Support NeoGAF

[Sho_Nuff82]

Its pretty simple it will sell well in japan when games come out for it. Same thing with 3ds same thing with psp, there needs to be that one title in japan that everyone wants and it will be fine.

Only, the PSP had a bunch of exclusives announced at launch due to being a spiritual successor of the PS2. The Vita does not have that luxury, many of its best games are ports. It's going to be much more difficult to carve out an identity when almost any game that would take advantage of the hardware would probably sell better on the PS3 for the next 18 months.

 

[Maedhros]

you say that like it's a done deal though, when it isn't. yeah, all it needs in Japan is it's 'Monster Hunter'... but Sony haven't shown a first party ability to create such a thing, and the chances of them getting a big exclusive this time is arguably weaker.

it may happen, i hope it happens, but there is nothing 'simple' about it. it isn't so much a 'when' statement as an 'if' statement.

month two numbers aren't bad here in the US. hopefully that holds up, but it's unlikely to going through summer.

We can only wait right?

I still don't see claims about MH exclusivity. Is it just what's being assumed or does anyone know if Nintendo really has an exclusivity contract for the series?

 

[Kusagari]

We can only wait right?

I still don't see claims about MH exclusivity. Is it just what's being assumed or does anyone know if Nintendo really has an exclusivity contract for the series?

Does it really matter if Nintendo has it exclusive or not? The thing that matters is it WILL be on both systems.

 

[DrWong]

Kid Icarus Uprising sold 135K in the US in 10 days. It sold 135K in its first week in Japan and the consensus on GAF is it did well. Knowing 3DS has a better momentum in Japan and with just a few more days on store in the US I don't know how we can say it did bad.

 

[Gartooth]

I don't see how it contributed little when it's likely Uprising would have never been made if not for Pit being loved in Brawl.

You have the wrong idea, Pit's appearance in Brawl might have helped start a sequel, but I'm talking about the reception of Uprising itself. I fail to see how it would have gotten any significant boost from the reception of Brawl.

Essentially, what I'm trying to get across is that Brawl's success came from both the game being a new Smash Bros., along with the roster of popular Nintendo characters in the title.

I doubt that Pit and the resurgence of the Kid Icarus IP had any significant impact on Brawl's financial success, and without Smash's gameplay or characters to fall back on such as Mario and Pikachu, this is a true test of the IP's popularity.

 

[KageMaru]

are those figures usa or ww?, as i thought ps3 was outselling 360 ww.

Not sure how this year has been going, but the 360 outsold the ps3 last year WW.

I guess someone aside Nintendo should have bothered to support it.

Or maybe Nintendo shouldn't have specced themselves out of the industry standard. It's not like every quality 3rd party titles on the system have sold massive amounts, even for a system supposedly starved for quality 3rd party titles.

Not sure it makes sense to divert resources for one SKU that may not see a return when there are 3 other SKUs that fall into the same market.

The Wii not selling isn't surprising to any of us. What is surprising is I expected it to start plummeting years ago. How it was able to achieve the kind of sales it did month after month among sentient lifeforms is incredible.

Nintendo opened up a new demographic with the Wii, it just took time for that market to reach it's peak. The arrival of Move and Kinect also helped sap what life is left out of the system.

Nintendo makes games that sell for years rather than mere weeks or months. Again: It is the #1 game developer on the planet and has been for decades. It has huge competitive advantages against everyone else in the space, nevermind that the company is run far better than the majority of its competitors. Also, it doesn't make games to prove how manly its developers are.

I love Nintendo, but come on. This is all Nintendo ass-suckery at it's finest.

 

[thefro]

Kid Icarus Uprising sold 135K in the US in 10 days. It sold 135K in its first week in Japan and the consensus on GAF is it did well. Knowing 3DS has a better momentum in Japan and with just a few more days on store in the US I don't know how we can say it did bad.

Yeah, it's going to do fine and outsell the original game easily over its lifetime. Not sure why people could be disappointed.

You're looking at a series that was probably a fifth as popular as Metroid 25 years ago and has been dead ever since. Pretty respectable debut considering the install base.

 

[Averon]

If vita sales are abysmal, then 3DS are too.
It barely outsold it despite being much cheaper and having much more compelling software.

