binary solo said:
Once you cut through the mostly BS that Pachter was talking around that time, the end result is pretty much as he predicted, a massive decline in dedicated handhelds because phones and tablest will encroach on that market...with a lot of mainly Nintendo fans calling BS on that broadly accurate claim. Though strangely Pachter thought 3DS should have launched at $350, but maybe he was more just trying to defend his original prediction than actually put any logic into how a $350 price would work. The lesson for both Nintendo and Sony was, don't put too much tech into a handheld, because people are generally not willing to pay for it. Pachter also thought there was still enough of a market for dedicated handhelds to survive, and 3DS managing >50 million is a survivable sales base. Whether Sony can or will have another go to at least get something closer to 30 million is uncertain, and from Yoshida's comments it looks like a no for the forseeable future. Personally I think phones are poweful enough to be able to run handheld console type games, which means if Sony makes a "Vita" clip on device that can attach to phones with, say 4.5" - 6" screen, that might be a more successful direction for Sony to head in the handheld gaming area. |
The effect of smartphones and tables is pretty undeniable and especially pronounced 2013 onwards. I can not believe that anybody would have predicted a $350 price for the 3DS though. It seems to be without either precedent or logic, simply baffling stuff. For a handheld to be successful it certainly needs to be affordable, now more than ever.
I personally doubt any Vita successor would stand a chance at 30 million although it's impossible to predict the potential of that "clip on" device. That's a fascinating concept by the way. How would you approach designing such a system?
