Features - QOTW: will you buy PlayStation Vita?

[ik9000]

Agreed,

If it was called the 'Microsoft magic p122 enema 14000dsp gtx 570' , hexus would love it.

I'll buy one when there is a game I want to play.

I am so going to produce a tech product and call it the enema. "New from S.ik computing - The Enema"

[MSIC]

Discussing the hardware & merits of the Vita is, for me, completely missing the point.
Since i've had an iphone and now a Galaxy SII, i'm comfortable with paying 59p for a game, or 99p, or (maybe) £1.99.
If Sony is willing to sell the games at £1.99, then i'm interested.

That sounds ridiculous though, doesn't it? New Vita games at £1.99?? That goes to show how much they have strongarmed the industry, and the public, in to thinking that a game -should- cost over £25. Crazy. Not me, I opt out.

[crossy]

If I was a "hardcore" portable gamer then Vita makes a lot of sense - as noted elsewhere it's got a darned good spec, although Sony's done their usual and gone with yet-another-memory format.

On the other hand, I gave my PSP away because it was just gathering dust, and then traded back my DSi XL, so the chances of me getting one is zero. From what I've seen, tablets like my Transformer are capable of playing the kind of games I like - and on screens far larger than that on Vita. Plus the games are a lot cheaper on the tablet, so I'll give Vita a miss.

[HSK]

Not sure how gaming on a mobile phone or tablet, can be compared to gaming on a Vita -It's on a completely different level, in many ways.

But it's simple, if you are a proper gamer and want an experience more in-line with console gaming (in terms of graphics, longevity, playability, big name franchises etc) the a Vita would be the choice.

I still don't think regular mobile gaming can compete and capture that feeling. I never really play mobile games for more then 10/20 mins at a time....but I have played on my PSP for hours, or habitually until I've completed a game.

Maybe soon mobile gaming can catch up, like the recent release of games like GTA 3 etc...but there still a long way to go. A dedicated controller always helps too.

I still think it is expensive though, but I do want one!

[abaxas]

A dedicated controller always helps too.

Agreed,

Mobile phone gaming is great for short bursts of certain types of game but no good when accurate control is needed. Ie tower defense games rock while racing games tend to be poor.

Also most mobile phones do not have a form factor or design for long term playing. You can do a few hours on a PSP/DS when your hands are ready to fall off after 20 mins on your phone.

[3dcandy]

yes, all good points about the mobile games playing, but really, in a world with so many competing formats, can another one prevail? That's the problem, hard core gamers already have the consoles and so forth, so why shell out a rather large amount for something new? As I said, most people are happy paying £1.99 for a mobile game, would you pay £25?

[HSK]

But they're not like mobile games :S In terms of experience and depth....There's nothing on a mobile that could rival it from imo.

Have a think about the time it would take to produce your regular mobile game, and the time it takes to produce a vita game. Think about the software houses that produce most these games, and the experience, name franchises and the games they already have under their belts.

They are worlds apart. I don't think the line has blurred that much between the two.

[TooNice]

I am a little surprised it took 3 pages for one poster to share my opinion (HSK)

Well, in a way, I do agree with MSIC's first line (at least the part about hardware):

Discussing the hardware & merits of the Vita is, for me, completely missing the point.

I do not buy consoles for the spec, I buy it to play games. Of course, a more powerful machine provides developers with a platform to *potentially* develop better games, with more depth, features and polish. While I have no doubt that current mobile phones are every bit as capable, if not more so, than the DS/PSP from a hardware perspective, I simply do not find the content of mobile phone games as satisfying as the ones from the consoles. And as already mentioned, the lack of controller on the typical touch screen smartphone is a limitation. To me, it's at least as much of an handicap than the lack of keyboard / mouse on consoles (vs PCs).

Do I really want to pay £50 per game? Or £200-250 for the console? Not really, and for that reason, I am not going to buy the PSP Vita yet. I'll wait for the price to drop, more games to show up second hand, and then *think* about it.

But I won't rule it out. I am in Japan now, and games/memory cards are more expensive than in the UK, and the consoles about the same price too. At the same time, I have access to so many games that will never see a release in the West, and many look so fun. That's why I just bought a PSP.

There is a large collection of second hand library, which still costs 10 times more than £1.99 games, but I am willing to spend more £ per gaming time, for more enjoyment. Even if I don't get 10 times more enjoyment I am not looking for bang for buck on one of my favourite hobby.

