Do you think that the Vita still has a chance to really take off?

[Rocketman]

So far the Vita hasn't exactly been the most popular device. Do you think there's any hope for something to really change and make the sales really turn around? Maybe there will be some kind of irresistible exclusive game like GTA Vita or maybe a PS2 greatest hits collection for 10 dollars.

I personally think that the device is going to be kind of stuck with low sales. Not because it's a bad device, but because most people would just opt for a tablet or a smartphone instead.

 

[DrRipley]

Yeah I do, but it may just be wishful thinking. They really should just pour in their Vita efforts into bringing back a better Xperia Play in my opinion. I think it would be glorious to be able to use your phone with a PS console, not to mention it looks a lot less awkward to bring around and play in public unlike these portables.

 

[mauricioq]

The vita really had a bad start and now it's never going to sale like it should.
It's a great portable gaming device, but people prefer to spend that money on a actual console or games for it.

 

[JoanMcWench]

No handheld gaming device, IMO, has been at the level a company desired sing GameBoy the original. It's hard to compete with what is available in full size consoles. With technology, TV size, gaming capability, and more. I don't know. Vita had the exclusives with GoW for a minute or two and that did not seem to help. I think there is potential but they have to look at the system differently.

 

[jardantuan]

I hope it does. I didn't own a PSP, and don't own a Vita, but I'd like it to be successful.

I have a lot of respect for Sony, and a lot of the things they do (though I'm going to turn a blind eye to Playstation Move and pretend it never happened). It would be a shame if they had to retire the Vita prematurely.

The problem with the Vita is that it fills a niche that doesn't really need filling. Part of the reason I think that the DS, 3DS and every Nintendo handheld prior to those have been so successful is that they're very accessible; anybody can just pick it up and play, and there's something for everybody. With the Vita, I feel like it's trying too hard to just be a portable PS3, and I don't think that's the right approach.

Naturally, games will help. There's no doubt in my mind that without Pokemon, Nintendo handhelds wouldn't be as popular. You never know - in the next 12 months, an onslaught of new games could come out and make it hugely popular. But as it stands, things aren't looking great for them.

 

[erronousRogue]

One of the main selling point for the PSP was the ability to mess around with it, and especially to run emulators and play games from various historical consoles. The Vita is basically just an updated version of the same idea. The surefire way to make people buy it is simply to make it a more accessible and cheaper option. Which Sony have been meaning to do, with the vita console (appropriately nicknamed the "persona 4 golden box") that allow people to get into it without having to pay for a massive pricetag and rumours of a cheaper Vita handheld.

And price IS an issue, if I'm honest. 250-300 USD for a handheld console, especially when the PS4 is coming out for barely a hundred more, turns quite a few people off. Myself included.

 

[blackbagel]

I agree that people will prefer the smartphone or tablet over the Vita. It just isn't good enough now a days. Even the 3DS seems like a better buy because of how much better the games are there compared to the games on the Vita. It because of the high price tag for how much it does, which frankly, isn't god enough enough.

 

[aperture7]

I think it may have been released too close to the PSP, and some people just kind of associated the two together. For the Vita to take off, it really needs to break a lot of grounds.

 

[sidd230]

I can't wait for Borderlands 2 portable. They need to make more AAA titles available on it. If BL2 can be done then why not games like Tomb Raider 2013, Sleeping Dogs and the like?

 

[Dark Septagon]

At this point I doubt that it will much more success than it already has unless they start giving people a reason to buy it over a DS

 

[The Unlosing Ranger]

I can't wait for Borderlands 2 portable. They need to make more AAA titles available on it. If BL2 can be done then why not games like Tomb Raider 2013, Sleeping Dogs and the like?

I can't wait for BL2 either. I hope it's a good port. If it's a good port that includes all of the content of the console version, it would certainly help show the Vita's capabilities. It's a port but it might be more important than most people think.

 

[RaggaJungle]

At this point I doubt that it will much more success than it already has unless they start giving people a reason to buy it over a DS

I agree with this. I own a Vita and it is a bit dissapointing. The Vita simply doesn't offer enough of anything that is so different from other portable gaming devices.

