The main take away for Sony should be the impending doom apple is about to throw over them. I'm kind of doubting Airplay Mirroring will be entirely up to snuff, but given how much apple has concentrated on graphical improvement in the A5 chip- I think once apple TV and subsequent generations of Ipads come out air- wirelessly airplaying video games to your big screen for the cost of an iPhone you'd already have, a TV you'd probably already have, and a $99 AppleTV it's a no brainer. The content is starting to mature and will no doubt get there.
Sony sucks ass. They fumbled super hard, and a lot of people are going to remember it. Their welcome back package included a choice of two games out of five that suck or are 3+ years old and a pixel art ( i shit you not) background. In addition, you get 30 free days of shitware on their PS+ offering.
not to mention looking out for ID theft for the next few years.
Speaking of Apple TV, I think I have now been burnt twice. Once with the original model and now with the new one. Talk about stagnant. I truly believed Apple would up their game with it. It's just a meager profit stream for them I am guessing.
They says it's a hobby. Well, it will stay that way if they treat it as such.
iPad to the TV has to work wirelessly. Hooking it up via HDMI is fail.
I am a Apple guy but I don't wear blinders either like some do here.
iOS and the devices that run it make nice gaming machines but they are not the end all device for gaming.
While a good many games work well with touch, face it, some just need hardware controls.
THe Playstation Vita crushed anything Apple has from a processor power standpoint. Sure, it will eventually surpass it.
Frankly, the $249 price is surprising. Most figured it would be a very minimum pf $299 and many predicted as much as $399.
You got a 5" OLED screen, all the motion sensors an iDevice has, quad core CPU and GPU, dual cameras, touch screen and a touch pad on the back. And of course, full hardware controls including dual analog sticks.
Pretty much the ultimate gaming handheld.
Oh yeah, Apple is going to sell more devices. That does not make it the most superior gaming device.
THe Nintendo 3DS looks pretty sad here, even with its 3D screen.
One thing is that at $249, its the first Nintendo handheld to have such a high price. Uncharted territory for them.
I am seriously considering a Vita. But then, I like games.
Not dumping my iPhone 4 or iPad 2. They themselves do many other things.
But if you want the ultimate gaming handheld, the Vita is where its at, not an iDevice.
The iDevices are awesome in their own right.
I can see outside my shell.
I agree with everything in your post. Personally I'm also more tempted by the Vita than the 3DS. And I really don't like the price of 3DS titles for my kids, so I'll be keeping the DS for family games. I love my Macbook/iPhone and they aren't going away, but I don't associate them with games I like to play.
I think Sony's flaw with the PSP brand has been there are way too many variations and then the PSP GO, it is hard to tell when a good variation comes out. I want the PSP to become mainstream but it just doesn't seem to work for this era. I saw a few kids using it as an MP3 player over the years and always felt bad for them.
The big problem is that it only makes sense for people who don?t mind carrying an additional, fairly bulky device. (Which used to be the only option for mobile gaming, but it isn?t anymore.) A device you?ve left behind at home isn?t doing much for you.
Or, if you?re gaming at home, you don?t need a handheld. You can game on a real console, Mac/PC, or iPad.
It has its place and I wish it well, but I don?t see a dedicated game device having that big an audience. Not these days.
The one thing it has going for it is optional physical controls. I have a lot of games that I don't play that much because touchscreen control is shoddy on its best days and bordering on unusual on its worst. Of course Apple could (or allow someone else to) release a cradle with control sticks and buttons and the APIs to use it.
I agree on the hardware controls part, but that's just about all this thing has going for it. We're past the point where a spec sheet will sell your console, and that's especially true for mobile consoles since they are limited by their battery life. Also 'quad-core CPU' doesn't say a lot if that means '4 cores running at 500 Mhz', and as far as typical game code goes, "more cores = better" kind of stops being true at 2 or 3 cores, at least without making it really hard for developers to create efficient and portable game engines.
how muc hof the CPU and GPU are utilized depend on how the game is written.... example, when dual core CPU's first came out, a single core going 3Ghz was faster for gaming than a dual core going 2Ghz.
not because 2 @ 2 Ghz is slower overall, but because the game was programmed to only use 1 CPU core effectively...
now, you have 4, so if you were going to directly put a iOS game on the 4 core device, only 2 cores would really be running it.
