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[Kuran]

If cellius is so great, I wonder why Ridge Racer looks and performs so disappointing. It should be a showpiece like at PSP's launch.

 

[gbovo]

When they do buy/build studios in Japan, they pretty much do nothing. That studio they made with Namco has been going for years, and Ridge Racer Vita is their first title, and it apparently has significant performance issues.

Unacceptable way to spend money.

That was more of a Kutaragi/Namco venture, than an SCE/Namco venture.

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

I wouldn't really say nintendos Japanese studios situation is growing rapidly; not even sure how you came to tha conclusion. Still going to get sequels, ports, remakes, the "nintendo drought"... Etc. I actually think nintendo is moving backwards... Late wii lifecycle has not been kind to fans

EAD group's been quietly bulking up on staff (EAD Tokyo even formed a 2nd full team), Monolith's been continually hiring, Project Sora was put together, NdCube snagged a bunch of Hudson expats, Nintendo's even building a new larger HQ for their R&D groups. People tend to underestimate the scale of Nintendo's internal groups, but EAD alone is about the size of Naughty Dog, Polyphony, Guerilla and Sucker Punch combined. Overall worldwide Nintendo and SCE likely have about the same amount of people working on games R&D, the main difference is Nintendo's largely centralized while Sony's more fragmented.

Nintendo's also been working directly with TONS of 3rd party Japanese studios on 1st party content in the past generation. More than Sony and Microsoft combined even.

 

[Auto_aim1]

Phil really hated Sony Japan. It was also one of the reasons why the PS3 software was incredibly primitive when it launched. He was a good guy, and would have definitely made a difference if he was still the WWS President.

"It's a very interesting and frustrating thing for me to experience because I have been banging the drum about social gaming for a long time, with SingStar, EyeToy and Buzz," he said during a private lunch taking place during GDC week.

"And our Japanese colleagues said that there is no such thing as social gaming in Japan — people do not play games on the same sofa together in each other's homes. It will never happen. And then out comes the Wii."

Sad, really. Although, luckily Yoshida is pretty cool as well.

 

[patsu]

From the PS Meeting, "Software Development Department Business Division No. 2" - which is indeed not Yoshida's ship.

Although is Yoshida on the SCE board now? If he is he at least gets to have some input on more general matters beyond WWS.

Does that division belong to SCE hardware group, or report to Andrew House directly, or fall under other groups ?

Shuhei giving input is mostly irrelevant if he doesn't take a strong position. Talking to developers is only part if the picture because they may want to keep some of the best ideas for themselves. Having the ambition to redefine handheld gaming is at least equally important, and it shouldn't be fluffy. It needs to be tangible and instantly understood + embraced/adopted by the users.

Vita is great so far but it doesn't position itself far enough from existing and future threats yet.

 

[stilgar]

That applies to every portable system except, and arguably, the DS and iOS.

Nope

Yes I'm late. Sue me

 

[SolidSnakex]

Phil really hated Sony Japan. It was also one of the reasons why the PS3 software was incredibly primitive when it launched. He was a good guy, and would have definitely made a difference if he was still the WWS President.



Sad, really. Although, luckily Yoshida is pretty cool as well.

Those quotes are why i'm happy that Phil left.

 

[AgentChris]

Those quotes are why i'm happy that Phil left.

Yeah, fuck him for hating on Pokemon.

 

[patsu]

Phil really hated Sony Japan. It was also one of the reasons why the PS3 software was incredibly primitive when it launched. He was a good guy, and would have definitely made a difference if he was still the WWS President.



Sad, really. Although, luckily Yoshida is pretty cool as well.

Yes, the folks who fought with Phil. Who are they ? Have/can they change ? The Vita social gaming concept is only tech and app deep. Do they understand and know they can and should go deeper with the social graph ? Even Phil's baby, PS Home, has scary avatars and is gimped for various internal reasons.

Sony claims that social gaming is part of Vita's strength. I don't see it. What's there is not unique and easily replicated or worse, replaced by something better.

