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Forums - Sony - Mobile Gaming Didn't Kill The Vita -- Sony Did

Roberto10 on 28 September 2015
pokoko said:
People who think the Vita died because Sony didn't support it really, really need to take a look at what really happened. Sony supported the Vita. Sony STOPPED supporting the Vita because the Vita failed, not the other way around. It just simply was not working.

The author of the article isn't being logical or even very intelligent. PS1 games would have had no impact. PS2 games would have had no impact. Marketing niche games? Seriously? No impact. Indies? There are a million indies on smart-phones. Bio-shock? I don't think this guy understands that Sony does not control third-parties.

I don't really understand the refusal of some to accept that the handheld market has changed greatly and that Sony is not in a position to fight the tide. The Vita had no shot in the west in the current climate. Nintendo's handheld division is still alive because they have the legacy IP and a high level of brand recognition in the west. Sony does not. It's as simple as that.


Thank You! Someone had to say it. Sony did support the vita for it's first two years, It's biggest IPs had either spin-offs (Uncharted, Killzone, LBP) or remasters (God of War, Jak Trilogy, Ratchet & Clank) release for the vita. Sony even made deals for thrid party support (Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, Fifa, Need for Speed, Final Fantasy, Mortal Kombat, Borderlands, Batman, lego games, etc) and dedicated some of it's first and second party studios to develop for the vita (Japan studio, liverpool studio, Guerilla Cambridge, Sony Bend, Media Molecule, Double Eleven etc). Sony even tried to secure deals with franchises like bioshock... But even with all that effort the vita couldn't sell.  So then sony tried to market it as a peripheral for the ps4 (for remote play or as a second controller) but even that didn't work. At that point sony saw that there was no point in trying to keep it alive with first party content and they moved towards indies and japanese games.

What could sony have done more for the vita... A better browser? definitely. More App support? possibly. An Infamous Vita? An original GoW vita? would those really have helped the sales dramaticly? probably not. They could have added more ps1 and even ps2 classics. Would that help? I don't think so. I'm not sure that sony could have done anything to dramaticly boost the sales. Sony is doing well having all of it's studios focus on developing for the ps4.

It's really sad this thing is happening to the vita because it truly did have great hardware, and was an amazing portable console all in all but sony had no choice in giving up on it. The smartphone market is dominating  everything. Apple sold 75million overpriced phones in Q1 2015! They sold in a quarter almost as many PSPs as sony has sold in a decade! How can you compete with that...



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bouzane on 28 September 2015
ganoncrotch said:

Ko Ta Ku, Enough said as to how good that article is really. Should someone be allowed to write for a gaming website who uses LMAO in bullet points?

Regardless of how badly.... wait... no Sony's fault of Bioshock Vita not happening? when Bioshock 2 nearly ended the franchise with it's bad decisions? I wasn't aware that Sony owned the Bioshock (first game exclusive to the 360 for a year or so) Franchise that is news to me.

But outside of how bad the.... Wait... Sony put bad ports of games like Call of Duty:Declassified on the Vita, Well damn, People really do forget some of these huge IP's that Sony own and control when it comes to list wars on here, I had completely forgotten that Activision were first party to Sony.


as for the other points
- http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Vita-Memory-Card-64GB-PCH-Z641J/dp/B00F27JGVA/ref=sr_1_3?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478349&sr=1-3&keywords=ps+vita
a 64gb mem card for $20 less than they suggest the 32gb stick is.

- Suggesting people wouldn't pay 250 to play destiny on the toilet? I mean... it's not just destiny, it's having access to your PS4 remotely from anywhere you can connect to the internet for streaming some files from and it can be used as an extra controller when in range of the system as well as offering the off screen play that the wii-u tablet offers for some of its titles.

