Is the PS Vita a failed handheld game system?

[KronicReaper]

Is the PS Vita is a failed handheld game system? What is your troughs or opinions about this?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2014/01/23/analyst-predicts-slow-painful-death-for-playstation-vita/

[vincoof]

No offence intended, but who cares about predictions from analysts (apart from shareholders maybe)? As long as you enjoy the console there’s no need to freak out :) Time will tell when the console’s dead.

[Rapier Racer]

I'm not sure if it's dead. I see reports saying it's not getting the 3rd party support it needs or that 'killer game' it needs to propel its sales forwards. It's not exactly looking rosy right now but needless to say I am still a proud owner of a Vita. Pure and Pulse play fantastic on it and its PS4 remote play feature is excellent. It seems Sony plan on selling a bundle of PS4 with Vita, if they push it as an excellent companion for the PS4 and get some attention grabbing games on it (there are a few currently) then I don't think its dead. Look at the Wii U, apparently selling less than the Vita? Is it dead?

[Mitchemous]

I think if they can get more titles out it would be a great system. I've wanted one since it came out but with wipeout 2048 being the only game I have interest in owning I don't really see the point. It's so damn powerful as a handheld but the games they release for it are corny and cartoony, and any of the serious titles are just not genres that appeal to me. I'd love to see more ported games, playing god of war 3 on the go would be terrific. I love that they did that with fury and I feel a lot of people would love to have a portable version of their ps3 games, if they did something like included vita downloads with games bought for the ps3 or ps4 I think they would see a huge boost in unit sales.

[Knux_Chaotix]

You can download and play certain PS3 titles on your Vita ^_^ And with the PS4 you have remote play with the Vita ^_^

[Mitchemous]

Interesting, I'll check that out.
Yeah I feel like Sony just hasn't put in the work to make it successful, they kinda just designed it and threw it in the market with a few games. They kinda have same problem with the ps4 there's barely any exclusive games for it

[NiktheGreek]

I've actually just picked one up, as I need all the machines I can get for freelance opportunities. They're popular in the office, and we often talk about how we wish more people would realise that the system is pretty great.

At the very least, expectations of the Vita need to be adjusted. It'll probably never be as big as the PSP was, but that's the market we have now. The PS4 and the new model have given it a boost, so there's at least a couple of years in it still. As long Sony gives the Vita free reign to do its own thing, it can be a success on its own terms - profitable and respected, particularly by fans of indie games, but never massive.

[blackwiggle]

Only hardcore gamers will own one.
Most kids at school would be playing games on their Smartphones, so the whole portable gaming market via a specific console has basically become a none event.
Only if you were a trophy hunter would you bother with a VITA IMHO

[Takarias]

I kinda want a Vita, if for no other reason than mobile Wipeout. It's great hardware, and absolutely mind-blowing for that price, but there's no way I'm spending that much for one game. Same thing happened with the PS3. I never got one because it wasn't worth it for one game.

(Finally got HD/Fury just last week. Got a good deal on a PS3 now that the system is 'old.')

[JustinCase]

Yup it's a failed system. Let's face it - what's the point of buying such a portable console when your smartphone is lighter, you always carry it with you and games are way cheaper? Sure, there are some nice titles on the Vita, for example Killzone (I'm a big fan:)), but now mobile games are also good and some of them are of good quality. So yeah I think Vita will fail in the end but to be honest it's also a bit tempting because of Killzone so who knows maybe I'll buy it just for this game;).

[Knux_Chaotix]

Let's face it - what's the point of buying such a portable console when your smartphone is lighter, you always carry it with you and games are way cheaper? [...] but now mobile games are also good and some of them are of good quality.

Eww, totally not into gaming on a smartphone, or phone gaming in general. Huge fan of my portable consoles such as the PSP and the Vita. Remote play with the Vita is fantastic. Can play my PS4 games from any place I want with the Vitas Remote play function. Not to mention having Pure and Pulse on there in case I need my Wipeout fix, as well as Oddworld etc. The Vita is an excellent wee thing. Not a "failed system" in my eyes.

[vincoof]

I have an iPod Touch (which isn’t exactly a smartphone but behaves essentially the same for video games) and tried to use it to play, but it really has nothing to do with the quality of what you can find on PSVita. While the Vita is not a perfect device (it’s big, the controller is not comfortable, the battery is not efficient), in my opinion smartphones are much more of a “failed” handheld device when we talk about gaming. And believe me, I really tried, I played games for hundreds of hours, but the experience is way lower than dedicated game consoles. With that said, smartphones are very good at providing casual gaming, e.g. if you are in a waiting room you know you can always count on your smartphone to run a few tries in Angry Birds or Candy Crush Saga, granted you have enough battery. On the other hand, you don’t always have a PSVita in your pocket (at least I don’t), thus you can’t run a few races in WO inside a waiting room (though I’d love to).

[JustinCase]

I believe a tablet is a bit better option for gaming. Anyway right now there are many great mobile games on smartphones/tablets and it's getting better and better. On the other hand now you can get nice PS Vita bundles with 10 games, including Wipeout, for like €200, so I might get the Vita after all just to play these few gems like Wipeout, Uncharted and Killzone.