I also find it limiting/strange that they keep comparing Vita with just PSP. They should talk about Vita learning from all Playstations and other consoles. What good stuff has it learned from XMB and Home and other PS3 initiatives ? What about XBox and Wii and iOS ? What is Vita in this new world ? A lot of us have multiple devices already.

May be we will learn more in Nov PSSuite reveal but this is more Vita specific.

 

[jackdoe]

Sony claims that social gaming is part of Vita's strength. I don't see it. What's there is not unique and easily replicated or worse, replaced by something better.

Why does it have to be unique? If it's done well, if it's easy to communicate, to compare stats, to play together with friends then it should be solid social gaming.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

What I really like about Yoshida is that he doesn't fall for the obvious bait questions interviewers throw at him.

All this gen, it's been "Let's guffaw at Sony putting their foot in their mouths in interviews! HAW HAW!"

It's amusing to see interviewers throw out bait, get deflected, then try again a question later. lol.

Yoshida is good at fielding the loaded questions.

It's easy when you speak the truth rather than spew PR that everyone knows you are full of shit. It is easy to not put your foot in your mouth when you are honest with your answers.

 

[rollingstart]

Nope

Yes I'm late. Sue me

What's your point? PSP has Lumines. It's status as a portable console is absolved! an exception isn't the rule.

We can also ignore that Tetris existed before the Gameboy, and released on consoles later.

Handhelds have always been portable consoles and great for it. GBA and DS were better positioned because they were too weak to directly mimic consoles at the time and had a wealth of relatively unique content (GBA was a port dumping ground for previous generations, though). Still 'console-style' games, but evoked previous generations of consoles.

 

[FoxSpirit]

Nope

Yes I'm late. Sue me

That is so a spinoff of the NES version, down to the victory scene with the shuttle.

 

[patsu]

Why does it have to be unique? If it's done well, if it's easy to communicate, to compare stats, to play together with friends then it should be solid social gaming.

Because it's a new platform and people will look for surprises in a sea of intelligent devices.

It would be insufficient if all Vita can do is the above in a handwaving fashion. How exactly is Vita's social gaming different and better from Facebook, Google+ at a fundamental level ? If it's just GIS info, stats comparison and notifications, it's pretty generic and more mature/established elsewhere.

 

[ProfessorMoran]

Seriously. This guy needs to be promoted.

No, he's exactly where Sony needs him, as the head of software development.

 

[Man]

No, he's exactly where Sony needs him, as the head of software development.

This a thousand times over. I believe he actually wants to stay put as well which is the reason UK Andrew took the SCEI position.

 

[Hyuga]

Because it's a new platform and people will look for surprises in a sea of intelligent devices.

It would be insufficient if all Vita can do is the above in a handwaving fashion. How exactly is Vita's social gaming different and better from Facebook, Google+ at a fundamental level ? If it's just GIS info, stats comparison and notifications, it's pretty generic and more mature/established elsewhere.

....
Show me a better gaming device (in that sea of intelligent devices) which can do all that stuff.
btw. have you used/tried the VITA yet?
As long as it can do all that social gaming stuff "really good", it's just fine.

 

[Jostifer]

Wollan
@yosp Don't ever change job position. You are doing wonders where you are right now.

yosp Shuhei Yoshida
@Wollan Thanks, I'll let Andy know.

 

[Man]

Well there you go.

 

[patsu]

....
Show me a better gaming device (in that sea of intelligent devices) which can do all that stuff.
btw. have you used/tried the VITA yet?
As long as it can do all that social gaming stuff "really good", it's just fine.

I only saw the Vita user videos, and noticed holes in them.

"easy to communicate, to compare stats, to play together with friends then it should be solid social gaming."

You'll see them on Win8, Android and iOS tablets soon. Besides, these are software features that already exist on other platforms (Steam, XBL, Facebook) with established and consolidated user base. It is not difficult for them to move to these mobile platforms.

Vita is starting from zero base since PSN is too fragmented. PS Home, the XMB chatroom, playstation.com, etc. are all separate "silos". iOS is in similar position, but they will plug the hole in their upcoming iCloud services.