"Remember the PS2? One of the most successful video game consoles in history? Chock full of great games that could be ported to the Vita in various ways? Someone should remind Sony."
http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Gear-Solid-Collection-playstation-vita/dp/B007FQUEZ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478573&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+vita+mgs
http://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Clank-Trilogy-Sony-Playstation-Vita/dp/B00KQDVTLA/ref=sr_1_4?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478580&sr=8-4&keywords=ps+vita+ratchet
http://www.amazon.com/FINAL-FANTASY-X-2-HD-Remaster-PlayStation/dp/B00HD4R5RW/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478594&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+vita+final+fantasy
http://www.amazon.com/Sly-Collection-PlayStation-Vita/dp/B00ICWO2CA/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478604&sr=8-2&keywords=ps+vita+sly+cooper
http://www.amazon.com/God-War-Collection-PlayStation-Vita/dp/B00G237L7Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478615&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+vita+god+of+war
http://www.amazon.com/Jak-Daxter-Collection-PlayStation-Vita/dp/B00CMD7574/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478627&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+vita+jak

I mean.... other than all those ps2 classics remastered for the Vita there is almost no proof of Sony (or other companies) bringing Ps2 love to the Vita (as well as obviously things like the psp GTA 3/Vice city spin offs) Final Fantasy 1-9 from the psone/psp area on the store.

I mean I'm not sure there is a single word of that Kotaku article that isn't click bait bullshit tbh, wait that first word isn't too bad if it's taken on it's own. "A" anything beyond that is too much.


Kotaku really is a joke and their points about Bioshock and Call of Duty are facepalm level asinine. However, I just have to point out that the God of War and Jak & Daxter collections were garbage on the Vita (along with a lot of other ports, many of which were botched by Sony themselves). Also, that memory card costs a whopping $88 USD which is about what I spent on my PSP (including memory card) so that is indeed a deal breaker.

BTW, how is the remote play on the Vita? I've heard coomplaints about lag and input options.



Lawlight on 28 September 2015

So, what killed the 3DS?



Spade on 28 September 2015

The reason the Vita failed was because of Sony.
Memory cards, lackluster games, lack of exclusives, marketed as the PS4's little brother, etc.
Mobile didn't help, but Sony is to blame for the lack of support and the above.

Reason why I'll never buy (or have to) a PS portable console again.



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PwerlvlAmy on 28 September 2015

just with the OP title alone, i agree



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Ganoncrotch on 28 September 2015
bouzane said:
ganoncrotch said:

Ko Ta Ku, Enough said as to how good that article is really. Should someone be allowed to write for a gaming website who uses LMAO in bullet points?

Regardless of how badly.... wait... no Sony's fault of Bioshock Vita not happening? when Bioshock 2 nearly ended the franchise with it's bad decisions? I wasn't aware that Sony owned the Bioshock (first game exclusive to the 360 for a year or so) Franchise that is news to me.

But outside of how bad the.... Wait... Sony put bad ports of games like Call of Duty:Declassified on the Vita, Well damn, People really do forget some of these huge IP's that Sony own and control when it comes to list wars on here, I had completely forgotten that Activision were first party to Sony.


as for the other points
- http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Vita-Memory-Card-64GB-PCH-Z641J/dp/B00F27JGVA/ref=sr_1_3?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478349&sr=1-3&keywords=ps+vita
a 64gb mem card for $20 less than they suggest the 32gb stick is.

- Suggesting people wouldn't pay 250 to play destiny on the toilet? I mean... it's not just destiny, it's having access to your PS4 remotely from anywhere you can connect to the internet for streaming some files from and it can be used as an extra controller when in range of the system as well as offering the off screen play that the wii-u tablet offers for some of its titles.

"Remember the PS2? One of the most successful video game consoles in history? Chock full of great games that could be ported to the Vita in various ways? Someone should remind Sony."
http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Gear-Solid-Collection-playstation-vita/dp/B007FQUEZ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478573&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+vita+mgs
http://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Clank-Trilogy-Sony-Playstation-Vita/dp/B00KQDVTLA/ref=sr_1_4?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478580&sr=8-4&keywords=ps+vita+ratchet
http://www.amazon.com/FINAL-FANTASY-X-2-HD-Remaster-PlayStation/dp/B00HD4R5RW/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478594&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+vita+final+fantasy
http://www.amazon.com/Sly-Collection-PlayStation-Vita/dp/B00ICWO2CA/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478604&sr=8-2&keywords=ps+vita+sly+cooper
http://www.amazon.com/God-War-Collection-PlayStation-Vita/dp/B00G237L7Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478615&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+vita+god+of+war
http://www.amazon.com/Jak-Daxter-Collection-PlayStation-Vita/dp/B00CMD7574/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1443478627&sr=8-1&keywords=ps+vita+jak

I mean.... other than all those ps2 classics remastered for the Vita there is almost no proof of Sony (or other companies) bringing Ps2 love to the Vita (as well as obviously things like the psp GTA 3/Vice city spin offs) Final Fantasy 1-9 from the psone/psp area on the store.

