GamrDebate: In the Vita-ls (and the REAL problem for Sony)

[Squilliam]

Conegamer said:

Squilliam said:
I think they didn't think their business model through, I.E. expensive machine + expensive games + expensive memory carts vs technology out of 2006 Nintendo and iCan't do anything wrong Apple.

They seem to have the strategy of taking a sledgehammer to a sword fight. That only works if they get the first swing.

Very true. The issue is, it's the same thing they did with the PSP, and it came a distant second. 

Now that there's more options out there, both the 3DS and the Vita will struggle much more. And the Vita doesn't seem to be distinguishing itself enough from the crowd...so far...

Actually it is kind of worse than what they did with the PSP. It's like every 'pro' pissed them off when the designed it so they had to come right back with a 'con' to make up for it.

The problem isn't that the Vita is a sucky piece of hardware, the problem is that they made it 'too good' in ways that people don't appreciate immediately and some not at all. In making the system 'too good' they had to also make it 'not good enough' in many ways people do appreciate. It is sort of too big to want to take out with you all the time but not big enough to compete with the things you have at home like your PS3/iPad/Whatever.

The problem in my mind is that they listened to their hearts and made an amazing system with all their heart. They didn't listen to their heads and compromise on their design philosophy. They made something which was too big, too expensive, too complicated. What sucks in business decision making is that often the right decisions go unrewarded and the wrong decisions get rewarded but for the wrong reasons. Unfortunately they didn't make the right decision but this time they go unrewarded for it. The PSP Go was the right decision but they abandoned that idea for the wrong reasons.