I don't see how Vita's social gaming feature is "really good". It is par for the course. Their presentation focus on a litany of social apps and online + geo-gaming API. There is no inherent social graph in their platform except for game-specific LiveAreas and persistent party setup. They also only *talk* about the features and have not shown us any integrated services yet.

From user perspective, we have not heard much about groups/clubhouses, user interests. LiveArea seems to be effective for existing customers only (e.g. Only inFamous customers can see the inFamous LiveArea). They should show the cross-game, Vita-wide community services (if it's there). The current presentation is too tailored to developers now. What about cloud storage ? Is it only used for backup and game resume ? No more content sharing ? How are they going to use the UltraViolet DRM scheme (It allows flexible referral) ?

From media experiences, can we play Music Unlimited as custom sound track in games ? (Why not show it ? >_<). Can we spectate in any game like OnLive devices ? Can we post game items on the net rather than just share them in Near ? Why can't sharing/gifting be done in GAF fora ? Why is it highlighted as a Near feature. All my gaming friends are far away from me. Can Near link me to the nearest game stores/clubs (if I want to) ? At the beginning, Near will not be very useful since few people will own a Vita. Is it linked to the PS3 network so we can interact with nearby PS3s (owner permissible of course) as well ?

In LBP, we can post our user level QR code to forums and sites, but that's an application specific feature. Will there be special channels for user generated content since finding + promoting user levels is one of the key problems on PS3's UGCs (I haven't touched inFamous 2 user content yet). And again, only people who bought these games can see them.

I think if they start from the user angle, they can package and present the Vita concept better. Right now, the launch screen is just a collection of random bubbles, or strips. It's not very enticing or interesting. I have no doubt there are more under the hood, but my impression is there are *much* room for improvement in the "packaging".

 

[D2M15]

If cellius is so great, I wonder why Ridge Racer looks and performs so disappointing. It should be a showpiece like at PSP's launch.

FWIW, Ridge PSP showed up at its own TGS debut with one track (from RRV) and one rival car, then arrived at launch as the little piece of magic we all know now. In Teramoto I trust.

 

[Kuran]

I only saw the Vita user videos, and noticed holes in them.

"easy to communicate, to compare stats, to play together with friends then it should be solid social gaming."

You'll see them on Win8, Android and iOS tablets soon. Besides, these are software features that already exist on other platforms (Steam, XBL, Facebook) with established and consolidated user base. It is not difficult for them to move to these mobile platforms.

Vita is starting from zero base since PSN is too fragmented. PS Home, the XMB chatroom, playstation.com, etc. are all separate "silos". iOS is in similar position, but they will plug the hole in their upcoming iCloud services.

I don't see how Vita's social gaming feature is "really good". It is par for the course. Their presentation focus on a litany of social apps and online + geo-gaming API. There is no inherent social graph in their platform except for game-specific LiveAreas and persistent party setup. They also only *talk* about the features and have not shown us any integrated services yet.

From user perspective, we have not heard much about groups/clubhouses, user interests. LiveArea seems to be effective for existing customers only (e.g. Only inFamous customers can see the inFamous LiveArea). They should show the cross-game, Vita-wide community services (if it's there). The current presentation is too tailored to developers now. What about cloud storage ? Is it only used for backup and game resume ? No more content sharing ? How are they going to use the UltraViolet DRM scheme (It allows flexible referral) ?

From media experiences, can we play Music Unlimited as custom sound track in games ? (Why not show it ? >_<). Can we spectate in any game like OnLive devices ? Can we post game items on the net rather than just share them in Near ? Why can't sharing/gifting be done in GAF fora ? Why is it highlighted as a Near feature. All my gaming friends are far away from me. Can Near link me to the nearest game stores/clubs (if I want to) ? At the beginning, Near will not be very useful since few people will own a Vita. Is it linked to the PS3 network so we can interact with nearby PS3 (owner permissible of course) as well ?

In LBP, we can post our user level QR code to forums and sites, but that's an application specific feature. Will there be special channels for user generated content since finding + promoting user levels is one of the key problems on PS3's UGCs (I haven't touched inFamous 2 user content yet). And again, only people who bought these games can see them.