I think Sony's flaw with the PSP brand has been there are way too many variations and then the PSP GO, it is hard to tell when a good variation comes out. I want the PSP to become mainstream but it just doesn't seem to work for this era. I saw a few kids using it as an MP3 player over the years and always felt bad for them.
There have been TWO variations of PSP in the 6.5 years its been out. THe PSP and the PSP Go.
If you want to count the 3 minor variations of the PSP, well, there have been 4 variations of iPhone, and 4 variations of iPod Touch. In several less years I might add.
That said, its fine with me. Always like new hardware.
Unfortunately the Sony brand is just toxic right now, especially amongst the hardcore geeks gang, which would normally form a large percentage of the early adopters for this device.
Why is that? Maybe I don't run with that crowd. However, if they AREN'T the demographic that's going to power Sony through the next 7 Christmases in sales, then does it really matter?
I think the Vita (oh god don't get me started on that name) is going to sell OK at launch, then quickly taper off to disappointing sales. Retailers might even have inventory from day one. While I bought the first PSP when it came out (day 1), titles were slow to enter the market and good titles like Gran Turismo took more than half the product life of the PSP to reach market, and they looked dated by the time it did. Also, the decision to only put 1 analog stick was really stupid, right from the start.
I don't know that I care about the Vita. It's "more of the same" from Sony, touch screen and analog stick or not. If they really wanted to make the leap, they'd produce a 7" gaming tablet without any sticks, pads, or buttons.
I never upgraded the DS to a 3DS because the 3D seemed gimmicky -- it works, but it doesn't add that much, particularly on a tiny screen.
Neither Sony nor Nintendo are going to sell as well following the same formula. The world has changed. They haven't.
The rest of the world is calling. They want to know what AT&T is.
That's actually the one thing that Sony did right in terms of the world. ATT is on GSM which is more globally supported. The exclusivity in the US is potentially moot since ATT is trying to buy out T-Mobile and someone will figure out how to hack the system to use one of the 'little guys'
but I have to agree with those that are fussing about the price. It should perhaps be a bit lower to really compete with the iPod Touch.
And they need to deal with the hacking. Starting with perhaps a way for folks to put money on the system that doesn't require putting a credit card on file. Apple pulls this off with their gift cards. And they haven't had the twice in a week issues that Sony is experiencing (okay it was more like twice in a month but still). Setting up some kind of prepaid system or other solution would help to show a sense of caring about the customers and make their failure to stop new attacks a little less negative on their PR score.
Seems like the pricing is more to compete with the 3DS.
thank you. your post pretty much summarises exactly the intent and market in which Sony is competing. and, folks, there's no need to hop into pathological Apple Defense Mode because the market is large enough for several players in the mobile gaming arena.
That's actually the one thing that Sony did right in terms of the world. ATT is on GSM which is more globally supported.
I'll put it in the way I think describes the future of it best by paraphrasing an IGN member:
"Guys this is brilliant! Sony is Genius! Everyone will be so pissed trying to find the wifi model, you know the one that pretty much everyone who's posted on any website wants, which will be sold out, that sony may actually be able to sell their 3G models. "
That's actually the one thing that Sony did right in terms of the world. ATT is on GSM which is more globally supported. The exclusivity in the US is potentially moot since ATT is trying to buy out T-Mobile and someone will figure out how to hack the system to use one of the 'little guys'
but I have to agree with those that are fussing about the price. It should perhaps be a bit lower to really compete with the iPod Touch.
And they need to deal with the hacking. Starting with perhaps a way for folks to put money on the system that doesn't require putting a credit card on file. Apple pulls this off with their gift cards. And they haven't had the twice in a week issues that Sony is experiencing (okay it was more like twice in a month but still). Setting up some kind of prepaid system or other solution would help to show a sense of caring about the customers and make their failure to stop new attacks a little less negative on their PR score.
They actually already do. they have playstation network gift cards. its the only way i (albeit rarely) purchase DLC for my PS3. Its also why I wasn't alarmed in the slightest when the network was hacked, they got an email address that has already been hacked and discarded, whoopty freaking do
I am a Apple guy but I don't wear blinders either like some do here.
iOS and the devices that run it make nice gaming machines but they are not the end all device for gaming.
