especially in a market where iOS handhelds are driving the price more and more down.

The iOS platforms are driving software costs down, not hardware (hell, iPhones and iPads are ludicrously expensive without a contract!)

 

[AdventureRacing]

Regardless, the PSP did performed very well its first year or so; any system would be considered doing good if it received the same sales. Especially the first 6 or so months; this is in comparison with any system.

Even the 3DS did well at first at $250 in Japan. Perhaps if Nintendo didn't make so many other mistakes it could have continued doing well at $250. The PSVita has more in its favor at $250 than the 3DS and PSP did.

I disagree with this completely. The PSP was coming off the back of the PS2, everyone was talking up the PSP and expecting it to crush the DS.

Now the 3DS is the one coming off the back of the more successful system and it has a massive head start. That plus the market is a lot more competitive now then it was when the PSP launched.

I'm not suggesting they drop the price but i am struggling to see how the vita could be considered in a stronger position than the PSP.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

The iOS platforms are driving software costs down, not hardware (hell, iPhones and iPads are ludicrously expensive without a contract!)

It's an indirect effect since both are linked to each other.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

Vita is suddenly expensive now?

When the direct competitor is $100 less, yes.

The metric of actual value is another question entirely.

 

[Mr_Brit]

When the direct competitor is $100 less, yes.

The metric of actual value is another question entirely.

I didn't know 3DS was $150.

 

[Key2001]

I disagree with this completely. The PSP was coming off the back of the PS2, everyone was talking up the PSP and expecting it to crush the DS.

Now the 3DS is the one coming off the back of the more successful system and it has a massive head start. That plus the market is a lot more competitive now then it was when the PSP launched.

I'm not suggesting they drop the price but i am struggling to see how the vita could be considered in a stronger position than the PSP.

I am talking about just short term advantages. Advantages that are seen pre-launch and at launch. I am talking about long time advantages.

Not all of the advantages the PSVita has over the PSP, but here are some:

-Sony has learned a lot with the PSP and appears to be fixing their mistakes.
-Sony has a much strong first-party lineup now.
-The price gap is smaller
-The NDS offered a much more unique experience at the time than the 3DS.
-The NDS didn't have the rough start the 3DS has had.
-Despite being more competition the handheld market is much larger.
-PSN is now established(online market has grown a lot since the PSP).

I am not suggesting the PSVita will outsell the 3DS, just that it will do better overtime against the competition(3DS) than the PSP did.

I don't even expect it to immediately outsell what the PSP did its opening months. After all the PSP did better its opening months than any other Playstation platform. The problems that lead to PSP sales dropping so drastically is what Sony is fixing with the PSVita, therein lies its advantages.

When Sony has been successful with both games and systems it hasn't been due to immediate high sales, it was due to their continue support of that IP, product, etc.

I also feel for the most part marketing has replaced brand strength. It just seems brand names don't carry the weight they use to, which can work in Sony's favor against the 3DS.

When the direct competitor is $100 less, yes.

The metric of actual value is another question entirely.

Which is just a knee-jerk reaction. All Nintendo did was price the 3DS closer to what everyone was expecting it to be.

Before the 3DS price was revealed the majority was expecting, based on value, that the 3DS would be $200 or lower and that the PSVita would be $300 or higher.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

I didn't know 3DS was $150.

My bad, $80.

 

[clifftrapremover]

Do I want a cheaper Vita? Sure, I could use the extra cash. Does Sony need to drop the price? Probably If they want to compete with their biggest competitor in 2012, the iPhone 5.

 

[Pureauthor]

Do I want a cheaper Vita? Sure, I could use the extra cash. Does Sony need to drop the price? Probably If they want to compete with their biggest competitor in 2012, the iPhone 5.

If Sony actually tries to position the Vita as a competitor to the iPhone, then the people running the company and/or electronics division are imbeciles.

Stick to the fights they have a prayer of winning, yes?

 

[Fafalada]

Exactly, you can't market someone something new they already have unless it it significantly different.

Dunno - it seems to be working very well for Apple.

 

[AdventureRacing]

-Sony has a much strong first-party lineup now.

