Father_Brain
Banned
...and how exactly do you think GC would have sold without those first-party franchises? It'd have been lucky to reach 5m worldwide.
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VITA: Retail Musings Edition
- Thread starter Khalifa Jayy
- Start date
...and how exactly do you think GC would have sold without those first-party franchises? It'd have been lucky to reach 5m worldwide.
Do you think Activision would throw marketing money at a Vita Call of Duty? I don't. So it either piggybacks off of the console game's press, or Sony attempts to push it out at a less desirable time.
Captain Chaos
Member
I'm sure it'll tick over, but it'll be in no way same as the PSP.
My point was not comparing the two offerings but that thats what both the companies have so thats what they are putting out, their successful IPs. Those Sony IPs aren't as successful as Mario or whatever, thats fine but besides the point. Sony has what Sony has and it has a bigger chance of getting more sales or catching attention via established IPs instead of throwing a bunch of brand new ones out the gate.
Sony has already released Gravity Daze almost at launch for the system, will it succeed or fail, who knows? But they sure as heck made a respectable effort to bring something new to the table.
The gamecube launched with Mario brothers, Zelda, or Kart?
Literally?
A week or two before the console versions is a good idea. Doubt they'll do it though.
Or time-exclusive DLC. Microsoft's deal expires this year right?
Yes, literally. What is a non port besides Uncharted? Wipeout, Hot Shots, Lumines, Shinobido(or whatever it's called)?
lol
It's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation; late ports have rarely ever done well and never get the same level of exposure as they would have if it launched at the same time. Launching at the same time, of course, means you're directly competing with the console versions, which is a fight it will never win.
The best scenario that can happen for it is if Sony is willing to pay big bucks for a Vita-specific facet of the ad campaign and hope that's enough.
The Vita version of Call of Duty likely will have to be different form the console versions to make it more desirable in anyway. A straight port of the console game is the wrong way to go about it and will do poorly I think. I would like to see it and a possible 3DS version take cues from Resident Evil: Revelations with it's Raid mode. Don't try to replicate the console multiplayer focus which is what has been done with the DS versions. Have a single player game (even if it's a parallel story like the DS games) but then a beefed up Spec-Ops/Zombie modes with solo, local and wifi play. Leaderboards that if possible tally data from both the Vita and 3DS versions.
Again, back to "damned if you do, damned if you don't;" a lot of people are expecting and even hoping for it to be Black Ops 2 on the go, especially if it does allow you to sync your stats with the PS3 version. Doing something different isn't going to help it win any favors and it could possibly instill the same kind of "well, it's not what I asked for, so why bother with any other console-style game on the Vita if they're all going to be like this?" thinking that sunk the PSP outside of Japan.
But like I alluded to earlier, if it's more or less the same game as the console versions, then is portability a strong enough feature for anyone to purchase it over those versions, let alone the ideal scenario for Sony and Activision wherein they purchase it on both the Vita and PS3? I would say no, but this is a question that only those two can answer at this point, and I think that everyone is waiting to see how they'll handle the situation.
I consider a game like Sigma a port, but since Hot Shots and Wipeout are new games, I don't consider them ports, just the next installment.
Oh yeah, I wasn't calling them a port. I just don't think those games are anything the mass market is necessarily going to buy with a system.
Uncharted really is the only sure-fire thing there.
Yeah I wouldn't consider Hot Shots or Wipeout mass appeal games, I just wasn't sure if you knew they were actual new games, and not ports of the PS3 games.
This is a really interesting point. Where would Nintendo be if they just released Mario 1-3 on the NES and dropped the series? Part of the legacy of Nintendo is the fact they keep releasing games with the same IPs over and over building them into large brands.
As a developer it makes sense to want to move to something new, so I don't think we're going to see Naughty Dog make an Uncharted game again. It becomes a painful grind. But if Sony can keep the IP bouncing around in internal studios that keep making solid versions of the games like Bend did with Gold Abyss, it could be interesting to see if they can build larger brand recognition for the series.
I think at this point, in the States anyways, God of War is the closest thing Sony has to a big IP comparable to anything Nintendo has. Not that close, but the closest. It would have been a pretty big boon to have a Vita GoW game at launch.
But Lumines is all anyone should really need. Anyone who disagrees is a soulless monster.
