We're approaching the time in the Vita's life where its become undeniable that the system is a complete dud in the west, at least from a sales perspective. 2 and half years in, we're seeing weekly sales figures remaining stagnant < 3k in North America and <7k in europe. As there are very few flagship titles positioned to do anything to offset its death other then Minecraft, and major 3rd party suport all but dead, I think we can all agree the system will probably be lucky to reach 17m lifetime.

The question I'm proposing is whether sony could have acted to ensure the systems success, in this case success meaning LT sales of 50m+. For me the way the tackled the Vita's line up was completely from the get go. This is my proposed line up that I think would have allowed the system to be a much bigger hit, all titles I believe to be realistic and have justified them right at the bottom.

Launch Titles:

Gravity Rush-  Launch
With outsourced localisation to enable a worldwide launch in feb 2012, the game would have been respected much more as a launch title as opposed to the summer release pegged to ''Save the Vita''.A new core Ip would have been a stronger way to start the Vita's life then a watered down uncharted and its more in line with the type of games that have typically succeeded on handhelds; Fantasy Adventure. Other launch titles like Fifa and COD would been there to cater to the more mass market audience.

Wipeout Launch

Call of Duty ModernWarfare 3 with Vita exclusive maps- Launch (Activision)
A full port of the previous falls COD but with a handful of exclusive maps designed for the Vita. The game would be the most perfect launch title and would got the Vita to better start then the poor mans Uncharted managed. This would have really appealed to the masses and made them pay attention to the systems arrival. Activision would be at the reigns, complete speculation but I think sony probably wanting an exclusive title scared activision away and meant that they needed to get Nilhistic involed. 

Dark Cloud 1+2 Remastered (Vita exclusive)
What type of game have been proven to be a massive seller for handhelds in the past and had appeal both japan and the west? RPGS! As part of a bigger plan to make the system home to these type of experiences sony should have commisioned a remaster of cult classics; The Dark Cloud 1 and 2. Two brilliant games that performed well, but have room to be reintroduced to a new audience and potentially allow this to be the franchise it was always intended to be. 

Jack and Daxter Collection (Timed Vita exclusive)

When this title launched right next to the Vita but was exclusive to the  PS3 I was really baffled. The much loved franchise has probably more pulling power then any of sonys PS2 classics. They really should have took the opportunity to use it as a means to draw attention to their new handheld where it could have been a system seller if it was exclusive or at least timed. 

Launch Window Titles March-September: 

Final Fantasy Type 0-Remastered- April (Vita exclusive in the west)- March

Now I don't need to tell anyone why this game would have been huge. Final Fantasy.

If sony sony had acted early enough whilst SE were actually localising the game they could have secured this title as Vita exclusive before the system even launched. As far back as summer 2011 it was the clear the PSP had run it course in terms of software in the west, and sony needed a big JRPG for their new system. Square had showed some support of the Vita and just announced plans for FFXHD, the system wasn't out yet but there were hopes it could take lead over nintendo this HH generations. Unfortunately timed passed and by the time sony began the JRPG Vita campaign SE was probably uninterested as the Vita had been released and was seeing weak sales WW. '' The main reasons for the game not coming west was the flagging PSP market and the uncertainty of the Vita'' Again acting early would have secured this title and this game alone would have really changed the tides for sony back in 2012.

Mass Effect Conquest (Zipper Interactive)- April

What is Unit 13 and why was it greenlight?
Instead of a generic aimpless title like Unit 13, the team should have workd on a ME3 companion game with the full ME3 multiplayer component and standalone a short stand alone campaign. Just to be clear this isn't a full on ME game in scale of the console experience but a port of ME3's multiplayer with the ability to connect with your console game and contribute towards your stats and achievements on ME3 as well as an exclusive but short single player campaign. Its singple player would expanded the ME3 universe but it would been a short 4-5 hour experience that offered a unique compelling insight into the ME universe like the Shadow broker DLC. The game would have the most robust codex of any ME game and be the most appopriate way for ME3 fans to really explore the lore with tons of tibits to read and unlock. A brilliant way to show how Vita companion games should be done, as oppose to the rushed ports we saw.

Unreal Tournament Vita (Nilhilistic Software)-  July

A mid tier yet potent title that could really proven the Vita as a capable handheld for pick and play multiplayer and bot matches. During the early days this would really fufilled that novelty of console experience on the go, similar to uncharted and AC liberation. Also it would have been  brilliant demonstration of UE3 running on the system. Nilhilistic who did the horribly rushed Resistence and COD vita games would have been put in sole charge of this game, no other projects to juggle with and they woudl have continued to support it post launch with DLC so it would be a constant go to.

Little Big Planet Vita- September
As panned out in reality.

Holiday 2012: 

Jak 4- Bend Studios (Exclusive)- November

If naughty dog didn't want to take on Jak 4 sony should have let bend do it. A new Jak would be more valuable then Uncharted Golden Abyss because unlike Uncharted it didn't have a newly released console counter part to look and feel inferior to. Also unlike Uncharted, a new Jak game hadn't been seen in a while and the vocal fanbase would 100% picked up a Vita to experience a new entry in the franchise.

Playstation All stars (Powerstone style gameplay)- November
Not only would sonys Ips lend themselves better to this style of play (3rd person, weapon based), they would've avoided all that smash clone ridicule. Ultimately though  the game was always going to miss....they needed a team with real taste, judging by the UI and visual style the team simply didn't have any!