This is certainly something that will help the vita but we will have to wait and see how much. Sony doesn't really have that many big selling games and the ones they do have we have no idea how they will be recieved on a handheld.

-The price gap is smaller

How much smaller? I don't really remember what the DS and PSP launched at but i would imagine that $80 is a big difference.

-The NDS offered a much more unique experience at the time than the 3DS.

This is true but at the same time people weren't really saying this at the launch of the DS.

-The NDS didn't have the rough start the 3DS has had.

I don't really have the numbers on me but i'm pretty sure this isn't true. The DS had a very rough start and it didn't get a massive head start like the 3DS.

-Despite being more competition the handheld market is much larger.

This is true. The question is how much of this market can the 3DS and Vita hold onto in the face of increasing competition from smartphones?

-PSN is now established(online market has grown a lot since the PSP).

We will have to wait and see what impact this has. No doubt it makes the Vita a much more attractive platform but i'm guessing that it won't mean much to most people.

The app store is a massive bullet point for the iphone i'm not sure that PSN really means that much at all.

In general i don't think the 3DS is the biggest threat to the vita. I think the iphone is probably a bigger threat for both the 3DS and the vita.

Who knows though, maybe you're right i think it's pretty damn hard to tell right now. It's hard to really predict until we hear more about their launch line-up.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

I am talking about just short term advantages. Advantages that are seen pre-launch and at launch. I am talking about long time advantages.

Not all of the advantages the PSVita has over the PSP, but here are some:

-Sony has learned a lot with the PSP and appears to be fixing their mistakes.
-Sony has a much strong first-party lineup now.
-The price gap is smaller
-The NDS offered a much more unique experience at the time than the 3DS.
-The NDS didn't have the rough start the 3DS has had.
-Despite being more competition the handheld market is much larger.
-PSN is now established(online market has grown a lot since the PSP).

I am not suggesting the PSVita will outsell the 3DS, just that it will do better overtime against the competition(3DS) than the PSP did.

I don't even expect it to immediately outsell what the PSP did its opening months. After all the PSP did better its opening months than any other Playstation platform. The problems that lead to PSP sales dropping so drastically is what Sony is fixing with the PSVita, therein lies its advantages.

When Sony has been successful with both games and systems it hasn't been due to immediate high sales, it was due to their continue support of that IP, product, etc.

I also feel for the most part marketing has replaced brand strength. It just seems brand names don't carry the weight they use to, which can work in Sony's favor against the 3DS.



Which is just a knee-jerk reaction. All Nintendo did was price the 3DS closer to what everyone was expecting it to be.

Before the 3DS price was revealed the majority was expecting, based on value, that the 3DS would be $200 or lower and that the PSVita would be $300 or higher.

Everything you said was true except for the bolded. The original DS had a terrible start, both in terms of its software drought and in terms of hardware sales (the 3DS is actually tracking ahead of the original DS in terms of month for month hardware sales!)

 

[Key2001]

Everything you said was true except for the bolded. The original DS had a terrible start, both in terms of its software drought and in terms of hardware sales (the 3DS is actually tracking ahead of the original DS in terms of month for month hardware sales!)

It must have been EU that lagged behind. According to NPD numbers the NDS sold nearly 2 million systems its first 4 months in the US and according to Media Create it sold nearly 2 million in Japan its first 4 months.

It may have dropped off some after that(not sure), but this is still far better than the 3DS has done.

How much smaller? I don't really remember what the DS and PSP launched at but i would imagine that $80 is a big difference.

Running out of time, but I will answer this real quick. In the US and Europe is where the price gaps was larger. $250 vs $150 in the US and €249/£179 vs £99.99/€149.99 in Europe.

The long delay for the Europe release due to LCD shortages also didn't help.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

It must have been EU that lagged behind. According to NPD numbers the NDS sold nearly 2 million systems its first 4 months in the US and according to Media Create it sold nearly 2 million in Japan its first 4 months.

It may have dropped off some after that(not sure), but this is still far better than the 3DS has done.

Did you not read where I said "month for month"? You're comparing the DS' Christmas holiday period sales to the 3DS in March-April? That's more than a bit unfair.

