So what does poor 3DS sales mean for Vita?

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Heltom92

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#1  Edited By Heltom92

So after the announcement that there will be a price cut for 3DS and early adopters will be getting free games, it got me thinking whether this is good or bad for Sony and the Vita. 
 
Things don't look that great for the 3DS at the moment, the only AAA game on the system is a remake of game that came out over a decade ago and the biggest releases in the forseeable future are other ports and remakes. Also, giving 10 free games reminds me a lot of what Sony tried to do with the PSP Go, and we all know how that turned out. Now I'm not saying that the 3DS will crash and burn like the Go did but still... 
 
So I'm wondering if this gives the Vita a chance to step in and beat Nintendo in this handheld cycle, or is the poor sales of the 3DS just a sign that people don't want to play portable games like this anymore?

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scarace360

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#2  Edited By scarace360

What if they build a phone into the vita.

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Heltom92

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#3  Edited By Heltom92
@scarace360 said:
What if they build a phone into the vita.
My God man you're a genius!
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scarace360

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#4  Edited By scarace360
@Heltom92 said:
@scarace360 said:
What if they build a phone into the vita.
My God man you're a genius!
PSVIPHONE EDITION!
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WinterSnowblind

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#5  Edited By WinterSnowblind

I don't think the poor sales had anything to do with the iPhone or anything like that. The thing just utterly lacked any games (and still does for the most part) was advertised poorly and cost too much. I'm pretty sure that by Christmas the 3DS will be doing very well.. especially once the likes of Mario Kart and Mario 3DS are out (i.e. games that aren't just ports).

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Hector

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#6  Edited By Hector

I think there isn't any room for gaming only handheld in today's mobile market. Im assuming the same will happen with Vita.

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#7  Edited By vitor

@Hector said:

I think there isn't any room for gaming only handheld in today's mobile market. Im assuming the same will happen with Vita.

Would have been easier for Sony had the 3DS been the same price - that would have likely swung things in their favour now that they're both competing for a niche audience. Problem is, this $80 gap no longer makes that such an easy sell to people.

On the plus side, with Wipeout and Uncharted as launch games, the launch line-up already looks considerably stronger than the 3DS's.

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#8  Edited By krisgebis

The pricing for the 3DS was a pretty good price. Here in Denmark, you can get it for less then 2xDSI price. That is a great bargain when you take into account that it's a new system.

Imagine if the PS3 had launched at less the 2xPS2 price. 199$ maybe?

I think it's clear that alot of "toying around while on the move" happens on a smartphone now. Their sales in software are atronomical. But I don't think that the classical handhelds can be completely phased out yet. When the 3DS picks up a bit, I really think the Vita is in trouble though. Handhelds have a harder time now, and Sony doesn't appear to have learned anything from last gen.

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Julmust

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#9  Edited By Julmust

I'd rather be playing a port of a great game than some crap I've found in the AppStore. That's just me, some are fine with their iPhone games, I play Fruit Ninja sometimes, but I've been playing less and less on my iPhone, and my 3DS has been going hot with Zelda and Picross 3D. I think it's just a matter of preference, I think the Vita will do fine and I think the 3DS will start selling more as the holidays comes up in some months and more games are released.

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MattyFTM

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#10  Edited By MattyFTM  Moderator

Poor DS sales didn't make the PSP a success. People seem to forget that the DS got of to the same slow start that the 3DS did. The GBA outsold the DS for a long while after the DS was released, and there were very few games for nearly as long. The 3DS seemed to be going perfectly to plan for Nintendo, doing exactly what the DS did. I'm sure Nintendo knew the 3DS wasn't going to be a wii-like overnight success. It was going to be a slow burn like the DS was. That's why the price drop came as such a surprise to me. I guess they must feel threatened by the Vita's price point.

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#11  Edited By Bollard

It means the Vita will flop even harder. 
 
I don't really know - noone can be sure what the mass market thinks about buying ANOTHER portable device. We will have to wait it out and see.

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#12  Edited By Twiggy199

People aren't interested in spending a week's wages on a handheld when its cheaper to buy a console, get a few games, have a gold subscription, a friends list (with names), match-making and have a better quality of sociability and gaming overall.