I think if they start from the user angle, they can package and present the Vita concept better. Right now, the launch screen is just a collection of random bubbles, or strips. It's not very enticing or interesting. I have no doubt there are more under the hood, but my impression is there are much room for improvement in the "packaging".

If you had used a 3DS, you would appreciate Vita's 'social' features and PSN store/network that much more. You can't take it for granted.. they seemingly took it as far as they could envision and it will be fully featured at launch.

Also, yay screenshots.

FWIW, Ridge PSP showed up at its own TGS debut with one track (from RRV) and one AI car, then arrived at launch as the little piece of magic we all know now. In Teramoto I trust.

I hope so!

 

[patsu]

If you had used a 3DS, you would appreciate Vita's 'social' features and PSN store/network that much more. You can't take it for granted.. they seemingly took it as far as they could envision and it will be fully featured at launch.

It's Sony's second/third try network platform (after PS3, PSPGo). They should compare with the bests out there, and know where they want to go.

Nintendo is just starting out in the online world. Why not compare to OnLive, FaceBook, XBL, Steam, and others ?

 

[jackdoe]

Nintendo is just starting out in the online world.

There's really no excuse for what Nintendo is doing with online.

 

[Kuran]

It's Sony's second/third try network platform (after PS3, PSPGo). They should compare with the bests out there, and know where they want to go.

Nintendo is just starting out in the online world. Why not compare to OnLive, FaceBook, XBL, Steam, and others ?

That seems to be an odd way to look at it. It's Sony's second handheld and Nintendo's xxrd. They both exist in the same era. I will compare PSN/Vita to IOS GameCenter and 3DS's store.

 

[kuroshiki]

I only saw the Vita user videos, and noticed holes in them.

"easy to communicate, to compare stats, to play together with friends then it should be solid social gaming."

You'll see them on Win8, Android and iOS tablets soon. Besides, these are software features that already exist on other platforms (Steam, XBL, Facebook) with established and consolidated user base. It is not difficult for them to move to these mobile platforms.

Vita is starting from zero base since PSN is too fragmented. PS Home, the XMB chatroom, playstation.com, etc. are all separate "silos". iOS is in similar position, but they will plug the hole in their upcoming iCloud services.

I don't see how Vita's social gaming feature is "really good". It is par for the course. Their presentation focus on a litany of social apps and online + geo-gaming API. There is no inherent social graph in their platform except for game-specific LiveAreas and persistent party setup. They also only *talk* about the features and have not shown us any integrated services yet.

From user perspective, we have not heard much about groups/clubhouses, user interests. LiveArea seems to be effective for existing customers only (e.g. Only inFamous customers can see the inFamous LiveArea). They should show the cross-game, Vita-wide community services (if it's there). The current presentation is too tailored to developers now. What about cloud storage ? Is it only used for backup and game resume ? No more content sharing ? How are they going to use the UltraViolet DRM scheme (It allows flexible referral) ?

From media experiences, can we play Music Unlimited as custom sound track in games ? (Why not show it ? >_<). Can we spectate in any game like OnLive devices ? Can we post game items on the net rather than just share them in Near ? Why can't sharing/gifting be done in GAF fora ? Why is it highlighted as a Near feature. All my gaming friends are far away from me. Can Near link me to the nearest game stores/clubs (if I want to) ? At the beginning, Near will not be very useful since few people will own a Vita. Is it linked to the PS3 network so we can interact with nearby PS3s (owner permissible of course) as well ?

In LBP, we can post our user level QR code to forums and sites, but that's an application specific feature. Will there be special channels for user generated content since finding + promoting user levels is one of the key problems on PS3's UGCs (I haven't touched inFamous 2 user content yet). And again, only people who bought these games can see them.

I think if they start from the user angle, they can package and present the Vita concept better. Right now, the launch screen is just a collection of random bubbles, or strips. It's not very enticing or interesting. I have no doubt there are more under the hood, but my impression is there are *much* room for improvement in the "packaging".