Compare May-July for 3DS to DS and you'll see sales stacked in the 3DS' favour (WW too)

 

[Key2001]

Did you not read where I said "month for month"? You're comparing the DS' Christmas holiday period sales to the 3DS in March-April? That's more than a bit unfair.

Compare May-July for 3DS to DS and you'll see sales stacked in the 3DS' favour (WW too)

Then you can't compare them at all. You are comparing launch months versus a few months after the system is released, which is also unfair. The sales period of March to April for the NDS is also when the PSP launched in the US.

Multiple systems have done just as well during launch outside of the Christmas holiday.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Then you can't compare them at all. You are comparing launch months versus a few months after the system is released, which is also unfair. The sales period of March to April for the NDS is also when the PSP launched in the US.

Multiple systems have done just as well during launch outside of the Christmas holiday.

Hence why I'm comparing May-July for both consoles. That's well past the initial launch window for both consoles and gives us a fairer comparison (not a perfect one, but we're working with little data for the 3DS anyway so its the best we can do, the damn thing hasn't even been out for 5 months yet!)

Oh and it doesn't matter if any console has done similar numbers in March, every console would get a substantial bump during the Christmas season no matter what.

 

[yurinka]

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...ta-RAM-not-cut

Ok missed that one, very interesting (if a bit strange how he didn't make any other comment on what he meant before)

Still, why would he say that it had "10 times the amount of RAM" if it was actually closer to 20?

Maybe the system was always destined for 256MB + 128MB in the first place and the Dev kits just happened to have 512MB + 128MB?

In Spain (he's from my city, I know him personally) we often use "it has 10 times more" to say "it has a lot more". Doesn't matter if it's exactly 8x, 10x or 20x.

He was saying that now with Vita's hardware and tools his devs aren't as constrained as they were when developing for PSP (they announced recently that are working in a Vita game and in their 3rd PSP Invizimals game).

He is the boss of the studio and designer. He is always works in the vision, the scope and the design of their projects. For the tech side they have other guys who for sure will know all the tech stuff (they even helped Sony to design Vita's camera HW and AR).

 

[Parmenides]

Wow,more doom and gloom about PS Vita. It's a scary world.

GamesIndustry.biz: Vita Launch Will Be "a Car Wreck"

Sony is about to launch its new handheld games console into a market that has fundamentally changed since the success of mobile devices, and is likely heading for a costly and ultimately doomed launch.

That's according to Lyle Hall and Matthew Seymour at Heavy Iron Studios, who believe the console is over-priced - but more importantly - that consumers have already demonstrated that they are no longer willing to pay out for single-function games devices.

"If people aren't willing to pay $249 for a Nintendo 3DS why would they pay $299 for Vita? People don't want to carry more than one thing in their pocket, that’s why Android and iPhone have done so well, they are the devices of choice, they offers multiple functions outside of gaming," Hall told GamesIndustry.biz.

"People don’t want it. That's Nintendo huge challenge - how do they add value to that?

Seymour, who has worked for 2K Games and Microsoft Games Studios in a career spanning 20 years, was more blunt in his assessment. "With all due respects to Sony and Vita, it's a car wreck. And how about Xperia Play? I'd love to pull up the numbers on that."

The PlayStation Vita is due this year in Japan and early next year in the US and Europe. The system will be taking centre stage at Gamescom this week, as Sony looks to position itself at the forefront of portable gaming after rival Nintendo launched the 3DS to muted response from consumers.

Less than six months since the launch of the 3DS the system has had its price unceremoniously halved in Europe, and is suffering from a lack of software and the perception that it's a simple upgrade to the DS family of consoles.

Sony's most recent attempts in the handheld market haven't been successful either. The digital-only PSPgo is largely forgotten and its mobile collaboration with Sony Ericsson - the Xperia Play - had no significant marketing push behind it.

Despite a harsh assessment of the Vita, Heavy Iron would like to see the machine succeed, said Hall, but it's the consumer that has voted with its wallet and changed the market.

"The technology is sweet, I'm a huge fan of mobile technology, but I just don't know there's a market out there anymore for the hardware. I can’t see why you would want to put a device out that only does games.