To be honest, neither the 3DS and especially the Vita have much to crow about. The Vita is off to a much worse start than the PSP and the 3DS barely outsells it despite having a more desirable library and massive price advantage. With the rise of smartphone gaming and iOS, I can see things getting worse of dedicated handheld gaming in the US.

 

[Vinci]

I love Nintendo, but come on. This is all Nintendo ass-suckery at it's finest.

Go check out a Best-Selling Console Games of All-Time list sometime and tell me which company appears on it the most by an overwhelming margin. This isn't opinion, it's observable fact.
Better yet, go see which game developer has the most profit for all time.

 

[jman2050]

Assessing the release of Nintendo's games is always a dicey affair because they're all atypical cases of games sustaining sales long beyond their initial launch period. Saying it sold 135K in its first month doesn't really tell us much good or bad because it very well could be much higher or stagnant a year from now, and we can't really predict which it will be.

 

[aknbad30]

If I didn't know any better, I would think that a lot of people in this thread secretly get excited at the thought of Vita selling poorly.

Vita > 225k = A few more pages......boring
Vita < 200k = 30 more pages, gloom and doom, lolz

 

[Kusagari]

If I didn't know any better, I would think that a lot of people in this thread secretly get excited at the thought of Vita selling poorly.

Schadenfreude. Everyone loves a bomb.

 

[jman2050]

I love Nintendo, but come on. This is all Nintendo ass-suckery at it's finest.

*shrugs* He's not wrong. The numbers bear this out clearly.

 

[Gartooth]

Yeah, it's going to do fine and outsell the original game easily over its lifetime. Not sure why people could be disappointed.

You're looking at a series that was probably a fifth as popular as Metroid 25 years ago and has been dead ever since. Pretty respectable debut considering the install base.

Agreed, I love Uprising and overall I'm proud of the effort that Sakurai's team and Nintendo's marketing put behind the game to try and make it a success. I hope that the game has long legs, Kid Icarus has proven itself and I hope the series has a bright future ahead of it.

 

[RukusProvider]

To be honest, neither the 3DS and especially the Vita have much to crow about. The Vita is off to a much worse start than the PSP and the 3DS barely outsells it despite having a more desirable library and massive price advantage. With the rise of smartphone gaming and iOS, I can see things getting worse of dedicated handheld gaming in the US.

This is the real outcome. Even kids are wanting smartphones and tablets.

For parents, a single multi purpose device is a much better and less headache inducing option than numerous use case devices.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

If I didn't know any better, I would think that a lot of people in this thread secretly get excited at the thought of Vita selling poorly.

Probably the same people cheering about Vita dropping below 10k finally in the Media Create thread.

 

[jman2050]

This is the real outcome. Even kids are wanting smartphones and tablets.

For parents, a single multi purpose device is a much better and less headache inducing option than numerous use case devices.

That logic goes straight out the window the moment the kid wants to play Pokemon or the like.

 

[Vinci]

*shrugs* He's not wrong. The numbers bear this out clearly.

Hell, my favorite Nintendo games are few and far between. I tend to prefer PC gaming over console gaming by a pretty sizable margin. But that doesn't change the fact that Nintendo is the most successful game company of all time; in fact, it's not even close.

 

[aknbad30]

Probably the same people cheering about Vita dropping below 10k finally in the Media Create thread.

I don't get it. It's a great system. I want to see it succeed. More fun for me.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Handheld sales are surprising to me. In as far as 3DS sales are much lower than expected (compared to Japan) and Vita sales are surprisingly decent compared to some of the "PS3 in 2007" comparisons being thrown about this month. We could see the streams cross or have them neck and neck in the next couple of months. I don't know what that says about the Western handheld market, both are doing abysmally in terms of software in the UK and most PAL charts.

This is the real outcome. Even kids are wanting smartphones and tablets.

For parents, a single multi purpose device is a much better and less headache inducing option than numerous use case devices.

It's not just kids. I ride the subway every day to work (Boston, USA), it's amazing watching 75% of the people on the train absorbed in their cell phone on any given trip. Even if they're not playing games, these are all people who are completely socialized to whip their phones out in public. I've seen maybe one 3DS in the wild ever. What can Nintendo and Sony do to drag them away from Bejeweled and Angry Birds and Draw Something and Words with Friends?

