A couple thoughts.
Sony forgot that when your hardware is profitable, you actually want to encourage piracy. If a consumer thinks they are gaining some kind of incredible deal, they will snap up the system. As for the games? Simple. You have the online pass. Simply make them mandatory, in an offline way.

Also, Sony has no way of enticing anyone other than gamers. Vita needs apps that sufficiently displace software in other markets. For example, Sony would do well to develop a really good Japanese language translation software. Standalone translators run in the thousands, so 300$ would be a steal. Similarly, a really good mixing software, to play back music and edit it on the fly. Make the Vita a great music source for those parties you're always going to. Text viewers would be good as well. Bring the tablet reader ability to vita. While not expressly great ideas, these are the kinds of things Sony needs to entice the non-gamer.

Communication. Sony needs to work on a way to get rid of those pesky 3g fees. Sony, figure out a way for us to pay only 50-75$ a year for 3g. Make a deal with at&t or verizon, etc. Give us wifi access point ability. Give us a reason to carry this around with us. Computer doesn't have wi-fi access? No problem, set the Vita down next to it and boom, good to go. Also, some kind of internet phone line is a good first step. Make people extremely aware that they can call people on their vita, or at least use video chat with maybe some kind of fun interaction. Maybe, while playing a game with someone, you can see their face in like a corner or the screen.
Parents on business trip, you can play a game with your kid while on video chat! C'mon Sony, this is within capability.

Expand the battery. Scientists are developing new li-ions let's see some stronger tech. Let's see a proprietary on the road recharger; ie; a li-ion that you take with you and restores energy to the one inside the device while you're on the go. People need to understand that they can depend on having this thing working at all times. Convenience is such a huge factor of consumer spending, it's little debated that most new inventions are simply designed to simplify people's lives.

File management. All photos should be capable of direct upload to a photobucket like server application. Make it super easy to take in game and out game pictures and upload them instantly without the hassle of navigating around online to do it.


To summarize: People need to feel the benefits of the console apart from gaming. Sony needs to make people feel comfortable and useful and reliable carrying this around with them. If it can't hit the mainstream, it needs to be able to target many many niches.
For example, already the Vita seems like the easiest system to review. Writing up a new game review and need pictures? Take them in game at your favorite junctures and upload them easily. No more capture software necessary. Vita needs more things like this. When I got this, my first thought was, "I can write up trophy guides and walkthroughs really easily without any other software simply by taking in game pictures and writing".

Also, @ what someone else said about word of mouth. Yes, word of mouth is going to be the number one seller of this system. Show your friends. Download some games. Sony could help by making Near (which I think should be renamed "Neer" or "Nere" for google search ease) much more of a factor with the system.
Let's look at one last thing. Zynga games. Zynga games are rooted in a couple factors. A design based around small constant rewards, and interaction with friends. Zynga games are almost made to get you to get all your friends playing and sharing with each other. Let's see more effort to make Neer this kind of system where I can send you a free extra power shot in hot shots golf, or a new outfit, or a computer guided shot. In Lumines, let me instantly send someone a "slow down", or in Uncharted, let me randomly roll a boulder onto an enemy in an area you are in. Let's see some more social application.
When I play a game, I want to be surprised at what happens. I want to have drive to push friends into buying them, and I want to have incentive to friend-ing everyone I walk by in Neer.
I want costume stuff sent to me by others and I want to send people presents. Basically, Neer has the potential to make the Vita like Animal Crossing or Farmville.

C'mon Sony, let's see some magic.
Lemme know what you think guys.

Few games for sure! Quality games? Not so sure.

Calling the vita dead by now is exaggerated, but it looks like it is dying. And Sony has no options to save this little gaming machine. Even a drastic price cut won't save the system alone there have to be big new games too (and not only Sony franchises only nerds knows about).

Really, the 3DS has tons of new games in the next few month. I can't even think of a probable way for Sony to save the Vita that don't cost billions of dollars.

The chance of all those things happening by the end of this year is practically nil.

You'll be lucky to see 1/4 come to fruition, that being the 3rd party investment, but it sure as hell won't be with that selection of games.

It still baffles me the little amount of support Capcom is giving Vita.
Two fighting games ports and... that's it. And both of them very late to the party.

And not only that, giving their biggest, most strategical game (like I said, probably the most "painful" megaton ever) to the competitor... it's unbelievable!

Capcom is normally is a company that strongly supports new systems. Gaining their support again is a critical part of saving Vita in japan.

It was the same for the 3DS during the launch window.

SSFIV 3D and RE: The Mercenaries, which everyone panned because of the ill-advised game save system. 

