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People Waiting In Line All Wish They Had A Vita To Play

Ben-Dutka 15 Comments

There are millions of people around the world right now, waiting in line for either Black Friday sales or the PlayStation 4 launch in Europe.

And I'm willing to bet that if you handed out a Vita to everyone, everyone would at least try it. I can also guarantee that a hefty percentage of those who tried it would enjoy it, and the hours would pass much quicker.

It's unfortunate that Sony's new portable hasn't received anywhere near enough software support over the past year, but it remains a great handheld system with all sorts of power. Besides, it's not like there are no games to play; the recently released Tearaway is fantastic and well worth anyone's time and money. Media Molecule are the kings of imagination and creativity! And if you missed out on Killzone: Mercenary , now would be a good time to play catch-up.

Then there's the unique and challenging Soul Sacrifice , which, by the way, is free this week for Plus members . There are also plenty of downloadable titles that are great on the go, and don't forget about that Remote Play feature, especially if you already own – or plan to own – the PlayStation 4. The bottom line is that when you're stuck somewhere outside the house waiting, the Vita is the perfect companion for gamers. Forget the damn cell phone; gaming-wise it can't do a fraction of what the Vita can do.

But that has been one of Sony's biggest hurdles; unless someone intends to spend hours waiting in one place, they'll probably only want to take either the phone or the Vita, and most people – if only for security purposes – would opt for the phone. Still, that doesn't mean the Vita isn't worth owning and playing, especially if you're one of those nuts who camp out for sales.

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Sony Teases “Amazing Big Title” For Vita

Ben-Dutka 20 Comments

Excellent news!

SCEE senior manager Shahid Ahmad has Tweeted a mini announcement, and it's for all you PlayStation Vita owners out there. Actually, it's also for those of you still considering a Vita purchase.

If you ask most people, the only big upcoming Vita title they're aware of is Killzone: Mercerary . But it seems we'll be able to add another to the list soon:

"Oh and there is an AMAZING big title coming to Vita. I can’t tell you anything about it, except that you are gonna be hooked for hours."

So what kind of game could hook us for hours? That's probably not a good question, though, as it's far too subjective; some might be hooked on something like Monster Hunter , while others will keep playing Gravity Rush until they're blue in the face (and that's not necessarily a bad thing). Any ideas on what the game will be? Or what type of game? Better yet, what do you want it to be? I want a great RPG, of course.

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Sony: “We’ll Continue To Unlock The PlayStation Vita’s Potential”

Ben-Dutka 7 Comments

Sony has kicked off their PlayStation Meeting 2013 and they've already mentioned their slick portable, the PlayStation Vita. Predictable?

They were pretty vague but Sony boss Andrew House did say they will "continue to unlock the system's potential" as time goes on. Basically, they're looking to make the Vita a big part of the living room entertainment experience.

They say the core processing power of the unit is capable of that, and they will keep working toward delivering better experiences to core and casual gamers everywhere. The only question is whether or not the mainstream consumer will respond; perhaps Sony will make strides in making the Vita appeal to more with PS3/PS4 connectivity. The company has no interest in putting their handheld on the back burner and hence, they're going to keep pushing it. The only question is- How, exactly? We're not sure how that'll happen.

Guess we'll find out.

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PSXE Poll Update: Vita Isn’t Bad Off, It Just Needs More Games

Ben-Dutka 17 Comments

While many are concerned about the future of Sony's portable, most gamers say the same thing: There's nothing wrong with the device; it just requires more software.

The results of our latest poll are clear: If the PlayStation Vita could get some system-selling games on store shelves, everything would be fine. This makes sense; lack of compelling software has been the most commonly heard complaint, second only to the price tag.

As a frame of reference, we've only done a small handful of Vita previews in the past six months and that isn't because we've gotten lazy. It's because there really isn't much on the horizon, unfortunately. The first and second quarters of 2013 are almost entirely devoid of new Vita games, so it's no surprise the handheld is under-performing at retail. Here's hoping a solid surge of software shows up later this year, which will appeal to a wide audience. I'm not necessarily holding my breath, though.

This week could be gigantic- Will Sony announce the PlayStation 4? And if so, what does the competition think? Microsoft has said they're not sweating the February 20 press event because not enough gamers will even notice and besides, the Xbox still dominates in the US. Still, do you believe a PS4 announcement could make Microsoft sweat a little…?

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Uh…Are There Any Games Coming Out For The Vita At All?

Ben-Dutka 51 Comments

All game-oriented machines require games. That's an indisputable fact and one I thought Sony fully understood.

After all, they delayed the launch of the PlayStation Vita so as to have the "biggest launch ever" for any PlayStation platform (in terms of number of available titles). And that worked out relatively well; I believe there were 25 games on the store shelves when the Vita arrived, and initial sales really weren't bad if you look at the early numbers.

But sales didn't meet expectations in 2012 and I just noticed something else: I realized our Vita Preview section was getting a little thin and in fact, only five previews had been posted in the second half of last year. At first, I was like, "Woah, I totally faded on that!" and quickly set out to rectify the situation. After all, there must be quite a few games to look at, games that really need previews because they're coming out soon. But then I went to do the research and…what the hell?

There are only a small handful of games coming out for the Vita in the first half of 2013, and most are also coming to the PS3. The only upcoming title most people even care about at this point is Killzone: Mercenary (although some remember Tearaway from the E3 presentation), and we don't have a date for that. Nor do we have much in the way of concrete information. There's just nothing on the immediate horizon. How does Sony expect to sell any Vitas with no software? That's a pretty straightforward formula in my eyes and in the eyes of most analysts. Maybe the Vita missed its chance at landing more third-party support last year…

Thing is, Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified was an absolute disaster and what should've been the cream of the crop, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation , was only "good." It wouldn't qualify as a AAA title and therefore might not move many Vitas. I guess if I were a third-party developer, I wouldn't have much faith in getting high sales for a Vita title, either. But even so, in looking at the 2013 slate, I hadn't expected it to be quite this bare. How depressing.

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Vita’s Biggest Problem: Price Or Lack Of Available AAA Software?

Ben-Dutka 93 Comments

The PlayStation Vita isn't selling as well as expected and speculation is widespread: Why is Sony's new portable struggling at retail?

Well, it depends on your definition of "struggling," first of all. Sony has said they're not too far behind internal expectations for the time being, and the handheld did enjoy a solid Black Friday showing . But no matter how you slice it, the system could definitely be faring better.

For the most part, there are three common explanations: 1. Price, 2. Lack of compelling AAA software, and 3. The rapid expansion and proliferation of mobile gaming. The latter is a complex topic and extends beyond the realm of hardcore gamers, so we're going to stick with the first two possible explanations. Remember, this is a unit specifically designed for the avid gamer. So which is the culprit? Do you see the price as being formidable for too many consumers? Is the product simply not worth what it costs? Or is it the software? Some will say the system had a great launch in terms of solid titles, and that's a legitimate argument.

But since then, not much has arrived to help prove to gamers that the Vita is something they need to have. For instance, the two titles this holiday season that were supposed to boost hardware sales were Assassin's Creed III: Liberation and Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified . One was abysmal and the other was good, but not great. Still, didn't they help Vita sales…? They did to some extent, right? So maybe it has more to do with secret explanation number three: The lack of promotion and heavy marketing. But wait…wasn't I constantly seeing ads for the Black Ops Declassified Vita bundle during November? I think I was.

What's your take on the issue?

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