Ben-DutkaFor the record, I really like the PlayStation Vita. I think a lot of people do.
But there appears to be evidence all around us that Sony's new portable is slipping away at an alarming speed. At this point, I'm wondering if it'll even make it through 2014.
If you step back and look at it from a consumer's or marketing standpoint, there's just nothing there. Few can name any potential AAA titles on the horizon, although there are some solid games scheduled for the rest of 2013. Next year, however, looks completely barren and even more telling is the fact that Sony never wants to divulge any Vita-related stats. They haven't really done it all year. Granted, they've spent their time with the PS4 but I think we all know why they're avoiding the Vita issue: Things aren't going very well, and everyone knows it.
Little to no software, very little in the way of promotion and advertisement (at least as far as I can see), and few, if any, notable developers cranking on Vita-specific titles. Sure, the handheld can play all sorts of multiplatform games, and that Cross Buy incentive is wicked cool, but it simply isn't enough. There needs to be more visibility, more attention, more excitement; we're getting nothing but silence from the Vita realm, and that is not a good sign. Nobody – and I mean nobody; developers, publishers, Sony, gamers, etc. – is talking about it, and I don't think they plan to any time soon. Sadly, most mainstream consumers have no idea that Sony released a new portable device.
It's vastly superior to any smartphone and I think competes favorably with tablet gaming as well, but all of that is irrelevant if nobody cares. And right now, it's hard to find anyone who really seems to care.