 

[dieselfit]

If they some how make it more portable OR make it into a sweet mobile it would work out great. PSP was great before all of the smartphones took over the gaming industry on mobiles.

 

[MorgUK]

The Vita's a decent device, and the fact you can play on your PS4 remotely from it really interests me. But the price is still a bit high, everything sells when it's at the £100 price point in the UK. Move it Sony.

 

[BBGold]

remote play is epic and once gaiki comes about, I think ps4 and vita will go hand in hand together even more than ever. The games on Vita are amazing and some games like MGSV will utilize the vita and ps4.

 

[Dexter]

There is such a double-edged sword for the Vita.

Developers say they can't make games until the units sale, customers say they can't buy the Vita until there are more games.

Then you look at how difficult it is to convince a developer to create a game for the Vita, sell fewer copies than a console version, and then also sell the games for $40 instead of $60. Whereas if they created a console game they could sell it for $60 and sell a lot more copies. But then at the same time, it is hard to convince gamers to buy the system because there simply are not a lot of games.

Games are expensive as it is. Not many people want to spend hundreds on a console, and then hundreds on a handheld console. Not to mention the fact that that is another system to buy games on. I think the majority of us are satisfied with playing games on our 30+' TV's than have the ability to play them on a tiny screen in comparison. I do like having a system I can take anywhere - but like most when I am out and about it is generally because I am doing something and taking a Vita out of my pocket isn't realistic at that time.

I think the system has some good games that I enjoyed. Not everyone feels that way, and it is a lot easier to justify buying a tablet, or using your phone, and spending $5 or less on games that are still perfectly fine to kill time on the go. It is much harder to justify spending $40 on games that are watered down versions of their console counterparts.

This does lead me to a point though. Remote play should help sales some. However, again, it will be hard for many to justify spending $200 on a handheld that can play your PS4 games anywhere in your house or somewhere else where there is a good Internet connection. I could find much worse things to spend my money on, but still. I'm not sure how many people will go for that. As more games come out, and remote play is demonstrated more and more, sales should increase. By how much remains to be seen. I don't expect it to make a giant comeback. I also don't expect Sony to meet or exceed their sales expectations by the end of it's cycle. However, I do expect it to do fairly well when all is said and done and no where near end up as bad as it seems right now.

 

[Tomba]

I really don't know what it is about the PS Vita. It could just be what Nintendo is doing (giving more attention to a bustling console instead of remedying the struggling one or splitting the attention). It's not a bad handheld at all and it actually has games this time, but it just doesn't scream "Play me! I'm better than decent!" to me.

 

[SpaceTiger]

It'll probably pick up somewhere down the line. I don't think the Vita is just going to drag its feet for the bulk of its run like the PSP. It just needs a few games that are truly Vita games and not portable versions of PS3/PS4 games or ports--Vita games that are there to stay and will carry on to the next handheld in the PSP line (if there is another).

EDIT: The GTA Stories series should be one. Tomba and Crash should be the others. Put something out there that would actually draw in children and be ready to play. One of the things with Vita is that while there are games kids can play, the handheld itself doesn't come off as inviting for kids to play when it comes to titles. It seems more like a big kid/teen and up thing than "there's something for everyone portable carnival". It's something that I noticed about the PSP as well.

My nephew got a PSP and he rarely plays it despite having a good amount of games and some games that probably would've been rated K-A in the 90s. He'll play the DS I got him and the even the Gameboy Advance.

 

[dualshocked]

I feel that alot of vita's problems stem from consumer perceptions. The general feeling is that the Vita has no games, which is a lie as I've got nearly 30 titles on mine and then there's is the argument that the games aren't any good. Again I feel that's wrong as some of my best games of the year (Tearaway, Persona 4) are on the system.

For me Vita's slow start is a 2-fold issue, thanks to the rise of mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, a dedicated handheld is deemed as being superfluous to those whose experience with gaming start and stop at angry birds. The other being that the Vita's core conceit is more niche than what Sony had anticipated. Console level gaming on the go is not for everyone, Vita needs to further establish its brand of game as not just a console port but a uniquely Vita experience.

 

[DreamyGamerGirl]

Sadly the VITA is doomed, which is funny since the PS4 is probably going to dominate this generation. That's just opinion of course.