Alright there seems to be a lot of discussions about the PS Vita and I think someone should list the facts about the system. Don't start a(n) argument just list facts that should help people understand the situation
Summary from Mars-x Italic parts added by me
• Game developers are making games for 3DS and PSP because of poor Vita sales
• PSP has sold twice the amount Vita has within the same time frame
• Vita is likely to be selling for a loss, it has to sell more than the PSP to make a profit according to Kaz Hirai
• This could take up to three years according to Kaz Hirai and for that reason a price drop seems unlikely but rumored for 2013
• They tried a similar tactic with the PS3 and that has caused a $2.4 billion loss
• The previous marketing campaign cost $50 million
• Poor marketing and exclusives are not too great, Vita's library is also poor and full of ports
• High price to develop for it may dissuade developers
• Sony have closed several of their studios that released Vita games
• At launch, Vita didn't have some features the PSP had, like PS1 games support
• Vita uses a new proprietary format for memory expansion, users dislike the idea
• PS+ and Crossbuy may help sales but difficulties with multiple accounts might do their toll
• Battery life is not too great on the Vita, apps are a huge drain on 3G data plan
• Playstation Mobile does not allow developers to use the full system features
• Crossplay and Remote Play features haven't been used effectively
• Vita is competing with the PSP, 3DS and the Smartphone market
Summary from Mars-x Italic parts added by me
• Game developers are making games for 3DS and PSP because of poor Vita sales
• PSP has sold twice the amount Vita has within the same time frame
• Vita is likely to be selling for a loss, it has to sell more than the PSP to make a profit according to Kaz Hirai
• This could take up to three years according to Kaz Hirai and for that reason a price drop seems unlikely but rumored for 2013
• They tried a similar tactic with the PS3 and that has caused a $2.4 billion loss
• The previous marketing campaign cost $50 million
• Poor marketing and exclusives are not too great, Vita's library is also poor and full of ports
• High price to develop for it may dissuade developers
• Sony have closed several of their studios that released Vita games
• At launch, Vita didn't have some features the PSP had, like PS1 games support
• Vita uses a new proprietary format for memory expansion, users dislike the idea
• PS+ and Crossbuy may help sales but difficulties with multiple accounts might do their toll
• Battery life is not too great on the Vita, apps are a huge drain on 3G data plan
• Playstation Mobile does not allow developers to use the full system features
• Crossplay and Remote Play features haven't been used effectively
• Vita is competing with the PSP, 3DS and the Smartphone market
Old version
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=496008
Playstation Vita sales have dropped to the lowest ever in Japan, according to Media Create. Japanese developers are developing games for the 3DS and the PSP since the Vita isn't selling well. The PSP is still selling well in Japan and some other parts of the world. Some argue they could localize some games and make them only work on the Vita since they may worry about piracy but to Japanese companies it might not be worth the risk.
Sony admits the Vita has sold 2.2 million systems as of Q2 2012. The PSP sold twice that amount during the same time frame. The Vita sells for a loss though some speculate the parts cost $160 but this does not include R&D costs, shipping and manufacturing.
According to Kaz Hirai the Vita has to sell 70+ million (more than the psp sold) to make a profit and they plan to make a profit on it in three years. Maybe he meant 70+ million software sales since the loss from each Vita sold is quite great. Nintendo said they will make a profit on each 3DS sold in 2013. The PS Vita most likely sells for a loss and with Kaz Hirai saying it will take three years for the console to sell for a profit a price drop seems unlikely but some people have claimed it will happen in 2013.
They tried a similar tactic with the PS3s and it has cost Sony a great amount of money. Several analysts said the PS3 at launch costed Sony $300 for each one sold. They most likely planned to recoup said money from Software & Accessories sales. According to various sources the software attach rate for the PS3 is around ten yet Sony's gaming division has lost $2.4 billion after the release of the Vita. This shows that Sony's idea of profiting off software while losing money on hardware has yet to pay off.
Sony hasn't marketed the Vita very well ever since some of the early ads. Gathering support for the system has been another problem and with them trying to cut down on the number of ports it may not improve. There are Vita games but the fact there is a lack of them and some of the exclusives aren't too great like Resistance Burning Skies it might be another burden Sony cannot bear. Black Ops is the only exclusive releasing during November for the Vita and after the Holidays there are only a handful of games announced like Soul Sacrifice & Killzone Mercenary. The Vita also added more control options but some developers may just use them pointlessly like in Uncharted. There are some Japanese titles but they will likely not be localized. The development costs for a PS Vita game are high and may dissuade developers. Ubisoft is one company taking risks with new consoles like the Vita and WiiU but if the games fail to sell well it might mean the end of third party support for the Vita. Sony also closed several of their own studios that released games for the Vita and Nihilistic Software plan to go more digital(They weren't the greatest developer).
The Vita also removed some features the PSP had like PS1 support(This has been added back in somewhat) and a tv out option. Sony also made things like multiple accounts and transferring data more difficult in comparison to the PSP. The Vita also has another memory card format which most likely helps recoup the losses from the console. They could have easily stuck with the Pro Duo though but didn't due to "security".