While a good many games work well with touch, face it, some just need hardware controls.
THe Playstation Vita crushed anything Apple has from a processor power standpoint. Sure, it will eventually surpass it.
Frankly, the $249 price is surprising. Most figured it would be a very minimum pf $299 and many predicted as much as $399.
You got a 5" OLED screen, all the motion sensors an iDevice has, quad core CPU and GPU, dual cameras, touch screen and a touch pad on the back. And of course, full hardware controls including dual analog sticks.
Pretty much the ultimate gaming handheld.
Oh yeah, Apple is going to sell more devices. That does not make it the most superior gaming device.
THe Nintendo 3DS looks pretty sad here, even with its 3D screen.
One thing is that at $249, its the first Nintendo handheld to have such a high price. Uncharted territory for them.
I am seriously considering a Vita. But then, I like games.
Not dumping my iPhone 4 or iPad 2. They themselves do many other things.
But if you want the ultimate gaming handheld, the Vita is where its at, not an iDevice.
The iDevices are awesome in their own right.
I can see outside my shell.
The problem is specs doesnt sale hardware, very very few people are buying stuff for specs. You see most of the time powerfull hardware loss market war, take a look on VHS vs Beta, Gameboy vs Gamegear, Playstation vs Nintendo 64, Gameboy DS vs PSP, Wii vs PS3. After all, mobile gaming console are single purpose device at price of already existing general purpose mobile device.
If I would have a kid, I would prefer to gave him a iPod touch or an iPad than a PSP. As a kid I never had a game console, my father who was a robotic engineer was totally against "a computer only for gaming" so I got my first computer (TRS-80) for my 7 years old birthday, I've done much more coding Basic and hacking my TRS-80 than any of my friends with their Atari and Coleco.
hard core gamers will want the Vita and are willing to pay premium prices for their big name games. so it certainly has a viable market segment. but the full cost of the Vita is not just the hardware price, you have to add the game titles too. it adds up fast.
but everyone else who uses iTunes (70%) of the market) will want an iPod touch, especially a larger 5"+ version likely to come this Fall too. all its great inexpensive games and everything else iOS can do, plus now iCloud.
so the touch will outsell the Vita 4 to 1. once again Apple is eating Sony's lunch.
Toxic, doubtful. The recent hits on an FBI site, GMail and Nintendo, show that no one's immune to hackers.
I agree with you. However, if you hang out around the gamer forums, Sony is almost a bad word. Its not just because of the hack, but rather, because of them trying to prosecute the guy who found a way to jailbreak the PS3.
And the NGP, more than any other competitor, is targeted towards the hardcore gamers.
I'd say so. People pay $250 for the large consoles that do little more than play games and the portable device games tend to be cheaper.
This device is a fair bit lower powered than the big consoles. I made a graph of the relative performances vs desktops/laptops:
Although the NGP/Vita and other mobile devices seem fairly low powered, the lower screen size helps a lot. They were able to run a raytracing demo on a Sony MID at GDC one year, I think it was the Quake raytracing demo shown here:
This means they can scale PS3 games onto the Vita and they will look similar quality.
I'd possibly be interested in it to get the exclusives - if they put Heavy Rain, LA Noire and Uncharted on it, I'd be interested in it and I think that price is very competitive.
I don't think it would sway casual gamers at all but you don't really make a device like this for casual gamers. The reality is that iOS still doesn't have a single title that holds up to the likes of Uncharted or Little Big Planet and there is a big market out there for people who want immersive titles with long gameplay.
Show me a full fledged game like this on iOS and i think its safe to say that iOS games are not comparable in the slightest.
249 is a very reasonable price considering the hardware that you're getting, and against the competition which is mainly the 3DS. While an iPod Touch would be overall more capable due to the App Store, a Vita would be chosen for its obvious main purpose which is gaming while the iPod Touch would not.
Vita is a gaming device with multi-media tacked on, while the iPod Touch is a multi-media device with gaming tacked on. As a gamer the decision is easy, as a regular consumer with 250 bucks to burn the decision gets a hell of a lot tougher.
Comments
The Vita isn't going to do a damn thing to the ipod touch, business wise. However, the narrative that the author uses suggest the contrary.
