So here’s the thing about Sony’s portable offerings. I’ve tried to care, I really have. As a piece of hardware the Vita looks absolutely astounding and I remember looking at the PSP in comparison to the DS when the PSP launched. The tech that Sony were offering seemed to outclass the DS in my opinion, and UMDs seemed like a great option. I mean everyone knows and trusts optical media, it’s everywhere around us. Hell they were putting out movies on UMDs, how cool was that? Being able to watch films on the way home clearly seemed the way forwards.
Do you know what I bought? A DS. I still have that original DS, the very first iteration of Nintendo’s double-screened portable. I never got around to getting a PSP, at least partly because I couldn’t use it to play Mario Kart. If it was going to go to college with me, and it made that trip many times, then that was all it really needed to do. I don’t actually think I owned anything other than Mario Kart for some time.
[drop]That’s the sort of game that the DS was sold on really, games like Mario Kart. I don’t mean that in the sense that it’s one of the games that crops up on every Nintendo platform ever, I mean games that I can pick it up for a few minutes and then be done with it. There’s so many DS games that let me do this, I can just play a track of Mario Kart or a fight or two in whatever version of Mortal Kombat I have for it. Even Pokémon lets me do a few quick battles and then slip it back in my bag.This is the key thing with a portable gaming system for me, it’s one of the reasons that games on my iPhone appeal so much. I just want to play something I can pick up on the bus and essentially be done with by the time I need to get off.
Yes, the iPhone’s low-end price tag on games is certainly appealing but it’s the type of games that appear on the App Store that really sell them to me. For example I can open up Flick Kick Football, slam a few balls into the new, fail dismally and then it’s time to get off the bus again.
Neither the PSP or the Vita has been sold to me in this way. Oh, I know that it’s getting some of these pick up and play titles but Sony’s advertising seems to be focused around selling me games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Back on the PSP there was a focus on these larger experiences as well, it seemed to always be games like God of War: Chains of Olympus that were pushed to the forefront.
Now I’m not saying that these are bad games, in fact the response to Golden Abyss seems to be very positive. However, I don’t want to sit down and play twenty minutes of one of Drake’s adventures. I may have spent some time talking about my issues with the Uncharted series but I still enjoyed plopping myself in front of the TV for longer than I’d care to admit and playing through the games in just a couple of sessions each.
[drop2]That’s just not how the game will work on a portable console. I know I can sit down on my sofa and play it but why would I? There’s two consoles connected to my TV right now. If I shuffle things around I can connect up an original Xbox, a Gamecube or even a N64. I can even bring in a Master System, if I can work out how to resurrect it. With all of that at my fingertips I’m not sure I’d really want to sit in my front room with the Vita for a while.No, for me portable machines are for the bus or the train, they’re for if I have five minutes between writing one article and editing the next. On more than one occasion they’ve been for waiting for a reply to an email from a client. They are not, to me, for playing huge adventures like Uncharted.
Of course, I’m there are many of you who the Vita is a perfect fit for, and I hope you enjoy it, I really do. For me however? It just doesn’t seem right.
Now, where did I put that iPhone? Time for some StickCricket.
bluetemplar
Inflammatory flame bait.
bluetemplar
This article is stupid on so many levels. The guy is criticising sony and saying he doesnt want a Vita because of the way they are apparently advertising the thing around games like Uncharted, rather than simple little games – how about we wait till a little closer to launch and they’ve actually STARTED advertising the thing before condemning them.
Writing the thing off due to an advertising campaign that hasnt even started yet is ridiculous.
bluetemplar
Better still, lets wait till the things actually released over here before writing it off eh, as far as I remember the only half decent game the original DS launched with was a remake of Marion 3d – these things dont arrive fully fledged with a fantastic library of games and need to be given time.
The negativity this device seems to be attracting is incredible (literally, as in totally lacking in credibility)
cc_star
How about you read our hugely positive review
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/12/29/ps-vita-the-thesixthaxis-review/
Or our thoughts on why the media’s tone is out of touch with reality
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2012/01/04/thoughts-on-vita-and-the-media-perception/
bluetemplar
Your review (good or otherwise) doesnt really make this article any less stupid.
cc_star
You were making a comment about negativity, I was pointing out two positive pieces, you obviously chose to ignore as it suits your point.
bluetemplar
I dont think I said the negativity was exclusively from this site did I?
I dont think anyone can really deny the ridiculous amount of negative stories currently circulating in the games media about this device – how its doomed because it hasnt outsold the 3DS, weekly doom-mongering based on its sales figures in Japan, how it cant compete with smart phones, how there was a firmware patch released to fix issues.
cc_star
Ad campaign is underway, look at online adverts, & in-store advertising and not to mention the last year or so (or whatever its been) of Sony marketing maching led news stories.
TV campaign (if there is one, which there presumably will be) will repeat this message, they’re not going to change tact now.
Of course it’s these AAA games which will sell the machine to Sony’s core fans at full wack & later in its life (year 2, 3 or whatever) that Sony will broaden the appeal.
For the writer of this piece, perhaps he’ll get on board then, but until then it doesn’t appeal to him, as justified in the article.
bluetemplar
So good to hear that you already know what their TV campaign will be. Personally, Ive not seen a single ad outside of games magazines – and theyve simply been about preordering the console and getting a free preorder pack (not a mention of uncharted in sight)
cc_star
Ad campaign will be the culmination of the message that has been spread by Sony so far, it’s obvious what their angle is & by extension how their launch campaign will go.
