Hardware Thoughts on the Vita

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Foxi4

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It's nice to see a Vita created by soulx not turn into a fanboy clusterfuck.
Nobody's fussy when criticism is well-founded and explained wheras good features are praised - objective opinions are always welcome, and soulx presented a really nice, objective opinion about the system, what's not to like? ;)
 

Guild McCommunist

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What i mean is, like them or loathe them, there are games around that do "sell" systems. I cant stand COD games but they sell. Im only guessing here but I would assume that had COD turned out to be fantastic on the VITA, it would have shifted maybe hundreds of thousands of Vitas on the back of it (it may well still do if people dont look at reviews)

To me, there doesnt seem to be much in development at the moment for the vita that stands out. But surely from a developer point of view that is because not enough systems are being sold which is making them hesitant.

This is why games like COD, Assassins Creed etc HAVE to get it right for the Vita to succeed. Give people a reason to go out and buy the console to put more confidence in companies to spend more money developing better games so that half baked games like COD aren't the norm

People also don't really look at anything outside of Japanese sales for the system and deem that the whole world.

Not that I see Asscreed or CoD pushing the system to record-breaking heights but they have much more western appeal than Japanese appeal.

And honestly I don't care about system sales, I want it to survive and get games and that's about it. I don't look at titles and go "IT'S A SYSTEM SELLER!", I look at them and go "This looks fun/doesn't look fun."
 

kristianity77

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People also don't really look at anything outside of Japanese sales for the system and deem that the whole world.

Not that I see Asscreed or CoD pushing the system to record-breaking heights but they have much more western appeal than Japanese appeal.

And honestly I don't care about system sales, I want it to survive and get games and that's about it. I don't look at titles and go "IT'S A SYSTEM SELLER!", I look at them and go "This looks fun/doesn't look fun."

Well like it or not, if a system doesnt sell, then it will die out pretty quickly.
 
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kristianity77

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If it doesn't sell, Sony won't abandon it. They're too deep into the system to let it fail. They'll make it succeed.

But its not Sony that decide if their system fails or not, its the consumer. Im pretty sure Sega didnt want the Saturn to flop but it did. And im sure they didnt want the Dreamcast to flop but it did. And they flopped why? Because they didnt have enough decent games and people eventually ignored the platform
 

Guild McCommunist

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But its not Sony that decide if their system fails or not, its the consumer. Im pretty sure Sega didnt want the Saturn to flop but it did. And im sure they didnt want the Dreamcast to flop but it did. And they flopped why? Because they didnt have enough decent games and people eventually ignored the platform

What I'm saying is that Sony has turned coal into diamonds before and if their preferred business strategies won't sell the system, then their last resort ones will.

They managed to turn the PS3 around from the stumbling laughable $600 console to practically tied with the Xbox 360 and have it sell at $250 with like 5 games bundled.

Plus they offer like the only online service I want to subscribe to instead of need to subscribe to.
 
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Foxi4

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(...) im sure they didnt want the Dreamcast to flop but it did. And they flopped why? Because they didnt have enough decent games and people eventually ignored the platform
Sorry, but no. Sega chose to withdraw from the console wars - it was a business decision. The system was discontinued regardless of circumstances. A substantial change in management also meant changing the direction the company wanted to progress in and they left the hardware business, deeming it too risky, restricting themselves to software... and frankly, it turned out to be a good decision in the long run.

Sony on the other hand chooses to put its systems on Intensive Care if needs be and repeatedly tries different strategies, providing stimulus until they hit the nail on the head. Failure is not an option - they sank too much resources into developing this platform to let it slip by in a matter of a year. Sony's official statement on the matter is that the PSVita will have a 10-year life cycle and I'm willing to wager that it will in some shape or form.
 

RodrigoDavy

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And they flopped why? Because they didnt have enough decent games and people eventually ignored the platform
I think the main reason was Sega didn't do a good job with selling hardware. They had the Mega Drive/Genesis which was succesful, but they still managed to burn their image with the 32X which was clearly a gimmick to try to make the Mega Drive seem more powerful.