And most of the games for iSO don't even go past $5.00
Can Sony offer such prices? Highly doubt it.
How many Ipod touch games for $5 or less do you know that looks like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKCZJIQBVLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-pxP...feature=relmfu
The main take away for Sony should be the impending doom apple is about to throw over them. I'm kind of doubting Airplay Mirroring will be entirely up to snuff, but given how much apple has concentrated on graphical improvement in the A5 chip- I think once apple TV and subsequent generations of Ipads come out air- wirelessly airplaying video games to your big screen for the cost of an iPhone you'd already have, a TV you'd probably already have, and a $99 AppleTV it's a no brainer. The content is starting to mature and will no doubt get there.
Sony sucks ass. They fumbled super hard, and a lot of people are going to remember it. Their welcome back package included a choice of two games out of five that suck or are 3+ years old and a pixel art ( i shit you not) background. In addition, you get 30 free days of shitware on their PS+ offering.
not to mention looking out for ID theft for the next few years.
Speaking of Apple TV, I think I have now been burnt twice. Once with the original model and now with the new one. Talk about stagnant. I truly believed Apple would up their game with it. It's just a meager profit stream for them I am guessing.
They says it's a hobby. Well, it will stay that way if they treat it as such.
iPad to the TV has to work wirelessly. Hooking it up via HDMI is fail.
I am a Apple guy but I don't wear blinders either like some do here.
iOS and the devices that run it make nice gaming machines but they are not the end all device for gaming.
While a good many games work well with touch, face it, some just need hardware controls.
THe Playstation Vita crushed anything Apple has from a processor power standpoint. Sure, it will eventually surpass it.
Frankly, the $249 price is surprising. Most figured it would be a very minimum pf $299 and many predicted as much as $399.
You got a 5" OLED screen, all the motion sensors an iDevice has, quad core CPU and GPU, dual cameras, touch screen and a touch pad on the back. And of course, full hardware controls including dual analog sticks.
Pretty much the ultimate gaming handheld.
Oh yeah, Apple is going to sell more devices. That does not make it the most superior gaming device.
THe Nintendo 3DS looks pretty sad here, even with its 3D screen.
One thing is that at $249, its the first Nintendo handheld to have such a high price. Uncharted territory for them.
I am seriously considering a Vita. But then, I like games.
Not dumping my iPhone 4 or iPad 2. They themselves do many other things.
But if you want the ultimate gaming handheld, the Vita is where its at, not an iDevice.
The iDevices are awesome in their own right.
I can see outside my shell.
I agree with everything in your post. Personally I'm also more tempted by the Vita than the 3DS. And I really don't like the price of 3DS titles for my kids, so I'll be keeping the DS for family games. I love my Macbook/iPhone and they aren't going away, but I don't associate them with games I like to play.
Seems like the pricing is more to compete with the 3DS.
i feel this is the stupidest article i have seen in a while--its a $30 difference.....
Looks neat, and the price doesn?t seem too bad.
The big problem is that it only makes sense for people who don?t mind carrying an additional, fairly bulky device. (Which used to be the only option for mobile gaming, but it isn?t anymore.) A device you?ve left behind at home isn?t doing much for you.
Or, if you?re gaming at home, you don?t need a handheld. You can game on a real console, Mac/PC, or iPad.
It has its place and I wish it well, but I don?t see a dedicated game device having that big an audience. Not these days.
The one thing it has going for it is optional physical controls. I have a lot of games that I don't play that much because touchscreen control is shoddy on its best days and bordering on unusual on its worst. Of course Apple could (or allow someone else to) release a cradle with control sticks and buttons and the APIs to use it.
I agree on the hardware controls part, but that's just about all this thing has going for it. We're past the point where a spec sheet will sell your console, and that's especially true for mobile consoles since they are limited by their battery life. Also 'quad-core CPU' doesn't say a lot if that means '4 cores running at 500 Mhz', and as far as typical game code goes, "more cores = better" kind of stops being true at 2 or 3 cores, at least without making it really hard for developers to create efficient and portable game engines.
how muc hof the CPU and GPU are utilized depend on how the game is written.... example, when dual core CPU's first came out, a single core going 3Ghz was faster for gaming than a dual core going 2Ghz.
not because 2 @ 2 Ghz is slower overall, but because the game was programmed to only use 1 CPU core effectively...
now, you have 4, so if you were going to directly put a iOS game on the 4 core device, only 2 cores would really be running it.