While Nintendo's IPs do bounce around between internal studios or they at least move people around let's not forget that even though Mario has appeared on all Nintendo systems it isn't always the same game. The main series stays in the platform genre but they change to various degrees, sometime significantly. Also they aren't pushed out every year or even every other year. Sometimes once per hardware. Or they use Mario in different genres and even then how often those games comes out are limited. Also just because a IP doesn't do extremely well the first time or two don't drop it. Treat the IPs as an investment and try to build it up over time instead of right away. I do think Sony could do this if they tried.
If they want to make it a system seller then they have to have cross-platform connectivity. I can play on PS3 or Vita with the same account, and can also play against PS3 and Vita players. (Though make the trophy lists separate, lol). I believe that is the only way it will appeal to COD players.
Note: I do not play COD (or FPSes) so I probably have no clue.
Personally I have faith that Sony and Activision will mess Vita COD up and it will be just some shovel-ware.
Pai Pai Master
Banned
I think it would be in their best interest to provide a "sidestory" that complements the console version's single player campaign, while running the same multiplayer as the consoles so stats and whatnot can carry over. Cross-platform play might be pushing it but stats is the bare minimum for the package to be attractive.
They could even get a C-tier developer to throw together the campaign mode!
They could even get a C-tier developer to throw together the campaign mode!
That would be an interesting test to see if people would pay for the multiplayer they know, but if the campaign was shit, it'd likely bomb. I think that as long as the MP is solid and it has zombies, people will buy it if the campaign is the same. I think a good idea would be to make the campaign easily stopped & picked up later, and maybe have it playable as arcade mode from the start. I personally think Activision could sell a fuck ton of CoD:Zombies Vita this summer. Shit, them & Sony should pay me for that idea right there, I know people would buy the shit out of some Vita for Zombies on the go. I hate MW and I have CoD fatigue, but I would buy it day one.
Faith? You mean you hope it becomes a shovelware?
zomgbbqftw
Banned
From over here (UK), FIFA seems to be the big ticket game. I saw a couple of people playing it on the tube and a few have it at work as well. All of them have been raving about FIFA. I played it on a friend's Vita, and I have to say I was pretty impressed, not enough to spend £250 for it, but impressed enough to consider buying it before the revision.
I definitely came away from my try thinking considerably better of it than my initial impressions and Sony should pay EA whatever it takes to bundle FIFA 13 with the Xmas batch of Vita consoles and try and keep it (timed) exclusive to Vita on handhelds so release it on iOS/Android/3DS a month or two after the Vita release. If I were in charge I would have two bundles for the UK, one with FIFA the other with COD, and in the US swap FIFA for Madden. If Sony can somehow get some kind of crazy netcode for 3G working online FIFA/COD over 3G would be a killer app in the UK. I could see a lot of people buying it just for that.
I feel like the Japanese launch soured the initial period for Vita so badly that most people thought it would bomb hard in the West, but I don't see it so far. I definitely expected it to bomb and for Sony to cut the price by the end of June (creating a whole new range of, err, ambassadors in the process) but from the my impressions and the ground level hype about FIFA on Vita, I think it has more momentum than expected.
I definitely came away from my try thinking considerably better of it than my initial impressions and Sony should pay EA whatever it takes to bundle FIFA 13 with the Xmas batch of Vita consoles and try and keep it (timed) exclusive to Vita on handhelds so release it on iOS/Android/3DS a month or two after the Vita release. If I were in charge I would have two bundles for the UK, one with FIFA the other with COD, and in the US swap FIFA for Madden. If Sony can somehow get some kind of crazy netcode for 3G working online FIFA/COD over 3G would be a killer app in the UK. I could see a lot of people buying it just for that.
I feel like the Japanese launch soured the initial period for Vita so badly that most people thought it would bomb hard in the West, but I don't see it so far. I definitely expected it to bomb and for Sony to cut the price by the end of June (creating a whole new range of, err, ambassadors in the process) but from the my impressions and the ground level hype about FIFA on Vita, I think it has more momentum than expected.
Lagspike_exe
Member
Doesn't FIFA work at 30 FPS?
archnemesis
Member
Where did you hear that? Discussing sales numbers on NeoGAF without sourcing them is generally a bad idea.
Here's a tip, junior. Do not use chartz numbers. It will get you ridiculed and eventually banned.
Metalmurphy
Member
Pardon my ignorance and slight OT but, wth does FEB stand for, I keep seeing it mentioned recently. It's not February is it?
First Edition Bundle.
As soon as I saw that nonsense, I added the guy to my ignore list. Simple.
Thanx for reminding me to put you on mine.