I mean I'm not sure there is a single word of that Kotaku article that isn't click bait bullshit tbh, wait that first word isn't too bad if it's taken on it's own. "A" anything beyond that is too much.


Kotaku really is a joke and their points about Bioshock and Call of Duty are facepalm level asinine. However, I just have to point out that the God of War and Jak & Daxter collections were garbage on the Vita (along with a lot of other ports, many of which were botched by Sony themselves). Also, that memory card costs a whopping $88 USD which is about what I spent on my PSP (including memory card) so that is indeed a deal breaker.

BTW, how is the remote play on the Vita? I've heard coomplaints about lag and input options.

I had actually never played the Jak & Daxter games on the ps2 since I was more a GC teen at the time playing Mario Sunshine so the Vita version was the first time I played Jak, finished the first one and absolutely loved it, it had sluggish framerates at times but nothing unplayable and the game itself was still a treat in 2015, like I can't compare it to the original but yeah as a standalone game for those who missed it on the ps2, that collection is great imo.

We used the remote play over the weekend for Fifa14 using the Vita as controller 1 and a ps4 controller for another player (costly extra controllers yo) and yeah it was perfect both on and off screen for the vita, just have to be aware of the touch screens while pressing the square button, front touch screens gonna be L/R3 and the rear ones we had set up as L/R2 so rubbing the back screen could get your goalie running out into play at times, just had to be aware of the screens tho and it was perfect.

I know memory is costly on the Vita, but the suggestion in the article was that 32gb was $100 tho, which I was just making the point that double that amount of memory is still less than the price they quoted. Vita using CMA to a PC on a LAN tho is fairly fast at dumping games/saves back and forth to a PC, can set it up to do it wirelessly too if you're just shifting about smaller indie titles (took almost 30 mins to shift Project Divas 3gb over wifi tho, bad idea)



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pokoko on 28 September 2015
bouzane said:

@pokoko

What a defensive, ignorant and outright hostile response. You're a lousy member of this community if this is any indication of how you conduct yourself here. I don't know why but I'm going to waste my time spelling things out for you.

"Seriously, your "triple the units" theory is nothing but head-in-the-sand bullshit from someone who clearly does not understand that the market has changed to a massive degree."

If the Vita was between double and triple its current popularity it would end up about half as popular as the PSP which would be a similar contraction in popularity that the 3DS is facing. What is so hard to believe about this scenario exactly?

"THE AVERAGE ADULT IS NOT GOING TO BUY A DEDICATED HANDHELD GAMING SYSTEM.  The interest is NOT THERE.  It is no longer a necessary device.  Most adults can play games on a device THEY ALREADY OWN."

Just because you say that there is no market for dedicated handhelds outside of Nintendo does not make that a fact, understood? As a huge PSP fan I am telling you that I, and other individuals I know were very interested in a proper successor to the PSP when the Vita released. Just because the market has largely moved on right now does not mean that Sony could not have launched a successful handheld five years ago and that they could not have retained more of their former users. Also, I don't see the games that I enjoyed on my PSP making their way to smartphones, that market is not satisfying my needs.

"Nintendo is getting around that ONLY because they have legacy software what was PREVIOUSLY a massive hit, giving it instant brand recognition with millions of people.  What does Sony have to counter that in the handheld space?"

Believe it or not but Sony has popular legacy games that were previously massive hits and brand recognition with millions of people. There is no reason why they could not have released new Jak & Dexter, Ratchet & Clank, Gran Turismo and God of War games for the Vita. Before you respond with some bloviating nonsense about how these are not as popular as Nintendo games I'm going to cut you off and state that's not what I'm implying here. I'm saying that these games would make the Vita more popular than it currently is by attracting PSP owners.

"New IPs will do nothing."

Again, you are doing literally nothing to support your comment and what you assert without evidence I will dismiss without evidence. Although, just to double down I'm going to point out Nintendogs and Brain Age. There is no reason why Sony shouldn't have attempted to create new franchises that appealed to new audiences, especially during the Vita's launch. It's not like it's impossible to create a new market with original concepts if you execute them well.

