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[entremet]

With the 3DS and Vita, I could easily see a big shift in Japanese game development to the portables--this generation (last generation?)--has already seen proof of that. I only see the shift going further as the markets diverge. I love portables and will get both 3DS and Vita in time, but will we ever see a PS2 style revival in Japanese development on consoles again?

I really hope the Japanese market doesn't abandon consoles in subsequent generations, but it seems like it is headed that way.

 

[Rahxephon91]

Yes I do. Not for any specific reason and I don't really have nothing aginst handheld. I've played and completed a few PSP games but I must have a mental barrier or something. I just don't enjoy playing on handhelds and in the situations were they would be adventegous I find myself not wanting to game. The daily commute? I drive myself. Waiting in public or something? I rather just chill and listen to music. The handheld just isn't for me, at least not in that sense. When I'm at home I rather play on a console. And that goes for pc as well. I can never really complete a game on pc, I rather play it on my console and this isn't a comfy couch thing either. So I'm just not that into them. I have PSP, so if I push comes to shove I'll get a Vita for some Japanese exclusive.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Yes, but only because handhelds tend to be smaller in scale and scope than console games. Perhaps this will change on the Vita? I certainly hope so. The announced games certainly seem pretty full featured, and they aren't pushing the 'portable' aspect as much. Sony seems like they are treating it as a legitimate console.

 

[No_Style]

I'm seeing Vita as the training ground for the smaller Japanese developers. Easy porting between Vita and PS3 will hopefully give them an in onto the home consoles.

For example, if all we could get is a PS3 port of a new Valkyria Chronicles for Vita, I'm all for it.

The transition from PS2 era to "HD" era was harsh for those developers, I'm hoping Vita will be their second chance.

 

[Gravijah]

I'll miss large budget Japanese games, but I'm happy that Japanese games will continue being... Japanese.

 

[Eusis]

I only lament that handhelds don't seem to be more liked here amongst hardcore and niche gamers, since that means some of these games get ignored and (worse) fewer get localized as systems that are relevant in Japan become irrelevant here (PSP namely).

 

[sixteen-bit]

Not I.

 

[Version 3.0]

Yes. I hate portables - can't stand the tiny and non-fixed screens. I wish modern portables still had TV-based alterative devices like the Super Game Boy or Game Boy Player, but unfortunately, those ideas seem to be stuck in the past.

 

[Father_Brain]

"Eventual?" Haven't software sales there for the past few years been dominated by handhelds?

 

[theBishop]

I hope that Vita finally convinces Japanese developers to get more ambitious with technology. Persona 4 is cool and all, but lets see something that shows what Vita can do. I think the time has come.

 

[Takao]

I used to, but I'm not a graphics whore any more, and while the allure of playing on my TV is swell, I don't mind handhelds.

 

[Pyrokai]

Nope. I love handhelds. Just PLEASE keep localizing them in English.......please

 

[badcrumble]

Put me in the camp that hopes that more powerful handhelds will spur more frequent porting from handhelds to consoles (and vice versa) and that this'll help keep the industry profitable.

 

[Deified Data]

Portable games are less expensive than AAA console hits, so they invite risky, creative designs and allow for innovation. I see nothing wrong with the domination of portable gaming. There have been more quality titles for my DS this year than for my PS3.

 

[RockmanWhore]

I love handhelds, so I don't care. It seems like Japanese devs have a hard time with HD consoles, maybe in the future, with hardware easier to develop for they'll come back. If anything, I wish western devs took handheld gaming more seriously. It seems like the only game western devs can do are horrible ports of consoles game, terrible casual games, and shitty games based on licence like movies or TV shows.

 

[OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather]

Generally speaking, yes. I'd much rather play a game on my HDTV, and portables are always played at home. I hardly ever take them out of the house and when I do, I don't bother to play them. I often go to play a game, and then change my mind simply because it's on a handheld, especially if it's on those tiny DS screens.

Commute? I drive. Out in public? I'd rather listen to and observe my surroundings than bury my head in a handheld.

I still play handheld titles, but I'm usually not as enthusiastic about them as I am with consoles or even PC titles.

One silver lining though, if Japan goes handheld only, less money for me to spend, and if the games on XBox aren't doing it for me or I fully join the master race, I won't have to buy another TV again.

Japan going handheld only might not be such a bad thing.

 

[Thoraxes]

No, because the West has never proved they can provide decent handheld experiences.
The amount of good original titles they produce is far and few inbetween. The last really good game like that I can remember is Henry Hatsworth. Everything else is kind of meh at best.

 

[Shig]

Yes, insomuch as there is a large and ever-growing list of great games we will never get to play because Japan's market for portable games is so drastically mismatched with the rest of the world.