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Ramone

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#13  Edited By Ramone

I doesn't help that the 3DS' main conceit is something that people are generally not that bothered about.

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TaliciaDragonsong

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All Vita has to do is launch with some games.
 
I'm a fucking gamer, I want games, not just hardware, Nintendo failed and left an open gap for someone to fill, if Sony's anywhere near smart, now they can take over.
I wouldn't like it, but I can't support a company who's tripping over its own shoelaces.

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#15  Edited By coakroach

I'm not buying a 3DS because its internet connectivity and software lineup suck and its screen will probably make my eyes bleed. 
If the Vita has a decent browser and some good RPG's then i'll seriously consider getting one.
Fuck fruit ninja. 
Fuck angry birds. 
Fuck doodle jump. 

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penguindust

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#16  Edited By penguindust

The list of games for the 3DS really don't appeal to me.  It seems that's true of a lot of other people, too.  When they have better games that can't be played elsewhere, then they'll sell more units.  The same rule will apply to PSVita.  If it's launch library and whatever is released in the following months thereafter is lackluster, then the platform will sell poorly.  Nintendo needs to get a Pokemon game on the 3DS and Sony should make certain there is a Monster Hunter game available as soon as possible for the Vita.

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#17  Edited By RobotHamster

It just means hopefully there'll be some great games coming to the Vita so they'll avoid something like this.

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#18  Edited By Jeust

Oportunity.

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#19  Edited By Vexxan

The PSV will probably be alright as long as it can get those major game titles done in time for the release. 3DS will probably have one hell of a Christmas though, with Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land being released in November/December.

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#20  Edited By Yanngc33

Is it safe to say that maybe the era of portable consoles is over? I think the iPhone murdered all future handhelds

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penguindust

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#21  Edited By penguindust
@Yanngc33:  That might be true and it's the prevailing vocal opinion among games journalists.  However, it saddens me because I still enjoy playing 40 hour games on a handheld as crazy as that sounds.
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#22  Edited By Juicebox
@TaliciaDragonsong
Yeah  Ps3 has games , but the casual market doesn't know it even excist nowadays.
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#23  Edited By Klaimore

The system is only 4 months old now and they already lowered the price, that's scary. Although the Vita has a lot to offer in terms of hardware and possible games I'm very skeptical on how well it will perform.

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#24  Edited By Hizang

@scarace360 said:

What if they build a phone into the vita.

That would not work at all, that thing is far to big to compete with the iPhone or Blackberry.

And if the 3DS can't do any good the Vita has no hope.

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@Juicebox said:
@TaliciaDragonsong:  Yeah  Ps3 has games , but the casual market doesn't know it even excist nowadays.
PS3 seems to still be more popular then Xbox in most countries tho, I'm not sure about the games as I don't own one myself but I'm sure they're doing fine.
I was referring to the fact that its more and more becoming standard to release hardware and not software.
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#26  Edited By Hailinel

The problems that the 3DS has faced in the market will be the same for the Vita. Except when it launches, the Vita will have both smart phones and the 3DS as competition.

Also, the Vita will be about $80 more expensive than the 3DS at launch now.

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#27  Edited By alistercat

@MattyFTM said:

Poor DS sales didn't make the PSP a success. People seem to forget that the DS got of to the same slow start that the 3DS did. The GBA outsold the DS for a long while after the DS was released, and there were very few games for nearly as long. The 3DS seemed to be going perfectly to plan for Nintendo, doing exactly what the DS did. I'm sure Nintendo knew the 3DS wasn't going to be a wii-like overnight success. It was going to be a slow burn like the DS was. That's why the price drop came as such a surprise to me. I guess they must feel threatened by the Vita's price point.