A little later they launched the Saturn, which was designed to be a 2D system, but when the PSX was announced they decided to change the Saturn architecture in the last moment, making it really bad for programmers to develop for the system. Later, they decided to abandon the Saturn to focus on the Dreamcast in the middle of Saturn's life span, which made third party developers which invested on the Saturn really mad and once again burned Sega's image for both customers and developers.

When they launched the Dreamcast (which was actually well designed), they didn't have much money left and the PS2 was threatening DC's sale. To make it worst the DC had much worst graphics than their future competitors. Sega simply decided to give up. That's the truth, Sega sucked. They abandoned their own main console 2 times. The DC had good games and I think it would could be succesful if Sega just gave it a little push.
 
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RodrigoDavy

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What I'm saying is that Sony has turned coal into diamonds before and if their preferred business strategies won't sell the system, then their last resort ones will.

True, but the fact is Sony is barely moving a finger to aid the Vita. It took Nintendo 6 months to make a move for improving 3DS sales. The Vita has been out for almost a year and we yet have to see Sony take some action.
 
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@Foxi4: Sony's whole PS3 on the go philosophy might have worked if the Vita was indeed comparable to the PS3. Which it isn't (because mobile tech simply isn't at that level yet).

The ports are typically inferior versions of games that can be played on a home console already. Considering how much they brag about console-esque games, the games just don't compare visually (Golden Abyss <<<<<<<< Uncharted 1/2/3, AC3: Liberation <<<<<<<< AC3) or even gameplay-wise. It needs games that are built for the system, original content, not just pale imitations of console games or inferior ports. An example of that would be Gravity Rush but it needs more of that kind of stuff.

Then too bad.
You can't justify having to buy a PS3 just to play Peacewalker on the Vita. SCEA's incompetence shows again. Especially since it's already on the EU PSN apparently.
 
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Foxi4

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@Foxi4: Sony's whole PS3 on the go philosophy might have worked if the Vita was indeed comparable to the PS3. Which it isn't (because mobile tech simply isn't at that level yet).

(...)

And there is a myth going around that Sony saved the PS3. No, they didn't. Konami did with MGS4. Square Enix did with FFXIII. Third-parties saved the system.
Third parties only develop for a given system when they get the incentive from the hardware developer - Konami might've developed MGS4 for the PC or the XBox 360, but Sony's given them the best deal, hence it is an exclusive. As for FFXIII, it's not even a PS3 exclusive.

What I meant was the PS3 experience, not the exact same game, and there's a huge difference. The PSP didn't offer PS2-level games either, but it provided the gameplay experience on a similar level, which is the whole point. We're not talking about tech, but about the particular style of gameplay.
 

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In the short term, the Vita can be a seductive device:

It pulls you into its imposed UI overlay more than any other impure Android device I've seen (HTC and Samsung smartphones, Kindles, etc.). Normally, I'd prefer straight Android, but Sony makes its version preferable in some ways for the ergonomics and purpose of the Vita.

And has there been a mainstream handheld produced in the past fifteen years with geekier controls?

I'm also fairly happy with the games we've seen so far, particularly Gravity Rush, Persona 4 and Disgaea 3 (just realized -- dis-gaea, as in the opposite or exclusion of earth?), which I hadn't played on the PS3.

But here's what I find really frustrating:

The inadequate battery and the inability to replace it with a more potent substitute (since those would require a removable back cover). Annoying, not to get even six hours' use before having to charge for 2.5 hours.

The inability to drop non-game files onto the memory card directly without using official software and essentially being seen. It's an invasion of privacy and pointlessly circumlocuitous. I realize we have our smartphones and tablets for that, but why compromise the usability of a game handheld that was also designed to be a multimedia player?

The last irritant is the pointlessly expensive memory card (are there any third-party alternatives?). (I also think it's a bad move for the company that's trying to get people to join PS+: Expensive memory means lower-capacity card sales and carefully allotted space which doesn't allow for lots of downloads.) Still, we've already seen a minor price drop and will probably continue to see more.

