| ils411 said: Um, no. The general image that I've read regarding the Vita is that its easier to develop for. This again would mean less programing manhours = lower develompment cost. Also, as for LBPV, I wouldn't be surprised if they re-used a bunch of models. The game physics is already in place, and the dlc being compatible tells me that assests and models are re-used. As for New Little Kings STory, sure it may have a bunch of extras, but the full game is already there. The code is already there, everything is there. Adding a few extra stuff does not justify full price. Another example, as MUGEN stated a few hundred pages back, the entire XSEED team working on Ragnarok Odyssey localization is less than 10 people. Then, they'll charge full retail price. The vita game's may look good and it would seem that more work is put into it, but with a smaller screen (very very smaller screen as compared to 32" tvs) the models will still need much much less polygons and details.You can't claim that some Vita games cost more to make than some PS3 gmaes without any actuall argument. Sure, gravity rush probably cost more to make than say a ps3 game that uses sprites and looks like shit and plays like shit. But most games on the ps3 uses 3d models and that needs a lot of work considering the amount of detail and polygons they have to work into it. The fact of the matter is - smaller screen = less needed details = less polygons/details on sprites etc = less manhours needed from graphic artists = less utilization of equiopment = lower development cost - the above would also lead to less optimization on the codes = less programer manhours = less utilization of equipment and utilities = lower development cost - As mentioned, developers are finding the Vita as easy to develop fore = less work needed in learing how to program for it = less man hours = less utilities and equipment utilization = lower development cost |
Your arguments are flawed. Especially the XSEED one. Yeah 10 people might be localising it, but they are releasing a niche game, so already not expecting anywhere near the number of sales. Lower retail may shift more copies, but Vita has a very low userbase installed. They also don't pocket all the money themselves. Sony take about 25% of that retail price in licensing fees. The original developer of the game also get a cut.
It's not black and white that it's cheaper to develop for ergo games must be cheaper. Graphics also aren't the major cost (game engines are generally off the shelf and half the work is already done). Just because a game doesn't look awesome, doesn't mean a shit ton of man hours didn't go into the actual game play, balancing, net code/infrastructure etc. Some of the most complex games out there are presented as barely anything more than a spreadsheet. (Football/Soccer Manager, I suppose because this game is purely photographs, text boxes and charts, it should have been 10 cents?)
As for the iPhone/Android argument. Barring flash style games, I've not really found anything worth playing on them and this is with a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. But they are also ad subsidised and/or going out to potential userbases in the hundreds of millions, very low budget and very low risk. There is also very little put into the design of these games, the graphics might look as impressive, thats because of the game engine they're created in, not that they spent loads making the visuals look good. There are exceptions, but these actually cost more and require a lot of marketing/presense to make an back their development budgets.
You'll notice the high flyers in the mobile gaming space tend to make clones, sub par spinoffs of big console franchises or very low budget pick up and play games. I can't think of any with the size/depth of stuff like New Little Kings Story, also, it's not just the Wii version, it's a rebuilt game.
Fact of the matter at the moment is Vita games are generally requiring large budgets (certainly at least on par with PS2 titles which also cost $60 on release). Again I'm not saying all games should be $40+ on Vita (Dungeon Hunter, Resistance etc just don't offer enough end product to justify a full retail price), but particularly the examples you refer to of Little Big Planet and New Little King's Story I'm happily paying full money for, and if you can find me anything on Android/iOS that can come close to the experience they provide, please enlighten me.
RIP Dad 25/11/51 - 13/12/13. You will be missed but never forgotten.
