Ben-DutkaAs we said from the start, the PlayStation Vita is all about games. It's designed specifically for avid gamers and despite the slickness and bells and whistles, it will be the software that makes or breaks the unit.
Perhaps the best example of this is the fact that the number of headlines citing the Vita has dropped off drastically since its launch in February. New home consoles stay in the news for quite a long time after the initial launch, and throughout much of January and into February, the Vita was a common news and discussion topic in the industry. But now, despite positive reviews and a pretty great opening software lineup, the Vita has slipped off the radar.
Other things have supplanted it, such as the constant rumors surrounding the new machines from Sony and Microsoft, the Mass Effect 3 unpleasantness, and the recent announcement of God of War: Ascension . And traditionally, handhelds just aren't as popular in this country (at least, not in terms of community and forum conversation). However, I'm convinced that if big games had continued to hit the Vita over the past month, it would not only have been in the public eye more, it would've almost certainly sold more. It's a games machine , first and foremost. I can't ever stress that enough.
And therefore, it is only the software that can maintain interest. We've got Resistance: Burning Skies and Gravity Rush coming up, which should be great. Oh, that's the other caveat: It's not enough to have a lot of software; we have to get a lot of quality software. Games that are visible, that get a lot of good press, that make consumers go, "damn, that looks pretty freakin' great…I gotta get a Vita." Sony has stressed the importance of software from the very start of this unit's lifespan in the media and they need to back that up. The good news is that there are plenty of titles in development; over 100, or so we've heard.
But an expansive and top-notch library can't solidify itself fast enough…
Yep, this is part of the reason I have yet to buy a Vita, there just isnt any games on it currently that intrest me, bring on the rpgs, and monster hunter titles!
Another point that stops me from buying it, is the price. Sure, $250 isnt really bad, but it's the memory card prices that KILL it for me, honestly untop of the $250 I've gotta drop another $100 for only a 32gig card? I think not. Sure you could argue that you dont NEED a 32 gig card, just buy a smaller one, but I'd want to put psp titles on it, movies, music, and all of a sudden even a 32gig isnt much room anymore.
Yeah, $119.95 AUD for the 32gb here in AUS.
That is 1/4 of the handheld price…..
The sad thing is that sony prolly wont drop the price of the cards for a long long time, if ever. The pro duo2s didnt drop in price until the psp's life span was almost over, heck it's still expensive even today, $30 for a 4gig? bad sony, bad!.
Dualshock3 controllers have only just recently dropped by like $10 here in AUS. They have been $100 since they were released.
If you keep your eye out on Amazon, Frys, Circuit City/Tiger-Direct(same franchise), Buy, 1/2 price, & Overstock (dot)coms, etc, etc, you can occasionally find Vita cards cheaper than Sony's prices.
Just do as I did to find the deals by signing up for their daily or weekly email ads.
FYI, I just picked up a Sony 16BG Vita cards from Amazon two weeks ago for $49.99($10 off).
And…..somebody else(Buy-dot-com, I think) had the 32 GB cards for $72.20 for brand new on-line sign-up customers, & around $82 for their regular customers(that's a $20 to $28 savings right there).
Last edited by BikerSaint on 4/19/2012 10:35:39 PM
Personally, I think Uncharted, Hot Shots, Wipeout, Rayman Origins, and Escape Plan are worth the cost of admission right now.
113 for the 32GB.
really pissed off $ony central in the city charged me 150 for it just last weekend!
sigh, thats what i get for buying direct from $ony!
Well I can only speak from personal experience, and I was super hyped for the vita, but I have not purchased one as of yet. The reason for this is because of the software.
To be honest, I was not all that impressed with the opening line up. It did not contain many 'interesting' titles, or anything that really jumped out at me (except Stardust Delta).
Also, there is a massive gap between releases with brand new consoles. Normally, consoles will launch with a bunch of games, but not receive any new major games (or any) for many many months. The Vita is the same, I am not interested in any games till at least the end of the year.