 

[iceatcs]

Hell, my favorite Nintendo games are few and far between. I tend to prefer PC gaming over console gaming by a pretty sizable margin. But that doesn't change the fact that Nintendo is the most successful game company of all time; in fact, it's not even close.

I think you put wording wrong. Number one publisher sound better.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I think you put wording wrong. Number one publisher sound better.

Number one publisher...of games.

 

[BassForever]

Handheld sales are surprising to me. In as far as 3DS sales are much lower than expected (compared to Japan) and Vita sales are surprisingly decent compared to some of the "PS3 in 2007" comparisons being thrown about this month. We could see the streams cross or have them neck and neck in the next couple of months. I don't know what that says about the Western handheld market, both are doing abysmally in terms of software in the UK and most PAL charts.

But we're comparing a year old system to one in it's first full month of availability, if the Vita continues to sell around 200k a month that'll be one thing, but we won't get a real indication on how well the console is doing in NA until we see April and May NPD numbers.

 

[Vinci]

I think you put wording wrong. Number one publisher sound better.

....

And that distinction would make sense if the most popular of its published titles weren't developed in-house.

 

[DrWong]

I don't know what that says about the Western handheld market, both are doing abysmally in terms of software in the UK and most PAL charts.

Uh! I missed the EU reports showing that for this first quarter .

 

[RurouniZel]

Probably the same people cheering about Vita dropping below 10k finally in the Media Create thread.

1) increase drama
2) secret hopes of Sony doing to Vita what Nintendo did to 3DS (dramatic price drop)

 

[darkside31337]

Handheld sales are surprising to me. In as far as 3DS sales are much lower than expected (compared to Japan) and Vita sales are surprisingly decent compared to some of the "PS3 in 2007" comparisons being thrown about this month. We could see the streams cross or have them neck and neck in the next couple of months. I don't know what that says about the Western handheld market, both are doing abysmally in terms of software in the UK and most PAL charts.

It's not just kids. I ride the subway every day to work (Boston, USA), it's amazing watching 75% of the people on the train absorbed in their cell phone on any given trip. Even if they're not playing games, these are all people who are completely socialized to whip their phones out in public. I've seen maybe one 3DS in the wild ever. What can Nintendo and Sony do to drag them away from Bejeweled and Angry Birds and Draw Something and Words with Friends?

Completely agree with the possibility of Vita overtaking the 3DS this summer. There are some big titles for the system in the near future that should do pretty decently, MK - Resistance - Gravity Rush for May - June, which looks to be a lot stronger than the 3DS lineup.

And I agree with the second point too. Reality is people want to leave their house with one device in their pocket and the phone is going to be that device. I still think Sony goofed up by not having an Xperia Vita model, one that was much cheaper by being subsidized through a contract. Given Sony's new strategy under Kaz being heavily devoted to Mobile and Gaming it seems like a no brainer that a Vita phone has to be in the pipeline.

 

[iceatcs]

....

And that distinction would make sense if the most popular of its published titles weren't developed in-house.

It totally sound to me that you called Nintendo game developer is the best in the world.
It is an opinion to me.

 

[shandy706]

<------ Couldn't have cared less about Sony and the PS3 here lately (still don't care about the PS3 sold it in 2007).


<------ Bought a Vita and Loves it!

I haven't cared about Sony for years, this is also the first handheld I've bought since the Gameboy Advance.

The Show is incredible on the Vita (as is FIFA). When it came to a handheld I didn't want "mobile gaming", I wanted a CONSOLE that I could carry. This is as close as they've come.



Basically I want the Vita to do well, because it deserves it. I wonder how many copies of The Show sold on the Vita?

This is coming from a Nintendo fan, that loves the 360 more than any console this gen, that can't stand the PS3 (Sony's ways), that bought a Vita in March.....LOL

Put that in your pipe and smoke it (<--Not sure who I"m talking to there. )

 

[MightyHedgehog]

If I didn't know any better, I would think that a lot of people in this thread secretly get excited at the thought of Vita selling poorly.

