John-ShepardTypically, Japan loves their handhelds. But according to Sony, US gamers might actually respond better to the new PlayStation Vita.
Why? Well, basically, it hinges on the major launch titles. In speaking to Venture Beat , Sony President of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida said the initial lineup of Vita games is more geared towards Western tastes. Unsurprisingly, he specifically cited one of the most anticipated launch titles, Uncharted: Golden Abyss .
"Uncharted, it's a great title, one of the big franchises, but it doesn't really work in Japan. SCE Japan marketing is making an effort, so the awareness is going up, but still, Uncharted 3 sold about 200,000 units. It's very small sales compared to Call of Duty…did like 300,000 or 400,000? And that's the biggest-selling game made outside Japan. That's a hard market, when you see something like Monster Hunter selling like 4 million units, just in Japan."
In addition to Uncharted , Yoshida said other titles like FIFA Soccer and the new Call of Duty for Vita should entice plenty of US consumers. As for the current sales total in Japan, the executive echoed previous company statements, saying the half-million-plus haul is "within the range that we've been expecting." That being said, he added that the numbers didn't make them "ecstatic."
Lastly – and this is an interesting point we haven't heard before – Yoshida said the continued popularity of the PSP is actually proving to be a hindrance to Vita sales. Sony says the portable jump is proving to be a "slower transition" than anticipated. Remember, the PSP has come on strong as of late, especially in Japan. If you've been living under a rock, the Vita officially launches in North America and Europe on February 22.
I'm getting mine next week! Uncharted, Wipeout, and Ninja Gaiden ftw. I agree though, that these aren't exactly fanfare for the Japanese. Hotshots is loved over there, though not enough to support system sales, but I suspect over time they'll get there fair share, just as was the case with PSP. I can't wait to see one kind of games will be on the Vita. I was at the dentist to day, in the waiting room, and was wishing I already had my Vita, though I'm a grown ass man, and would feel kinda silly gaming on the thing in public, but really, i don't care.
Why didnt Sony cater to both considering japan's love for psp?
That's the $50,000,000 question.
getting one next week w 32gb memory card, will prob settle for escape plan since im already buying twisted metal this month
Then have somebody make a Monster Hunter game for it. Jeepers you can't launch a handheld in Japan without something Japanese for them.
It will be interesting to see if CoD fans (a majority of which are Xbox fans) will pick up the Vita for that game.
will be interesting to see how well it does once some JP games release on it.
still miffed the gravity daze HK version is chinese only when the demo was both chinese and english.
had my points ready to buy it, then they remove the english version!
now i wasted 80 bucks, and have to wait till may.
This is me still waiting for my vita AAA JRPG. Just one and that will be enough to say there are equal amounts of care on both sides.
Disgaea 3, Persona 4, Tales Innocence R, FFX. All of them are re-releases though.
Once the kill apps – aka JRPGs arrive, Japan will fall in love with vita, especially if they are Vita only games.
Of course the best possible outcome would be a JRPG that allowed you to play on either the Vita or PS3 and transfer back and forth between them. Perfect for a country dominated by commuters on public transportation.
I was in Tokyo about a month ago and you would not believe how many people were playing PSP on the trains. I thought the PSP was pretty much dead and everyone would be on the new Vita, but I'm not sure I even saw anyone playing the Vita. On catering to Western gamers, though, I'm not really happy about it. Sure, I'm a "Western gamer" but I looked at all the Japanese vita games in Japan and I would much rather have the majority of those titles than what is currently being released with the Vita in America. Sad thing is, I really want a Vita because the system looks awesome but the games that are being released I have no desire for…which is sad cause I still really want a Vita.
"Whore of the Orient" really sounded like my type of thing.
Then I found out it was a video game