Forgot password?  |  Register  |    
User Name:     Password:    
Blog - Staff Blog   

Vita: The First Zombie System?


On 02/18/2015 at 12:45 AM by Casey Curran

See More From This User »

About a year and a half ago, I made a bold prediction that the Playstation Vita would be dead within a year. Now, I'm one to eat crow when I make outrageous claims, back on 1up I theorized that the Wii U could have more support than the 3DS. That's not going to happen. But I'm honestly not sure whether I was right or wrong here.

The Vita is still getting games, but let's look at the games it's getting. Not much in the way of exclusives, rather the Vita seems to be a port machine, especially of the better indie games. There's that Persona 4 dance game, sure (which looks fucking awesome) and maybe Gravity Rush 2, but outside there, it's not getting much in terms of exclusives or AAA games.

Don't get me wrong, it's still getting games. I review new Vita games all the time. But the games it's getting are not the ones of a healthy console at all. They're Lego games, Telltale ports, niche Japanese games, and ports of PS4 games. These games have their audience, but I can't see anyone buying a Vita over them. 

The weird thing is, the Vita is a very unique console business wise. Ten years ago, it would have been discontinued by now with no one making games for it. But thanks to the rise of indies and digital games, I can't see the support stopping for this thing anytime soon. It's not the ideal support, but Vita has a place as the shop for all the biggest indie titles.

Rogue Legacy, Shovel Knight, and The Banner Saga may be late to the party. They may not be exclusive. But at this point, if you already have a Vita, it does look like the best place to play these games. These games are a natural fit for quick sessions, we already know they're quality software, and they still look damn good on that gorgeous Vita screen. 

So at this point, I'll play my 3DS whenever some awesome new games has me drooling. Vita, on the other hand, will make me late to the party on all those new indie games. Because I know if it's really that good, it's only a matter of time before I can play it on that awesome piece of technology. Vita isn't about original games, it's about tech. But with what they're giving me to enjoy that tech with, I'm not complaining.


 

Comments

Super Step Contributing Writer

02/18/2015 at 02:35 AM

Yeah, I'd love to play Shovel Knight on Vita.

asrealasitgets

02/18/2015 at 03:34 AM

It has more to do with Japan. Japanese aren't buying consoles anymore, not the way they used to and instead are playing games on their smartphones, which is the same problem the gaming industry has in the West. thus no portable support from East or West. Sonys main competition in Japan is Nintendo and the VITA is the only real way they can compete with 3DS and stay relevent in the gaming scene. I think Japan has been getting more game releases that aren't published here in the U.S., so it's more popular over there than it is here.  It's a great piece of hardware and it's a really great way to play indie games, cross-buy games and classic games. Basically, if you're a gamer and want a glorious portable experience with button and directional pad controls buy a VITA.

Cary Woodham

02/18/2015 at 06:04 AM

I don't even have a Vita.  Still a bit pricey right now.

jgusw

02/18/2015 at 06:54 AM

I would love to get a Vita, but I'm a console gamer first.  I'm trying to get my money together for a Wii U, PS4, and XB1.  Plus, as of now, my 3DS is satisfying my handhald needs quite nicely.  The only Vita game I really want to play is Persona 4 Golden.  I have the game, so now I'm just waiting for a Vita price drop.  I'm sure once I get a Vita, I'll find more games for it I want to play.  As of now, I'm not that interested.

mothman

02/18/2015 at 07:54 AM

As you know I went with a PS TV because I wanted a Vita for RPGs and the PS TV plays all of them with a couple of exceptions like Ys Memories of Celceta. I mainly use handhelds in the house anyway because gaming and driving is frowned upon

Also the PS TV worked out to less than half the price of a Vita.

transmet2033

02/18/2015 at 11:11 AM

The Vita is one of my favourite pieces of gaming hardware.  I think that it is an easier sell to those who never had a PSP since a large portion of that library is available on the Vita.

I am definitely looking forward to Shovel Knight on the Vita, eventhough I have already completed it on the 3DS.  I think the Vita is better. 

goaztecs

02/18/2015 at 12:16 PM

The Vita is my favorite handheld because of what it can do. Do I think the library is lacking AAA titles, yeah, but the games that were made for the Vita have been solid. Uncharted, Tearaway, and Freedom Wars have been good. I think many of the early games tried to shoehorn all the bells the Vita had to offer into their games while skipping out on actual content and I think that hurts the system as a whole. Heck I complained that the fight system in Uncharted was swipe based which was not needed. The Nintendo library has a leg up on it in terms of games but to be fair the DS line has been around since 2004.

Both handhelds have their qualities which is a plus to anyone who loves playing their products, but if it came down to buying the same game that was available on both systems I would always side with the Playstation. Having the ability to play it on a better screen, better audio quality, and the ability to have trophy support are my deciding factors. 

Alex-C25

02/18/2015 at 07:41 PM

I'm still thinking on getting a Vita, though i'm not sure when with the new 3DS now avaiable. I do want it for playing Persona 4, Gravity Rush and the two Danganronpa games, and also check the classic PS1 library and PSP games I may have missed. It also helps that Sony actually put their virtual shop on Colombian territory last year and Nintendo hasn't so far.

KnightDriver

02/19/2015 at 02:33 AM

Yea, I think most developers are making their handheld games for the phone and tablet, leaving Vita out in the cold. It's great they're putting indie games on it. I'll play them on Vita 'cause I'm not big on using my PC for gaming.

Log in to your PixlBit account in the bar above or join the site to leave a comment.