Vita Sales Get Even Worse

[Jumplion]

I'm posting this from Kotaku:

"People seem to forget that Sony only shipped 500,000 units. After it's initial launch week, there were 140,000 Vita's in all of Japan. Half of which sold in it's second week. It's not logical to compare the Vita to a system that cost 10-15,000 yen less, has ample stock, and a larger library of games.

People these days are so quick to write something off as a failure--usually from people who don't have a clue. Everyone jumped at the chance to say the 3DS was a failure, and now months later it's doing just fine, with excellent games. Now I guess people have moved on to bashing a system that's been out for two weeks. And the best part? The majority of people on the Escapist don't even have the ability to purchase and play the damn thing. That's the most hilarious part."

That is a good point, and do tend to jump on the numbers. People still say the PSP was a failure compared to the DS even though it's sold pretty damn respectably (71 million), and anything is going to seem like a failure compared to whatever handheld Nintendo puts out.

We'll just have to wait and see, really. A lot of people seem to be rooting for it to fail [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115183-Sony-Thinks-Bad-Mexican-Food-Can-Sell-Vitas] horribly [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114982-PSP-Outselling-Vita-in-Japan] (even though it sold fairly decently [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114854-PS-Vita-Is-Big-in-Japan] in the first week. People are a fickle bunch, aren't they?)

 

[neonsword13-ops]

I will buy the Vita, when Persona 4 is released for it in the US, if not I won't bother.

Exactly.

No Golden, no Vita. I'm cool with not buying any other game, just give me the one I want.

 

[weirdee]

This is what happens when you release an expensive system with arbitrary expensive storage devices and no decent initial game collection. How stupid do you have to be not to get this? Remember the initial PS3 sales? For Cthulhu's sake, Sony...

About a year ago at 3DS release: "Those games are terrible and the 3DS was rushed. They're not gonna get anywhere."

During the time of the 3DS price cut: "Of course they needed to do that, they don't have anything else worthwhile. We won't make the same mistakes as they did, we'll have the games and features people will want."

During the holiday season: "This is just a fluke. Nintendo was too slow to move to market, and is now just catching up on the sales they should have had earlier. We're confident that we took the time to develop a good system with good games, and will release when we're ready."

A few weeks after Vita's launch: "Oops."

 

[Buizel91]

I've said it once and I'll say it again.

The Vita needs the Monster Hunter franchise if it wants to survive in Japan.

[HEADING=1]Sony! y u no listen to me![/HEADING]

Rumors are that one will be coming out for the Vita in the 2nd half of the year.

It bloody better, because that's the only thing that will make me buy a Vita.

Isn't it also getting Digimon World: Re-digitize? The remake of Digimon World 1?

 

[dvd_72]

Selling to forecast? So they expected sales to be like this? If so... well then maybe they made a smart choice after all!

 

[Sylveria]

Expensive, no games, no backwards compatability, no video output, tons of junk features. Can't imagine why it's floundering.

 

[Chairman Miaow]

#I honestly don't think it was advertised enough. I didn't realise it was released yet.

 

[keideki]

So let me make sure I have this strait.

3DS first 4 weeks: 200,000 units

Vita first 4 weeks: 500,000 units

And Vita is the failure. I can haz a math degree for that?

 

[weirdee]

So let me make sure I have this strait.

3DS first 4 weeks: 200,000 units

Vita first 4 weeks: 500,000 units

And Vita is the failure. I can haz a math degree for that?

You failed English.

Sorry, but no tenure.

 

[Atmos Duality]

What did I say? No backwards compatibility, no interest. Welcome to Virtual Boy land, sucka!

Yup. In Sony's attempt to fuck their existing customers over (bad idea) even further with repurchases and value-shrinking, I think they're customers have finally woken up.

And unlike the other times Sony has done shit like this (on the PS3...*cough*) they actually have competition in that market (cell phones, and low-midrange web-enabled devices like fancier cell-phones and tablets).

Both Sony and Nintendo are in deep shit here, and the only way out is via a killer lineup.
Whoever gets it first will may survive this, and possibly go on to strengthen developer confidence in their respective platform.

Nintendo: Nintendo still has a very weak lineup, but they can make it...especially they ever launch that Smash Bros 3DS title.

Sony: If these sales are any indication, Sony has nothing. Nothing in Japan, anyway.

 

[Koroviev]

hehe, sad times for sony. lets just hope this happens to EA aswell :3

Honestly? I can't quantifiably measure how stupid EA is, but they just might be stupid enough to launch their own console. After all, they came up with Origin...

OT: The Vita's biggest problem right now is that it HAS NO GAMES.

Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow flat-out SOLD gameboys by themselves.

Final Fantasy VII flat-out SOLD Playstations by itself.

Halo flat-out SOLD Xboxes by itself.

Sony needs to get the memo: if you want to launch a console, you HAVE TO GIVE PEOPLE A REASON TO BUY IT.

My issue is the lack of exclusives and the price. I love fighting games...but all of the fighting games are being released on the consoles, too. I love Wipeout...but a superior version is available on the PS3 (60 fps, full HD). Really, the one thing that would drag me kicking and screaming on board would be strong software support from Atlus and similar developers/publishers. As it stands, I don't feel like I am going to be missing out much by not having a Vita, at least during launch and the first several pursuant months.

 

[Koroviev]

It's probably due to today's gaming society not wanting a console experience on a handheld, since, you know... we have consoles for that type of thing.

And with the Vita your basically buying a PS3 with watered down versions of PS3 games.

Yeah, just look at the lack of exclusives. Normally handheld games don't invite comparisons to their console counterparts (JRPGs notwithstanding this gen), but in this case a significant portion of the sales pitch has been based around the idea that a PSVita is a PS3 for on-the-go. The thing is that I already have a PS3. I mean, the PSVita is going to feature some great fighting games...but I can play them on the PS3. Several other games (i.e. Wipeout) just look like nerfed iterations of the original console version.

 

[Koroviev]

The price is comparable to a full console... or even a cheap laptop. Strike 1.
All of my PSP games on UMD will be incompatible. Strike 2.
Sony doesn't seem to -get- having an online store*. Strike 3.
Why would I want a Vita, again?


*With PS3 and PSP access to the PSN Store, Sony could have the Steam of console gaming. If they had sales comparable to the Steam holiday/Summer/midweek/weekend promos, I'd be much more willing to give them more of my money. Couple that with courting more indie developers (more than just Minis junk), port the rest of the PSP catalogue onto the store, actually release demos of upcoming & new games, and the PSN store might not be a joke any more. If there was also some way we could exchange our UMD games for downloadable versions (mail-in?), I probably would upgrade.

The lack of UMD support is a big sticking point for me. With the 3DS, I was able to upgrade for $100 by trading in my DS Lite, and I am still able to play all of my DS games. As a matter of fact, I don't even have any 3DS games yet (waiting for Layton and Atlus support). I can't do the same with my PSP. The beauty of backward compatibility is that it provides the user with robust software support to fall back on during the anemic launch period. Why upgrade immediately when there is more fun to be had with the old system?

 

[newwiseman]

I decided I wasn't going to get one the instant sony announced it used proprietary memory, kind of sad too because I really like the touch pad on the back working the front facing touch screen... oh well.

 

[Allspice]

So let me make sure I have this strait.

3DS first 4 weeks: 200,000 units

Vita first 4 weeks: 500,000 units

And Vita is the failure. I can haz a math degree for that?

No, you don't have it straight. The article said the 3DS sold 200,000 more during the same period:

3DS first 4 weeks: 700,000 units

Vita first 4 weeks: 500,000 units