I think what you are looking for is Ipad series, not PSV. Ipad (or phone) will have all of social feature you crave and want.

 

[test_account]

lil bit cheeky!

I'm actually not sure that this is ment to be cheeky. From the reactions i've seen, it doesnt look like many expected Nintendo to release something like this. Or do you disagree that the 2nd analog slider addon was a bit shocking?

 

[Leona Lewis]

FWIW, Ridge PSP showed up at its own TGS debut with one track (from RRV) and one rival car, then arrived at launch as the little piece of magic we all know now. In Teramoto I trust.

"Iwata Asks" regarding Ridge Racer 3D really sheds light into the Ridge Racer development schedule. In summary, the magic happens at the tail end. Though I hope the final product resembles Ridge Racers more then RR3D...

Iwata: This may be a little direct, but I felt like some people may have been disappointed when they saw the first screenshots you released. I thought they got the wrong idea.

Sakagami: Yeah.

Iwata: But the closer we got to the end of development, the more the visuals improved. Even I wanted to say, “If you could make it look this good, why didn’t you do it sooner?” (laughs) And I’ve thought that about the other games in the series sold on other hardware as well. The Ridge Racer team really takes off in the latter half of development. Why is that?

Sakagami: Well, to put it bluntly, the staff members are humble folks. They’re no good at bluffing.

Iwata: You mean they don’t want to release a screenshot they may not be able to deliver on?

Sakagami: Right.

Iwata: Oh, they’re honest! (laughs)

Sakagami: Yeah. Too honest. Even I get mad about it. The Ridge Racer team tends to want to release something right from the midst of development. Like it’s a progress report! (laughs)

Iwata: (laughs) They release screenshots like they’re reporting the project’s current state. But your explosive progress toward the end is really incredible. How can you make something like this in such a short time?

Sakagami: The first thing that we do when developing a Ridge Racer game is make a solid game system environment to serve as a foundation. Then we’re like, “We can do this,” and “Let’s put in this.” At the same time, we prepare for the visuals and so on, and then towards the end we put it all together at once.

Iwata: But doesn’t that make you nervous as the producer?

Sakagami: Of course! I’ll ask how it’s going and they’ll tell me to wait and see the last three days. I’ll think, “Nothing’s going to change in three days!” but then three days later, there will be a clear difference. That happens a lot.

Iwata: I’ve heard from people in the Licensing department that the same kind of thing happens right before shows.

Sakagami: Yes, it does. (laughs)

Iwata: I guess that’s just a characteristic of the Ridge Racer team. (laughs) So you packed everything into Ridge Racer 3D at the end of development. What do you recommend to players?

 

[chubigans]

I only saw the Vita user videos, and noticed holes in them.

"easy to communicate, to compare stats, to play together with friends then it should be solid social gaming."

You'll see them on Win8, Android and iOS tablets soon.

No way. Game Center on iOS is pathetic compared to the Vita's 8 person party voice chat and messaging/boards/trophy features. No other mobile handheld will be as good as Vita's online capabilities, period.

Now, whether or not that's enough to bring people into the Vita, that's a legitimate issue. But the online features certainly aren't.

 

[D2M15]

"Iwata Asks" regarding Ridge Racer 3D really sheds light into the Ridge Racer development schedule. In summary, the magic happens at the tail end. Though I hope the final product resembles Ridge Racers more then RR3D...

Yeah, back in the day I had the chance to talk to Teramoto just after PSP launch, and the majority of the game was pulled off in six months - I remember RRV having an equally ridiculous dev cycle. It's how they roll.

 

[chubigans]

Yeah, back in the day I had the chance to talk to Teramoto just after PSP launch, and the majority of the game was pulled off in six months - I remember RRV having an equally ridiculous dev cycle. It's how they roll.

Well it's not like they have to make any new tracks or anything.

 

[patsu]

That seems to be an odd way to look at it. It's Sony's second handheld and Nintendo's xxrd. They both exist in the same era. I will compare PSN/Vita to IOS GameCenter and 3DS's store.