Vita > 225k = A few more pages......boring
Vita < 200k = 30 more pages, gloom and doom, lolz

It could be people who could never understand why Sony was going to market with this system and in the way they have given the reality of 2011-2012...waiting to see if what seemed obvious many months ago pans out. Like me. This thing smelled a bit doomed the moment they fully-revealed its lineup, price, and features. The sales numbers have only proved this hunch right, so far, with little on the side of Sony, in terms of historical precedent, to help them turn around what seems to be the beginnings of an unqualified failure of a new platform and product. Of course, Sony won't let it die this year, but they'll have to be out there aggressively prodding it into some kind of bestseller and that won't be cheap for them or quick to happen any time soon. So, really, this is an interesting and spectacular event in gaming, even if you're not into handhelds. I mean, we're talking billions of dollars are riding on this platform to achieve some sort of decent ascent angle and sustained momentum in sales and mindshare against the rising tide of Apple and the Android mobile market.

 

[Kusagari]

It totally sound to me that you called Nintendo game developer is the best in the world.
It is an opinion to me.

In terms of every metric they are. They have by far the most critically acclaimed games of any developer. They have the game that has the most consensus for best game of all time.

It's an opinion, yeah, but they are by far the closest to being called that.

 

[plagiarize]

Does it really matter if Nintendo has it exclusive or not? The thing that matters is it WILL be on both systems.

exactly. as i said, i hope it happens, but there is no guarantee. competition is good. i love the Vita hardware, but i can't justify buying one until there is enough software on it that appeals to me.

 

[jman2050]

It totally sound to me that you called Nintendo game developer is the best in the world.
It is an opinion to me.

Given that this is a sales thread I would assume the context was always with sales.

Of course, it is technically more correct to call them the #1 game publisher, but the intent of the message was clear I thought.

 

[KageMaru]

Go check out a Best-Selling Console Games of All-Time list sometime and tell me which company appears on it the most by an overwhelming margin. This isn't opinion, it's observable fact.
Better yet, go see which game developer has the most profit for all time.

Oh, well if you're talking about profit, then I can understand that view point. I thought you meant in overall quality when that's usually more subjective.

We'll see how well they do when their budgets increase closer to current gen standards.

 

[CadetMahoney]

Capcom is going to want to do a sequel to Operation Raccoon City.

They'll get viral marketers to describe how improved it is on forums and pay for reviews.

Sony will rise again.

"Rise from your grave."

 

[Celine]

Basically I want the Vita to do well, because it deserves it. I wonder how many copies of The Show sold on the Vita?

<50K

 

[jman2050]

It's not just kids. I ride the subway every day to work (Boston, USA), it's amazing watching 75% of the people on the train absorbed in their cell phone on any given trip. Even if they're not playing games, these are all people who are completely socialized to whip their phones out in public. I've seen maybe one 3DS in the wild ever. What can Nintendo and Sony do to drag them away from Bejeweled and Angry Birds and Draw Something and Words with Friends?

Software sells hardware, that's how it's always been. Nintendo has the clout and resources to buoy their platform on their guaranteed sellers. Sony has a much tougher time of it.

I find reading these threads confusing cause I feel like everyone's logic is backwards when it comes to predicting buying habits.

 

[TruHero]

Basically I want the Vita to do well, because it deserves it.

Why does PSV deserve success?

 

[iceatcs]

Given that this is a sales thread I would assume the context was always with sales.

Of course, it is technically more correct to call them the #1 game publisher, but the intent of the message was clear I thought.

Aye, let's call it publisher. That's what publisher do. Developer does different (ie, they are only making game)

 

[nickcv]

so, still no psv numbers?

sony pr it's aweful... all they said is basically "we have products, and people buy them"
not a single number for any of their products... if even sony pr don't know how to spin this around it probably is really bad... V_V

 

[plagiarize]

Why does PSV deserve success?

it's a well put together piece of hardware. for me, that's enough to want to see it be successful.

 

[Zeouterlimits]

I don't get it. It's a great system. I want to see it succeed. More fun for me.

I think you're mis-interpreting it.
People predict that based on the market, software available and coming and especially the price that the Vita will do poorly (right now at least).
So seeing the data backing up their figures.