For the vita to be a huge hit, it needs some first class QUALITY titles FPS (Killzone and CoD), action (GoW, AC), and some great RPG (can't remember any?). These will drive sales hard, and will allow third party devs to produce new IPs on the system.
I have to admit, I've lost interest in getting this thing right away. But that probably has more to do with having little gaming time and not being a very mobile person as it is. When i'm mobile Im usually the one driving. Anyway, the Vita is slick and cool and i hope it picks up for Sony, I'm just not in much of hurry for one, personally.
I already have one and I use it everyday. But yeah, the hype for the Vita is quickly cooling off so it's about time that Sony announces more games for the system.
I personally am not complaining as there are still a lot of games I have yet to play (Wipeout 2048, Rayman Origins, Super Stardust Delta, etc.) and there are also those that are yet to release, Persona 4 The Golden easily topping my most anticipated list.
i love my vita and i play it as much as possible but i have to admit its been collecting dust for a lil over a week and probably will until mortal kombat drops, then resistance and gravity rush. id really like to see ALOT more aaa franchises heading the vitas way because as sony showed with the psp if they start to lose steam they may never get it back and id really love to see the vita live out to is full potential. also i really with theyd get the remote play fully functional, if i could play my ps3 library through my vita id never put it down!
Last edited by inkme101 on 4/19/2012 9:44:03 PM
The problem with the psp was that sony tried to introduce UMDs into the mix, and infact built the entire system around it, and when it failed as a media, sony just seemed to lose intrest in the psp, and for the longest time it seemed to just float in limbo.
Vita's hype rekindles in my heart every time I boot it up. Wipeout 2048, Uncharted, Rayman, UMvC3 all keep me smiling. Of course, you gotta figure the launch window always seems sparse especially when we're in the end of another console cycle, where we are inundated with backlogged games that dwarfs the other library. And of course, as Ben said, there's less media focus States-side on portable platforms. But really, Vita is really a console experience…but portable. Give it try, ya'll. You won't be dissappointed…except if you're an Aussie or Kiwi. Pricing is brutal in the down-under. Damn.
Vita is indeed a cool portable but I have no purpose for one now. I hope down road it will a excellent choice for jrpgs like the psp because it has too much western flair right now.
I still haven't picked one up. The wife needs a new phone so that will have to come first. I still may preorder Gravity Rush from Amazon though. Looks excellent.
I bought the Vita about a month after it launched. I have bought Unit 13 and Uncharted Golden Abyss for it. I'm done with uncharted (not really a trophy hunter) and I play Unit 13 for long bathroom breaks. Most of my time on the Vita consist of playing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite(PSP).
I was thinking of buying Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. How does it play on the Vita? No change from the PSP? Never played Monster Hunter but I am very interested. I bought Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins and The Sega Collection and they work great on the Vita.
Monster Hunter works slightly better on the Vita because of the dual analogs. But I still use the directional buttons for camera controls because the "claw" grip is embedded in to my muscle memory.
I played MH games on a PSP-2000 and when you play it on the Vita, the color looks spectacular. It's like the PSP-3000. Since the Vita screen is bigger than the PSP's, it stretches the picture which makes the polygons more obvious. You will tend to ignore this once you get into the game.
Monster Hunter is not a game for everyone. It also is best played with friends. It was one of my first PSP games but I never got into it until my best friend bought a copy and we played together. If you liked Demon Souls, you will feel at home with Monster Hunter's difficult bosses.
Monster Hunter is quest based. It does not have a story aside from you are a hunter helping the village. It also is a grind fest. You fight the same monster over and over and over again just to build the weapon or armor you want. MH is also skill heavy. You will get pounded on as a beginner but in time, you will be able to run around G-rank(highest difficulty) monsters.
Well, I am still loving my Vita. I think it's fantastic actually. It does need new some top tier games though. I cannot believe they released it without a FF or MH game. Gravity Rush and Resistance should have been ready for launch too. They released it to soon IMHO.
There are some really great games on this system though. I just bought Mutant Blobs Attack for $7.99 and it's an amazing game! I highly recommend it.
