Vita Sales Get Even Worse

[GonzoGamer]

I will get one, I will get one as soon as home brew is available for it. I am more interested in the hardware than any of the games currently out. There will be cool things possible with specs like that.

This is maybe the only reason to get one. You know Sony isn't going to give the devise any decent firmware support; I've seen that firsthand as a psp & ps3 owner. The hackers are really going to open it up and see what it can do.
But because of certain lawsuits I bet the info to do so will be a little harder to find. Of course that will probably just lead to less people wanting to buy it.
Once again, it seems like Sony is really just trying to kill the Playstation brand.

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

Normally schadenfreude makes me cringe a little but as someone who despises online pass, I'm getting pretty tired of Sony & EA.

 

[Quiotu]

All of this talk of a weak launch lineup really confuses me. The 3ds really only has about a dozen titles worth playing, even now... and the Vita has double that on day one. If half the launch titles are average or below, that still leaves the Vita with as many good games as the 3DS on day one.

Are y'all considering everything but Uncharted to be worthless? Or is there something else going on here I'm just not getting...?

On other subjects: I'm guessing it may just be that the wider public are satisfied with what they have. Perhaps the 3DS and smartphones already achieved next-gen-portable market saturation, and the Vita is just late to the party?

I don't really understand this myself. I think the issue is that the games out for the Vita are leaning more to a Western audience, so Japan hasn't a big reason to buy one yet. The games out are a good start, but they need to continuously trickle in with a few hot titles coming out during the year to spark sales again. There will be a title that comes out this spring or summer and Japan wants like candy, and sales will pick up again.

I get some hate from folks who have UMDs, who at best have to pay to get their games downloaded on a Vita, and at worst are SOL. But it's roughly the same price as a PSPGo (which I bought... shut up), the games are the same price as PSP games (except for Uncharted), and the games released at launch aren't bad... they're just not designed for Japan well.

Also, Sony's sales will never outdo Nintendo's in Japan... EVER. Comparing the two is downright silly... if they stay even remotely close, I consider that a win for Sony. I think even Sony realizes they can't compete with Japan's DS love... Vita's trying to harness a different audience, and I don't think they reside in Japan that much.

 

[SimGrave]

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...

I was going to say the exact same thing about the arbitrary expensive storage. I'm a PlayStation Fan Boy since the PS1 and I don't quite understand Sony's approach with handheld. It's as if they have no clue about the current market. Their are things that people came to expect from a portable console and they're going in the total opposite direction. For once the price of the console is about correct, but the memory cards are way too expensive. You can by an 1TO external HDD for less than their biggest save memory card. It makes no sense and I see that as disrespect. The same can be told about the PSPGo. On paper the concept was great, but how would expect to get a part of the iPod market with 40$ games. I don't get it. It should've have been cheaper than retail version. They had no excuses for selling them the same price. The sad story is that they won't even admit their mistake. Which has me wonder if they really want to be successful in that market. I mean, what's the point in releasing a console no one will buy because of poor decisions like these?

However, I have no issue with the launch window line-up. Little Deviant, Little Big Planet, Wipeout, Uncharted, ModNation Racer, Ridge Racer... just to name a few and those are big titles. So the game collection argument, doesn't hold up.

 

[Brutal Peanut]

I'll be completely honest....I wasn't even aware it existed until now. *Sigh*

 

[StriderShinryu]

Well, maybe it will mean we'll see a price drop for it's launch here. I do defintely want one, and I love my PSP, but I just don't see myself playing it enough to justify the initial price.

 

[Stewart Marshall]

This essentially seems to be the argument I'm hearing from a lot of people.

The 3DS had poor initial sales but has done better as time's gone on, as such... people were wrong about the 3DS

The Vita has had poor initial sales and we have nothing else to go on, as such... people were wrong about the 3DS and Vita's dead.

Huh?

 

[Casual Shinji]

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.

