A few weeks ago, before the launch of the PlayStation Vita, I played with one in a GameStop down the road. At first I didn’t realize it was a Vita; I picked up the device since it looked like a new version of the PlayStation Portable. Within a few moments I realized it was the new hotness.
The Vita, scratch that, the entire PlayStation experience reminds me of something from the past. Five years ago it would have been a glowing, technology-infused, amazing, device capable of holding some attention. Today, at least in the current form, it is a modern dinosaur – a big, portable gaming console loaded with technology in the hope that software will be developed. It doesn’t matter if you make amazing hardware if it is at the wrong time or you don’t have the software to back it up, which is exactly what I feel occurred with the PlayStation Portable.
Initial Thoughts on the Vita:
- The device is a great compilation of technology. The inclusion of a powerful processor, 3G, and the OLED touch screen display rocks. The back touch panel is a bit gimmicky but hopefully they will find some good uses for it. At a pure technology level I want one.
- The PlayStation Store experience is flawed. Smartphones and tablets have changed what we expect to pay for a portable experience. $1-$10 is the new expected price of downloadable portable games, $20-$50 is crazy. Even though the production value of many of these games is on par with some console titles it doesn’t matter anymore, tablets have redefined what we will pay for downloadable content. Apple and Bose are part of a select group of companies that can knock 10% off of a price and call it an unprecedented sale.
- Sony lacks first-class, proven, titles and brands. If you compare them side-by-side, the Vita is a spectacular piece of hardware when compared to the 3DS but Nintendo has something that Sony lacks – solid, first class brands with a history of quality. Zelda and Mario beat the crap out of Uncharted and God of War from a historical quality and variation in play perspective.
- The Vita’s Social Gaming aspects seem underdeveloped. Nintendo, even with a weak online presence, has provided 3DS owners a reason to carry a piece of hardware everywhere – passive social gaming. Carrying it with you means you might swap information with other people and accumulates steps (it acts as a pedometer), which translates into game currency. Something worth noting – if you visit Oahu, Hawaii and have a 3DS – carry it. I accumulated more than fifty contacts in a five-day period, more than I picked up being in NYC for a week.
- The Vita is big. A gaming console of this size is competing against your tablet, smart phone, and just about everything else you carry. It seems like handheld gaming consoles, in order to be competitive, should be getting smaller rather than larger. The PSP Go, which I had the opportunity to acquire on the cheap from a friend recently, is crazy small. So small I can keep it in a jacket pocket without thinking about bulk. If I want modern gaming I grab my 3DS, Android, or iOS device, if I want the best of the past or space is an issue, I grab the PSP Go loaded with homebrew.
What does Sony need to do to make the Vita a success?
- Put significant capital into the PlayStation online, application, and social experience. Add real value, not just gimmicks and nice interfaces. Nintendo and Microsoft have figured out that much of the experience is social; Sony needs to do it. Create compelling reasons to carry and use your Vita.
- Develop brands that deliver consistent quality. Mario has done just about everything – side scroll, 3d platform, RPG, board game, racing game, etc.. You can count on it; if Mario is featured it will be quality.
- Deliver new games regularly. I’ve seen news that Sony has committed to new releases; they need to keep it up even if it means the console will be a loss-leader for a few years. With the PSP I felt like I owned a dead platform.
- Commit to the hardware, develop a solid market-aware direction, and stick to it. Too much waffling, reinvention, and lack of software support are a cost. All of the new PSP models (1000, 2000, 3000, and PSP Go) sold a new batch of consoles but they could have cut one or two of those steps without much loss. The step to the PSP Go was a waste, which they might have learned through solid market research. Gamers are only recently accepting download-only options due to Steam and App Stores. Rather than release the PSP Vita 2000 next year to push another million units out the door they should take that design money and put it into software. Make the hardware sticky via software.
- Commit to the United States. Back in the days of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 Sony owned the U.S. gaming market; the fall from grace has not been elegant. Microsoft owns the console and online market, Nintendo owns portable. If Sony wants a spot they need to appear committed. The PS3 has improved its position the last few years but the fact that one of my friends uses a PC to voice chat while playing Battlefield on his PS3 because it doesn’t work reliably makes a statement about the online experience. Microsoft has proven that people will pay a fee for a reliable online gaming experience.
- Make the Vita a gamer’s preferred gadget. When they go to pick-up their iPad or Vita off the coffee table before leaving the house make it a no-brainer. If a touch-screen and high-resolution screen were not included in the Vita I would be making a different argument but with the hardware they chose they can compete with tablets and other advanced devices. Add the features and app store to make it someone’s preferred device.
- Make development easy. I remember in the PlayStation 3’s early days it had a reputation for being a dreadful development platform. I haven’t looked into modern development kits for Sony consoles but there are many fish in the sea that will compete against this device including tablets and Nintendo devices; make it economical and easy to develop for the Vita.
I think the Vita has a chance to make it big, the hardware is modern and solid. If Sony plays all its cards right they have a good chance to make the Vita the “gamers tablet” in addition to a winning console. If they execute poorly it could become another PSP, which in the U.S. has been largely forgotten. New models are released and new games occasionally come out but most people I know, if they have a PSP, don’t know where it is. I’m hoping the Vita turns out to be a winner but Sony has got to deliver on the software, which they have failed to do in the past.