But I got nothing but love for portable games, personally.

 

[UberTag]

I'd rather have these Japanese developers succeeding somewhere (i.e. portables) than nowhere at all.

 

[Famassu]

A good game is a good game and I'll play a good game that interests me, no matter the platform.

 

[LiK]

Most Japan homes are small and people commute by train everywhere. Yea, portable is the way to go for them.

 

[vall03]

Nope. I love handhelds. Just PLEASE keep localizing them in English.......please

this

besides, contrary to what most people want, I prefer playing games on a small screen

 

[Red Blaster]

Partially, Vita is my last hope for Japanese devs actually growing into HD development.

 

[SykoTech]

Yes. Pretty much every game I want on the Vita and 3DS I would prefer on a console. It would probably have a larger scope on them as well.

Though the great thing about the Vita is the easy porting between it and the PS3. Now I just gotta hope enough 3rd parties take advantage of that. SFxT and Rayman Origins are good starts. I really hope Sega is onboard.

 

[ScionOfTheRisingSun]

The Japanese were the soul of home consoles ever since the NES. Not a day goes by where I do not lament their mass exodus to portables. But I understand why there was no other way.

Last generation when we were six years in I had over a hundred games across the PS2 and Gamecube, almost all of them Japanese. This generation I dont even have half that number across my current gen consoles. Next gen will be worse I reckon.

Handhelds it is then. That and a trove of vintage games for long defunct systems that passed me by in their time but are still there on eBay.

Besides, I spy dire prospects for the future of home consoles. Maybe jumping ship will be proven to have been most timely.

 

[Tain]

I like all the control options, display options, and power (in that order, more or less) that the consoles provide. If the Vita had video output and PS3 controller support, for example, I'd be much, much more interested in getting one. Still might, if the great games show.

So, yeah, kinda sucks.

If I really had it my way, all the Japanese action games would be made for arcades and ported to everything else, especially PC.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Considering 80% of my gaming is dedicated to handheld consoles AND the vast majority of games I play are Japanese games I am quite happy with this movement toward handheld consoles.

I just wish that next generation would have a better software ecosystem (less piracy) so that I can get more awesome games.

 

[DiscoJer]

Nope, I love it. If not for portables, I wouldn't even be playing video games (as opposed to console games).

For the life of me, I just can't understand how people can spent their lives in front of a TV. I was like that when I was younger, but that's not for me anymore.

 

[Aeana]

Nope. I don't really care. I will play the games regardless of where they end up. Handhelds and consoles each have their advantages, and I don't really prefer one over the other.

 

[Tain]

I just can't understand how people can spent their lives in front of a TV. I was like that when I was younger, but that's not for me anymore.

Let's not get insulting.

 

[Zwei]

Once I finally have a Vita in my hands, I'm more than likely to be done with consoles.

So no, I ain't even mad.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Nope, I love it. If not for portables, I wouldn't even be playing video games (as opposed to console games).

For the life of me, I just can't understand how people can spent their lives in front of a TV. I was like that when I was younger, but that's not for me anymore.

Pretty much, in fact the incredible lineup of the PSP and the DS console actually made me a gamer again and it actually pushed me back into console gaming, which I had started to abandon after the PS2/XBOX/PS2 generation.

 

[Raging Spaniard]

Eventual? Youre missing the obvious truth, they have ALWAYS dominated the handheld market. GB, GBA, Game Gear, DS, PSP. Its always been dominated by Japanese software.

 

[Negator]

The only thing holding me back from a vita is not being able to hook it up to my TV and playing it with a PS3 controller (i.e. turning it into a console). I know it is a bit much to ask for something like that but I think it would be great for those who play exclusively at home.

The state of Japanese developed console games is just sad right now, and I don't see it getting better any time soon.

 

[Dunan]

Absolutely love handhelds. I play them all the time while commuting to work (don't worry; I pause when changing trains and look where I'm going; I'm not one of those people), will occasionally fire it up during a break at work, and even at home when the better half is monopolizing the TV.

I'm lucky enough to be able to read Japanese, though, so all those untranslated games are just a minor annoyance rather than a total loss. You'd think that in this age of digital distribution, low-budget translation with the game being sold on the PSN would be a cheap alternative way to get these games out to speakers of other languages, but that's not what we're seeing.

The 3DS has even gone a step further and region-locked their portable, handheld device!

Getting rid of this hassle would go a long way in making handhelds more popular. Let us use them when we travel!

(The pie-in-the-sky solution is the complete elimination of separate markets for separate locales and of the "localization" concept entirely, with games being released in various languages all on the same worldwide network. Games would either have multiple languages to select from on the same disk/ROM, or you would filter for your languages when browsing the PSN.)

