I've been saying that a lot their marketing really sucks compare to others.
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Poor Vita performance dragging down Sony's entire gaming unit
- Thread starter SmokedMeat
- Start date
I've been saying that a lot their marketing really sucks compare to others.
As I search for a PS VITA cradle/stand with speakers. I don't need Sony to compete with Nintendo's 3DS, I need it to compete with tablet/tablet features.
Playing games back and forth between ps3 and vita is nice, some cool games down the pipe coming.
My original iPad is about to bite the dust, the cost to replace the dented back cover and glass could just buy a new tablet, even if just a cheap android.
But why do that when I have a PS VITA that can play netflix, hulu plus soon, a few other apps, facebook, noegaf mobile and play games with actual controls.
What I can't do with it is read my .cbr comics, .pdf manuals/books, etc. I'd like to use my vita for more and not buy another tablet.
The vita has everything I need except that extra non gaming functionality.
The memory cards are stupid too, old cards would have been fine, especially if they made them compatible with sony tablets.
And the first app that should have been included in every vita was an app that turns the vita into a rear view mirror for grand turismo 5.
Playing games back and forth between ps3 and vita is nice, some cool games down the pipe coming.
My original iPad is about to bite the dust, the cost to replace the dented back cover and glass could just buy a new tablet, even if just a cheap android.
But why do that when I have a PS VITA that can play netflix, hulu plus soon, a few other apps, facebook, noegaf mobile and play games with actual controls.
What I can't do with it is read my .cbr comics, .pdf manuals/books, etc. I'd like to use my vita for more and not buy another tablet.
The vita has everything I need except that extra non gaming functionality.
The memory cards are stupid too, old cards would have been fine, especially if they made them compatible with sony tablets.
And the first app that should have been included in every vita was an app that turns the vita into a rear view mirror for grand turismo 5.
Maximus.
Member
It sucks. The vita is a wonderful system with great potential, but it needs the right support. The games just arent there and the price of entry is just ridiculous. Also, games cant be above 40 bucks, it is ridiculous that Uncharted was released at 50 bucks. I dont want to see the system die, but if Sony doesnt step it up asap I wont be surprised to see it die.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
I see it completely differently.
PS2 was the long awaited successor to the hottest console ever at the time. Developers were already lined up and ready to throw their full support behind the system, and the competition was a laugh. You had Sega's Dreamcast which was dead, an unproven Xbox, and Nintendo which was considered the system for children. DVD playback only sweetened the deal.
With PS3 Sony failed by launching a $600 system against a cheaper Xbox 360 that not only had a year head start, but all of the big games previously exclusive to Playstation systems were now coming to Xbox 360. The bonus kick in the balls was they were superior on the cheaper Xbox hardware.
Sure...MGS3, RE:R, Mario platformers, Starfox, Zelda OoT, SSF4, DOA, Tekken Prime, Ace Combat, WWE Allstars, Sonic Generations, Rayman Origins, Fire Emblem, Luigi's Mansion, Animal Crossing, Paper Mario, etc but please don't bring up console games on 3DS, because only Nintendo's allowed to do it.
The difference is that Nintendo's 'console' type games are not treated like shabby spin-offs. Mario Kart 7, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, etc are the next mainline entries in those series, not little side games.
Of course there were other factors that led to the console receiving unprecedented support from developers. But the DVD feature is what sold the console to the masses, at least in those early years. It was a huge selling point.
Teletraan1
Banned
If it got games and a pricecut I could see it doing ok. They should have just scaled back the systems power or the tech (screen) so they could have launched at a reasonable price. They also need to get some real studios backing this thing or at least set up a system where they can easily port over iOS/Android games and have a cheap marketplace for those games. I would have built the thing around being a leech of the phone gaming market along with the bigger budget games on the system. I think both can co-exist on one system. People who play phone games also own consoles and play both types of games, why not have that option on one system. Its no different than having AAA blockbusters and indy/downloadable games on PS3/360.
I actually see a lot of sony advertisements for their games/ps3/vita.
Mind you I don't watch much tv.
But I do see a lot of ads on hulu and other online services with ads, ps3/sony logo and ads are all over the place during soccer games.
so if Sony dropped the price at TGS they'd be ~1 mth later - like I said, people making too much noise too soon...if the price doesn't drop before Christmas I'd be very surprised, but I'm still banking on a LBP bundle in September.
I think with the PS2 it was definitely the dvd player as masses were upgrading from vhs to dvd and wanted an all in one device as opposed to a more expensive dvd player that only played dvd's.
Dreamcast dropping out and Gamecube being considered for kids (as well as the small dvd's to combat pirating) helped ps2 along.
I bought all the consoles but the cheaper 360 wasn't a factor to me. Considering that the 360 lacked an hdmi port and wifi as well as other non gaming features threw me for a loop when people thought they should be priced equally.
It's what made it VFM - from memory it was very expensive but as soon as you realised it was a DVD player too it made it a great price...ideal 'all in one' unit and of course had backward compatability.
Adding you to my buddy list.