"The failure of the Vita is directly linked to the failures of the PSP."

The PSP sold over 80 million units and was a very profitable venture for Sony and no amount of burying your head in the sand can change these facts. The PSP was a success despite Sony's failures later in its lifespan such as the PSP Go.

"The Vita was never going to be a hit."

Again, simply stating something as if it were a fact does not make it so. The Vita certainly could have been a modest success if they had handled the launch, price, memory cards and first party support better.

"Tell me what these games are that would have made the system triple its sales?  What does Sony have that would have pushed those kinds of numbers?  I'd love to know and I bet Sony would, as well."

Jak & Dexter, Ratchet & Clank and God of War were all successful on the PSP and Uncharted, Resistance and Gran Turismo could have been if Sony had handled them better. Additionally, if the Vita weren't such a spectacular failure maybe they could have successfully lobbied for popular third party titles such as Grand Theft Auto or Monster Hunter. How is the very concept of a PlayStation handheld selling 35 million units so hard to grasp for you?

Before you respond again grow up and show a shred of respect kid. Stop dismissing anybody who disagrees with you and stop acting like an obnoxious brat. I never treated you in such a fashion despite the fact that you did absolutely nothing to back up your absurd claims that correcting the Vita's launch date, price, memory card and first party support would have done virtually nothing to increase its popularity. Again, I'm not dispting the fact that smartphones have had the greatest impact on the Vita's success (or lack thereof) but let's not pretend that Sony could not have done anything to retain a far greater percentage of their users with a more well thought out and supported system. The Vita could have reached 30-35 million units by now if they had played their cards right, that scenario is not literally impossible and you can snarl and CAPSLOCK all you want. Stop throwing a fit, calm down and accept the fact that people disagree (and actually backup their claims unlike you).

Listen, boy, don't call someone else's opinions asinine if you want to be respected.  Understand, kid?  The ignorance and hostility began with you, son.  And now, like a good adult, you dip into the childish well of name calling.  That's really very small of you.

Regardless, you really have nothing, do you?  Nothing except a claim that Sony could have tripled sales on a dying platform by waving a magic wand that seemingly ignored the rise of mobile gaming.  You have absolutely nothing to support your claims except supposition.  The Vita had LBP, Call of Duty, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, and Killzone, but just a few more IP would have tripled sales.  And yet, you say that others have nothing to back up what they are saying.  You say that simply stating something does not make it fact, then you say that the Vita would "certainly have been a success" if they followed your guidelines.  Think about that for a moment.

One more thing.  Don't insult the opinions of other people then act sanctimonious.  It makes you look like a hypocrite.  Now, I've said what I've needed to say to you in this thread and I have no desire to debate with a person who has to call someone "kid" in order to degrade their position, so I'm not going to reply to you further or read anything else from you in this thread.  You have anything to say to me, you say it to me directly.  



Ganoncrotch on 28 September 2015



Can't we just get back to laughing at Kotaku guys :



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Teeqoz on 28 September 2015
Slade6alpha said:
The reason the Vita failed was because of Sony.
Memory cards, lackluster games, lack of exclusives, marketed as the PS4's little brother, etc.
Mobile didn't help, but Sony is to blame for the lack of support and the above.

Reason why I'll never buy (or have to) a PS portable console again.


My no. 1 biggest by far reason for not buying another PS portable console is due to it not gonna be made

But that other stuff helps. I've never been much of a handheld guy anyway, but I did get some enjoyment out of my Vita, even as an indie machine.



Alby_da_Wolf on 28 September 2015

@OP:

I agree enough to all of your points and I could even add more if I weren't too sleepy, but yes, Vita was very promising and it deserved more and better support and marketing from Sony, mobiles can have stolen some millions of very casual users from both PSV and 3DS, but the remaining potential ones were enough to make both successful if Sony and Ninty were able to attract them, Ninty did it, Sony didn't.

I play some mobile games, I wouldn't ever pay for them, they are utter crap compared to good PC and home and portable console ones, and lack of dedicated controls is often responsible at least in part for some mobile games being too dumb. Tens million gamers ready to pay for games are probably fewer, but still comparable and in the same order of magnitude with the small percent of mobile gamers ready to do the same (and almost always up to a lower maximum price).



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