PSP2 holds few surprises, but PlayStation Suite could change the face of mobile gaming.
OXCGN:
"Does 3DS trouble point to trouble for PS Vita?
What if the huge rise in popularity of smartphones, iPods and iPads is stealing away potential customers for both their portables?
Should the 3DS situation actually make Sony worried for their PS Vita?
Actually, no. And here’s why."
a price point for vita at 249 is great deal for what you are getting
games,games and more games
3ds is just like DS with 3d nothing new while vita is a lot more advanced from psp
i know i am not much into handheld and i will most likely get vita at launch or around that time
Except the 3DS now retails for a mere $170!
That means the PS Vita is now the most expensive handheld....
@gamingdroid
I agree with showtimefolks that it's always been about the games. If Sony has a strong game library at the launch of Vita you can be sure it's gonna do well. Cost wise the 3DS is cheaper to manufacture than the Vita so I'm not surprised the Vita is more expensive. Gaming wise both are targeted at different types of gamers so I think the 3DS and Vita will be able co-exist.
@gamingdriod ever heard you get what you pay for? The 3ds should have never been 250 they ripped 4m people off already and would have continued if not for the vita. Don't act like they just had a change of heart. No, they're scared and losing money. It's not a good sign when the CEO's salary is cut in half. If i were you i wouldn't be bragging about a price drop that was caused by fear. Instead i'd be thanking Sony for actually giving consumers something that is actually worth 250+.
***ever heard you get what you pay for?***
Do you say the same thing about Xbox Live Gold? People pay for houses on during the bubble, did they get what they paid for?
***The 3ds should have never been 250 they ripped 4m people off already and would have continued if not for the vita. Don't act like they just had a change of heart. No, they're scared and losing money.***
Ever heard of the PSP Go? It debut at $250, and people still aren't getting the games promised day-and-date with the UMD versions. Heck some just never came! Those people got screwed royally with a half @ss supported product!
I don't care what the reason for price cut, because it is all based on capitalism i.e. the value of the goods are based on what people are willing to pay.
***It's not a good sign when the CEO's salary is cut in half.***
It is actually a very good idea, it doesn't rewards failure and forces the CEO/employees to have a stake in the success.
***If i were you i wouldn't be bragging about a price drop that was caused by fear.***
I didn't brag about the price drop? Nor do I defend Nintendo. It just is what it is...
***Instead i'd be thanking Sony for actually giving consumers something that is actually worth 250+.***
Thanking them? Maybe if you are a fanboy....
"Sony is focusing on core gamers, "
Is that why they are trying to bring it to the "living room"?
Don't kid yourself.
Games like God of War and Uncharted are ALSO aimed at casual players. Why do you think they go for a hollywood kind of vibe?
God of War and Uncharted are aimed at casual gamers!? no. what games were u playing if you think those titles were for casuals.
You also say they have a "hollywood vibe". I guess they had a big budget like a hollywood film, but other than that, what are you talking about? I personally got more of a awesome hardcore vibe from GOW and UC sooo, definitely not casual like u say.
GOW and Uncharted aimed at the casual?, riiiiight, "you" don't don't kid yourself.
Sidar is clearly delusional you guys, pay him no regard.
He's a Nintendo fanatic to the core.
An un-bias comment from him would be like pulling teeth.
He'd rather get into semantics to try to justify his ludicrous claims rather than conceding he was wrong.
-----------------
See below, he is still pleading the case that Uncharted and God of War are "casual" because people will go to the theaters to see some films with similar themes and stories (though few as good as those games). It doesn't get much more DELUDED than this folks.
___
Since you seem to be the person with the keenest sense of differentiating between the two terms I am eager to be enlightened, please define "hardcore" and "casual" for us all, PLEASE Sidar. And this time no cross-medium references.
What makes a game hardcore or casual?
I love how you guys take my words out of context and completely miss the keyword [ALSO].
You guys have to be kidding yourself if you think Sony thinks "hardcore" gamers are their only target audiences.
They could only wish that their franchises sell tens of millions. Obviously the Core gamer isn't that for them.
" I personally got more of a awesome hardcore vibe from GOW and UC sooo, definitely not casual like u say."
Yesh cause going to the movies is so hardcore right?
Casual people can love that hardcore vibe too, for crying out loud you people are ignorant.
"idar is clearly delusional you guys, pay him no regard.
He's a Nintendo fanatic to the core.
An un-bias comment from him would be like pulling teeth."
I've been playing more PC games, and a matter of fact is if my Ps3 PHAT( launch ps3) didn't fry i would be playing that too. My Wii? I havn't turned it on for months.