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#28  Edited By Shabs
  • DS was and still is a great, unique system. Graphics don't matter for DS, so why are we surprised when nobody buys its successor when only the graphics are upgraded.
  • iPod Touch/iPhone is a mediocre gaming platform, but a great multi-function device. Vita is a high-quality single-function gaming machine. Even I'd rather have an iPod Touch because it's easier and more useful to carry around.
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#29  Edited By Boiglenoight

I carry a backpack to work with a DS lite, a PSP, an iPod Touch and a Kindle. Each offers a different kind of entertainment, with some crossover with the types of games played on the DS and PSP, and reading books on the Kindle and Kindle app on the iPod. However, the kinds of games on the iPhone don't really compare to the experiences on handhelds; I look for cheap 1 dollar games on the iPod that I can play while pumping gas or waiting to be called on at the doctor's office, where as if the girlfriend wants me to go with her to Kohls or her parents, I scramble to locate a handheld for a more engrossing experience.

Now, if things change and iPods begin to offer games on the same level as handhelds, with more than just touchscreen / virtual gamepads to control them, I'll be more inclined to play those sorts of games on one device. As things are, and have been, I do not relate to those who somehow find that phones are replacing the need for a handheld market. I'm left wondering what kinds of games they're playing, or thinking that their opinion on handhelds isn't relevant because they're not the target market (e.g. they don't play games on the go).

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Hailinel

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#30  Edited By Hailinel

@Shuborno said:

  • DS was and still is a great, unique system. Graphics don't matter for DS, so why are we surprised when nobody buys its successor whenonly the graphics are upgraded.
  • iPod Touch/iPhone is a mediocre gaming platform, but a great multi-function device. Vita is a high-quality single-function gaming machine. Even I'd rather have an iPod Touch because it's easier and more useful to carry around.

You're wrong there. Yes, it has upgraded graphics, but it also has a better front end, better online, new control options, and so on..

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#31  Edited By Vorbis

It means they need better launch titles.

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Shabs

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#32  Edited By Shabs

@Hailinel said:

@Shuborno said:

  • DS was and still is a great, unique system. Graphics don't matter for DS, so why are we surprised when nobody buys its successor whenonly the graphics are upgraded.
  • iPod Touch/iPhone is a mediocre gaming platform, but a great multi-function device. Vita is a high-quality single-function gaming machine. Even I'd rather have an iPod Touch because it's easier and more useful to carry around.

You're wrong there. Yes, it has upgraded graphics, but it also has a better front end, better online, new control options, and so on..

UI improvements to Nintendo systems are so incremental that it's hard to point to any value they add. They're not best in breed, and the same could have been achieved via firmware updates to DSi. It's not a compelling pitch to upgrade. Hell, I have a DS Lite and I don't miss having a shop. My wireless portable gaming is done DS to DS, not DS to web.

It's nice that there's an analog disc, but ultimately you still have the same thumb to use on the disc or the D-pad, and the touch screen already is giving you extra "buttons" if you need them. In fact you lose some flexibility because the screens being the same size on the DS meant you could swap back and forth from top and bottom and have touch "buttons" on both screens.

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#33  Edited By Tsoglani

The shitty launch games for 3DS couldn't have helped, and I am sure the Vita will have strong launch titles, which always helps. 
 
Most people I know are way more excited for the Vita than they were for the 3DS.

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#34  Edited By iGaboru

There isn't really any games beyond maybe Resident Evil: Revelations and Super Mario 3D Land that can justify paying so much for a handheld when there's so many great DS and PSP titles I've yet to play. I'll just wait for 3DS Lite or whatever.

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#35  Edited By DarkGamerOO7

I don't think the Smartphone market has much of an affect on the portable console side of things, if that were true the DS line of consoles would have stopped selling long ago. The 3DS and Vita are fine, both have broad market appeal, and appeal to certain niche' markets. The only reason the 3DS was selling badly was lets face it, it has barely any games at the moment and what it does have are ports or remasters. Don't get me wrong I love Ocarina of Time and I happily payed $40 for it again on the 3DS but people need more than just Ocarina of Time, Super Street Fighter 4, and Shadow Wars. Wait until Super Mario 3D Land, Star Fox 64 3D, Paper Mario, and Mario Kart roll around, I think they system will start to sell like hotcakes once it gets some more games, and the price cut will likely help that too.