It is not odd when I'm going to buy Vita and evaluate Vita based on its merits. Like what Shuhei mentioned, they set the price independent of 3DS. They also set their goals without knowing what Nintendo is doing.

From the videos, it look like they have some more (actually a lot of) work to do. Some of the things I heard so far sound too high level/fluffy. Need to see how well it works, and how tangible the benefits are. I'd be disappointed if the execs are simply regurgitating things/buzzwords to align and reassure themselves, instead of amaze us with their insights.

It's all about what and how Sony wants to position Vita. Sony is lucky enough to get a shot at it every few years so far. Don't mess it up. IMHO, Shuhei should remind his colleagues and/or hire the right folks to make sure the Vita experience is unique and exciting.

 

[D2M15]

Well it's not like they have to make any new tracks or anything.

 

[stilgar]

What's your point? PSP has Lumines. It's status as a portable console is absolved! an exception isn't the rule.

We can also ignore that Tetris existed before the Gameboy, and released on consoles later.

Handhelds have always been portable consoles and great for it. GBA and DS were better positioned because they were too weak to directly mimic consoles at the time and had a wealth of relatively unique content (GBA was a port dumping ground for previous generations, though). Still 'console-style' games, but evoked previous generations of consoles.

Bro, you were talking games that define a platform. If Tetris did nont define the GB, I don't kno what we are talking about.

 

[patsu]

No way. Game Center on iOS is pathetic compared to the Vita's 8 person party voice chat and messaging/boards/trophy features. No other mobile handheld will be as good as Vita's online capabilities, period.

Now, whether or not that's enough to bring people into the Vita, that's a legitimate issue. But the online features certainly aren't.

I hope you're right, but I think you'll be surprised in about 1-2 years time. ^_^

EDIT:
GameCenter is a small part of Apple's platform. Once their iCloud platform is ready, you'll see activities re-aligned based on the new infrastructure.

 

[kadotsu]

It is not odd when I'm going to buy Vita and evaluate Vita based on its merits. Like what Shuhei mentioned, they set the price independent of 3DS. They also set their goals without knowing what Nintendo is doing.

From the videos, it look like they have some more (actually a lot of) work to do. Some of the things I heard so far sound too high level/fluffy. Need to see how well it works, and how tangible the benefits are. I'd be disappointed if the execs are simply regurgitating things/buzzwords to align and reassure themselves, instead of amaze us with their insights.

It's all about what and how Sony wants to position Vita. Sony is lucky enough to get a shot at it every few year so far. Don't mess it up. IMHO, Shuhei should remind his colleagues and/or hire the right folks to make sure the Vita experience is unique and exciting.

To put it in easy terms it's XboxLive(but free)+Autolog(but cross game)+Streetpass(but persistent). Everyone who has played a console game to date should be able to understand the benefits. And the UI is incredibly easy to understand. It's iOS out of game and Blades in game.

 

[Man]

I hope you're right, but I think you'll be surprised in about 1-2 years time. ^_^

Watch out chubigans.

 

[Figboy79]

Is it wrong that I kinda want a Vita to, um, play video games on?

I don't particularly care about the social networking/aspects of the Vita. What I want is a cool portable gaming device. What I want is Uncharted, LBP, Dead Nation, Wipeout, etc, on the go. And I'm getting that with Vita.

I'm not the biggest online player, but I admit that a Vita Starhawk would probably be amazing, but I'm not impressed by whiz bang buzzwords and being able to access Facebook and Twitter and shit on my portable gaming device.

For the few network enabled Vita games I may try out, all that's important to me is being able to connect to an online match. I'm sure the Vita won't have a problem with that.

All the other stuff is just bells and whistles to me.

Will the Vita play cool looking games? So far, it's looking like a "Yes." That's all that matters to me. I have a smartphone and a laptop for all that other stuff. I just wanna play games.

I don't see why the Vita needs to compete with anything. Some people will want a dedicated portable gaming device (like me). Some people will want a Smartphone. Fortunately, both of those desires can be met, so everybody wins!

 

[test_account]

No, you must not hold a stylus to use the touch screen effectively.