Call of Duty Black ops 2 standalone Multiplayer- November
-Maybe the last COD the Vita should ever see. Don't bother with the campaign, just get the multiplayer up and running. 

Dark Cloud 3 (Tri Ace and Japan Studios)- December.

A big budget, exclusive JRPG for a Vita. An entirely new game not a port. It would have done really well in Japan and again appealled to the base that have typically clamoured to handhelds regardless of wha new phone is out.

2013: The trend in 2013 is that developers that worked on PS3 titles would be instead be working on PSVita titles.
When a system like the PS3 reaches the end of its life you can really afford to let be carried by thrid parties. Tomb Raider, DMC, Crysis 3, Bioshock infinite<<< And that was just Q1. Essentially most of the exclusive support sony offered the system bar a few necessary swan songs (The Last of US) should have gone to the Vita and whilst the PS3 rides off into the sunset with the brilliant 7 years is proceeded 2013 and horde of 3rd party releases we saw that year. Sacrifice a few fillion PS3 solds to open the potential for dozens of millions of Vita's to sold over its lifetime.

Q1;

Heavenly Sword II- Lightbox interactive and sony santimonica (Vita exclusive)- February

Huge System Seller. Lightbox worked on starhwak. PS3 did not need Starhawk. Guided by santimonica they could produced a brilliant game. This would delay GOWAC by about a year and guess what? That will be Vita exclusive as well haha

Morrowind Remade- outsourced (exclusive-  March

just gonna leave this here

http://youtu.be/cM280rOq78k

Mega system seller! This game would have printed money sony and sells millions of Vita's. The game would at the very least be a 2 year timed exclusive, if there was enough demand Bethesda could later port and release it to PC/PS4/X1 in 2015.

Syphon Filter IV with competetive online- Sanzaru games/Bend studios (Vita Exclusive)-June

Who asked for Sly 4? Honestly? So anyway the team who made it would have instead been working Pysphon Filters return alongside Bend studios.

Pupeteer (Vita 2013 timed exclusive)- September

brilliant game that would have performed better on the Vita then on the late PS3 where no seemed to give a damn.

Killzone mercinaries- September
Nothing to change here. Arriving on the system with actual momentum would have allowed this game to get the recognition it deserved. Still think the team should have worked on a new IP but KZM wasn't bad shout either.

Grand Turismo Vita (Vita Exclusive)- November

GT6 should have been on PS4 or Vita simple as. Probably Vita seeing as the PS4 already had a driving game in the works (Driveclub)

TearAway- November
By this time the Vita would have acquired the right amount of momentum for this title to reach its potential. No need for a PS4 port :p

2014:

Ratchet and Clank nexus (Vita exclusive) 2014 Q1

lol, this game was completely ignored by the PS3 userbase. The game currently sits at 550k. Why on earth did they think the PS3 needed this more then the Vita?

God of War Accension (Timed Vita exclusive)Q1

Unecessary entries in popular franchises and handhelds go hand in hand :)

Down the road they could port it to PS4 if there was demand.


So what do you think?
Could have been the difference between the Vita sitting at 9m as it now vs 30m in the same respective period? Is this even realistic?

Sony would have never spent that much money. Heck, the 3DS only had a few ports like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Super Street Fighter IV.

That kind of line up is the Vita's issue. No one buys a handheld to buy games that are better on consoles. They buy them for games that are better portable. That doesn't mean that there's no place for console experiences on handhelds, but they need those handheld experiences first.

You think the only probably with the Vita was it's utter lack of games? If so, I'm sorry to inform you that that's far removed from the truth.

Well, it didn't.

And honestly, I think that would be Sony spending more for the first 6 months than LT so far....

I'm probably the biggest Vita proponent that I know. But even this is way too far-fetched. There's no way it would've ever gotten this much support from developers. And it would never sell 70M. Not even. Even half of that (35M) would've been considered a huge success.

That said, I don't think it needed that amount of support from devs out of the gate. I feel that its launch lineup of games was at least sufficient (Can't expect a full library of must-owns at launch! Let's be real) Uncharted GA, a launch game, is still one of the best games on the console now. It was let down by other things, namely its price, lack of coherent marketing, and being unable to use the same things that made the PSP successful.

A lot of the money came from games sony already had in development, repurposing teams for different content. Sony released a ton of games in 2012/2013. StarHawk, Burning Skies, Sly 4, Unit 13, Soul Sacrifice, GOWA....

Quantity of games is not the problem. Appeal, Quality and exclusivity of the games is.

I just wonder how they would have paid for all that.

30 million is a real stretch. Look at where those sales are coming from, and compare the Vita to its closest competitor.

The 3DS launched almost a full year (about 10 months) before the Vita. It has sold 14 million in NA and 12.5 million in Europe. Optimistically, maybe we could have hoped for the Vita to have reached 10 million in each of those territories by now, but without giving it a GTA (the best-selling game on PSP in both NA & Europe), I'm not too confident your revised lineup would have done the trick.

You did nothing for Japan aside from Gran Turismo. Maybe it would be up to 5 million instead of the 3.25 million it's at now. That pushes it up to 25 million, leaving the ROW to pick up the slack.

You also didn't address any of the non-software-related barriers to the Vita's success, like its $250/$300 launch price, and its unreasonably expensive memory cards and lack of internal memory.

You can only change so much about a machine before it becomes something completely different, and that's the real solution here -- the Vita's first 2 years could have looked much better if it wasn't the Vita at all.