The Passport Program was not available outside of Japan screwing the UMD user base. The Vita will be getting PS+ support and crossbuy support for certain games(PS3 games have the Vita version included). Skype and various other Apps are a huge drain on a 3G data plan and the battery life isn't too great on the Vita. Multitasking can be somewhat limited but that can be forgiven due to hardware limitations.
Sony's attempt to lure some developers Playstation Mobile was good but not allowing developers to use the full features of the Vita seemed like a bad move. It does help them reach more users since their game will be on more Sony devices but being unable to use the full set of features on the Vita seems like another poor decision. They also are blocking hacks that allow access to the PSP mode. At first it only supported homebrew but recently it change to both homebrew and Piracy of PSP games. They are still defending their system with a carrot and stick approach which failed on the PSP but I understand they are trying to protect the system. Crossplay has been a nice feature allowing you to go from your PS3 to the Vita but like remote play it hasn't been used very effectively.
Competition wise the Vita is competing with the older PSP which takes a large chunk of Japanese gamers, smartphones which may take a small or large chunk of possible consumers and the 3DS.
Conclusion the PS Vita will most likely fail to make a profit for quite a while like the PS3 and the future of the system is bleak. Marketing and more third party support would most likely help the system but a price drop might make it another money pit like the PS3. The PS3 is slowly getting the money it previously lost.
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Sony admits the Vita has sold 2.2 million systems as of Q2 2012. The PSP sold twice that amount during the same time frame. The Vita sells for a loss though some speculate the parts cost $160 but this does not include R&D costs, shipping and manufacturing.
According to Kaz Hirai the Vita has to sell 70+ million (more than the psp sold) to make a profit and they plan to make a profit on it in three years. Maybe he meant 70+ million software sales since the loss from each Vita sold is quite great. Nintendo said they will make a profit on each 3DS sold in 2013. The PS Vita most likely sells for a loss and with Kaz Hirai saying it will take three years for the console to sell for a profit a price drop seems unlikely but some people have claimed it will happen in 2013.
They tried a similar tactic with the PS3s and it has cost Sony a great amount of money. Several analysts said the PS3 at launch costed Sony $300 for each one sold. They most likely planned to recoup said money from Software & Accessories sales. According to various sources the software attach rate for the PS3 is around ten yet Sony's gaming division has lost $2.4 billion after the release of the Vita. This shows that Sony's idea of profiting off software while losing money on hardware has yet to pay off.
Sony hasn't marketed the Vita very well ever since some of the early ads. Gathering support for the system has been another problem and with them trying to cut down on the number of ports it may not improve. There are Vita games but the fact there is a lack of them and some of the exclusives aren't too great like Resistance Burning Skies it might be another burden Sony cannot bear. Black Ops is the only exclusive releasing during November for the Vita and after the Holidays there are only a handful of games announced like Soul Sacrifice & Killzone Mercenary. The Vita also added more control options but some developers may just use them pointlessly like in Uncharted. There are some Japanese titles but they will likely not be localized. The development costs for a PS Vita game are high and may dissuade developers. Ubisoft is one company taking risks with new consoles like the Vita and WiiU but if the games fail to sell well it might mean the end of third party support for the Vita. Sony also closed several of their own studios that released games for the Vita and Nihilistic Software plan to go more digital(They weren't the greatest developer).
The Vita also removed some features the PSP had like PS1 support(This has been added back in somewhat) and a tv out option. Sony also made things like multiple accounts and transferring data more difficult in comparison to the PSP. The Vita also has another memory card format which most likely helps recoup the losses from the console. They could have easily stuck with the Pro Duo though but didn't due to "security".
The Passport Program was not available outside of Japan screwing the UMD user base. The Vita will be getting PS+ support and crossbuy support for certain games(PS3 games have the Vita version included). Skype and various other Apps are a huge drain on a 3G data plan and the battery life isn't too great on the Vita. Multitasking can be somewhat limited but that can be forgiven due to hardware limitations.
Sony's attempt to lure some developers Playstation Mobile was good but not allowing developers to use the full features of the Vita seemed like a bad move. It does help them reach more users since their game will be on more Sony devices but being unable to use the full set of features on the Vita seems like another poor decision. They also are blocking hacks that allow access to the PSP mode. At first it only supported homebrew but recently it change to both homebrew and Piracy of PSP games. They are still defending their system with a carrot and stick approach which failed on the PSP but I understand they are trying to protect the system. Crossplay has been a nice feature allowing you to go from your PS3 to the Vita but like remote play it hasn't been used very effectively.
Competition wise the Vita is competing with the older PSP which takes a large chunk of Japanese gamers, smartphones which may take a small or large chunk of possible consumers and the 3DS.
Conclusion the PS Vita will most likely fail to make a profit for quite a while like the PS3 and the future of the system is bleak. Marketing and more third party support would most likely help the system but a price drop might make it another money pit like the PS3. The PS3 is slowly getting the money it previously lost.
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