It's going to be a tough year for the Vita no doubt. The 3DS has Kingdom Hearts 3D coming out so that will sell millions. Vita just needs some AAA titles soon. So far, very pleased with the games and looking forward to buying some more. Sure is nice sitting on the couch playing my Vita while the wife watches her shows! 🙂
I am ashamed to say that I am currently addicted to the TOM Blitz as well as the Augmented reality soccer thing.
Vita is a nice piece of equipment but look around you outside in public. People are on ipads, iphones, tablets etc. Theres great games on them too much cheaper also. Lots of people aren't going to carry both around and although vitas is worth the 259 its still a expensive investment. Just because its a console experience on a portable its still a portable thats why most PS3 gamers arent running out to buy a vita.. Vitas sluggish sales prove it unfortunately and i feel more new games wont help much like they should.
Of course, it is an investment. And if you have no interest in hand held devices, or in console gaming on the go, peeking at a Vita in a Gamestop most likely won't sway you.
But to address your point and Bigrailer's regarding the redundancy, or, lets be frank, even expected mediocrity of the hand held experience, what I can tell you is that certain pick up and play titles lend themselves even BETTER on the hand held. When I find the time to sit in front of my bedroom tv, I'm more inclined to play certain titles, rather than switching between pick-up-and play ones. Fighters and racers, when I have 5 minutes here or there, are far more accessible on the Vita, and uncannily comparable experiences to their console counterparts. Moreover, if you travel, it certainly beats lugging your gaming laptop or ps3 around. I know this from experience.
But was even more surprising to me than this, is that even the ones that are not so much pick-up-play, like Uncharted:Golden Abyss, still offer a surprisingly engrossing full-on console experience. In short, if you like pick-up-and-play games, Vita is the place to go. But, if you're fan of games in general, the Vita still offers plenty of quality software that are worth getting a Vita to play.
Jack, Most of those people with iPads and Tablets aren't gamers anyway. Vita was made for people like us. Not casuals.
I just don't know about the handheld industry. I love the idea of a handheld. In fact I used to haw a game gear and loved it. Problem is I'd much rather play any of those great games, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss on my PS3!
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 4/19/2012 10:59:18 PM
I got my Vita on launch day (2/22 launch day) and have loved it do far. I love Uncharted, Wipeout 2048, Escape Plan, and Super Stardust Delta. I don't play everyday, but at least 4 days a week. The only bad experience I've had so far is with Sony customer service and having to wait over two weeks extra to get my "free" copy of Super Stardust.
I really hope we can get some badass games to start coming out consistently to make the experience even better, and to reignite the hype for the Vita.
If sony would just throw a memory chip in the box with the vita, I think that alone would sell a few more units. I got the early release bundle that came with the 3g/wifi vita and an 8 gig card and little deviants and the case plus lumines, uncharted, marvel vs capcom 3, a 16 gig card, the charge dock, the headset, and the trigger grip all for 300 bux! So there's no way you'll catch me complaining! Now I will patiently wait for some more stellar games! I'm sure e3 holds a lot in store for the vita!
The first edition bundle? didn't that come with a 4gb card?
your right it was a 4gb card i had to look in the box, i put my 16 in it right off the bat and have never taken it out!
Personally i'm waiting for a price drop on the memory cards and all psp games on psn.I heard KH birth by sleep is not there.
Square said there are no plans for a PSN version of Birth by Sleep.
Well time to get a psp instead of 3ds or vita.
Meh, it's not that good anyways. Kingdom Hearts 3D looks better and is said to leave hints of a KH3.
Yeah but I won't know know whats going on with the story and I'll get confused again like in KH2.
I think you all must prepare yourself that the Vita will never become a big hit. It is in todays market very much a niche product, a gadget for a rather limited segment of the market.
This is not me being "anti Sony" or anything, I'm just being realistic. I know there has been quite a few of you who has expected the Vita to "fly off the shelves" if only this or that was in place, but I'm afraid that will never happen. It never could.
But if you all adjust your expectations for it to sell well *enough* to not cause the stream of new games to completely dry up then I think you should be pleased, and continue enjoying your very special piece of hardware.
