So Sony doesn't have any "firm plans" to do a PS4 + Vita bundle, despite retailers making their own in the UK and their continued push for Remote Play. It makes sense; with the Vita floudering, tying badly needed PS4 stock to it will only drag their new console down. The reason they gave, however, is that they want to keep "the Vita, Vita" because it's got it's own "unique kind of bespoke games." They also say they're committed to a "constant content pipeline" for the Vita as well.
No, Sony...you seriously aren't.
"Unique kind of bespoke games"? All the games I want this year--Borderlands 2, Dynasty Warriors 8, Final Fantasy X/X-2, and Blazblue CP--are ports and multiplats. Note how none of those are first-party titles, either; Sony has put out very little solid first party content for the device, with shitty ports that run at 10fps (even if they're PS2 games!) outnumbering the likes of Killzone or Tearaway. Indies are more committed to doing work on the Vita than Sony itself at this point.
Fact is, even the WiiU is getting better support than the Vita. Unlike Sony's handheld, Nintendo's console already has lots of good franchise representation despite coming out a year later. And while it's software lineup is just as thin for the year, the games they are putting out look FAR more exciting. They aren't old ass ports and show some effort from Nintendo to make new content.
Meanwhile, as I've said many times before, Nintendo's support of the 3DS puts Sony to shame. When their handheld was selling badly, did they simply sit on it for a year or so and trickle out some terrible-running Gamecube ports here and there? No. Instead, they cut the price as soon as possible and diverted resources towards the device in order to help build-it up. They treated the system's failure as the emergency it was, and it's now in a much stronger place because of their efforts.
Sony hasn't shown anywhere near that sense of urgency with their handheld. And why would they? The PS3 has plenty of sales volume to justify continued support, and the PS4 actually has a future, Plus Sony's hand in the smartphone/tablet market means they've always had a backup plan if the Vita faileds. Their piss-poor support of the Vita shows just where their priorities lie.
So yeah. Sony can fuck off with their empty declarations about the Vita still being important to them. They've been pushing the thing as a Wii-U style Gamepad for a while now, and their support for it has been absolutely awful. It's obvious to me that Sony isn't going to do what it takes to pull the Vita out of limbo or simply kill it off--indeed, it's likely far too late at this point. We should've seen a price cut and stuff like Tearaway and Killzone a year earlier.
I love my Vita. But you're right.
It's because I love mine so much that Sony's half-assed handling of it pisses me off. It could be doing so much better.
I suppose that with Sony's poor treatment of the Vita it should be a surprise that they were able to sell me one. It is probably a bigger surprise that it is one of my favourite systems. I don't regret the purchase at all.
It's exactly the same for me. I play mine almost every day, Sony's neglect be damned.
It was fun when I played Teraway at Gamestop, but not enough for me to buy one.
That's the central issue. We're heading into the Vita's third year, and investing in one still feels like a gamble to most people. Hardly the mark of a healthy product.
I dunno about the "gamble" aspect for me. If it has a lot of good games, as I've heard it does, it doesn't matter how long it's supported, cause I tend to only play a few games every system/handheld cycle anyway, though I do rent more often than buy.
It's more that I've always bought Big N handhelds and their exclusives appeal to me more than the Vita's ... but then that's just reasons on top of the "gamble" thing for consumers like me, so it doesn't help their case.
Would you say that the Vita will end up like the Dreamcast?
No, I doubt Sony will cut it off like that. But it's been selling below Dreamcast levels for a while as far as I know.
What ever happened to that Vita console thing? That still coming?
It totally, utterly tanked in Japan. And considering it was launched there first because they thought it had the best chance at home base, I don't have much hope for it here. Assuming it ever comes out globally to begin with...
I got two games for Vita and I want Tearaway now, but what else? They've got to announce more exclusive games for it soon.
You know when Sony is in big trouble when places like GAMESTOP are offering refurbished PS4 with a Vita pack in. They smell the money potental, why not sony?