| the_dengle said: Well for starters, they are two completely different products for two different markets. The success of the PSP clearly didn't eat into the success of the DS, and the same is true of the Vita and 3DS -- both can be successful without stepping on each others' toes. In that context, when people start to paint a picture of the 3DS overpowering the Vita, stealing its potential marketshare, the perceived state of the industry becomes very negative very fast. Last generation, the dedicated handheld market shattered the sales ceiling. On top of the best-selling handheld of all time, there was a new competitor that sold nicely as well. If the Vita fades and dies and the 3DS doesn't top the DS, well... you won't be able to repel DOOM of that magnitude. Competition keeps the industry healthy. It's good for Nintendo, it's good for the 3DS, and it's very good for consumers. A single product can only appeal to so many demographics. Look at it this way -- the GameBoy and all of its variants sold almost 120 million units. The GBA sold about 80 million. The DS sold about 150 million. Yeah, it was a huge boost. But the DS + the PSP sold over 225 million units. The two of them together sold more consoles in a 7-year span than Nintendo sold in more than double that time with the entire GameBoy line. If 3DS + Vita combine for less than 150 million unit sales, an outrageous 33%+ drop from the previous generation, it will basically be considered proof that the market is shrinking quickly and dramatically. And it will be. (And that's bad.) If you thought the console-doom-sayers were annoying last year, just wait till they've got THIS ammunition. After all, a smaller market means fewer people gaming on-the-go (or more resigned to Angry Birds), which is a hit to the industry at large. It's bad for Sony, which is bad for third parties, which is bad for everyone. I'm not very good at articulating things. If Vita goes down, it won't help Nintendo's business, but it will hurt the perception of their success. |
Some of your post is a bit confusing. The first and third paragraph seem to contradict each other, for one. You say that they're hitting different markets, therefore not competing, and yet their competition is good?
Anyway, I'm not sure how the perceived success of the dedicated handheld gaming industry matters. As a Nintendo fanboy, I really only care about Nintendo's success and not so much about the industry in general.
Besides, even if Vita is rejuvanated somehow and legs out 50m or so, short of a Tetris/Wii Sports/Nintendogs level breakthrough new game on the 3DS, the industry is gonna decline hugely anyway, meaning that the console doomsayers are gonna have a hell of a lot of ammo regardless.
I'm also a bit confused about why this would be bad for third parties. In general, third parties have done better financially when there is a single dominating console so that they can focus on it alone. We're all aware of how so many gaming companies have been struggling this generation, in spite of the three main home consoles being far closer to each other in sales than usual.
I'm sorry if I'm not understanding your point properly, but I really don't get how the Vita's possible death would in any real way be bad for me if I'm a Nintendo fanboy.
“These are my principles; if you don’t like them, I have others.” – Groucho Marx