 

[wooty]

Its a shame too, I was quite impressed with the Vita when I first played on it. Basic gams but the interface felt good and the sticks were a welcome change.

Could be another slow burner though and I still find it stupid to call in the undertakers after just one month on the market.

 

[DRTJR]

I hope the Vita fails. then another more competant competitor could arise

 

[Skops]

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.

This was gunna be my answer too. Monster Hunter is fucking awesome.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

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.

This was gunna be my answer too. Monster Hunter is fucking awesome.

It so totally is.

I've put more than 400 hours into Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii, my first MH game, and one that many verteran players consider 'lacking' in content.

 

[Eri]

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."

 

[Volstag9]

I think i can see why Microsoft is staying away from the portable stuff. They don't seem to be doing so well atm.

 

[Hiroshi Mishima]

Strange as it may sound, I was hoping the 3DS would suffer a similar fate. I thought releasing a fairly pointless upgrade to the DS at such a high price would spell its doom. Instead, it seems to be mildly thriving. Which is a shame, cause I'm still not convinced I should give up my DS Phat/Lite for either the DSi (useless cameras) or the 3DS (useless 3D).

I had more fun with my Virtual Boy than I did the 3DS when I tried my cousin's. But then, I'm one of the few people who enjoyed the Virtual Boy. It was Nintendo's fault for pushing it out when they realized the N64 wasn't gonna be ready on time. Poor Gunpei was shamed because it was his creation, and Nintendo stabbed him in the back. They'll do it to Shigeru or Iwata someday, just you wait.

In the meantime, I'll be laughing at Sony, who I've been hoping will fall outta the console race since the PS3. And to think, I loved the PS1 and 2 when they came out (still use mine). But I see no point in spending that kinda money on a console I'll never use. I did that with the Dreamcast. At least I had some fun with that, a year later when I could afford games for it.


Off topic: can we PLEASE stop having symbols and other crap in the Captcha's? How the hell am I supposed to duplicate some of those things? :/

 

[zombie711]

In the back of My mind I kind of want the Vita to be a failure so that I can Pick it up cheap and play a bunch of vita and PSP games that I never got to like Kingdom Hearts Birth by sleep.

 

[lockgar]

Is anyone surprised by this? Two hundred and ninety nine US dollars "exchange rate dickery yada yada", and anyone could have told you it just cost too damn much. Sony has no excuse ether, they did this with the ps3, they saw what happened to the 3DS. Lets not talk about any of the other dickery happening.

Also, I think the public is aware of what will happen 6 months later at this point. Another, "newer" PSP vita will be released. Great hardware, might even be a great value, still too much. I'm sure after the first price drop it will sell like hot cakes.

 

[thethingthatlurks]

So, this thing is supposed to cost me 250? in the non-fancy-3G version. Alright, I could live with that (and by that I mean I would have to subsist on ramen for half a year or so), but what incentive do I have to buy it upon its eventual release. Any good games? Backwards compatibility? Amazing new technology? Great battery life?

Off topic: can we PLEASE stop having symbols and other crap in the Captcha's? How the hell am I supposed to duplicate some of those things? :/

Recaptcha works by combining two words, one which has been entered already as a control, and one that hasn't. It's pretty safe to assume that symbols and other mathematical/hieroglyphic things haven't been entered yet, so just write whatever you want. I hate advocating for breaking the system, but the frequency of non-solvable captchas seems to have drastically increased.

 

[Jumplion]

Really, I don't think anyone really wants a new console in general right now. If either Sony or Microsoft announce a new console in the upcoming E3 if some rumors are to be believed, I don't think they'll be met with warm reception. I mean, even the Wii U lost its buzz after E3, and when it was shown most people were just confused by it. Both the 3DS and the Vita, to me, don't really feel that necessary, especially with Nintendo's DSi (and the 2 thousand other iterations) was pretty much just an upgrade anyway. 3DS is just a 3D DS to me and the Vita just seems technology for technology's sake. Though to be fair, I'm not much of a handheld gamer anyway.