Metalmurphy
Member
CheersCallibretto
Member
I doubt cross platform play between Vita and PS3 player will happen. stuff like Vita may not be powerful enough to match PS3 version, or control is very different mkaing people not playing on a level field. Vita owner might be in disadvantage because theyh have different analog range etc.
what I can see happen is so that your game stat is the one going to be cross platform compatible. it'll be like Skylanders where you can save your monster level and continue playing in all platform.
so play on ps3, get xp and a few level up, then move to PSVita, continue your xp progress on your vita, but your Vita have it's own multiplayer designed for Vita.
Does this thread actually have any retail musings, or is it just pages and pages of wannabe armchair market analysts thinking theirs is the only opinion that matters and the actual professional market analysts are all wrong?
I want actual musings man....
Sonys products have always been expensive day one, and they then adjust their strategy depending on market response. Vita is relatively unique, because it provides a blend of Phone/Pad and actual hardcore portable console gaming thanks to its diverse control set. Handhelds up to now have been nerfed hard due to the fact they always lacked the right stick and had limited buttons to actually do stuff, so devs had to make substantial compromise over how their games played which usually left them feeling shallow compared to their console brethren.
Those shackles have been comprehensively removed, we can now play very good looking games on the go for hours with high accuracy and suffer no hand cramps. You can talk about iPads, phones, even 3DS's all you want, but they really suffer in this area compared to Vita, and its difficult to argue that they don't.
Sony are betting the farm this will bring in the punters, and at the minute the high satisfaction rate amongst owners suggests they may be on to something. It will be interesting to see in 6 months whether word of mouth alone is having an effect as its difficult not to like the thing if you like games when you get your hands on one.
I've no idea whether the Vita will catch on and be massively successful, but if Sony get the right games out the door that play to the machines individual strengths which no other gadget currently has then I think it has a decent chance.
I want actual musings man....
Sonys products have always been expensive day one, and they then adjust their strategy depending on market response. Vita is relatively unique, because it provides a blend of Phone/Pad and actual hardcore portable console gaming thanks to its diverse control set. Handhelds up to now have been nerfed hard due to the fact they always lacked the right stick and had limited buttons to actually do stuff, so devs had to make substantial compromise over how their games played which usually left them feeling shallow compared to their console brethren.
Those shackles have been comprehensively removed, we can now play very good looking games on the go for hours with high accuracy and suffer no hand cramps. You can talk about iPads, phones, even 3DS's all you want, but they really suffer in this area compared to Vita, and its difficult to argue that they don't.
Sony are betting the farm this will bring in the punters, and at the minute the high satisfaction rate amongst owners suggests they may be on to something. It will be interesting to see in 6 months whether word of mouth alone is having an effect as its difficult not to like the thing if you like games when you get your hands on one.
I've no idea whether the Vita will catch on and be massively successful, but if Sony get the right games out the door that play to the machines individual strengths which no other gadget currently has then I think it has a decent chance.
m.i.s.
Banned
PSP did 185k during the course of the first three days of it's UK launch according to Gi.biz quoting Chart Track (though a majority of sources were saying four days). DS did 85k over it's opening weekend (two days). As Brain points out, Wii was supply constrained.
sonys-psp-smashes-uk-records-with-185k-sales-at-launch [note: registration required]
Just goes to show an early, strong start doesn't necessarily mean anything in the wider scheme of things. Also, Sony doesn't exactly have a very inspiring record in this area. What, with having to support PS3 and readying themselves for PS4 as well as supporting the Vita.
There's also the issue that if pre-orders had been going well, don't we think that Sony would've let us in on the figures? You know, as Nintendo did with 3DS, as part of their pre-launch hype?
Sony's success in previous generations resulted from good technology and third party support. Their first-party titles had little overall effect on their success in the PS1/PS2 days, and that remains true today.
I'm not saying their games aren't good, just that they aren't and never were the driving force behind their success. Once they lost their edge in third party support, they stopped being very successful. The only thing that can "save" Vita is substantial third party support and a competitive price point.
I'm not saying their games aren't good, just that they aren't and never were the driving force behind their success. Once they lost their edge in third party support, they stopped being very successful. The only thing that can "save" Vita is substantial third party support and a competitive price point.
Well, it's effectively Microsoft that is branding CoD marketing, and it's in their interest to sweep the Vita game under the rug. So I think Sony will have negotiated their own deal for this game with Activision and it could come out whenever it's done.
I never understood publishers releasing two different games in a franchise at once, but this is Activision and they send a game to die alongside CoD every year (i.e. their Bond shooters).