But if you use your thumb on the touch screen, then you occupy it, so it is no different than using an analog stick Otherwise you must hold your hand like a claw (thumb on the touch screen and using maybe the pinkie finger on the face buttons), but then you face to problem to use the R1 button. Maybe it could work, but it doesnt sound very comfortable to play with your hand like this at least.

Personally, moving the thumb away from whatever it is a stick or a touch screen to touch a button is such a fast operation that it doesnt affect the way the game is played, at least it is in very rare cases.

 

[patsu]

To put it in easy terms it's XboxLive(but free)+Autolog(but cross game)+Streetpass(but persistent). Everyone who has played a console game to date should be able to understand the benefits. And the UI is incredibly easy to understand. It's iOS out of game and Blades in game.

These are individual features and elements, but they don't give the users an overriding sense of what Vita is (Whole should be greater than sum of parts), and where it will be heading.

FWIW, is Streetpass appealing ? How is it received by Nintendo users so far ? How have they benefited ?

 

[patsu]

Is it wrong that I kinda want a Vita to, um, play video games on?

I don't particularly care about the social networking/aspects of the Vita. What I want is a cool portable gaming device. What I want is Uncharted, LBP, Dead Nation, Wipeout, etc, on the go. And I'm getting that with Vita.

I'm not the biggest online player, but I admit that a Vita Starhawk would probably be amazing, but I'm not impressed by whiz bang buzzwords and being able to access Facebook and Twitter and shit on my portable gaming device.

For the few network enabled Vita games I may try out, all that's important to me is being able to connect to an online match. I'm sure the Vita won't have a problem with that.

All the other stuff is just bells and whistles to me.

Will the Vita play cool looking games? So far, it's looking like a "Yes." That's all that matters to me. I have a smartphone and a laptop for all that other stuff. I just wanna play games.

I don't see why the Vita needs to compete with anything. Some people will want a dedicated portable gaming device (like me). Some people will want a Smartphone. Fortunately, both of those desires can be met, so everybody wins!

No you're not wrong.

It may mean that Sony is going after the same user base as before. The main draw is still the games, and the social gaming features are just sugar on top. Not sure if they will revise the services later on but according to earlier sources, Sony expect to market Vita to non-core gamers after 2-3 years.

It's more a question of how seriously they take the Vita "side services". In PSP and PS3, they take very low priority, although PS3 is definitely better than PSP in this regard.

EDIT: The discussion kinda crops up because I was wondering who and what Phil Harrison was referring to in his "exit interview". And whether those forces are still around since Phil felt compelled to leave.

 

[theBishop]

It's Sony's second/third try network platform (after PS3, PSPGo). They should compare with the bests out there, and know where they want to go.

Nintendo is just starting out in the online world. Why not compare to OnLive, FaceBook, XBL, Steam, and others ?

Are you saying Nintendo should be judged by a lower standard?

If EA released a game console tomorrow and it had features equivalent to PSone, would you say "hey give them a break, they're just starting out in this!"?

 

[Lesiroth]

To put it in easy terms it's XboxLive(but free)+Autolog(but cross game)+Streetpass(but persistent). Everyone who has played a console game to date should be able to understand the benefits. And the UI is incredibly easy to understand. It's iOS out of game and Blades in game.

That's a rather nice simplification of its online capablilities.

 

[1-D_FTW]

Are you saying Nintendo should be judged by a lower standard?

If EA released a game console tomorrow and it had features equivalent to PSone, would you say "hey give them a break, they're just starting out in this!"?

The EA crowd does this very thing with regards to Origin

 

[kadotsu]

No you're not wrong.

It may mean that Sony is going after the same user base as before. The main draw is still the games, and the social gaming features are just sugar on top. Not sure if they will revise the services later on but according to earlier sources, Sony expect to market Vita to non-core gamers after 2-3 years.

It's more a question of how seriously they take the Vita "side services". In PSP and PS3, they take very low priority.