One thing I'd like to see, though, is better handheld-to-TV graphic output. The device for the PSP puts out slightly imperfect, under-scaled graphics with colors that are a bit too saturated. There's no reason why this couldn't be better: even emulators can handle this the right way. And the Vita has no graphics out?

 

[SykoTech]

Nope, I love it. If not for portables, I wouldn't even be playing video games (as opposed to console games).

For the life of me, I just can't understand how people can spent their lives in front of a TV. I was like that when I was younger, but that's not for me anymore.

Preferring games on consoles means that you're spending your life in front of a TV. Wow, that's some logic. I guess that means you spend all your time outside the house staring at a handheld, eh?

 

[Crash Station]

I just want a handheld/console hybrid. That'll fix the problem.

Eventual? Youre missing the obvious truth, they have ALWAYS dominated the handheld market. GB, GBA, Game Gear, DS, PSP. Its always been dominated by Japanese software.

He doesn't mean domination in terms of east vs west, he means in terms of Japan moving entirely to handhelds and not developing on consoles again.

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Once I finally have a Vita in my hands, I'm more than likely to be done with consoles.

So no, I ain't even mad.

*High Fives*

The PS Vita is what the PSP should have been and the 3DS has a promising game lineup.

He doesn't mean domination in terms of east vs west, he means in terms of Japan moving entirely to handhelds and not developing on consoles again.

Worst case scenario is that many developers make Handheld Consoles the primary development target, and then up-port it later down the line for the consoles.

 

[tiff]

I've never been much of a portable gamer. Couldn't afford to both portables and consoles in the past, and once I got a DS I realized that squinting at a small screen in an uncomfortable position isn't really my idea of fun.

Still, though, better to embrace it than lament it. Portables will dominate Japanese development either way, nothing really to do but go with the flow.

Though what I really wish for is GameBoy Player-esque functionality to catch on. If I can I'd rather play on a TV, because it's just more comfortable.

 

[thcsquad]

I've been lamenting it since Suikoden Tierkreis was announced.

 

[B!TCH]

What was the last major, blockbuster home console release in Japan? People tend to exaggerate doom & gloom predictions, but I don't actually know much about what games are popular in Japan other than knowing that most of the people I know from Japan who do play games, play Pokemon.

On a much broader level, Japanese companies have been ceding the consumer electronics market to other companies for at least the past 10 years. They just haven't been that important in deciding the direction of that market and I'm not really sure why (seems like a variety of reasons depending on the company in question). I'm not really sure what will happen if Nintendo's Wii U is a total failure or if PS4 is greatly outsold by PSVita. Wii U already seems like a strategy to get more people comfortable playing on a 'portable console.'

The only thing holding me back from a vita is not being able to hook it up to my TV and playing it with a PS3 controller (i.e. turning it into a console). I know it is a bit much to ask for something like that but I think it would be great for those who play exclusively at home.

Not really sure about the controller part because with PSVita incorporating touch controls, holding the console itself will likely be necessary for most games. It's technically possible to include a feature like this, but it's practically worthless unless it's completely wireless.

 

[Duxxy3]

Nah, i look forward to the glut of japanese developed Vita games.

 

[Quadrangulum]

Not in the slightest. I'm sad more developers haven't embraced portables.

 

[Skilletor]

Nope. Not a bit.

Only thing I'd miss are fighters, and hopefully those will get PC ports.

/me looks at Capcom.

 

[Electivirus]

Not at all. It's certainly not as if the West is making anything of worth on portables. I find myself hard pressed to sit in front of a TV for long stretches of time, so my handhelds are a godsend to me. That, and I've found tons more awesome games for my DS/PSP than I have for any of my consoles this gen.

 

[RaijinFY]

Probably why Sony bothered with releasing a new handheld...They know they wont get back the days of PS2 like support in Japan with the PS4 (i anticipate it will most likely less than currently with PS3), more likely with Vita.

 

[a Master Ninja]

As dedicated gaming handhelds become less relevant to my lifestyle, it does appear that I will be playing fewer and fewer video games made in Japan as time goes on. I just prefer playing on the PC (which Japan never embraced) and consoles (where support appears to be slowly drying up).

 

[GhaleonQ]

No, because most of the good companies don't make enough money to compete on super-advanced hardware. It's that simple.

We lost enough developers this generation.

 

[Ra1den]

On one hand it's great that we are still getting lots of Japanese games....on the other hand it's unfortunate they are on handhelds. I like handhelds of course, but I want the main focus to remain on consoles.

 

[Barkley's Justice]

i think you're puttin too much faith in this portable generation, period.