By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
JWeinCom on 29 August 2013
Edit Thread
badgenome said:
JWeinCom said:

That's definitely true, but it doesn't change things.  Nintendo cares more about their handheld division.  This is true.  Sony's strategy to market the Vita is to show how it could provide console experiences on the go.  This is also true.  These two facts are not mutually exclusive.

It's also not mutually exclusive to think that there are some people who will want home console experiences on the go, and to think that there are some who won't. If Sony is making games that are specifically tailored for handhelds in addition to their lazier ports of cross-platform games to fill the gaps then one can only surmise that they don't, in fact, see the "handheld gaming occasion" and the "home gaming occasion" as one in the same.

Does Sony mean it when they say "play console quality experiences on the go"? Sure, I suppose they mean it as much as any company means anything they say in their marketing. I suppose they also "mean it" when they take out an ad pimping the Vita as the best place to play various indie games, and they "meant it" when they compared the Vita's back touch panel to a woman with four titties, and they "meant it" when they made a lilac PSP and bundled it with Hannah Montana. But while their messaging may be all over the place as they try to get something to stick to the wall, their overall handheld strategy is consistently non-existent. I think it's the result of SCE being a bunch of little fiefdoms rather than a top-down organization like Nintendo.

You can assume that Sony does, to some extent, realize that some people are not looking for a console experience on the go.  Sony making Patapon doesn't mean they're not focusing on console experiences like Nintendo funding Bayonetta 2 does not mean they're focusing on violent sexual hack and slash games.  Diversit is nice, but doesn't change the clear strategy.  Same goes for the Hanah Montanah Vita.

I haven't seen the Vita indie ad.  As for the four tittied woman, the point of the ad was "hey, we have a touch pad.  It's cool."  They sure chose a weird way to say it, but they clearly were not saying the Vita felt like a tit.  Their big ads, the ones on TV that cost more money, have been nothing if not consisten.  You can play Madden/MLB The Show/Call of Duty on the go.  Their marketing message and their big releases make their strategy pretty clear.