Now, we have discussed the disaster of the Playstation Vita time and time again. Its actually kind of fun sometimes. Well, the disaster continues as they can barely break 100,000 on weekly sales and their hold on the handheld market stands as a miserable 12.7%. Their best-selling video game is all the way down in the #72 spot with a Call of Duty game that is more likely being sold in a 1 to 6 ratio when compared to the console versions. The Nintendo 3DS and the tablet gaming market has been utterly annihilating this system, and to be honest its only going to get worse if 3DS’ software lineup continues expanding (Virtual Console being a ho-hum addition has definitely saved Sony as of now) and Pokemon X/Y is hitting shelves simultaneously this fall.
And with Sony continually trying to breathe some life into the Vita, the big question is how they can possibly develop an audience for the neglected handheld.
What the Playstation Vita might need more than anything is this: exclusive IPs.
The PSP couldn't beat the DS despite superior hardware because of the totally inferior software. Sony learned the hard way that it takes more than just taking Sony's best console games and translating them to a smaller screen. They needed more games that cater exclusively to the dimensions of the PSP. The Nintendo DS had the likes of Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright, Brain Age, Pokemon (most prominent example), Golden Sun, and several other quiet gems that propelled the handheld into becoming the most successful system in history, even though it wasn't the most powerful system out there.
Sony needs to start crafting some new IPs or exclusively continue them on the Vita in order for any chance whatsoever of creating any sort of success or profit from the machine. Franchises like Chrono Trigger, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper can benefit from moving permanently into handhelds, while Sony can find ways of making new IPs to make the Vita fresh and exciting. While Nintendo is the first-party IP king, Sony has had its share of great recent franchises like Little Big Planet, Uncharted, Journey, Infamous, among others.
Games are getting more expensive--it becomes difficult to justify a $40 purchase of a game that is a watered-down version of a much bigger game that's just a mere $20 more. You need to offer experiences that you couldn't encounter with the PS3 (I did offer a solution of selling tons of classics as opposed to new IPs, but you can still manage both as long as the classics are sold at APP prices). Part of the trouble with such a massive software lineup like the 2011-2012 PS3 lineup is that it leaves no room for the Vita to stand out.
The Vita needs to become less like a younger brother of the PS3 and more like the red-headed stepchild.
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