As 2012 nears an end, it is time to reflect on the past 12 months. There will be stand out moments which will live on forever, some which will be regarded as defining moments in history, some which will be forgotten and some which will be regarded as failures. In the gaming world, one topic which will have to be looked at closely will be the success of the PS Vita. With so much expected of gaming nowadays, has Sony’s latest handheld stepped up to the mark and delivered or has the past year for the Vita been a failure and, if so, what can be done to take the Vita to the next level?
For me, the example which Sony had to follow was Nintendo with the constant success of their handheld consoles. At first comparison between the two, there is one subtle difference and that is that the Vita feels like it is always playing second best to the PS3 whereas the DS and 3DS feel like their own systems. In my opinion, the Vita feels like it is constantly on the receiving end of its big brother’s knock off games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, FIFA Football and Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation. While all the above games are great successes on the PS3, the versions of the Vita seem like quick ways to make money. Early reviews told of reports of being able to complete COD: BO Declassified in 45 minutes? You would have more time out of a £0.79 mobile phone game than with this £39.99 disaster.
A way to combat this would be to try and make games so that anyone can pick them up and play them, multi-genre if you will. Nintendo has seen successful sales for numerous Mario sales which includes Mario Land, Mario Kart and Mario Party all of which involve the exact same moustached plumber. The mass appeal which the Mario games feature is what has the public going crazy for Nintendo’s main character. The PS Vita should appeal to all ages from children who are experiencing their first games to adults and teenagers who have grown up with Game Boys and DS’. It is something which Sony will have to make appealing to the masses through their Marketing techniques as it doesn’t seem that Little Big Planet Karting is cutting the mustard after it failed to impress reviewers.
Personally, I do not own a PS Vita, although I was sorely tempted to as release date approached in February but I am glad I resisted. I have a friend who owns one and he is yet to purchase a physical game for the console. His limited game purchases have come via the PSN store and they have been very limited indeed. Crash Bandicoot Racing, Crash Bandicoot 1 and 2 have been the only purchases he has made. He is not a massive Crash fan but he is a big gamer and would rather purchase games for the PS3. Of all my game playing friends, he is the only person I know who has a PS Vita and only plays it sometimes whereas compared to the DS, I know at least 6 or 7 who play the Nintendo DS. Not only does the Vita have to compete with Nintendo but also the ever expanding mobile phone gaming network. Although the Vita is relatively young, the range of games aren’t very exciting and the price of new games may put some people off if they aren’t wanting to play through classic PSone titles.
One thing that I do believe that the Vita has going its way however, is the cross-play functionality. With the ability to play the game on the PS3, save your progress and continue on via the Vita, seems to be very exciting. This has been featured recently when Sony released the Playstation All-Stars game which not only featured the PS3 version but also featured a PS Vita version so you could play the game no matter where you went. This is something which Sony should embrace. The roster of Playstation exclusive games is vast and exciting that they would be stupid not to.
Playstation Plus is also another example of how Sony are trying to grab the attention of more gamers, with an upgraded service to both Vita and PS3 owners, Playstation Plus subscribers receive excellent gifts including free games, exclusive content and discounts. While it does cost money to subscribe to the service, it is worth every penny as it almost provides something for nothing in regards to the number of games you can receive.
Although the past year has not been memorable for Sony on the PS Vita, the future certainly could be exciting as long as some steps are taken for a much improved approach. It is a dangerous market out there nowadays and with fierce competition in the form of the 3DS and mobile phone gaming, the PS Vita will have to ensure it will be a success this time next year, so far though I believe that the Vita has failed to impress many but there are still plenty of chances for Sony to step their game up!
@SimonMarshall6
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