I do miss homebrew, but I didn't pick up the ACIII bundle imagining the Vita would allow it. I still have my original PSPs and Dark AleX files for that.
 
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Mid-impressions of Uncharted Golden Abyss:

Thanks to PS+, I got the opportunity to play some Uncharted: Golden Abyss (tried out the demo before). Currently on Chapter 15 (with the Chimeras).

Visually, the game is actually impressive for a handheld. Dynamic lighting and other console effects are really quite mind-blowing once you seem them in action for the first time. I spent a little while simply moving Drake around a torch and watching in amazement at the fact that the lighting was actually dynamic.

And when you're outside of the forest, some of the vistas are absolutely incredible.
UnchartedGoldenAbyssVista_620.jpg


My biggest complaint with the game is the fact that it runs at a sub-native resolution. Some parts of the games that would otherwise look great are reduced to a jaggy mess thanks to this. And don't even get me started on the fire effects.

VgfNE.jpg


That's Minecraft-esque fire right there.

Story-wise, the game doesn't excel here. It's some boring-ass story about a missing grandfather and some amulet, some dude named Dante and some cliche villian named Guerro. I don't know, I haven't really been paying attention. At least the voice-acting is great.

This leads into my biggest problem with the game, they shoehorned gimmicks into fucking everything. Engaged in melee combat with a fellow assailant, do some retarded as fuck gestures on the touch-screen. Want to read what's on a dirty parchment, rub the dirt off it using the touch-screen. Trying to see the other side of an object, use the backtouch and struggle to maneuver the object.

Want to see the hidden text on a parchment on the Vita, hold your goddamn Vita up to a bright light and hold that shit there until it reaches 100%. That's some bullshit right there. Tell me Sony, how the fuck am I supposed to hold my system up to a bright light when I'm playing on a bus?

Gameplay-wise, I dunno, it's Uncharted. Meaning cut-scene, explosion, scripted sequence, rinse and repeat. No complaints there.

Overall the game seems like a 7/10. It's good and certainly a showcase for the Vita's power but it's nothing too special.
 
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TripleSMoon

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There's honestly only 3 things that keeps me from getting a Vita, and one of them can't be helped by anything Sony would do.

1) Lack of games that grab my eye. This isn't to say that it doesn't have decent games by any means: Just none that I find the system worth to me personally. Sure, Gravity Rush definitely looks amazing and I so badly wish I had a Vita to play through it, but I'm not going to spend $200 just for one game. And sure, it would be really cool to play ports of HD console and HD console-like games, but that's more of a convenience thing than a serious desire.

2) Lack of full PSP compatibility. If a dramatically higher amount of PSP games were available on PSN, this wouldn't be an issue to me. But that's not the case, and unless I'm mistaken, PSP mode isn't hacked to the point where you can put digital versions of your PSP games on there, like on the actual PSP. If I get a Vita, I want it to fully replace my last-gen portable, not be required to keep both for my games (3DS 100% compatibility with DS games outside of select peripherals says, "hi"). The worst part of this is that the UMD drive isn't an issue: The fact that there ARE digital PSP games proves that, and yet, Sony only has so few available digitally.

3) I only want to own one current-gen handheld. This is the one that's just about me, not anything Sony can do. I'm fine with owning multiple handhelds from previous generations (despite having a 3DS as my "main" handheld gaming device, I have a GBA SP and a PSP3000 that I picked up recently), but I don't want to have to deal with "keeping up" with and paying for constantly releasing games on two platforms, and then having to make the decision of which one to take with me when I go out. Long story short, I just want to keep all my eggs in one basket, so to speak. Grab my 3DS, grab a game of my choice (and maybe my cart case full of DS/3DS games, if I'm gonna be out for a while where I can sit down and play), and between that and all my eShop downloads, I'm set. I'm certain I will get a PS Vita eventually, just probably not until next generation (or at the very end of this one), when I can find it on the cheap and, hopefully, with a huge library of games I want to play.
 