"The consumer has spoken. We wanted to see that world exist - more players, more opportunities for us, but at the same time people don't want that. Unless there's a super technology paradigm shift it’s not going to shift back."

 

[FoxSpirit]

It's like the stock market all over.
If you value your sanity, get out and revisit the topic in 2 years.
My guess is both handhelds will be okay not including a sudden rise in cult status. The DS they won't be and they don't need to.

 

[herod]

The PSP performed very well at $250. In fact, in the US it performed better at launch than any other Playstation platform. The PSP's problem was the eventual lack of support, which all signs point towards Sony doing everything they can not to make the same mistake twice.

I dispute this, software sales tailed off before the supply of software itself did. NPD and chart threads from the period were a discussion of why PSP games bombed, not over lack of PSP games.

My conclusion was that the PSP simply failed to find a sustainable full-priced game market, games had to drop price so quickly that most publishers seemed to give up on it. If it was viable, it would have had many more games. Was it the piracy? It would be a fairly unique platform to fail to deliver software in such a significant fashion if it was purely a piracy issue.

 

[yurinka]

Wow,more doom and gloom about PS Vita. It's a scary world.

GamesIndustry.biz: Vita Launch Will Be "a Car Wreck"

Just some random shovelware dev worried because Vita users won't be interested in their shit.

 

[DangerousDave]

Wow,more doom and gloom about PS Vita. It's a scary world.

GamesIndustry.biz: Vita Launch Will Be "a Car Wreck"

There are too many errors in that article, like pricing of Vita, or the big amount of differences in specs and features between consoles (and the fact that Vita will be launched with games), to take this into account. And those people only made movie-licensed videogames for children, and now a trainer.

What Vita needs is a good range of games. Have some of those 40$ big AAA titles, but also create an alternative appstore with games like Great Little War Game. Vita can't survive only with the 40$ games (portable players are less likely to pay those amounts) or only with the 5$ games (that are too similar to the ones that they can find in the iPhone).

 

[aubradley84]

Psychologically I didn't think the Vita to be expensive until the 3DS dropped its price, but now my brain starts signaling that "Hey, $250 is a lot of money for a handheld you'll probably almost never touch." At E3 I was pumped about Vita, now I'm not sure if I even want one at all.

 

[neptunes]

Psychologically I didn't think the Vita to be expensive until the 3DS dropped its price, but now my brain starts signaling that "Hey, $250 is a lot of money for a handheld you'll probably almost never touch." At E3 I was pumped about Vita, now I'm not sure if I even want one at all.

Why would you buy ANYTHING that you don't plan on using regularly? regardless of price.

If you truly plan on using it then the price becomes a non issue.

 

[aubradley84]

Why would you buy ANYTHING that you don't plan on using regularly? regardless of price.

If you truly plan on using it then the price becomes a non issue.

Fair point, but when I bought my original PSP I was expecting to play it at least once a month, but I haven't touched it since Xmas. The same thing is happening with my 3DS, before I bought OoT I hadn't had it out of the charging cradle for months. If the Vita were $150 or so I could see buying it for the sake of picking up games that interest me every once in a while, but at $250 I need to see a consistent stream of high-quality games before I can justify buying it.

 

[DangerousDave]

Fair point, but when I bought my original PSP I was expecting to play it at least once a month, but I haven't touched it since Xmas. The same thing is happening with my 3DS, before I bought OoT I hadn't had it out of the charging cradle for months. If the Vita were $150 or so I could see buying it for the sake of picking up games that interest me every once in a while, but at $250 I need to see a consistent stream of high-quality games before I can justify buying it.

But... you bought the 3DS at $250, even if it was a much inferior device (tech speaking) than the Vita. So... it has been the bad experience of 3DS what now make you feel the $250 of Vita too much expensive?

 

[deepbrown]

My word, I'm surprised at this in this day and age. I bought my phone for £355, and the iPhone is nearer £500.

At the time the PSP came out, there was no way a phone would cost that much.

I know the Vita is not a phone, but the technology is superior. Selling it for £200 is insanely good value.