Hopefully, as the machine is made from off the shelf parts and in theory easy to develop for it should see a steady stream of decent software small and large.
pieatorium
Member
I think Gran Turismo was pretty big deal for Playstation one the first really huge seller iirc.
edit : this was to Cromat's post
edit : this was to Cromat's post
m.i.s.
Banned
Yes, and they've completely mishandled that franchise, particularly on the PSP. Contrast that with how Nintendo have got their act together with the blistering casual sales potential of Mario Kart.
Though, tbh, GT has been declining due to it's own contradictions. ie just how far and how much detail and how many cars and and courses can you do before the entire franchise just buckles and collapses under its own weight?
The PSP sold out on the first day, according to GameSpot. So three/four days doesn't matter. DS doesn't matter, only mentionned it to show how PlayStation launches compared to other launches. Which is to say, PS hardware tend to start better which is important for our guesses. For the future evolution Nintendo/Microsoft sales become important.
Sony said they were good, no hard figures.
Metalmurphy
Member
Gt is sonys best selling game on psp at 3.6M and ps3 at 7.3M ,without counting prologue, despite the userbase being 100M less then what GT4 had. I wouldn't say it's declining and it can definitely be a big hit on the Vita
pieatorium
Member
The only psp game to sell more than GT psp is Monster Hunter as far as I can find out. GT5 was a definately a retraction but still pretty significant.
fluffydelusions
Member
The only version Acti cares about at all is the 360 version. PSV version will just join the ranks of the PS3 and PC versions as 2nd class citizens.
Oppo
Member
What? No no. You'll be able to fly PS3 Wipeout players and Vita Wipeout players on the same online track. This has been detailed (DLC for 2048 containing the PS3 tracks).
Supported by a bit of annecdotal knowledge from my local GameStop also. When asked the GameStop rep. replied that "the Vita has sold very, very well indeed".
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
Did he stroke his beard (while taking a sip of a pint) while saying that?
slaughterking
Member
So I was looking for a Vita Wifi model today. I'm still struggling with myself if I should really buy one right now, but I wanted to at least check stores and see if there's a good deal that would maybe convince me.
And while I have no idea how the Vita is really selling, I have to say in-store presence is absolutely atrocious. It was pretty bad when 3DS stuff was lumped together with DS stuff and you could hardly distinguish them from each other, but at least the 3DS was not shoved into any dark corner of the store. So when I was looking for the Vita today, I was at one big department store that didn't carry the Vita at all, two other stores that had a tiny Vita section with barely any games and two big electronic stores with a somewhat acceptable selection of games/accessories, that was unfortunately buried between the PSP and 360 section, that are kind of just there for the sake of completeness (that's in Germany btw.).
Again, I'm not making any assumptions about how good or not-so-good the Vita may be selling, but this experience was not very encouraging to say the least.
And while I have no idea how the Vita is really selling, I have to say in-store presence is absolutely atrocious. It was pretty bad when 3DS stuff was lumped together with DS stuff and you could hardly distinguish them from each other, but at least the 3DS was not shoved into any dark corner of the store. So when I was looking for the Vita today, I was at one big department store that didn't carry the Vita at all, two other stores that had a tiny Vita section with barely any games and two big electronic stores with a somewhat acceptable selection of games/accessories, that was unfortunately buried between the PSP and 360 section, that are kind of just there for the sake of completeness (that's in Germany btw.).
Again, I'm not making any assumptions about how good or not-so-good the Vita may be selling, but this experience was not very encouraging to say the least.
That's not bad though. It could get dropped down to the Wii and DS levels where it's very existence isn't even acknowledged.
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
i saw 1 or 2 wifi vitas at best buy, and about 3 of them 3gs.
the software looked a bit cleaned out, though. no idea how many were there before
mostly a college town in this area.
the software looked a bit cleaned out, though. no idea how many were there before
mostly a college town in this area.
Callibretto
Member
it varies between games, ultimate marvel vs capcom for instance don't have any crossplay feature.
I'm saying there's little chance of Activision spent the extra effort to make PS3 and Vita multiplayer to be exactly the same so it can have crossplay features. it'll be much more easy and make sense to create a separate online multiplayer mode with Vita, actually incorporate vita features like touch screen and gyro into the game, but let it share game stat so your xp and kill ratio etc will be carried over between the two platform but it's essentially a different game.
Impeccable
Member
Almost impulse purchased one today but the Wal-Mart in my town was completely sold out and we don't have a local EBgames etc.
No idea how many they had originally. Had a bunch of games though.
No idea how many they had originally. Had a bunch of games though.