What some see as strong support of new systems could more realistically be called for what it is: taking advantage of an opportunity during which new owners of a new platform are more likely to buy anything remotely resembling their gaming interests. That's just common business sense to have something available for the launch window.

Capcom doesn't really have an invested interest in any one given platform. Naturally, they want more platforms on which they can publish their games to succeed, but I see no reason why they would feel obligated to develop any special projects for the PSV that didn't specifically use its unique features unless they calculated it could lead to hit sales figures. 

It's still too early to say "the sky is falling!" considering we're only into the second full week of sales in over 2/3rds of the portable market.

At the end of the first month of sales if there is a significant drop in sales figures on par with what was seen in Japan, then yes; the platform definitely has a problem.

The truth is, in Japan, there simply isn't a whole lot of compelling new software to sell the platform; no major must have hit title and in Japan more than any other market, it takes that single big title to move portables on a given week.

A consistent release schedule for marketable, solid titles more than any other thing previously listed in the OP is what will "save" the platform.

1. What evidence do you have to support that the DS demograph is that drastically different then PSP? Kids I'll agree with just because of the number of first party E rated software, but what about casual? I could argue PSP has a bigger casual base since it mimicks the PS2 fanbase.

Do you have any reason to assume PSP's main demograph is males 18-25, and DS's isn't? I'm a male between 18-25 and I own a DS, not a PSP, most people I know who play portable own a DS instead of a PSP, and the few PSP gamers I know who are also 18-25 do not have a modded PSP, while most DS owners I know have a modded DS.

2. Nintendo didn't cut the DS off a year before the 3DS released. Nintendo release Pokemon, Kirby, and a Prof Layton months after the 3DS released, and now well over a year after the 3DS released, Nintendo has announced a new Pokemon game. Sony did the same for PS2 with God of War 2 launching months after the launch of PS3, and hey, these are the two most successful consoles.

Wii got cut off, and it's sales were hurt. Wii was outpacing PS2 every year, and last year, despite a price cut, Wii fell well below PS2 annual sales.

You're only adding to my arguement.

2a) - You could argue that Nintendo and Sony only pushed DS, GBA, GB, PS1, and PS2 games late in their life because of backward compatibility of the successor console, but not doing this for PSP hurt sales, and not having backward compatibility (outside PSN digital downloads) for PSV will hurt sales. Also as a side note, the consoles which got the most support from the manufacturer late into life, seem to be the most successful ones.

3. I agree it's more then enough, but $20 for 4GB is a lot. I just bought an 8GB MicroSD for $10 a little while back...

3.a) Why would someone want 32GB? Just for digital downloads? I never understood why people need more memory on their 360/PS3....

P.S. Nice sig. If that's all you said, you shouldn't have gotten banned.

The thing is, PSV will probably be successful in Japan. Japanese gaming habits have largely shifted to handheld system, and PSP did start slow too. 360 started real slow as well, but it's still holding #2 in console sales.

People will get a PSV because they want to get a new console, and PSV is the only "alternative" to the 3DS. It's also likely going to house a lot of Japanese HD games like Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy. Until we start seeing those games come in, PSV sales, like PSP and 360 sales, will be slow. When they come in, sales will jump.

The real question is, outside of Japan, is the PSV doomed? NA handheld market is largely Casual/Nintendo focused, so it will have trouble here, but in Europe the Playstation brand holds a lot more meaning.

Personally I expect 3DS sales to mimick DS sales and PSV sales to mimick PSP sales with the only differences being that 3DS will start strong, but fall earlier, and PSV will start a bit weaker, but pick up more momentum down the road.

I believe Resident Evil (both of them) and Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney were revealed a long time before the 3ds launch. And there's talk of Ace Attorney 5 and a new Resident Evil. And of course, the whole Megaman Legend imbroglio, which was canceled due to mysterious reasons.

And now so far, 3 months after release, we have nothing on Vita from them. So, no, it's not really the same situation.

You're right though... they don't feel obligated, but Sony should make them feel obligated ($$$) to support Vita.

ROFL, Clueless. It looks like it's dying? it's just getting started.

Only sony franchises only nerd know about? HUH? Do you even believe what you type? ever hear of Call of duty? The biggest entertainment property around? Thats coming to vita feature complete like the PS3 version. Bioshock, Assassins creedd. Monster hunter is coming that will help japan, Grand Theft auto, Madden. Seriously clueless.

You know sony has more to announce and there is a lot of third party development going on.

You're a troll when  you question quality if it has games? The Launch lineup for vita is better then most systems have launched with. MLB the show tomorrow is a stellar series, uncharted is a big franchise whether you realise it or not. unit 13 tomorrow. Motorstrom has 9 and above for reviews, Wipeout,  Gravity rush... Thats just the first couple months.

You seriously are out of touch.