It is for the reasons you stipulated that I think it will fail (unless they change trajectory and do a price cut, invest in new software.) Most people already carry devices that do these multimedia and general entertainment functions, and do them well. iPhones and smartphones are ubiquitous, and they are almost always ahead of the handheld consoles tech wise due to the fast upgrade cycle. People are used to upgrading smartphones often, consoles not so much. So, Sony banking on the multimedia features of the device to carry it over will bomb, and has bombed spectacularly so far. They needed to focus solely on the game functionality of the device. Forget all these extraneous features, cut the fat, and make the game functionality the best it could be. And that doesn't simply mean super advanced expensive graphics hardware, it means interesting software worth spending $40 + $250 for.
SpoonyBard
Banned
I haven't ever seen any Vita demo units in my neck of the woods, while 3DS demo units were quite well present already during the system launch. Too bad, I actually want to try one and see what it looks like in person...
There is nothing to market.
Ingueferroque
Banned
It is honestly the best gaming handheld ever released, from a technology/usability perspective.
Sent to die by Sony.
Huge shame.
Sent to die by Sony.
Huge shame.
totally - I remember making this point a while ago (probably on another forum) and being shouted down - but at the time I worked at currys and I know for a fact DVD was a major bonus selling point to our customers at the time - they looked at the cheaper dreamcast and I'd say "DVD player and backward compatability with your PS1 games" and it was sold.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
How do you tell the difference between a "little side game" and a mainline entry?
Playing through Uncharted Golden Abyss I can assure you it's anything but a "little side game". The quality is right up there with the mainline games including the use of the same voice actors of the console editions.
Same deal with Resident Evil Revelations. I guess that's another little side game, even though the quality is most certainly up there with the console titles.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
New systems rarely have strong RPG lineups early on. As it is, the Vita's lineup of RPGs for the first year appears to be surprisingly good.
Persona 4 Golden
Ragnarok Odyssey
Soul Sacrifice
...as well as New Little King Story & Silent Hill: Book of Memories if you count either of those as RPGs. Also FFX HD whenever that comes out (assuming it's not cancelled) and probably a couple I'm forgetting. Plus the PSP has gotten some good RPGs recently (Unchained Blades, Gungnir, and Growlanser) so I've been playing those on the Vita (with a better screen & faster load times!) while I wait for the Vita specific games to come out.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
Tose > Capcom confirmed
I've seen the show baseball ad with the guy going from ps3 to vita and playing while walking to work (lol try not to get hit by a bus) hundreds of times and I almost never watch tv without skipping commercials with my dvr.
Loghorn150
Banned
Huh? What drugs have you been taking, son? Especially by your last sentence.
I don't there has been any since the MLB bundle was going around, and that was months ago.
There were a ton of tv ads for it(#gamechanger) on ESPN. Plus they had the big Taco Bell promo where they were giving away Vitas and that was advertised on tv as well.
electroplankton
Banned
vagabondarts
Member
the brass at Sony seem hellbent on letting it die.
I don't see them turning it around.
I honestly don't know what they can do.
Judging from the outside looking in, it looks like their plan was for it to be a massive success out of the gate and they didn't plan too much after that.
The mixed messages on psn and ps1 games being playable/unplayable has hurt it too.
I don't see them turning it around.
I honestly don't know what they can do.
Judging from the outside looking in, it looks like their plan was for it to be a massive success out of the gate and they didn't plan too much after that.
The mixed messages on psn and ps1 games being playable/unplayable has hurt it too.
Saint Gregory
Member
Yeah, this is a part of the debate that shouldn't come as often as it does. Nintendo is pretty much the only player in the business right now that gives its handheld games the same resources that it's consoles games get.
It's not that Vita games like GA aren't good efforts, it's that Sony didn't care enough about it to put ND on it or even worse that maybe ND refused to work on it.
TDLink
Member
I have also played Uncharted: GA and it certainly is a little side game when compared with the main titles. I must have missed the part in Uncharted 1, 2, or 3, where an entire chapter only took about 10 minutes...and with hardly any gameplay. I would call RE:R a side game too and its poor sales probably reflect that. Look at stuff like Kid Icarus Uprising (just to go off something already out). That is a console-level experience only available on the 3DS. You can't get a Kid Icarus game like that on console. I can get a much better Uncharted experience on PS3 than Vita though.
Soul Sacrifice isn't a RPG. Most RPG fans I think realize at this point the 3DS is the way to go this time around. Tales of the Abyss 3D, Kingdom Hearts DDD, Bravely Default, Heroes of Ruin, Shin Megami Tensei 4, Etrian Odyssey 4, Unchained Blades...just to name a few.
Bending_Unit_22
Member
Thrice beaten, but yeah I don't watch much TV that would have video game advertising and I saw tons of the Taco Bell and MLB walking guy commercials. They were running almost every commercial break it seemed whenever I watched adult swim. I've also seen PS Vita adverts prominently placed behind the catcher while watching baseball.
Nope, you are completely right. The RPG lineup for the PSP was the main reason why someone would even bother playing it. No other genre mattered.