I understand that whether the rest of the market shares may not be the case. It may well be that people will only do their serious gaming on home consoles and happy to stick to casual games while they are on the go. In my case though, I spend a fair amount of time commuting so I'd like some better games while I am in the tube or a hotel room I know that sooner or later, I *will* get a 3DS, because there are some titles I really want to play coming out soon. I still begrudge Nintendo for region locking the 3DS though, and this is one aspect Sony's done good on the Vita (on the down side, boo on the new proprietary memory card - though interestingly, SD cards in Japan are so expensive - £40-55+ on class 4-10 - that proprietary Sony memory cards aren't such a disadvantage).

[3dcandy]

But they're not like mobile games :S In terms of experience and depth....There's nothing on a mobile that could rival it from imo.

Have a think about the time it would take to produce your regular mobile game, and the time it takes to produce a vita game. Think about the software houses that produce most these games, and the experience, name franchises and the games they already have under their belts.

They are worlds apart. I don't think the line has blurred that much between the two.

I'm not arguing your points...just in this present economy, and many people being more casual about gaming I can't see where this is going to fit into the masses plans...

[HSK]

I think, casual gaming has found a market of it's own - I don't feel the proper gamers have changed their habits etc (they'll always still be there, and will welcome tech like Vita) there's just a whole load of new casual gamers, who own high powered smart phones - which has been tapped in to by the app sellers.

[3dcandy]

perhaps, which is why I posed the question...
Next problem though is the price don't ya think?

[HSK]

Yea, after all said LOL it's abit much :-(

I visit HK in a week or so, debating whether to back one while I'm out there...

[3dcandy]

BTW love your signature...

[MSIC]

Have a think about the time it would take to produce your regular mobile game, and the time it takes to produce a vita game. Think about the software houses that produce most these games, and the experience, name franchises and the games they already have under their belts.

I do agree that an average Vita, or 3DS game (or PS3 or X360 etc) are all going to have more production time, better visuals, and in general just be worth more to buy & own than an average 'mobile' game.
For me though, and starting largely I think with Apple, the public's perception of the worth of a game has dropped dramatically, and if Sony, Nintendo et al dont think very carefully about how they position themselves in the market the could lose serious amounts of money.

I remember a report recent about (or possibly from) Steam, which talked about when they have their sales on. Something (as approximately as my lazy brain can remember) like a 70% cut in sale price results in a 500% increase in profits....
I guess everyone likes to feel that they got a bargain and are not being ripped off.
Ultimately, a good game should still sell well (i'd pay £40 for a new good Final Fantasy any day of the year), but if the public perceives an ecosystem as being expensive, its unlikely to sell in large numbers.

[Noli]

As a friend of mine said - one of the strangest things that they think Apple did *not* do is design an official controller pad add on for the iphone. Yes they would need a new one every couple of generations as the shape of the phone changes but even so. By creating an official selection of buttons and communication protocol/standard with the phone, it would catalyse a whole range of supporting games which could leverage the controller's advantage (ie platformers etc and not just tilt-racing, tower defence and angry birds style games).

It could have seriously eaten in to Nintendo (and Sony's) market share for portable gaming. Yes the dedicated gaming machines would always have been better for the hardcore but I love gaming and touchscreen only controls can be frustrating/limiting. I have android anyway where a million different models exacerbates the issue. Yes I know there are some universal attaching android controller pads but again the problem is lack of games/supported games. I don't particularly care for apple but by espousing the elegance of only using a touchscreen, I think they've missed a huge opportunity.

[Spud1]

"Meh" is all I can say about the Vita - it's pretty boring and run of the mill to be honest. Where are the gimmicks that make a geek want to buy it? There is absolutely nothing new here worth looking at. Quad core cpu? Who cares..powerful gpu? same again, graphics do not make a good game.

Touchscreen? Got a DS, a smartphone and a tablet..moving on..motion sensing? Same again.

I think that a dedicated playstation fan may be interested, but in reality..I think that the market has moved on.

I bought a 3DS purely for the fact it was 3D (gimmick!) and that I could play my favourite old video games on it wherever I go (Zelda, Starfox, MK etc) - things I just can't do on a phone. I imagine that the Vita would have a similar appeal to playstation fans, when you start to get Final Fantasy/Tekken/Fifa XXXX on it, but most traditional gamers won't go near it.

In Short - good for die hard PSX fans, but for the rest of us it's too expensive, too boring and lacking in a killer feature.