Sony Needs To Focus On Mobile More Than Nintendo

On 12/08/2013 at 02:32 PM by gigantor21

The "Nintendo needs to give up on making hardware" virus that has infected the internet has only strengthened in the wake of the WiiU's recent woes. On top of the usual "they need to be on other consoles" business, a more recent strain has appeared pushing for Nintendo to put out their games on mobile devices. In the wake of the declining market for dedicated handhelds, people are pushing for Nintendo to boost it's mobile presence ASAP.

However, I feel that they're looking at the wrong company there.

Sony's Vita has been getting curbstomped by the 3DS almost since the day it came out. The loss of Monster Hunter has left a huge, yawning gap in it's lineup in Japan, while interest in dedicated handhelds in general is waning globally. The end result has been a software lineup full of sales duds and absolutely dismal hardware sales.

Given all that, the question becomes: why is Sony even invested in the dedicated handheld business to begin with? Indeed, when the Vita is using the same ARM architechture as most Android phones--a key pillar in it's Playstation Mobile program--why was the Vita not designed with phone functionality in mind? They already had the Xperia Play, which was designed to bridge the gap between mobile and dedicated gaming; why did they not expand on that idea instead?

I expect the Vita to be the last handheld Sony makes. It hasn't done anything for them financially, and the remote play feature--something the PS4 clearly doesn't need--isn't going to save it. If they do make another foray into core-centric gaming on the go, it's going to be another Xperia-style phone hybrid. Indeed, that would fit rather neatly with their future plans to turn Playstation into a service instead of hardware. Plus they've already been putting out stuff on mobile for years; I remember playing GoW:Betrayal on my old Verizon flip-phone way back in high school.

Nintendo doesn't have nearly as much reason to go mobile. Dedicated handhelds are working just fine for them.

jgusw

12/08/2013 at 05:04 PM

Nintendo leave handhelds? That's crazy. If anyone should get out of handhelds, it should be Sony. I don't understand why they got in so fast in the first place. I've enjoyed Sony's handhelds, but the good games seem to come too late and I'd much rather play them on the big screen. Sony going mobile sounds like a better plan to me.

gigantor21

12/08/2013 at 05:23 PM

Indeed. It made sense with the PSP as mobile gaming wasn't a thing. But as much as I love my Vita, I didn't expect there to be a big market for it--not when Nintendo got bodied at the same price point and had to beat a hasty retreat. NINTENDO.

I'm personally glad they did it, but it hasn't done anything for them overall. We aren't going to get a Vita 2. :(

asrealasitgets

12/08/2013 at 05:46 PM

But there is a Vita 2. It will probably be marketed as a companion hardware to PS4, like the WiiU gamepad in the future. I'm excited to see if games like Diablo 3 and FF 14 can be played remotely on VITA. I really want this feature.

12/08/2013 at 07:23 PM

It's an exciting feature...for people who already have Vitas, and there aren't many of them. I don't see Remote Play being a system seller, and I won't be sold on it myself until I can try it first hand.

Also, the Vita Slim/2000 is just a redesign, not a new system.

Homelessrook

12/08/2013 at 06:06 PM

I love my Vita, but unless they step up the game support it will die. The graphics are awesome on it and for its size it is very lite.

12/08/2013 at 07:21 PM

That they've been dragging their feet on stuff like God of War or Infamous or Gran Turismo, and expect us to be excited about year-old ports like Borderlands 2, tells me that they've pretty much given up on the system standing on it's own. It went from being a console on the go to a knockoff of the Gamepad.

They haven't been treating the device like something that HAS to do well, the way Nintendo did when the 3DS was tanking. It just isn't a big priority for them.

12/08/2013 at 07:58 PM

I completely agree. I mean Ys was a nice surprise but other than that... I think maybe the best games that are on the system are Gravity Rush , Resistance Burning Skies ( even though RBS was really short), The Walking Dead W/400days ( Even thought it is a port ) and Ys. I like Unit 13 and other games I played but they really have not tried.

KnightDriver

12/09/2013 at 02:10 AM

I've been reminded today of Tearaway, an exclusive game for Vita, and it's good.

Vice's Assistant

12/09/2013 at 10:30 PM

Sony need to take a page from Nintendo and start marking the Vita as an experience its a game library and not accessory to PS3 and 4. If they just really push for good quality exclusives I'm sure they could find it. I'm not really using mine for anything but a web browser and casual You Tube viewing because I had a crappy laptop. Now I have a new laptop that's going to slowly stop. Really its bad when I'm regretting not getting a violin with the money used to get a Vita. I've never ever regretted getting a console but the Vita's the first were I really just have to ask why I got this thing other than getting it at a good deal.

NSonic79

12/13/2013 at 12:58 PM

I don't understand why the calls for Nintendo to drop out of the hardware market as well. Just because they make a hardware item that doesn't sell well doesn't mean the end is nigh for them. If that was the case they should've stopped after the virtual boy!

Indeed Sony needs to do more on their handheld market if they want to keep going on. I even heard word that the vita TV back in Japan was a dud for Sony. I considered buying a Xperia Play but when I held it, it just didn't transission well for gaming. It looked well for a phone but most of the games made for it were not exactly compatible with the PSN or even playstation games in general.

The Vita does have some good gems in their corner but for me it hasn't been enough for me to take the plunge, even with the newer vita coming out that's cheaper but at the cost of the OLED screen. So far I'm still enjoying my PSP and with enough memory and a better battery AND the option of either DLing titles or buying them on the cheap on UMD, the vita needs to help make those great games that the PSP had instead of what they got right now. Plus having a consistant load rate between games woudln't hurt.

PixlBit