DS and PSP combo was the premier combo for RPG fanatics and I'm glad I was a part of it.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
Well, I wouldn't say *just* Nintendo is, but they're probably the only major publisher who does. Level 5, Index, Marvelous, Falcom and some others would qualify for smaller pubs.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
I was under the impression that Soul Sacrifice was similar to stuff like Monster Hunter and Demon's/Dark Souls. We don't exactly have a lot of information about the game yet so I could see it going either way (more RPG elements like Dark Souls or less RPG elements like Monster Hunter).
Unchained Blades is on the Vita via the PSP so that's not exactly a point in the 3DS favor (and owning the game on the Vita, I can say that it's awesome and if you own a 3DS, a PSP, or a Vita, you should definitely pick it up).
In any case, I'm guessing the 3DS/Vita situation is going to be similar to the DS/PSP situation - if you like RPGs, you're going to want both systems. There's not a whole lot on the 3DS yet that interests me on the RPG front (not a fan of Kingdom Hearts or Tales and Heroes of Ruin doesn't sound very good) but I'm definitely going to be picking one up if Soul Hackers and some of the other Japanese exclusive RPGs get released in the US (as well as for SMT4 & Etrian Odyssey 4 which I assume are a given). And Persona 4 Golden should be practically enough to sell a lot of JRPG fans on the Vita just by itself, to say nothing of any other RPGs that are released on the system.
Plus, well, aside from the whole UMD issue, PSP games are strictly better on the Vita (unlike the 3DS which has scaling issues with DS games). The PSP has a great RPG library and being able to play that on the Vita's huge, high quality screen, with reduced load times is great.
vagabondarts
Member
Same here. If the vita dies will publishers take those games to 3DS or mobile?
Wherever they go, I will be there. Those are the games I want.
NOA doesn't really like jrpg players either.
Before the MH rival I would have said that DS far outstripped the PSP when it came to RPGs. If a similar miracle doesn't happen there's a decent chance it could go back to that old formula.
TDLink
Member
Soul Sacrifice is an action game. In fact, I am fairly certain the devs have stated you won't be getting experience or loot because they want to differentiate it from a game like Monster Hunter.
I was under the impression that Unchained Blades was only on Vita in Japan and that in the states it is PSP/3DS only. Either way, if it is on both systems then it can only be a plus for both. Point is that down the line Vita and 3DS could very well both be "must owns" if you are a RPG fan. For now though (based on games currently out as well as currently announced for both systems) the 3DS' count for the genre just destroys Vita's.
3DS is still absolute shit for RPGs if you don't live in Japan. Some ports and Kingdom Hearts is not impressive in the slightest considering how long its been out.
vagabondarts
Member
I lay blame at the feet of Reggie and Scott Moffit
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
Falcom already said Trails series is 3DS bound, so I think they would transition if need be.
NOA at least has Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Fire Emblem Awakening coming, not to mention all the DS RPGs they've been bringing the past couple years (Dragon Quest IX/VI, Pokémon Black/White 1/2, Golden Sun DD, Pokémon Conquest, DQM Joker 2, Fossil Fighters 2, etc). It's not like NOA's been passing over 3DS RPGs.
It won't be handled properly, though. We've seen absolutely nothing, and the title doesn't suggest that it has anything to do with Black Ops 2. We're probably getting some kind of game that has the bare minimum of multiplayer (few modes, few small maps, no DLC map packs, insignificant progression, absolutely no tie in to Elite or any of the console games) and a side story.
TDLink
Member
Of the RPGs I listed all of them are out in, or confirmed coming to, North America/Europe with the exceptions of SMT 4 and EO 4. SMT: Devil Survivor Overclocked is already on 3DS and did alright and we have gotten most (if not all?) of the SMT games in the west already so the chances of SMT4 coming are pretty high even though no official announcement has been made yet. EO4 is up in the air though, sure. I don't see how living in Japan makes the 3DS' RPG situation any better than it is (which is not at all "absolute shit").
And yeah, I didn't even mention upcoming Nintendo first party RPGs like Fire Emblem and Paper Mario.
Well better late than never for Nintendo's sake...
War Peaceman
You're a big guy.
I don't think people know the Vita exists. It just seems to have no presence at all. They have shelves in game stores but the library or the packaging doesn't stand out. There don't seem to be any test units. No visible marketing. As a gaffer I wasn't even aware of its release until the prior day.
It is really bizarre.
It is really bizarre.
Admiral Bone to Pick
Banned
Sony's basically in a no win situation with the Vita. Any actions they could take (price cuts, advertising, moneyhatting) would seriously eat into any potential profits.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Um, it was designed for handheld gaming? And what chapter are you referring to that's ten minutes long with hardly any gameplay? Are you seriously acting like that's how the entire experience is? Because you're full of shit.
And if we're going to just spout nonsense then might as well throw in how Kid Icarus's controls turn to shit once you have to fend off enemies from every direction.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
There's no Vita version of the game anywhere to my knowledge, but the PSP version is playable on the Vita. From what I've heard, the PSP & 3DS versions are basically identical so it comes down to which system you prefer. From personal experience, I can say that the game is great on the Vita - looks excellent on the Vita's large screen & you don't really need a second screen since you can just stick the mini-map in the corner. Plus, it has the advantage of being released in the US already whereas the 3DS version still doesn't have a firm release date.