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Scizor_99 on 20 February 2015
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Wyrdness said:
Scizor_99 said:

I agree that overtly targeting kids these days is probably a bad idea, and agree that they should definitely taget adults more. However, if you're trying to say that NIntendo should use their next handheld to try to compete with Microsoft/Sony for the violent/mature crowd, i think you're sadly mistaken.

1. Do you think that the mature, adult gamer, to whom Playstation and Xbox have been almost exclusively geared towards since their inception, have very much interest in moving to, or double-dipping with, a product from a company that typically targets the opposite of what they like?

2. Do you think that the mature, adult gamer, who usually prefers ambitious games on powerful hardware, would buy a device with a tiny display and significantly weaker hardware (although understandably so)?


This, that crowd are the group who say they'd rather have a said game on console and in the end this is the root of the problem that has hit Vita, it's predecessor tried the same approach and ended up selling for far different reasons. As handhelds go a broad approach is always best.


I think the PSP sold because it was the "cool handheld". It was more powerful than the DS and had more mature games. The PS3 and the X360 had to deal with the shaky transition to HD and the Wii was tageted toward casuals. When pushed hard enough, the games weren't all that far off from the PS2/GC/Xbox.

You know what I think happened to the PSP base? They went upmarket. The Wii kept the market afloat while the other consoles adapted to HD, which then followed suit by delivering games similar in style but far superior to the PSP. Consoles were more powerful, had better features, and bigger, brighter displays. and now they were affordable. Perfect for the former PSP base who had grown older anyway.

The PC market surged as well. The games were cheaper AND more visually impressive than even consoles, which was a deal some more tech-oriented individuals couldn't pass up. The added bonus of being able to customize your experience with mods, settings, etc.  and even using a TV monitor like a console is something that's very culturally appealing to westerners, and in part, inspired hacks of handheld systems and games (i.e. Pokemon).

Non-browser-based Indie games came along and gave people small experiences at high quality. Mobile devices came along and eroded the handheld market in general by giving consumers the option of gaming on a multipurpose device and giving developers the option of developing games with less money, less potential risk involved, and much greater chance of profitability. 

In Japan, they really don't care about graphics unless they enhance the quality of the game along traditional lines, improving what's already there and adding  additional things without changing the fundamental experience. Efficiency is valued over pure quality. So when people in Japa saw a two-screened, 3D capable handheld with Nintendo games, it sounded like a pretty good deal. Developers were not that eager to brace the HD development cost spike with the Vita if they could avoid it.