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I never saw the hype in the first place, there are no titles even announced for the Vita which have me excited for the console, I'm waiting to here more from S-E a Final Fantasy or Metal Gear may peak my interest. Uncharted is not bad, it's just not enough to make me want to bu ythe console.
I am way more concerned about the way the Japanese market has played out for the Vita. I saw a recent Vita headline on CVG that weekly sales reached an all time low in Japan with something like 8,000 units sold last week. Outside the first 2 days sales have described as sluggish at best. One thing I have noticed is there have been a lot a negative articles regarding Vita sales from analysts. Forbses said Sony was in "big trouble" with the Vita because of the way weekly sales collapsed in Japan after the first week. That article was probably premature because it was all the way back in January but the Vita has been out long enough now in Japan that we can can see it's just not selling.
I've heard excuses from Sony fans ranging from blaming the recent ecological disasters in Japan to blaming the weak Japanese currency. Okay, but we have the 3DS breaking sales records in Japan so I don't think those excuses have a lot of merit. Japan has substantial and thriving handheld market. I remember back in December Nintendo sold 483,000 3DS consoles in a single week which set an all time record by the way. The 3DS has been outselling the Vita 8:1. Sorry, if you can not sell a handheld to the Japanese then something is wrong. That's just how I feel about it.
The way the Vita has performed in Japan has surprised me because Japan was very supportive of the PSP. In 2010 the PSP was best selling handheld in Japan. That was the first time Nintendo had ever been beaten in the handheld sector in any region. Naturally, I thought the Vita was going to be even more successful but it just has not turned out that way. I think Sony needs to aggresively address this or they risk further erosion of confidence in the product and also risk losing developer support. There have already been reports coming out of Japan that developers were abandoning the Vita in favor of the 3DS. Those reports were controversial here because they used unnamed sources but it's still something no Sony fan wants to hear. It's also interesting that one of the main reasons Nintendo cited when they slashed the 3DS price is they needed to restore confidence in the product or risk losing developer support. When weekly sales are that bad in region that loves their handhelds I tend to think it's more than just the games. Consumers just are not biting on the Vita at its current price point.
I do think there could be a way out of this and there are some interesting similarities between the way the 3DS kind of struggled right after its launch. Gamers were saying there were no good games and it was overpriced. The gaming press kind of beat up the 3DS for poor sales in Japan in a similar way. It looks like the Vita had a better launch line up than the 3DS. It was definitely more robust. I guess the real question is whether there are really any system selling games for the Vita in Japan. Software does drive sustained sales so I think there is some evidence the game line up might be a problem for the Vita. It could also be the price of the unit itself. So to address both problems, just follow Nintendo's example. An aggressive price cut combined with a better system selling games saved the 3DS back when it was faltering. Just cut the Vita's price and release a Monster Hunter game. Problem solved…at least for the Japanese market which I think is a bigger concern since that region has a much larger handheld market. Most PSP sales occured in that market so I think it should be addressed first. The sooner the better.
Last edited by Excelsior1 on 4/20/2012 4:37:23 AM
You know how Sony cant follow Nintendos example? No backwards compatibility! Talk about lack of games! If I could play psp games on the vita, I would of already bought vita. I don't have a psp but there are a ton of games that I would love to play and can be bought on the cheap. But as it stands I am not going to buy a psp AND a vita.
Nintendo got it right. As you mentioned, the 3ds did not have a the best lineup to begin with but you could always play your ds games on it. So not only did they get people wanting the 3ds just because it was a 3 d s, but they could also get people wanting to buy a ds as well. My son has a ds and a 3ds. 2 weeks ago he stepped on his ds and broke the screen. No problem because he can play all his ds games on the 3ds. However if he only had the ds, and then broke it, I could certainly feel confident in buying the 3ds and know that I won't be abandoning all his library of games.
Last edited by MyWorstNightmar on 4/20/2012 1:59:58 PM
You can play PSP games on the Vita, you just can't transfer your UMD's to the Vita and the library of Vita games that can be transferred to the Vita on PSN is less than 1/3 of the full PSP library.
