Once a month (or more, if these threads become successful), I shall be taking the month's biggest gaming story/event and putting it up for debate, as well as posting my view on the issue. I shall be asking other people on the site to post their opinion and vote either for or against the thread title, and, after 3 weeks, will be selecting the winning side.
This month, after the PSVita falls below Wii sales worldwide this week, I'll be discussing possible prevention methods, and the likelihood of Sony doing them.
_________________________________________________________________
It must be hard being a Sony handheld. The PSP, whilst doing well when viewed seperately from the DS and GBA, never really got that strong of a foothold outside of Japan. This was due to a number of issues on Sony's end; including a high price-point, a confusing advertising campaign and a long gap between must-have titles, to name a few. Coming into a new console generation, one would believe (and hope) that Sony had learnt from their mistakes, and that the Vita could flourish, like it deserves.
Unfortunately, if early signs are anything to go by, this isn't the case.
Now, anyone who visits the site frequently may well remember a past thread of mine, posted 3 weeks before the Vita launch, discussing this topic. Just incase you can't remember, here it is:
http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=139592&page=1
Basically, there was a lot of talk about whether the Vita would flop on launch in the West, similar to as it did in Japan. A lot of talk in that thread was full of people talking about how I should have waited for the Worldwide launch, whilst others were talking about the 'Western-orientated titles', which would lead to a better worldwide launch. Now these were both worthwhile points, so here, 5 weeks after the worldwide launch, we return to the topic. Why? Because this past week, the Vita sold less than the Wii.
The figures:
March 24th sales
3DS- 210,514
Wii-77,308
Vita-77,244
PSP- 43,792
DS- 29,193
Anyone remember the Wii? It was that console which people classed as dead, doomed, dying etc., and for good reason. Despite being the market leader, and by a large margin, it's selling around 40-80k lower than it's competitors. So, what's it saying if a new console sells below a 5 year old console with no games coming out? Very little good, sadly.
But the issue is much greater than it may seem. The current 3DS-Vita gap is 15mil. Assuming that the Vita can outsell the 3DS TODAY (which won't happen, because it's selling more than 130k less, and still increasing), and that we have 6 years left in the Vita and 3DS, the Vita will have to outsell the 3DS nearly 50k EVERY WEEK on average to simply match it (actually 48,076 units). So, we can pretty much guarantee that the 3DS has 'won' this generation, before it's really began. So, the question is, by how much will Sony lose it?
Sony can do a few things, but it certainly seems like Nintendo have already beaten Sony to it. The most important would have to be securing the latest in the ridiculously-big in Japan Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter 4. This game alone should keep the 3DS afloat for a good 12 months in Japan, and if the Vita could get an exclusive game in the series, even a spin-off or port, then it could revitalize sales in Japan. Also, a new game in the Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest series, or something similar, could also help boost sales.
In the west, a Gran Turismo or COD game could help to sustain sales, but, sadly, it would seem as though we'll have to wait until at least after E3 before we see any huge announcements.
What about a price cut? I doubt we'll be seeing one of those either in the forseeable future. The fact is, after making such a heavy loss, I don't see Sony pumping too much money into the Vita early on; instead, they'll be happy with the Vita simply remaining afloat. That's how I see it.
In the end, though, only Sony knows how happy they are with the sales of the Vita, and what they'll do. Is the Vita in trouble? In my opinion, it now is. But Sony can do easily rescue it, if they wish to. The question is; will they bother?
__________________________________________________________________
What do you think? Will Sony bother supporting the Vita? Or will it be a PSP 2 in more ways than 1? Be sure to vote, and comment below!
The conclusion from the previous GamrDebate is that, yes, there is still point in dedicated game stores, winning by 55 votes to 14:
http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=141069