[infoxicated]

Yup it's a failed system. Let's face it - what's the point of buying such a portable console when your smartphone is lighter, you always carry it with you and games are way cheaper?
Let's face what? Your own personal preference for playing games?

I have one single game on my phone and that's Ingress. Aside from that my phone is a communication device/audio player, not a games console.

I've yet to play a touchscreen game that offers the depth of a dedicated console game - I certainly couldn't see how you'd play the likes of Everybody's Golf, Super Stardust, Unit 13, Tearaway or Velocity Ultra on a purely touch screen device without it being a rubbish experience.

As for the cost of games, having PSN+ means I've actually only bought a handful of games for my Vita - the rest have been freebies. It's well regarded within the industry that PSN+ is one of the best deals in gaming and that the PS4+PSVita+PSN+ proposition is a very good one.

It's all very easy for an analyst to declare the Vita a failure because it's not putting up DS numbers, but the fact is it's not losing money for Sony and they're in it for the long game - same as they were with the PSP that plenty of analysts said was a failure. Look at the hardware numbers the PSP has sold over its lifespan and remember that Sony has never sold it at a loss. If a product isn't being sold at a loss then declaring it a failure after two years is somewhat blind to the countless products launched every year that don't make it to their first birthday - those are failures.

So, let's face it: The Vita is a dedicated gaming device and, as such, it's maybe not as mass market as those analysts would like. But for Sony it's a portable cash register that offers a gateway to their vast library of content and the PS4.

If it's withdrawn from sale before 2016? Then it's a failure, albeit one that never lost money and excels as a dedicated entertainment device.

[marcingru]

Ive got Htc one -quite powerful phone- with W2097 running smoothly on emulator but it does only that ...HEHE ,i dont even bother to play it on touchscreen. From other side i just bought Super Stardust Delta , with tight analog controls and great -i mean GREAT- oled screen i would not change for even TWO Htc one's-meaby if you compare sound quality ;D !!!

I love my Vita as i loved my FAT(first) psp ,now my daughter rocking mainly movies and Hannah Montana on it and will not change for anything else :)
I even thinking to get PSP GO for plying PURE/PULSE and PSX games on the go since is MUCH smaller than VITA and with 333 Mhz its blowing out of the water any mobile experience period.

Regards!

[JustinCase]

Let's face what? Your own personal preference for playing games?

I just raised the question I wonder what's the point. HOWEVER;). As I wrote in my last message, I take into consideration the PS Vita cuz now they offer some great bundles with many great games for download, so I'm not sayin the Vita is a waste of money or smth like that. But the topic is on if this handheld is a failed game system and I just don't see it succeed. The PSP wasn't a big success for Sony and the Vita won't be either. But for hardcore gamers sure, it's pretty great, powerful, etc., but not only hardcore gamers are buying consoles.



I have one single game on my phone and that's Ingress. Aside from that my phone is a communication device/audio player, not a games console.

I've yet to play a touchscreen game that offers the depth of a dedicated console game - I certainly couldn't see how you'd play the likes of Everybody's Golf, Super Stardust, Unit 13, Tearaway or Velocity Ultra on a purely touch screen device without it being a rubbish experience.

You can use a controller and there are many genres and games in which touch controls are way better than buttons, for example strategic and economic games or games like Football Manager, etc. so it all depends on the games really. I play on both consoles and my smartphone and tablet and the experience can be superb but it depends on the title. Besides now you have many console games on smartphones and tablets like UFO Enemy Unknown, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Vice City, Chinatown Wars, The Settlers, games like Infinity Blade, Real Racing, etc. I agree that 99% of mobile games are crap, but I'm just sayin you can still find many gems that will offer you the same level of detail and experience as games on handheld consoles;).

Anyway maybe I'll get the PS Vita next week - want to play Wipeout and Killzone, imo Killzone is a killer;).

[vincoof]

I'm just sayin you can still find many gems that will offer you the same level of detail and experience as games on handheld consolesWhile you’ve raised some valid points, many of them subject to discussion, this one is simply not true in my humble opinion. Despite the incredible hardware smartphones have today, the graphics and sound is really crappy even compared to devices like the 3DS or Vita that were released a few years ago, not to mention the game experience for which, just like Rob, I’ve yet to find a smartphone game that convinces me.

[JABBERJAW]

The vita has sold 7.8 million units, 2.2 million more than the WII U, and if its not being sold at a loss, that is hardly a failure

The psp has sold 80.5 MILLION units, the same as the 360 and the ps3. If this is a failure, every console has failed besides the ps2, wii, ds and gameboy. Just because it hasn't kept up with the DS, doesn't mean anything. Its like saying Apple is a failure with computer sales.

[GekkoP]

If I could, I'd buy a Vita right about now. I've seen it in action and try it a bit and it surely got me interested.

[infoxicated]

Vita takes top spot in Japanese sales charts - outsells combined Nintendo DS/3DS figure:

http://www.vitaplayer.co.uk/ps-vita-steals-top-spot-in-japanese-hardware-sales-charts/

[JustinCase]

Just got my PS Vita today - maybe it will change my mind;).

Just a quick update: no surprises, Wipeout 2048 is right now the best PS Vita game for me. However I did not get Killzone yet, but even Uncharted can't beat Wipeout I'm afraid;). Actually I thought Uncharted would be better, but played it half an hour, so we will see how it develops.