So parapraxis, its you who is a PS3-fan to the core and can't comprehend whats in my comment.
edit:
@Parapraxis
"See below, he is still pleading the case that Uncharted and God of War are "casual""
I never said its casual, i said they are also being promoted to casual gamers.
See the difference?
Comprehensive reading capabilities wasn't meant for you obviously.
Not sure why I'm responding to you, so far you have been twisting my words twice.
_____________________________ ___________
"What makes a game hardcore or casual?"
Delusional Fanboys.
There are only hardcore players, not hardcore games.
A game of tetris with 700+ lines is hardcore.
Casual players are people who don't play games that often, but this can be due the fact people need to work, take care of their family or simply have other hobbies.
So are you telling me someone who doesn't have much time to play video games falls outside the scope of who Sony tries to reach?
Give me a F'n break.
"Games like God of War and Uncharted are ALSO aimed at casual players. Why do you think they go for a hollywood kind of vibe"
If those games are ALSO aimed at casual players then I'm sure every game out there is too... Although, I highly doubt any casual gamer I know would buy or even play those games. Watching me play them and getting amused and entertained however is a different story ;)
" I highly doubt any casual gamer I know would buy or even play those games."
That's not my point. My point is that Sony is still trying to reach out to these people.
Sony wants these people to buy their games too, and if anyone here believes that Sony is only aiming at hardcore gamers, now THAT is delusional.
It is a given that the so called "hardcore" gamer is slapped up front. But this doesn't mean Sony wants to cuddle just with them. Thats just dumb and nothing business like at all. It's a business for crying out loud, they want to sell more and more and more.
Edit:
I love the disagree, well if you believe Sony loves you and wants to be your best friend, whatever makes you sleep at night right?
i agree with sidar. alot of ppl may consider god of war and uncharted type games hardcore but really they're as mainstream as games can get. And also thinking that sony is only focused on "hardcore" games really? They already have psn games and psmini's and now they're supporting garage devs for more app type games.
Sidar explained it perfectly. God of war for example. tragic hero turns badass for revenge blood guts and boobs. whats more casual than that lol. Hardcore would be a game like Catherine or Demon Souls niche games are hardcore imo.
I think we've been gamers for too long to realize what is core and what is casual and if this generation is any indication the casual games mostly aren't the ones with Hollywood quality development.
With the adult type storyline of GOW and Uncharted I don't think they are casual enough for parents to buy those games for their kids or have their underage kids play them.
Now if you said LBP or ModNation I probably would agree with you since they have the more universal feel for the casual market.
Ok, let me step in and clarify this argument. Casual no, but mainstream, yes. GOW and UC are mainstream games. And main strem games are often picked up by Casuals, (Casual's aren't all soccer moms, there's guys too)
Look at Call of Duty. Do you honestly believe everyone playing that is Hardcore? it's mainstream so that it can attract casuals.
True Story: I knew a guy who would turn every game he play on the easiest setting, so that he could run through it and see the "movie" unfold yet he dared to call me casual because I only owned Wii at that point. So, He got a Wii and Tried to play MP:Corruption (which has no difficulty setting) and he sucked at it. bad. He had to call me every 5 minutes it seems, to figure out the puzzles, and to fight bosses, and that's the most straight forward prime game.
So yes Mainstream games can appeal to casuals. Which one do you think a casual is most likely to try out first? Uncharted, which is movie like? or Demon Soul which is more basement Dungeons and Dragons like?
whats wrong with mario fans? why would sony focus on mario fans to begin with?
breaking news: sony is focusing on core gamers not dreamcast fans. pretty irrelevant isn't it?
Old school stuff is great.
I think what he meant was something along the lines of Sony not trying to appeal to the Mario crowed(?) ....I think
The 3DS is not doing good because it's just the DS with a f@cked up 3D!! the 3D in that machine is no good!!! you HAVE to FOCUS to see the 3D in some way and that hurts your eyes leading to headache. Just try it for yourself.
The PlayStation Vita on the other hand is another story, it's like taking your PS3/Xbox wherever you go!!! AND.... IT NOW HAS 2 JOYSTICKS!! on top of that the touch screen crap(wich I don't really care much about).
Smartphones have nothing to do with that and thinking the PSV will not sell well is NOT thinking right.
Oh and all that for just $250/$300?? SOLD!!!
man there sure are some whiny babies online. and some liars. I don't have to focus to see the awesome 3D effects of the Kid Icarus demo. in fact if you are straining and focusing, maybe YOU are doing something wrong, not them. I have flaunted my 3DS in front of maybe a people and let them play it, and none of them complained about a headache. The Worst reply was "Wow! That is Amazing! but my eyes have to get used to it" and that was from a guy who wore glasses, who wasn't wearing them when he was looking at it.
