some advertising would also help.

I've got no horse in this race - but - one of the most awesome launch line ups ever?

That may be stretching it a bit.

http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/available/vita/date?view=condensed

Highest rated game is 88. After 5 months. Well, 7 months really as, even though it's only one territory - Japan has the highest consumption rate of handheld systems in the world/regions.

Look - I'm not attacking the Vita. I wanted one before they launch, and if they bring out a killer app or two, as most of us expected there to be by now - I would.

For whatever reason, it's failing to capture the imagination of the general public. That is undeniable.

Its sales have been disappointing - that is undeniable.

It lacks a game over the "magic" mark of 90 on metacritic. Also true.

Look - talk of it being dead is quite premature. Many people on this thread love it, but for whatever reason, it's not selling.

Is it a case of advertising? Here (in Australia) I saw an ad on TV most every night (World is in Play) for the first four months. It was a great campaign, some of Sony's best ads since the PS1 days. But at retail over here - it's struggling.

Is it as simple as running more ads?

I dunno.

This thread seems to sway between posters of the "It's Dooomed!" variety and posters of the "It's the best handheld ever/It has the best games ever" - where , objectively, I think the truth lies somehere between.

Haters - do you think there may actually be some possibility of it taking off with the right mix of titles added to the library?

Lovers - do you think the launch sales/software lineup have been somewhat underwhelming, and this may have contributed to it's less than stellar sales?

Discuss.

You don't have any source for digital sales, and i guess if they where high enough to reach Nintendo 3DS's attach rate, Sony would make sure to let us know that. Also if they have the same attach rate, the have sold more than 7 times the amount of software than Vita, blame Mario or whatever, but that is a lot more and for developers i guess is more interesting develop for a almost 19 million base with a 2.4 attach rate than for a hardware with almost 3 million units with the same attach rate.

Anyway, it needs a holiday season where it was launched in the three territories, after that we will have a more complete picture, earlier than that is just bashing the handheld. But things don't look so easy for Vita, at least from my perspective it needs a killer app and/or price drop. For me it would be both most of the games i like are on 360 or PS3 and i preffer playing them on consoles for Live/PSN on a big TV screen.

i find playing some games are better on portables, vita has become home to my fighting games, and i also perfer rpgs on the hand held. some times it just nice to kick back in bed playing a good gamne. People are also forgeting or ingoring the vita as a tablet. ive used more for that than i did my ipad, gamers should be happy they can have a tablet and a came console all in one. but your right, some games are better on the big screen, like gt5 or The Last of Us. 

Really? I got banned for linking someone who was using faulty logic to a link that said "STFU", even though I explained I was looking for a video clip of "how about a tall glass of shut the hell up" and explained it was supposed to be funny and not angry?

You Vita haters really get to me with your faulty logic and steadfast determination to be negative.

No, it makes them a hater if they highlight the wrong aspects and do all they can to doom something.  They are haters when they twist logic so that it looks worse than it really is. 

The vita is not selling well, this is true...but the 3DS didn't sell well either its first 5 months either, and neither did the PS3...and look where those ended up.  both can be seen as direct comparisons. 

Arguing that its launch lineup isn't strong is faulty in so many ways when it's already had a better year than the Wii, 3DS, and Xbox 360, and arguably the best and most balanced launch lineup of all time.  (seriously, I looked at every console's first year, and none of them came close to the overall quality that the Vita is exhibiting.  At best, they might have one standout exceptional game like Gears of War or a Zelda title, but never so much in the way of balance and variety).  

The Vita just needs better marketing and a price cut/bundle to make people want it.  the first two years of its life are very strong, software wise.  

What on earth does that have to do with the launch line-up?

Sure, sales-wise.

But I haven't gotten this much enjoyment out of a handheld since the Gameboy colour.

Usually "launch lineup" refers to the launch window, the first 3-6 months of a system's release. 

as for a first year...we've got Uncharted: golden Abyss, Little Deviants, Wipeout 2048, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Modnation racers Road Trip, Resistance Burning skies, Gravity Rush, Unit 13, LittleBigPlanet Vita, Assassin's Creed III Liberation, Call of Duy Black Ops Declassified, and Ragnarok Oddyssey, and those are just exclusives in the first year.   

There's also ports of games like Rayman Origins, Disgaea 3, Mortal Kombat, MLB 12 The Show, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Blazblue, The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Street fighter X Tekken, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, and Sly cooper for sure, not to mention how many others that will just kind of come out.  Many of those are actually BETTER on vita than they are on consoles (Disgaea, Mortal Kombat, Street fighter X Tekken for sure, and I thought Rayman Origins was something special with the relics and screen tapping). 

It's also had a hell of a time with its downloads, with titles such as Super Stardust Delta, Escape Plan, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, and upcoming games like Sound Shapes and Retro City Rampage.

And those are just the gamesI can think of off the top of my head, and that's all within the first year!  don't forget we're also getting plenty int he future, wich such notable games as Final Fantasy X HD and Soul Sacrifice.  

It's also worth noting that, unlike some other systems, there is actually a new AAA IP on this system in the form of Gravity Rush, with Soul Sacrifice coming out next year with a lot of hype amongst Vita lovers. 

So don't dare say it's had a weak launch or first year.  

aaand what was the ratio between the DS and the PSP?  about 2:1, which is about where this is looking to end up.  I don't think for a second that's all that bad, and if you think it is, your ability to see logic is jumbled up.  the PSP sold more than the Xbox 360, PS3, NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Xbox, and the Genesis, making it the 7th highest selling of all time (though the Xbox 360 and PS3 are both likely to pass it).  Anyone arguing those numbers are bad is a fool.  If the Vita even makes 1/3 of what the 3DS does, it'll still end up over 40 million units, making it the second highest non-nintendo handheld. 

It's all about perspective.  

Your argument is bad and you should feel bad.