I think Sony's flaw with the PSP brand has been there are way too many variations and then the PSP GO, it is hard to tell when a good variation comes out. I want the PSP to become mainstream but it just doesn't seem to work for this era. I saw a few kids using it as an MP3 player over the years and always felt bad for them.
There have been TWO variations of PSP in the 6.5 years its been out. THe PSP and the PSP Go.
If you want to count the 3 minor variations of the PSP, well, there have been 4 variations of iPhone, and 4 variations of iPod Touch. In several less years I might add.
That said, its fine with me. Always like new hardware.
Unfortunately the Sony brand is just toxic right now, especially amongst the hardcore geeks gang, which would normally form a large percentage of the early adopters for this device.
Why is that? Maybe I don't run with that crowd. However, if they AREN'T the demographic that's going to power Sony through the next 7 Christmases in sales, then does it really matter?
I think the Vita (oh god don't get me started on that name) is going to sell OK at launch, then quickly taper off to disappointing sales. Retailers might even have inventory from day one. While I bought the first PSP when it came out (day 1), titles were slow to enter the market and good titles like Gran Turismo took more than half the product life of the PSP to reach market, and they looked dated by the time it did. Also, the decision to only put 1 analog stick was really stupid, right from the start.
I don't know that I care about the Vita. It's "more of the same" from Sony, touch screen and analog stick or not. If they really wanted to make the leap, they'd produce a 7" gaming tablet without any sticks, pads, or buttons.
I never upgraded the DS to a 3DS because the 3D seemed gimmicky -- it works, but it doesn't add that much, particularly on a tiny screen.
Neither Sony nor Nintendo are going to sell as well following the same formula. The world has changed. They haven't.
Unfortunately the Sony brand is just toxic right now, especially amongst the hardcore geeks gang ...
i find this questionable. where are your reliable citations to prove this?
The rest of the world is calling. They want to know what AT&T is.
That's actually the one thing that Sony did right in terms of the world. ATT is on GSM which is more globally supported. The exclusivity in the US is potentially moot since ATT is trying to buy out T-Mobile and someone will figure out how to hack the system to use one of the 'little guys'
but I have to agree with those that are fussing about the price. It should perhaps be a bit lower to really compete with the iPod Touch.
And they need to deal with the hacking. Starting with perhaps a way for folks to put money on the system that doesn't require putting a credit card on file. Apple pulls this off with their gift cards. And they haven't had the twice in a week issues that Sony is experiencing (okay it was more like twice in a month but still). Setting up some kind of prepaid system or other solution would help to show a sense of caring about the customers and make their failure to stop new attacks a little less negative on their PR score.
Seems like the pricing is more to compete with the 3DS.
thank you. your post pretty much summarises exactly the intent and market in which Sony is competing. and, folks, there's no need to hop into pathological Apple Defense Mode because the market is large enough for several players in the mobile gaming arena.
That's actually the one thing that Sony did right in terms of the world. ATT is on GSM which is more globally supported.
I'll put it in the way I think describes the future of it best by paraphrasing an IGN member:
"Guys this is brilliant! Sony is Genius! Everyone will be so pissed trying to find the wifi model, you know the one that pretty much everyone who's posted on any website wants, which will be sold out, that sony may actually be able to sell their 3G models. "
That's actually the one thing that Sony did right in terms of the world. ATT is on GSM which is more globally supported. The exclusivity in the US is potentially moot since ATT is trying to buy out T-Mobile and someone will figure out how to hack the system to use one of the 'little guys'
but I have to agree with those that are fussing about the price. It should perhaps be a bit lower to really compete with the iPod Touch.
And they need to deal with the hacking. Starting with perhaps a way for folks to put money on the system that doesn't require putting a credit card on file. Apple pulls this off with their gift cards. And they haven't had the twice in a week issues that Sony is experiencing (okay it was more like twice in a month but still). Setting up some kind of prepaid system or other solution would help to show a sense of caring about the customers and make their failure to stop new attacks a little less negative on their PR score.
