| RolStoppable said:
1) No. Initially you said that indie games were a selling point in and of themselves, I disagreed and said that nobody buys a dedicated gaming machine for downloadable games. It's retail games that decide over a purchase of the hardware or lack thereof and the selling power of said retail games is still a point that hasn't been settled in this argument. |
I retract the standalone indie games segment.
@Selling-point. I see LBP as a game with selling power that appeals to the touch demographic, and to the younger fellas, but fair let's just agree to disagree for now. I address LBP selling power a bit lower.
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2) The PS3 didn't sell 60 million units because of first party software, most of the sales wer driven by third party games. Look up the bestselling PS3 games, if you don't believe me. You liken Uncharted to a Hollywood movie, in other words a spectacle. People want to see that stuff on the big screen, not on a tiny handheld screen. This is a big reason why cinematic games in general sell far less on a handheld than on a home console. |
@ Italics. Fair enough. In theory you're very right. I for one am excited to play it on the handheld, but maybe that's just me.
@60Mil sales. So, how did the PSP end up selling 72Mil global then? On brand name alone?
| Platform | North America | Europe | Japan | Rest of World | Global |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation Portable (PSP) | 20.98 | 20.75 | 18.70 | 12.51 | 72.94 |
| PlayStation 3 (PS3) | 21.78 | 23.74 | 7.77 | 7.67 | 60.96 |
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3) PSP games look much better on the actual handheld than in screenshots that have been stretched beyond the PSP screen's resolution. Let's not pretend that all MGS fans are graphic whores, its lack of sales has mostly to do with people not wanting to play such a game on a handheld. Mind you, Western people. The Japanese don't see handheld gaming as second rate gaming and over there MGS: PW sold about the same amount as MGS4 on the PS3. This is also the main problem I have with the notion that the PSV should do (much) better in the West, because its launch lineup is more Western orientated. It doesn't matter when Western gamers prefer to play these games on a home console. |
I didn't say they were graphics whores. But some gamers that are not MGS fans per se but would have played it on a console with a better ecosystem, would have probably picked it up. That's all I'm saying. I'm not a RE fan per se, but I would maybe pick RE:R up for 3DS. That's where the userbase argument matters.
The PSP had a much better life in Japan than here, that's probably why a game MGS: PW sold well there relative to here. But say, hypothetically, the Vita were to gain traction here in the west, would the same not apply? Granted, PW had coop features, and that's a huge selling point for Japan. But that aside, don't you think it has much more to do with having a good install base than just "Japan is more serious about portable gaming"? If so, how come the DS did so well here relative to Japan? Your argument would apply to the DS then. So for this point I partially disagree.
| Platform | North America | Europe | Japan | Rest of World | Global |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo DS (DS) | 54.85 | 51.03 | 32.99 | 12.39 |
151.26 |
| 4) The PSP had no Uncharted, but other than that, its launch window titles were very similar to what the PSV has. |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Portable_launch#North_American_launch_games
You're mostly right, but wouldn't that be like saying the 3DS lineup is like the DS lineup, only without Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart?
Also, it's not just Uncharted, it's also LBP. It managed to sell 4.81 Mil lifetime, not too far from UC 2's 5.5 Mil! Flagships like these are much more important than you make them out to be, Rol. You can't just brush them off by the back of the hand.
EDIT: I actually took a look at the official launch title list. It's not too shabby, and mostly much better than the PSP's original launch list.
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SCEA Launch Day Titles Launch Window Titles Third Party Publisher Launch Day Titles
Launch Window Titles
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5) You are arguing too much from personal preference. Based on PSP sales data it's pretty obvious that most gamers don't share your sentiment. Is it possible that the PSP simply wasn't good enough in what it offered? Well, yes. Then again, many of the arguments in favor of the PSV today closely resemble those in favor of the PSP from seven years ago. I am not saying Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a bad game. It's far from it. The issue is that it really doesn't matter how good it is, because most gamers have shown to prefer playing such games on a home console. |
I think many gamers were let down by the PSP, and it had bad word of mouth. As much as the PS had brandpower, some of Sony's marketing wasn't fitting for certain consumers and audiences. Too dark, not casual enough. Now with UC and LBP, their image is changing. They are much more à propos. So saying these are different times is a double-edged sword. Yes Sony lost brand strength since then, but they also improved their image in general. I believe the Vita will have good word of mouth and stronger appeal despite being the underdog (understood). This will lead to slower sales at first, but I see Vita ramping up as of year two and gain strength in the following years, much like the HD twins did this gen. Difference is, there is no MS this time to leech sales. We may be very surprised Rol.
Also don't forget that Vita games will be priced much lesser than their console counterparts, if PSP is any indicator of that. It could be reason to choose the Vita offerings rather than the PS4 720 offerings. Plus, if Nintendo wins next gen, that will definitely help boost Vita sales, as one would not want to buy a poorly supported console (possibly the PS4) if they can get games cheaper and relatively just as good on the Vita. By that time games should be Vita 2nd gen.
Very nice post by the way. I thoroughly enjoy debating with you.