You must also take into account that the Vita in 2-3 year will be cheaper than the cheapest iPod touch. Games should also be more affordable with Sony pushing the Platinum/Essentials line. Minis (which I think was a bare-bones effort) already brought us a size-able number of App-like games on PSP and PS Suite with cross platform compatibility, C#, and affordability should fare at least not worse.

In the end I just hope Vita will succeed and gain a healthy market share so I can enjoy good Japanese games without having to compromise on control or graphics or region locking.

 

[Figboy79]

No you're not wrong.

It may mean that Sony is going after the same user base as before. The main draw is still the games, and the social gaming features are just sugar on top. Not sure if they will revise the services later on but according to earlier sources, Sony expect to market Vita to non-core gamers after 2-3 years.

It's more a question of how seriously they take the Vita "side services". In PSP and PS3, they take very low priority, although PS3 is definitely better than PSP in this regard.

EDIT: The discussion kinda crops up because I was wondering who and what Phil Harrison was referring to in his "exit interview". And whether those forces are still around since Phil felt compelled to leave.

Yeah, that tends to be how Sony does their gaming business. The PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3 all started off as hardcore devices, then about 3 years into their life cycles, Sony started to market them towards the non-early adopters and casuals. They still supported them with "hardcore" games, but the price point, and the expanding library helped to make them more mainstream.

I can see the Vita going down that same path. I guess I was just a little perplexed at how many people put such importance on things like social gaming/networking, in a device that is the successor of a dedicated portable gaming device.

For me, and I'm sure many others, it's all about the games. I don't want to play Facebook apps on my Vita. Fortunately, I don't have to, but for those that do want that type of gaming, I'm sure the Vita will provide as well.

 

[patsu]

Are you saying Nintendo should be judged by a lower standard?

If EA released a game console tomorrow and it had features equivalent to PSone, would you say "hey give them a break, they're just starting out in this!"?

I'm saying if Sony wants to compete or compare itself with someone, it should compare with the bests. Note that I didn't highlight Origins and Nintendo's network for example. ^_^

If people want to mock EA and Nintendo, then it's probably a separate thread. However, I do have to point out that Miis are expressive than Home avatars.

 

[patsu]

You must also take into account that the Vita in 2-3 year will be cheaper than the cheapest iPod touch. Games should also be more affordable with Sony pushing the Platinum/Essentials line. Minis (which I think was a bare-bones effort) already brought us a size-able number of App-like games on PSP and PS Suite with cross platform compatibility, C#, and affordability should fare at least not worse.

In the end I just hope Vita will succeed and gain a healthy market share so I can enjoy good Japanese games without having to compromise on control or graphics or region locking.

In 2-3 years time, all the current devices will become cheaper... not just Vita. In general, price is not a good way to differentiate, 'specially for Sony because of their high cost structure.

PSSuite is interesting. I look forward to more info. Would be interesting to see how Sony position Vita besides PSSuite.


EDIT: For Vita's AR games, I think developers should allow the users to take a snapshot of the environment and play from that static capture. That way we don't have to hold our hands in a fixed posture to game. As long as we can also use live feed as the backdrop any time, I think it will provide the most comfortable and flexible AR gaming experience.

 

[theBishop]

The EA crowd does this very thing with regards to Origin

Yeah, I can't believe that this is the argument. I'm not an Origin fan, but I see it as basically a distribution platform. I don't shit on D2D because it doesn't have a buddy list, and same with Origin. In this case, I am grading it by a lower standard compared to Steam.

But the idea that you shouldn't compare 3DS' online to Vita because it's Nintendo's first try or something is really wild. The network is as intrinsic to the platform as the CPU or screen. It has to be part of the evaluation. Just like PSN and XBL are part of that discussion.

BTW, it was my understanding that Nintendo invented online console gaming:

 

[kadotsu]

In 2-3 years time, all the current devices will become cheaper... not just Vita. In general, price is not a good way to differentiate.

PSSuite is interesting. I look forward to more info. Would be interesting to see how Sony position Vita besides PSSuite.

Apple devices won't become cheaper. And price is one of the most defining characteristics in technology. Just look how the race for the $99 tablet started after the TouchPad incident.