I honestly think some of you believe if you troll hard enough it will hurt Nintendo some how.
ps vita is a true upgrade from psp . 3ds is just a bump up on graphics with 3d wich not many people are liking or adjusting to . ps vita should not have the same problem on sales as the 3ds . ps vita is what a lot of people on the fence that wanted to buy a psp but wanted the features of ps vita . so o think ps vita will do well .
I really wanted the 3DS to be something more than just a console for existing franchises and with the Resident Evil game I was thinking it might be.
But no...nothing came and nothing new was announced.
I'll also be waiting and seeing about the PS Vita. Early adopters are rarely rewarded these days!
Vita already has a good amount of games announced more than half a year away from release.
More games to come on GamesCom and TGS. Can't wait for TGS!
Oh nothing new was announced? you mean like rocket slime 3 or fantasy life or doctor laurec?
what, what and what?
Nintendo relies on core franchises. It has not delivered on them with the 3DS at all, thus for Nintendo fans it fails and for people who just pick it up for the novelty it also fails due to the lack of innovative titles.
Launch line-up was poor (at best), this is just not a way to launch a platform nowadays. If they had an app-like store with a ton of indie games to rival the apple store maybe they would be in the clear, but on that front, like the 1st party games the machine has failed.
Nintendo thought the kit would sell on 3d alone, clearly they were wrong.
Early adopters should NOT be rewarded; all that does is cater to this whole instant gratification and silver-platter treatment that gamers these days are so used to, and are even demanding in cases such as the 3DS.
Remember when the iPhone price dropped initially, and Apple fans shit themselves with anger because they bought it for more? Yeah, that's exactly what most gamers are acting like today.
So are you saying we should all wait to buy consoles? I don't think the big console makers would be happy.
The thing Sony have going for them is the westernisation of the firm as a whole. Knowing that in order to not only survive, but grow and flourish, they need to appeal to the core users, rather than those on the edge.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for Nintendo is their leadership based in Japan. Their attitude of superiority and 'never-can-do-wrong' thought process they exude.
Apple has stumbled on the key-stone of what buyers want. Simplicity, functionality, 'idiot-proofing' (yes, that is a real-world term sadly) and price-point.
It's why the Japanese have adopted the iPhone, iPad, and all iDevices over their own native production. No other American company has ever done that, and is unlikely to do it in the near future.
If both Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo followed Apples 'simple' strategy, they could well take some of the icing off Apple's cake.
Sony 'now' are willing to learn from their mistakes, whereas Nintendo seem almost cemented in their thought process that their way is right, and the buyer needs to change their ways. Wrong
Until both Sony and Nintendo as well as Microsoft realise that buyers want simplicity, yet multifunctionality at the same time, such as the use of a phone, multimedia device etc all combined into one unit, they will struggle to sell en-mass like they 'used' to.
The market has changed whether we like it or not, and those companies unwilling to adopt that change will suffer. I believe the era of handheld gaming platforms is coming to an end (as a stand-alone platform), and those platforms that offer both gaming and smartphone functions are the ones that will flourish.
I wouldn't say the PS Vita is going for simplicity though...they seem to be going more for hardcore gamers. They do seem to be going for multi function, but not at the expense of a focus on games
Games that are not really simple like apps are
not sure why ppl keep saying sony is going towards hardcore. not only are there app type games already in psminis but they are even giving free dev kits to garage devs who've developed on ios and android. tie that in with teh social features or near the wide variety of games. If anything i'd say sony is going more for total entertainment rather than a device for the hardcore because in all honesty the so called "hardcore" will only take you so far.
@ junkins
It's not that they are going toward hardcore: they have always focused on them (look at PSP). The minis weren't enough to get people off ipods.
Sony is going for total entertainment but keeping core 'real' games as their starting point, which is good sense. They aren't going to suddenly beat Android and iPod.
The problem with the 3DS is that it failed on virtually every level.
It was too expensive.
It lacked strong 1st party games to entice casual gamers.
It lacked strong 3rd party games to entice core gamers.
The limitations of the 3D effect and short batter life prevented it from being used as a PORTABLE device.
The Playstation Vita, at first glance, looks to avoid those mistakes--it has a cheaper price tag, has plenty of high-profile games attached to it, and seems well-suited for portable gaming.
But is it really any better off?
Look at the list of Vita games: almost all of them are simply handheld versions of console games. If you own a PS3, would you buy a Vita to play those same games "on the go?"
Probably not. Especially when pretty much EVERYONE who has the disposable income to buy a handheld console ALREADY has a cellphone capable of mobile gaming. The simple fact of the matter is that handheld gaming has ALREADY been usurped by mobile gaming. This is the chief reason for the failure of the 3DS, and I have no doubt the Vita will meet with similar failure.
