Miyamoto Thinks PS Vita Needs More Games

[John Funk]

Miyamoto Thinks PS Vita Needs More Games

Admits the 3DS had a similar problem at launch.

With the launch of the PS Vita earlier this year, Sony and Nintendo have squared off for the second round of the Handheld Wars. Despite Sony's efforts to unseat his company from its longtime handheld throne, Nintendo guru Shigeru Miyamoto thinks the Vita is a cool bit of technology - it just doesn't have the software to make it a strong product.

"It's obviously a very hi-spec machine, and you can do lots of things with it," Miyamoto told Edge [http://www.edge-online.com/news/miyamoto-vita-needs-games]. "But I don't really see the combination of software and hardware that really makes a very strong product."

A lack of software, however, wasn't just a problem that Sony faced. Miyamoto admitted that the 3DS had had issues with a similar lack of compelling launch titles. "When we launched the 3DS hardware we didn't have Super Mario 3D Land, we didn't have Mario Kart 7, we didn't have Kid Icarus: Uprising," he said, noting that they had been initially planned for launch but development had lagged.

"We were kind of hoping that people would, nevertheless, buy into the product, find 3DS hardware promising, but looking back we have to say we realize the key software was missing when we launched the hardware."

The numbers back up Miyamoto's points that software is king - sort of. After a very strong worldwide launch, Vita sales slumped, particularly in Japan, where Nintendo's 3DS has reigned since last summer. Sony announced that the Vita had sold 1.2 million units worldwide by the end of February; in March, Nintendo announced that the 3DS had sold 17 million units, though to be fair it did have a year's head start.

Of course, when we say that the 3DS has sold very well since last summer, this has nothing to do with any of the big-name games that Miyamoto mentioned - which either came out in the holiday season or just fairly recently - and everything to do with Nintendo slashing the price from $249 to $169 in August.

If Sony were to similarly cut the price on the Vita (currently $249 for the Wi-Fi model, $299 for the 3G) it might suddenly find itself in a much more competitive position - as analysts suggested back in February [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115999-Sony-Could-Sell-12-4-Million-Vitas-With-A-Price-Cut].

The full Edge interview with Shigeru Miyamoto will be in the next issue of the magazine, if you're interested in reading the whole thing.

Source: Edge Online [http://www.edge-online.com/news/miyamoto-vita-needs-games]

Permalink

 

[Lunar Templar]

i keep forgetting the Vita exists, sure that's not helping it's sales ether

 

[Zouriz]

LoL they actually think Kid Icharus is a good game.

It is. Not perfect, but good.

He's right. I don't understand what Sony is doing. They can't seem to learn from their or Nintendo's past mistakes. I want a Vita, but it doesn't have anything to justify a purchase. It only has like 2-3 games I want right now.

 

[80Maxwell08]

No, It need to have Persona 4 the Golden come out for it, then things will get better for the system as I will purchase one when the game is released, along with Wipeout 2048, Final Fantasy X HD, UMVC, Street Fighter X Tekken etc...I will also buy some PS1 games like FF7+8+9 and Alundra once the PS1 thing gets working.

Also, I heard rumors of a GTA game in development for the Vita, as well as Final Fantasy Type-O being ported to it for the English release, is this true?

That is the Vita's problem. It has no good amount of original games right now and the only game I hear people saying that is actually original coming out is Gravity Rush. You are saying you will get the Vita for a game that already exists for much cheaper elsewhere. Saying a remake will be the Vita's killer title is absolutely insane. Right now on the Vita there are 5 original titles total. Of those 5 only 3 are above a 4 star rating. Of those 3 one of them is a cheap indie title, one of them is a generic third person shooter who had it's entire dev staff laid off before the game was even released, and the other one apparently uses the touch screens as it's entire control method. After all of my experiences with the touch screens I cannot put into words how bad an idea that is. I don't know if the Vita really needs a price cut but I will say it needs actual original titles on it. There's no point in spending $250 plus a memory card just for another uncharted. Not to mention that remote play function for the Vita only works with Hustle Kings, MLB 12 The Show, and Wipeout 2048.

captcha: lunatic fridge...um is that in any of the Persona games? Usually the captcha is pretty spot on with these things.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

i keep forgetting the Vita exists, sure that's not helping it's sales ether

Same. Other than Gravity Rush and the new Wipeout what has it got that you can't already get on the PS3? That's probably another factor working against it at the moment.

 

[weirdee]

It's strange how they do something as spectacularly wrong as the PS3 launch, couple it with the general uselessness of the PSP (well, to sony anyway, they're not getting paid for the kind of software you put on it hurr hurr), and then have it all boil down to their new handheld which is basically the face of Sony gaming until they get to the next generation and it repeats the mistakes of both, and makes them WORSE.

Even if they price it down to 100 bucks I won't be getting one because what am I gonna do with it? They're already competing with themselves because the PSP actually has some games, and the Vita can't play them...forget 3D being a gimmick, I'd rather deal with that than something that can't compete with itself, much less a smartphone.

 

[GiantRaven]

A console should have a lot of games released for it? Well imagine that.

 

[Alone Disciple]

Wow....brilliant insight and newsworthy. New system needs more games...No wonder Miyamoto makes the big bucks...his revelation is so.....obvious.

 

[Evil Smurf]

the vitas problem is that it does not play Pokemon.

 

[Arkvoodle]

He's mostly right.

Impressive hardware and technology will only take you so far. If there's no real entertainment value with the system, it won't last.

 

[Snotnarok]

This should be basic knowledge however for some reason a lot of people buy a console because there's a brand on it. Like a company was a good friend they buy into it every time.

Screw who makes the device it's the games, because the device without the games is not fun on it's own.

 

[gigastar]

How to fix this-

Call Capcom,
Have them put the next Monster Hunter on the Vita,
Get them to release it outside of Japan this time,
And that alone would guarantee a purchase from me and at least 500 hours of playtime within the next 3 months.

 

[Risingblade]

Ummm....duh? Seriously I think most people think the Vita needs more games

 

[SuperTrainStationH]

It's unfortunate, because IMO, the Vita came out of the gate with one of the strongest day 1 launch libraries I've ever seen on ANY new system.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Well, the Vita didn't release with mountains of shovelware, unlike the 3DS, so I don't think nintendo has the right to talk in that regard.

Besides, we get P4:TG. That makes the whole console worth buying. Best part is: It's coming out in fall. Most original titles for 3DS took a year to come out.

 

[Quiotu]

Nintendo is probably the last company that needs to tell another company 'You need more good games on your handheld in the first 6 months'.

Just sayin'...