Why is Sony allowing the Vita to die?

[Roger Triton]

read this:
http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2014/..._painful_death

and comment.

Me? I think Sony doesn't have enough games, no ebook reader, needs TV out, and a bunch of other complaints.

[Outrider]

Quite frankly, the Vita (and the PSP) simply aren't designed with the average handheld player in mind. In both cases Sony tried to repeat their success in the console space and it didn't catch on.

That doesn't mean they're bad systems or that there aren't really good games on either platform. It simply means that what they were offering isn't a great fit for most people interested in buying a handheld. Similarly, what they're offering hasn't convinced people that they need a handheld, either.

It seems like they've done a great job getting games on the Vita that gaming enthusiasts would be into (there's a reason Persona 4 is the best-selling game on the system), but enthusiasts are a niche.

I still think Sony can help revitalize the Vita a bit more by tying it into the PS4 (assuming the Playstation 4 really takes off like they're hoping it will), but then again I haven't seen anything to suggest that strategy has been working so far.

[DJcooltrainer]

Well, Nintendo thought the 3DS was a huge flop, and now its been the best selling handheld for how many months in a row? Maybe there's still some hope from the Vita. I think they have a problem similar to Nintendo, they're having a hard time getting strong 3rd party developers interested in the Vita. While Nintendo has some great first-party titles that are quite literally system-sellers (Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, Smash Bros, etc.), I think Sony is lacking in that department.

Honestly, there's only 2 games I'm terribly interested in playing on the Vita, and they're both available on other existing consoles. I have a hard time justifying the purchase of a handheld I know I'll almost never play.

[blace]

There's also the cost of buying the necessary items like a larger memory card for roughly 50 for a decent sized card. There's also the fact the system is clunky even with the newer sleeker models.

Most people I know that thought about it didn't want one due to costs.

[Sinue_v2]

There's also the cost of buying the necessary items like a larger memory card for roughly 50 for a decent sized card.

Most people I know that thought about it didn't want one due to costs.

That's the reason why I picked the 3DS over the PSVita. In retrospect, there would probably be more games on the PSVita that I would like (at this moment) than the 3DS, but the damned thing is so consumer unfriendly that it's not really worth it at this time. Maybe after it achieves a price drop, TV-Out, and an expanded catalog of games. PSO2 Vita was the one big reason why I would have adopted early, but that's not happening in the West.

When I first bought my PSP, the damned thing ended up sitting in the box for about a week until I got my next paycheck and could buy the REQUIRED BUT NOT INCLUDED expensive proprietary memory card. The 3DS had both onboard memory and a 4GB stick included, and really no barriers to play - including some novel, if meager, mini-games included with it to hold me over until I could afford more titles.

Yeah, I do kind of want to play Persona 4, but when push comes to shove - the PSVita is still a more-or-less semi-portable "home console" (as in, I only really have time to play it's kind of games for the amount of time they require when I'm at home) - and without TV-Out, well... I could get Persona 4 for the PS2 for far cheaper, and I've been looking for an excuse to hook the PS2 up again.

[Wyndham]

I really like my Vita. A lot. And I have seen that Vita sales are better in Japan than before. I don't think it will be an amazing success, but we are indeed getting some good games.

[Blitzkommando]

The proprietary memory cards really do rub me the wrong way. Sony's bullheaded insistence on them with so many of their products is part of a slew of reasons I find their products often more irritating than appealing. I mean, I picked up a 32 GB microSD card for my 3DS that was U1 class for $35. Picked up a 64 GB microSD U1 card for my laptop as quick storage for $50. And I got those without resorting to questionable Chinese unbranded cards. It really makes me irritated when I looked at Vita cards and they're so expensive compared to the readily available alternatives and you have no choice in the matter.

[Vetur]

If the Vita were cheaper, I would buy one, but then only if it allowed Japanese games to be played on it... since all of the Vita games I want are Japan only. Mostly visual novels.

[blace]

If the Vita were cheaper, I would buy one, but then only if it allowed Japanese games to be played on it... since all of the Vita games I want are Japan only. Mostly visual novels.

There isn't a region lock on the system hence the threads about PSO2 on Vita in the PSO2 general board.

That is the only redeeming quality about the system. Everything else is over priced.

[Vetur]

There isn't a region lock on the system hence the threads about PSO2 on Vita in the PSO2 general board.

That is the only redeeming quality about the system. Everything else is over priced.

That's true... like it's nice that it's not region-locked, but aside from playing PSO2 away from a computer and a small niche category of games... there's not much I'd be willing to pay that much for. >.<

I mean the games themselves are really expensive too... $50-$70 worth of yen, if I read correctly... for 2D text games... then the shipping or whatever other fees may be involved. x_x

It's just not worth it for me to pay that kind of money when I could afford more for less.