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As for no.1, that's actually subject to change - sort of self-explainatory. It's also worth to note that a lot of Vita games fly right under everyone's radar for some reason, so before making that kind of judgements, it's worth to refresh your knowledge about the library. Point no.2 is not a huge issue either - if you want to play PSP games, you should probably get a PSP, not a Vita. For all intents and purposes, the Vita is 100% PSP backwards-compatible, as shown via eCFW - the bottleneck here is the PSN, and it's not up to Sony whether games are available through it or not, it's the original developer that decides whether or not the game should be hosted on the store. Point no.3 is pretty moot - "I don't want a Vita because I have a 3DS" isn't an argument againts the Vita, it's a way of protecting your wallet. :P
 

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As for no.1, that's actually subject to change - sort of self-explainatory. It's also worth to note that a lot of Vita games fly right under everyone's radar for some reason, so before making that kind of judgements, it's worth to refresh your knowledge about the library. Point no.2 is not a huge issue either - if you want to play PSP games, you should probably get a PSP, not a Vita. For all intents and purposes, the Vita is 100% PSP backwards-compatible, as shown via eCFW - the bottleneck here is the PSN, and it's not up to Sony whether games are available through it or not, it's the original developer that decides whether or not the game should be hosted on the store. Point no.3 is pretty moot - "I don't want a Vita because I have a 3DS" isn't an argument againts the Vita, it's a way of protecting your wallet. :P
None of these are meant to be "arguments" for anything. They're just my personal reasons for not springing for a Vita. Did you seriously not see what I said? I didn't say there's "no good games," as I specified in my last post. I've been checking the library every now and then, but there's honestly nothing aside from Gravity Rush that screams "must play" to me. At least, not any the scream it enough to demand that I buy the system RIGHT NOW for a game I've never played (unless I had a friend with a Vita and the game in question I could try it on), and might end up not liking, for all I know.

Also, as I mentioned, I don't want to have to keep both the PSP AND the PSVita to get both games' libraries. It's just my preference, plain and simple. Ever since the Game Boy Color days, it's been pretty standard for handhelds to keep full backward compatibility with at least one generation, and in an era of digital downloads, there's no reason not to. It's not fully Sony's fault, because it's up to the third parties? Point taken, but who's "fault" it is really holds no weight as to whether it's a dealbreaker for me or not.

And no, point 3 is not moot. I don't want to own more than 1 current-gen handheld. Money was only one of the three reasons I mentioned. I just don't want to have to worry about juggling between multiple handhelds whenever I use them for their main feature: playing on the go (unless I take a trip, I'm not going to carry multiple handhelds with me). That said, I forgot to mention in my last post that since I'm more of a Nintendo fan (always have been, since I first started playing games), it's only natural that if I want to own only one current handheld, it's going to be Nintendo's.

Again I say, these are just my personal reasons. I don't see why you're trying to objectively "disprove" my reasons when they're personal, not something I'm trying to push as objective cons... something which I also made clear in my last post.
 

Foxi4

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Yeah, that's not what I was doing xwatchmanx - I thought I could state what I think about your reasoning. :P No need to get your panties in a bunch just because I said that it's worth to have a look at the library every now and then to check what's up, just in case there's something good coming up on the radar that you might've missed earlier. As for the PSP games, you can always get eCFW which automatically fixes your PSN problem - in fact, you can even transfer all your PSP games with a clean conscience. I wasn't exactly disproving your points so much as I was stating my own opinion about the system. ;)
 

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Yeah, that's not what I was doing xwatchmanx - I thought I could state what I think about your reasoning. :P No need to get your panties in a bunch just because I said that it's worth to have a look at the library every now and then to check what's up, just in case there's something good coming up on the radar that you might've missed earlier. As for the PSP games, you can always get eCFW which automatically fixes your PSN problem - in fact, you can even transfer all your PSP games with a clean conscience. I wasn't exactly disproving your points so much as I was stating my own opinion about the system. ;)
That's not what it sounded like. But whichever, no point in dragging it on. ;)

So you indeed CAN transfer all your physical PSP games digitally now, like on the PSP? Well then, that's one of 3 beefs out of the way! :D
 

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