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#36  Edited By C2C

Quite frankly if I were Sony the big takeaway I'd have is that the 3DS sold 710k units on a non-holiday quarter with its current price point. I'm no super cool analyst, but I can assume that not selling it during the holiday is what hurt them the most. That being said this new price point on the 3DS will definitely eat into Vita sales unless Vita has a better catalog of games and/or people really dig some of the Vita only features like the 3G stuff (highly doubtful imo).

Personally this price point makes me want to get a 3DS for the holidays :P

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#37  Edited By invadernick

I don't think many people take the 3DS seriously as a new console, I know I don't. I just don't see why I should jump ship to the 3DS at this juncture. The 3D isn't an appealing concept for me and game selection is so limited right now. Maybe things will change in the future but we'll see.

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I don't think you can necessarily draw any conclusion about Vita sales based on a slow start for the 3DS, but the 3DS price drop suddenly makes the Vita a much tougher sell. Before, Sony was competing against the iPhone and a comparably priced device that seemed less technically impressive. Now, they're up against the iPhone and a significantly cheaper dedicated-games handheld.

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#39  Edited By sparky_buzzsaw

@Vorbis said:

It means they need better launch titles.

This is pretty much it, except maybe "launch window" games. And that is, in the end, what sells every console or handheld. You can have the coolest piece of technology in the gaming business, but it isn't going to matter if your launch window (and subsequent months) is devoid of anything that is proven to sell units, simple as that. If Nintendo can grin and bear the losses until the floodgates open on their third-party support like with the DS, they'll be gravy. Sony, in regards to the PS Vita, should be taking notes on this, but to be honest, I'm not sure they'll have quite the launch lineup of games either. Hopefull this time next year, both will have a large enough catalogue for this all to be moot, but time will tell.

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#40  Edited By MikkaQ

I assume it means trouble. If Nintendo can't get handhelds to fly off shelves, than I'm pretty sure no one can.

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#41  Edited By ozzdog12
@Heltom92: the Vita will have Uncharted. Nuff said
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RandomInternetUser

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I think it will do alright if it launches with games.  You know, the thing you do with hand-held consoles.
 
Though it could be a sign that no one wants to pay 250 bucks for a hand-held when a ton of people have iPhone/iPads/iPod touches.

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#43  Edited By The_Nubster
@AlisterCat said:

@MattyFTM said:

Poor DS sales didn't make the PSP a success. People seem to forget that the DS got of to the same slow start that the 3DS did. The GBA outsold the DS for a long while after the DS was released, and there were very few games for nearly as long. The 3DS seemed to be going perfectly to plan for Nintendo, doing exactly what the DS did. I'm sure Nintendo knew the 3DS wasn't going to be a wii-like overnight success. It was going to be a slow burn like the DS was. That's why the price drop came as such a surprise to me. I guess they must feel threatened by the Vita's price point.

Sure, the DS was a slow burn, but it didn't cost them a 20% drop in stocks. In fact, it boosted their stocks and made them assloads of money, instead of costing their lead man nearly $300 million. If they're chopping the price by $80 less than a half a year after launch, clearly things are not going as intended. It didn't sell well, and the Vita certainly must have spurred them along. 
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#44  Edited By QuistisTrepe

If the Vita can actually put together even a mediocre gaming library, Nintendo will have suffered its first defeat in the handheld market.

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#45  Edited By xaLieNxGrEyx
@Yanngc33 said:

Is it safe to say that maybe the era of portable consoles is over? I think the iPhone murdered all future handhelds


 
Incorrect. And if there's a god this will never be true.
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#46  Edited By toowalrus

Even poorer sales because it's expensive and doesn't have 3D as a gimmick? Is this a trick question?

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#47  Edited By iam3green

it means that vita isn't going to sell great either. it's just what i think about that. handhelds are starting to die because of the iphone app. if they released an app store just like the iphone, andriod, then it might also go good also.

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#48  Edited By Simplexity

I never understood people saying phones murdered handhelds, people actually like playing the crappy iphone games, they are like mediocre flash games you'd find on newgrounds or something most of the time.

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#49  Edited By AhmadMetallic

We're all living in so much doubt and fear 
 
ALL IS LOST!!!!