They actually already do. they have playstation network gift cards. its the only way i (albeit rarely) purchase DLC for my PS3. Its also why I wasn't alarmed in the slightest when the network was hacked, they got an email address that has already been hacked and discarded, whoopty freaking do
I am a Apple guy but I don't wear blinders either like some do here.
iOS and the devices that run it make nice gaming machines but they are not the end all device for gaming.
While a good many games work well with touch, face it, some just need hardware controls.
THe Playstation Vita crushed anything Apple has from a processor power standpoint. Sure, it will eventually surpass it.
Frankly, the $249 price is surprising. Most figured it would be a very minimum pf $299 and many predicted as much as $399.
You got a 5" OLED screen, all the motion sensors an iDevice has, quad core CPU and GPU, dual cameras, touch screen and a touch pad on the back. And of course, full hardware controls including dual analog sticks.
Pretty much the ultimate gaming handheld.
Oh yeah, Apple is going to sell more devices. That does not make it the most superior gaming device.
THe Nintendo 3DS looks pretty sad here, even with its 3D screen.
One thing is that at $249, its the first Nintendo handheld to have such a high price. Uncharted territory for them.
I am seriously considering a Vita. But then, I like games.
Not dumping my iPhone 4 or iPad 2. They themselves do many other things.
But if you want the ultimate gaming handheld, the Vita is where its at, not an iDevice.
The iDevices are awesome in their own right.
I can see outside my shell.
The problem is specs doesnt sale hardware, very very few people are buying stuff for specs. You see most of the time powerfull hardware loss market war, take a look on VHS vs Beta, Gameboy vs Gamegear, Playstation vs Nintendo 64, Gameboy DS vs PSP, Wii vs PS3. After all, mobile gaming console are single purpose device at price of already existing general purpose mobile device.
If I would have a kid, I would prefer to gave him a iPod touch or an iPad than a PSP. As a kid I never had a game console, my father who was a robotic engineer was totally against "a computer only for gaming" so I got my first computer (TRS-80) for my 7 years old birthday, I've done much more coding Basic and hacking my TRS-80 than any of my friends with their Atari and Coleco.
but everyone else who uses iTunes (70%) of the market) will want an iPod touch, especially a larger 5"+ version likely to come this Fall too. all its great inexpensive games and everything else iOS can do, plus now iCloud.
so the touch will outsell the Vita 4 to 1. once again Apple is eating Sony's lunch.
Toxic, doubtful. The recent hits on an FBI site, GMail and Nintendo, show that no one's immune to hackers.
I agree with you. However, if you hang out around the gamer forums, Sony is almost a bad word. Its not just because of the hack, but rather, because of them trying to prosecute the guy who found a way to jailbreak the PS3.
And the NGP, more than any other competitor, is targeted towards the hardcore gamers.
Pretty much the ultimate gaming handheld.
I'd say so. People pay $250 for the large consoles that do little more than play games and the portable device games tend to be cheaper.
This device is a fair bit lower powered than the big consoles. I made a graph of the relative performances vs desktops/laptops:
Although the NGP/Vita and other mobile devices seem fairly low powered, the lower screen size helps a lot. They were able to run a raytracing demo on a Sony MID at GDC one year, I think it was the Quake raytracing demo shown here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FP-ZbF4euo
This means they can scale PS3 games onto the Vita and they will look similar quality.
I'd possibly be interested in it to get the exclusives - if they put Heavy Rain, LA Noire and Uncharted on it, I'd be interested in it and I think that price is very competitive.
I don't think it would sway casual gamers at all but you don't really make a device like this for casual gamers. The reality is that iOS still doesn't have a single title that holds up to the likes of Uncharted or Little Big Planet and there is a big market out there for people who want immersive titles with long gameplay.
Show me a full fledged game like this on iOS and i think its safe to say that iOS games are not comparable in the slightest.
249 is a very reasonable price considering the hardware that you're getting, and against the competition which is mainly the 3DS. While an iPod Touch would be overall more capable due to the App Store, a Vita would be chosen for its obvious main purpose which is gaming while the iPod Touch would not.
Vita is a gaming device with multi-media tacked on, while the iPod Touch is a multi-media device with gaming tacked on. As a gamer the decision is easy, as a regular consumer with 250 bucks to burn the decision gets a hell of a lot tougher.