It makes no sense because in Japan they are able to transfer their PSP games to Vita for 5 bucks. Over here you have to buy it off their store. Sony thinks Americans and Europeans don't want that so they didn't bother giving it to us. They believe we would prefer to only have the option of buying it at full price on the PSN store. Silly Sony.
You can play PSP games on the Vita, you just can't transfer your UMD's to the Vita and the library of Vita games that can be transferred to the Vita on PSN is less than 1/3 of the full PSP library.
It makes no sense because in Japan they are able to transfer their PSP games to Vita for 5 bucks. Over here you have to buy it off their store. Sony thinks Americans and Europeans don't want that so they didn't bother giving it to us. They believe we would prefer to only have the option of buying it at full price on the PSN store. Silly Sony.
Have Uncharted, Lumines, Rayman, Escape Plan, Super Stardust Delta and Motorstorm RC.
Thats not bad for a handheld that I have only had for a month.
Looking forward to Gravity Rush and Resistance. Think the Vita is in a marathon not a sprint.
The Vita is a superb piece of kit. Well worth the money (even for us in Australia). It really does feel like I am carrying my PS3 around in my bag. I can't understand all the negative press that it is getting.
If Sony could start porting some good PS2 games over to the Vita like Shadow of the Colossus and get a good few JRPGs for the Japanese market and Killzone/God of War and COD for us trigger happy westerners then it should definately take off.
absolutely its a marathon not a sprint.
but theres zero point turning up to the race 20 years after its finished!
you cant release such a ridiculously overpriced system then release no new games for it for 3+ months!
not to mention after the big releases of may and june when are the next vita games releasing?
probably not till november when COD and AC release, thats another 5 month wait!
$ony really needs to spread their releases out better!
Is it getting a lot of bad press? Where? I think I've only read good things about it, the reviews have been overall very good on the technical aspects of it.
Thats the problem gordo, Us trigger happy westerners rather play cod on a console. So that obviously wont help the vita. Its not selling in japan for a reason i doubt its the just the games.
$ony made a massive mistake releasing so many games at once and having a 3+ month wait till any more come out!
i mean its bad enough that its MORE expensive then the ps3 with TONS of accessories!
MORE expensive then a 360 with TONS of accessories and games!
TWICE the price and some then a 3Ds with TONS of accessories and games!
but that was not enough, they had to delay all the games till late may at the earliest!
so anyone who bought it has to wait 3 months till any new games come out.
a friend of mine who bought his on release day has been nagging me for months when theres new games coming out!
driving me nuts!!!!!!
not to mention the ridiculously overpriced accessories!
its almost as if $ony want the vita to flop!
Hold crap the damn thing just released with a pretty big lineup. It's been two months! My god has the human race gotten this impatient? By this standard what could possibly NOT fail?
It's what always happens if a product is found to be not too interesting by most potential buyers. Those products tend to disappear fast again.
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/20/2012 7:40:25 AM
Why so much hate?
Exactly! Gamers are a funny bunch. They take things too personally. If you like it and have the money buy one. If you think there aren't enough games, costs too much or the memory cards are too expensive then don't buy it. Harping on about it for the next six months. 😉
I don't see hate at all? What I see is a market that pretty much ignore it cause they have no interest in it. To be ignored is not the same as being hated.
Noone hates the Vita. Most just don't care for it. It's as simple as that.
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/21/2012 6:26:26 AM
Vita had a huge launch line up, but unfortunately there were only a handful of those games that I think would really push any consoles. Hot Shots, Uncharted, and Rayman. I just finished Rayman last night and I've gotta say, that was fantastic. Best platformer I've played in years. I plan on buying Escape Plan next.
We really need some big names to drop though. And soon.
Also, we need need NEED some bloody PS1 support. That was one of the greatest things about PSP. And PS1 games look great on that little screen. Man, with Legend of Dragoon hitting PSN soon I really need Sony to open up PS1 games on the Vita… Badly. Get it done Sony!