Both Sony’s new handheld and Nintendo’s Wii successor are released this year. I have talked about my feelings on the two systems previously on the 4th podcast - I am looking forward to the release of PS Vita, but fairly apathetic towards the Wii U. Here I will expand on this, assess both sides of the argument and consider how both consoles will fare in their equally competitive markets.
The first issue to address is the PS Vita’s Japanese launch, which happened late last year. Some have already dismissed the console as being doomed to failure due to the uninspiring sales in its homeland; however I do not believe this to be the case at all. The Vita launch line-up is considerably western-oriented –Uncharted and WipEout are huge franchises in the west, but are not a big deal in Japan at all, therefore it seems highly likely that the Vita will sell far better at the Western launch than it did in Japan. For Japanese gamers the PS Vita launch was much like the 3DS launch – expensive with an uninspiring launch line-up. In the West however, the Vita’s launch titles have been lauded by many as the greatest Sony launch line-up so far, and as a result many gamers may be prepared to take the plunge purely to play the next iterations of beloved series as early as possible. The Japanese gaming culture is a world apart from our own, and so attempting to predict Sony’s Western fortunes based on Japanese sales figures is a ridiculous waste of time.
The first issue to address is the PS Vita’s Japanese launch, which happened late last year. Some have already dismissed the console as being doomed to failure due to the uninspiring sales in its homeland; however I do not believe this to be the case at all. The Vita launch line-up is considerably western-oriented –Uncharted and WipEout are huge franchises in the west, but are not a big deal in Japan at all, therefore it seems highly likely that the Vita will sell far better at the Western launch than it did in Japan. For Japanese gamers the PS Vita launch was much like the 3DS launch – expensive with an uninspiring launch line-up. In the West however, the Vita’s launch titles have been lauded by many as the greatest Sony launch line-up so far, and as a result many gamers may be prepared to take the plunge purely to play the next iterations of beloved series as early as possible. The Japanese gaming culture is a world apart from our own, and so attempting to predict Sony’s Western fortunes based on Japanese sales figures is a ridiculous waste of time.
The Wii U on the other hand hasn’t launched anywhere yet, but will have by the end of this year. It seems an incredibly awkward time to release a new console (remember the Dreamcast?), as it is likely that Microsoft and Sony will have announced their new consoles by the time Wii U hits shops. For a machine that is reported to be only marginally more technically impressive than PS3 and 360, the announcement of PS4 and a new Xbox will completely destroy its lifespan as a hardcore machine before it’s even released. People won’t want to commit to a console that plays games they already own on PS3 and 360; they’ll want to save their pennies for the 2013/2014 release of Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen offerings.
You’d think it was merely cosmetic, but the naming of the consoles could also factor into their success. People initially laughed at the slightly wanky-sounding naming of the Vita, however in the midst of public confusion as to whether the 3DS was actually a new console or merely a new 3D-enabled model of the existing DS, it seems like a good move for it to differentiate itself as much as possible from PSP. To boost sales and to cement firmly in the public’s consciousness the difference between the DS and the 3DS, Nintendo has since launched an ad campaign saying ‘This is not DS, this is Nintendo 3DS’, which is something they really shouldn’t have to reiterate at this stage, and a mistake which Sony can’t afford to make. The name Vita is a bold statement of intent from Sony – this is not PSP, this is something completely new. Unfortunately, Wii U has none of this ‘fresh start’ feeling about it, and I think it could end up confusing consumers just like the 3DS. With the similar name, the overwhelming focus on the ‘my first iPad’ controller and the lack of visual presence of the actual console in previews, at the moment it is very easy to mistake the Wii U as simply an add-on for the Wii. Of course we are many months away from release, and I’m sure that Nintendo’s squeaky clean, celebrity-endorsed marketing wagon will be keen to make sure everyone understands their product this time. We’ll have to wait and see.
In terms of core functionality, the Vita appears to have all bases covered – near PS3 graphics, dual analog sticks, touch screen, rear touch pad, gyroscope control, OLED Screen... but does it matter? Remember when PSP was announced, and everyone was astounded at PS2 graphics on a handheld? Look how that turned out. I love my PSP, and play it all the time, but I hardly use it to play PSP games – I use it to play minis and PS1 classics. Sony never really seemed to grasp the culture of handheld gaming, and this could be a major stumbling block for the Vita. I have no doubt that Uncharted: Golden Abyss will be an excellent game, but I’m not sure how a triple-A blockbuster third-person-shooter will work on a handheld. People don’t care about sheer power and technological grunt when they’re playing games on the bus; they want pick-up-and-play experiences that don’t require too much mental investment – just look at the popularity of Angry Birds. Hopefully Sony realise the mistakes they made with the PSP, and are wise enough to understand handheld gaming better.
As for the Wii U, opting for the more traditional control scheme was a bad, bad idea. I’ve already discussed why imminent PS4 and Xbox 720 announcements will invalidate it as a hardcore gamers console; therefore it needs to find an audience amongst non-gamers, just like the Wii did. The problem is, I don’t think the Wii U has a chance in hell of capturing the same audience that the original Wii did, purely because of its more traditional two-handed control scheme. The idea was that gamers and non-gamers alike would be equally able to enjoy Ninty’s latest offering as it accommodates everyone, but in reality it doesn’t. The housewives and children who flung themselves around their living rooms playing Wii Sports and Just Dance at family gatherings aren’t going to be able to translate those ‘skills’ they’ve learnt playing Wii to playing Wii U. Nintendo went to all the effort of simplifying gaming for a whole new audience, only to complicate things by creating a whole new gimmick for people to wrap their heads around. I think that introducing some kind of secondary control scheme which accommodates dance and party games is essential if Nintendo want to attract the same audience as they did with the Wii.
So there you go. I could be right, I could be entirely wrong. The world of games is a largely unpredictable one, unless you’re predicting whether Activision will continue to release a Call of Duty title every year – they definitely will. Let me know in the comments if you reckon I’m on the money or if you think I’m talking utter shit.
I'm still in two minds about the Vita. On one hand, it seems pretty cool. On the other, They've just confirmed that the western release won't have any method of adding PSP UMD games you already own to your game library.
ReplyDeleteAt least in Japan they have the UMD Passport thing, where you can download games you already own at a discounted price. It's still pretty bad that you have to pay at all, but it's better than having to pay full price for something you already own.
Also, 250 quid is a bit steep.