For the past several years, the older handhelds managed to exist due to having unique titles that could not be duplicated on any other platform.
More and more, people are using mobile phones to game around when they're on the go, and leaving their DSs and PSPs at home, to play with for longer stints before work, or at night, before sleeping. The age of the dedicated handheld gaming device is over, and has been for some time.
I'm not saying that this means the PSV or 3DS will be worthless, or that they won't (in the end) appeal to many gamers, myself included... I'm saying that from a financial perspective, both platforms are likely to be viewed as failures, and that it's very unlikely that Sony will ever make a handheld after the PSV, or that Nintendo will make a handheld after the 3DS.
Unless, of course, they make something like an iPad with analog sticks that can be used as a more versatile media device.
Oh how false. Let me count the ways
1 is the time the 3ds outsold the ds for 6 months
2 is the time people laughed at mobile games because they suck
3 is the time the 3ds exceeded sales expectations in there latest forecast
4) is the time the 3ds will be the top selling system in japan this year
5 is the time the 3ds got its price dropped
6 is the time the 3ds has pokemon, FF , DQ, mario, kid icarus for the holidays
"Unless, of course, they make something like an iPad with analog sticks that can be used as a more versatile media device."
after that long rant of why dedicated handhelds will fail you make this final statement. Hmm isnt the psv LIKE (please notice the LIKE and see i didnt say exactly) an ipad with analog sticks that can play movie music and content from the playsation store and qriocity and more than likely netflix. it has a browser and gps. It has full budget games, past gen games, and bite size app type games. doesnt get much more like an ipad than that.
I meant more versatile than an iPad. Basically, it's all about handling different types of media. Email and Internet is one, then there's music and movies... all of which the iPad has.
Basically, I think if handhelds are to have any future, it would be something like an iPad with analog sticks, running an OS similar in versatility to Windows 7.
I agree with Canary that is why I think the buzz is towards more on the PSV because Sony outlined what it can do as a media medium and not just gaming device.
I think this is where Ninty failed to do with the 3DS, they where to focus on doing the gimmick than follow the current trend.
So I think that kind of stumped the initial growth of the 3DS but with the price drop and the strong fanbase of the DS I don't think Ninty has anything to worry about.
Sony on the other hand... well the ball is in their court. As any successful business person will tell you. The one that worries are usually the one that has the plan to succeed. So they should worry and make sure the PSV comes out of the gate running.
Yeah, I agree with your reply below. Apple's marking is still riding on hype and novelty anyway. Problem is, Sony's marketing, at least where I live in the states has been somewhat lackluster lately. A lot of people around here don't even know any of the PS3's features and still think Xbox has more games. They are unaware of the Move's capabilities, etc. How are they going to make an informed decision if they aren't being marketed correctly, don't do their own research, and are bombarded by competitors marketing? I've long wondered if this was all part of their "10 year plan" and hopefully Vita will be marketed correctly.
1. Shane Satterfield Of Gametrailers.com appears on the show
2. Will A Onlive App debut with PS Vita
3. Fear 3 - 10/10 Best FPS Cover System Ever
4. NBA 2K12 - Star Mike Video
5. Rap Battle - X-Factor Vs Tsu Surf
Enjoy The Show And God Bless
Game hasn't started yet, hopefully it does this year in the US. I want Vita right now! So hyped!
Sony probably has the most third party support, out of the big 3(Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony).
Be sure to check out our PSVITA walkthrough with Everyone’s Golf (Hot Shot Golf in the US). There are some awesome feature to check out.
I've always liked the Clap Hanz sport games the controls are not complicated so they're easy to jump in to and the DLC was dirt-cheap.
This along with uncharted will be day one!
Also, i'll get stardust and sound shapes, cause i imagine they'll be cheap downloads...i hope.
PlayStation Suite is the REAL next gen Sony portable.
a handheld that has basically the same graphical power as the PS3,it's amazing.I haven't owned a portable system since gameboy color back in the day.Looks like I might be getting this aswell
Whats the big deal? so they are bringing original playstation games to there own xteria phone though emulation. I thought this was old news
Its not like emulation of ps1 games on the pc hasnt been around forever
@ at below. Its actually a really dumb move because it creates consumer confusion psp2 v xteria phone.
And revolutionary? more like money grubing. PS1 games are everywhere now, and now they can collect money for it on another platform (there xteria phone)
And I own every system sony every put out so lol at the fanboy comment
@ sitris, no it allows the smartphones sony wants to to play original playstation games. AKA its own xteria. Read between the lines. And your really dellusional thinking the 3ds isnt going to be number 1 with preorders already sold out basically in every region, a cheaper price, and a 7-8 month head start
What a fantastic article, with insights and some great points. Well done Eurogamer, I am impressed.