Thanks Michael Captain Obvious Patcher..

I mean on the one hand it's impressive he's finally right about something but, this is a pretty damn safe prediction to make.

thats the answer. i dont see the japanses market changing anytime soon, dedicated handhelds should do well there for the forseeable future. While in the west it is a different story, it is rapidly becoming niche, the rise of tablets and advanced smartphones will see to that, survey after survey show the number one use for the ipad is to play games, these are the same people who bought the ds just to play brain age. Nintendo see this and it is why they constantly warn that apple is their true competitor. 

But you've pointed out the very reason MH won't help Vita: it's already everywhere else now.

Also, as to this topic's title, and description of the PSV as "niche" I would have to disagree.  "Niche" implies that it has carved out a place for itself.  It has not.  It is in direct competition with everything else, including PS3 and PS4, and I don't see it surviving unless it does indeed become niche.

Even non-exclusive, Monster Hunter is a hell of a drug in Japan.

hahahahahaha im considering putting that in my sig

This is the biggest sign of a Vita turn around yet! He is the perfect analyst, you just have to know to trust the exact opposite of what he predicts.

He has a point, but beeing in a niche and not beeing profitable are different things.

The attachment rates for the Vita seem pretty good. This means that this niche buys more games than the average games audience. This means that while the userbase might not skyrocket like other devices, this niche seems to be hardcore and hardcore games will find sucess in it.

Will it pull 360/PS3 sales numbers? No it wont, but it will achieve software numbers in the ammounts of 3rd parties on the 3DS. No one can beat Nintendo first party stuff with their impressive legs, but that makes sense as people buy nintendo systems for nintendo games for the most part.

Just like the 3DS, the Vita will have to be fed by the Japanese market. Western developers dont care much about portables and obviously that will not lead western consumers to buy them.

He could have gone one further and simply declared that there was a high probability of rain in the coming year! That would truly cement his standings as a top analyst in all matters, not just gaming.

I would be honoured, good sir! :p

yeah because sale quadrupling in japan really foreshadows failure....
I think of it this way, with a price cut, and some sweet ps4 support, popularity and relevance can only go up.
and if the PS4 is as loved by developers as Sony claims, then I can only see the Vita growing, honestly it looks like a bright future, rather than a dim one...