It's just investment in sales-age, don't think of it as slating the device itself, more sales-concious criticism.

 

[impact]

Why does PSV deserve success?

Great hardware. Why doesn't it deserve success?

 

[Kazerei]

NPD graphs

Would be interesting to see the handheld graphs. PSV seems to be holding up pretty well against the 3DS.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I finally got a chance to play with a Vita last week at Best Buy. Nice enough piece of tech, the dual analogs are responsive enough, and the screen is brilliant. If Sony wants to tackle the Western market, they should focus on multiplayer games that Western gamers love, specifically the 4 player co-op titles like Left 4 Dead, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, or Borderlands that really make sense for handhelds. NBA 2k should be really big for it. But most of all, shamelessly take advantage of the touch screen. Call up Zygna, give them a gigantic moneyhat, and get every F2P game that's on facebook/mobile on Vita asap. Draw Something is actually perfect for 3DS and Vita, if Minecraft can come to consoles this needs to happen.

Software sells hardware, that's how it's always been. Nintendo has the clout and resources to buoy their platform on their guaranteed sellers. Sony has a much tougher time of it.

I find reading these threads confusing cause I feel like everyone's logic is backwards when it comes to predicting buying habits.

Of course software sells hardware. But you're talking about a consumer commodity like mobiles being transitioned into gaming devices, and consumers becoming accustomed to games that are either free or $0.99. It's very tough momentum to break, and it does change perception. There were people noticeably grumbling last year about why Pilotwings 3D wasn't worth $40. Nintendo should actually be thankful that Android has slightly overtaken iOS in marketshare, as the Android market is much weaker for games at this point.

There is also the newfound issue with the handhelds now having the ability to make console-like experiences, are current Western console games willing to transition to handhelds to replay those kinds of experiences on the road? The answer for Resident Evil was a resounding NO...what does this mean for Mortal Kombat, Tekken, GTA, Bioshock, Assassin's Creed, etc?

 

[Maedhros]

Why does PSV deserve success?

Why doesn't it? It's a good hardware.

 

[SmokedMeat]

I think part of it is how late they "discover" DS. The new Mario Kart/Mario hold less appeal for kids who already cut their teeth on the DS versions of those games.

The other appeal for the iOS devices has dick all to do with games. My kids actually "text" me at work using iMessage when they get home from school, and it's fantastic. They also use them for Netflix, YouTube, etc.. I see that Nintendo has some of this stuff in the 3DS (and thank God they finally let you game over a WPA2 secure connection!), but it's ingrained at this point. Their Touches are their little portable computers, and it really shows you where the expectations are going to be with this current generation growing up.

My kids cut their teeth on Mario platforming/Mariokart on Gamecube. They also enjoyed them on GBA and DS, and requested them for 3DS. But that's really the only time 3DS got much use from them. They'd play the new Mario/Mariokart for a bit and then the 3DS went back to collecting dust.

Their "i" devices get used everyday, whether it's gaming, Facebook, messaging, whatever. My kids don't care if they don't have their 3DS on a roadtrip, but heaven forbid they forget their iTouch or cellphone.

 

[tuffy]

This thing smelled a bit doomed the moment they fully-revealed its lineup, price, and features.

There was some definite optimism when the Vita was first announced since its hardware had superior specs to the yet-unreleased 3DS, but the same price tag. I remember one poster was so enthusiastic that he posted a screenshot of his cancelled 3DS preorder with the reason "waiting for Vita" listed.

But with Nintendo being very aggressive with pricing and games, the Vita's launch titles coming up short in terms of sales, and little reason to expect a matching price cut in the short term, the Vita's outlook has gotten quite gloomy.

 

[TruHero]

Great hardware. Why doesn't it deserve success?

Why doesn't it? It's a good hardware.

Oh ok. I wasn't following the line of thought of Good Hardware = Deseved Success.

 

[TheNatural]

Great hardware. Why doesn't it deserve success?

Because it's overpriced. The market decides whether it's going to be successful or not, no one "deserves" success, and so far on any handhelds above $200 it's answered with a resounding "NO." You could almost make that statement about practically anything portable that isn't a phone or made by Apple.