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| Don't touch the Sad Face. |
The Vita was launched earlier this year to a mild and underwhelming fanfare. At a high-end price point, Vita was targeting the core gaming market with it's dual analogue sticks, top quality graphics, true online multiplayer and the ability to touch every screen possible. A few months and one E3 later the Vita is limping along with sales of 1.8 million to the end of May. The sales figures aren't what worry me most as a Vita fan but the lack of support from Sony is terrifying. Sony have targeted sales of 10 million in this financial year but who is going to buy one at its current price with the games lined up?
I have to admit upfront to being a Vita fan. I bought one on day one and have loved Uncharted, Rayman Origins, Everybody's Golf and I can't wait for Gravity Rush next week (the demo is great). With enough good games I could easily see the handheld become my primary game console with high quality games without the requirement to take over the lounge; something that is more and more important with a grown-up life.
We're in the early days of Vita's life but what worries me is the distinct lack of big name exclusive titles. Assassin's Creed Liberation and Call of Duty Declassified both look like big name potential system sellers and Playstation All Stars might sell consoles in the US where Super Smash Brothers is immensely popular. As a quick aside, it takes some skill to ignore Jack Tretton's gaff of describing COD as the first dual stick, online multiplayer game on a portable system which must have made Resistance Burning Skies developers, Nihilistic, cry in to their collective dinners.
Where though were the big name internal announcements for the handheld? Where was Gran Turismo, God of War or Killzone? We're left looking forward to spin-offs and remakes this year like Metal Gear Solid HD (a game released on other consoles months ago), a remake of Jet Set Radio, portable versions of Lego games and no doubt stripped down versions of a collection of EA sports games. Until Sony can build some confidence in the console by releasing games that sell what would make a Rockstar or Capcom release a decent, exclusive Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil or Monster Hunter, a guaranteed system seller in Japan.
PS One Classics and PSP games, whilst a nice addition to current Vita owners, are simply not going to sell systems. I will download my already purchased Final Fantasy games and recently picked up the Persona games from PSP but this isn't going to get people buying the console in their masses. The fact that PS One Classics was a 'reveal' in the Sony conference is remarkable and I hope that Jack Tretton was embarrassed to announce it as a big deal.
What future for the Vita then? The sales, whilst slow, aren't significantly behind the sales of the DS and 3DS in their early days and both of those managed to catch up. With the Vita's links with the PS3 coming, it will be interesting if there is anything that can increase sales over the next year and in to the Wii U's life where the Vita has the potential to rival the tablet controller on Nintendo's next gen system and SmartGlass on the 360.
Despite a 50 euro price cut in France, Sony insist that they have no intention of cutting the price elsewhere. I can't help but feel the 10 million proposed sales is somewhat ambitious for a system that was outsold in weekly sales by the Wii at the end of May (and by the PSP in Europe and Japan). Unless Sony act now to save the Vita then it could be too late before they get off their behinds and do something about it.