They’re not going to paint it as a machine for Uncharted, CoD, FIFA, LBP etc & then do a surprise launch around Angry Birds style gaming. Think about it.
bluetemplar
Of course not, but they arent solely advertising it around core games either and it would be ridiculous to argue otherwise – for every article ive seen so far for uncharted, ive seen articles for games like Little Deviants and Escape Plan too – both very casual oriented games
Bodachi
I’m looking forward to the Vita, got one pre-ordered. I don’t see any problems with someone saying all they prefer on the go is simple games. Why pay for dedicated handheld when all you want is already offered on your phone?
Deathbrin
There’s no negativity whatsoever, i don’t see where the comments come from it’s all valid reasons, he just says he doesn’t have time for the Vita in its full-fledged form of experience and that’s it, that’s perfectly normal and actually a thing for a potential buyer to consider to avoid it simply wasting space on a shelf like my PSPgo does now. I spend roughly four hours in traffic each day though, and often have a large break during the day so i’m perfectly fine with 20-minute game sessions, i’d rather play Uncharted with my headphones while i can’t access a proper console than substitute it with Angry Birds i don’t even like (where’s my Rio for Windows Phone? Dammit). And getting a Vita for the minis seems just silly, if you won’t play Uncharted on it what’s the point of paying full price for the console, you just aren’t getting the value.
Armonster9000
The Vita was made to reciprocate the console gaming experience on a handheld.
That’s what I’m looking for. That’s why I’ll be getting a Vita
nemesisND1derboy
*replicate
:D
Crocadillian
I can be happy with a Nintendo DS (I really enjoy my 3DS, and I love playing some of the games on it), but i’ve tried iPhone gaming and the lack of quality and charm is pretty evident. Games with style and originality like Spyro and Crash is what got me into gaming, and many developers just copy the same styles and game archetypes off each other in this ugly spiral in a desperate attempt to profit or have success. I wish it wasn’t like that, as it being an open platform is great for development (something I want to use), but it seems really pitiful.
Deathbrin
Yeah, i’ve given up on mobile gaming after the fall of N-Gage. I might enjoy an occasional title here and there, but the pattern is clear.
gaffers101
N-Gage, bloody hell I had one of those. I didn’t half feel like an idiot trying to use it as a phone.
Jim Hargreaves
The PlayStation Vita is a perfect solution for portable gaming in my opinion. I’ve had an iPod Touch for just over a year now and though I’ve had a relatively good time with titles such as Fruit Ninja, Tiny Wings etc. when I end up downloading the more meaty titles such as Order of Chaos and Infinity Blade I have been disappointed.
I /want/ to play big budget games on portable devices. Sure, for small commutes I’m likely to avoid jumping into a chapter of Golden Abyss, but that’s where more bitesize games such as Escape Plan and Little Deviants (which Sony are really pushing) come into play.
I don’t mean to repeat what’s been said but everyone has an opinion. Kris is clearly attached to more classic games which will inevitably weigh on his outlook for the Vita and there’s nothing wrong with that.
*Awaits payment from Sony.*
seedaripper1973
Pfft the Vita is shite…
*awaits payment from Nintendo.* ;-)
frostface
If I ever do pick up Vita, it’ll have to be a lot cheaper for a start but it’ll have to beat Tetris on my phone first.
Sad Panda
Loved the article and agree with the lot.
I was interested in Vita but my interest depletes the more I hear about it. It is in my opinion too expensive and I worry that games will have enforced use of rear touch pads and accelerometers. I detest tacked on motion/touch screen crap and the recent news about the bow and arrow on Gaiden Signa made my stomach churn.
I have a 3ds, iPhone and a PSWii60, do I really need a Vita?
TheDemocrodile
i agree with almost everything you said there, the cost and enforced touchscreen worries me the most but its people NOT utilising the touchpads that concerns me.
Consider: The 3ds is going to be the main contender handheld wise for this bit of kit so developers are going to want to do what they do on the other 4 platforms:- Lead on one, port to the other.
The 3ds has no trackpads, as a result i worry that they will simply be used to navigate menus on AAA titles by multi-platform developers and the only innovation we see will be by in-house studios.
Sad Panda
Don’t get me wrong, if it’s done well it could be awesome. What I’m after is a choice, the option to turn them off and controll the game conventionally if they feel awkward.
This lack of choice destroyed the Wii for me. Skyward Sword is the best Zelda game since Ocarina Of Time, the controls make it unplayable for me and I’d kill to be able to play it with a pad. Mario Galaxy could have been so much better with a hard difficulty setting.
I have cancelled my pre-order tonight, while I can still see the old will power being tested towards the end of February but it’s just too pricey at the moment.
Crocadillian
That really surprises me. Skyward Sword sold me on motion controls, and I want to see them used in a lot more games. An alternative, traditional control scheme wouldn’t hurt though if possible; with Skyward Sword it probably wouldn’t have been without serious gameplay adjustments.
BioEye
Completely agree. This is why I abandoned my PSP once I had an iPod Touch, and the same reason why I’m not particularly interested in the Vita.