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Retro|Spective X04: Playstation Vita

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    Retro|Spective X04: Playstation Vita

    Remarkably the previous R|SX thread for the Dreamcast proved to be so long in life that I had to delay the launch of this Vita focused effort four full weeks to allow the DC one to come to a close, such is the love for Sega's final console. By comparison the Vita's tale is arguably just as short but more one of wasted potential rather than that of the candle that burns twice as bright. The Vita was born in the light of two futures. The first was one where Sony had previously just come to the end of a successful run with the PSP, a feat that was well worth commending given how hard handheld rivals to Nintendo's dominance had found things historically. Therefore there was a baseline of hype for their second effort but that second consideration was the booming market of mobile and free to play casual gaming that raised concerns for the viability of the handheld market moving forward.

    Sony took the issue on with two specific strategies. The first was to create a high end core experience handheld that recreated the home experience on a glorious OLED screen with twin analogue controls. The slick looking device was almost a triumph in design was it not for Sony's poor choice when it came to memory card support for the system. Around 12 months after the systems launch came their second strategy... abandonment. Their software studios quickly wrapped up and moved on to the Playstation 3 and 4 leaving the handheld to increasingly rely on third party support, the knock on effect being that western software dwindled hard and the system would go on, a revision aside, largely a Japan focused whimper out of the handheld arena ahead of expected time for Sony.




    The hints were there fast, Sony's showcases never really suggesting long term support was in mind. Instead there was the focus on using it as a remote play device for the PS4 that had instead become their major focus. Confidence quickly eroded and with it sales. However, buried in the nugget of these squirmy motions Sony made are similar concepts to what Nintendo would later apply to their handheld business when conceptualising the Switch suggesting that great success with a second system model could have been Sony if they'd had the vision to see the Vita through.

    As a result of all this there's a strong JRPG and eastern developer presence which has made the system ideal for those with such gaming tastes. For those who were originally lured in by the more typical console western experience the games of the first 18-24 months remain the bulk of its offerings.








    The system is now pretty much at its end even from a software perspective and largely continues to be played by those who loved its overall niche charms or have cracked open its security to give themselves unfettered support for PS1, PSP and emulator support also. Sony has given up on portable gaming in the meantime, a silent death for their sophomore effort with little to no effort to try and claim a stake in the market that Nintendo has now adapted to and secured.

    Share your thoughts and memories of the Vita and why if you think the LED version was the best - you're wrong

    #2
    People can talk about the Memory Stick requirement, or the lack of enough buttons for proper remote play, or plenty of other potential issues with the Vita - and yes, all those things were significant.

    However, I've always believed a big problem with the machine was how some of the early titles and software suggest that it was designed to be heavily multiplayer-oriented, and someone at some level genuinely ****ed up - not realising, or not fully grasping that 3G connections can't support real-time videogames. Fine for Everybody's Golf, but terrible for Ridge Racer, a title which seemed to have been emailed from a parallel universe where 3G is fast enough to do that. Software like NEAR supports this too; like the unit was meant to be this ultimate mobile online multiplayer gaming device.

    Here's a suggestion I think some here will appreciate - the Vita is Sony's most "Sega" console. I say that because it grasped for something that was beyond its reach. It seemed to exist despite the legion of concerns, both cultural and technical, that stood in its way, like someone at Sony really believed in it, like the cool alternative handheld-that-could. Then, the promises fell short of the tech and the market didn't go for it, but it has a dedicated, hardcore fanbase that love the quirky, often-Japanese titles which persist to this day. The Vita's Game Gear 2.0.

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      #3
      At the time it was incredible to have such a powerful handheld. The Switch has now seized that crown.

      I bought over 70 Vita games. Not many of them are Vita exclusive, but I had fun on what was then a very long commute.

      Persona 4 Golden is by far the best game on the system.

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        #4
        I really like my Vita and have enjoyed a lot of games on it. But I feel almost the opposite to Asura. It was just a bumped up PSP, which would have been fine except right from day one it wasn’t even powerful enough to run games at its own specs, hence Uncharted not running at the resolution of the screen. And far from thinking Sony believed in it at all, I feel Sony basically sabotaged the Vita very early on. The system was not promoted. It was not pushed. Very few big name Sony games made it to the system. The PSP seemed much better supported than the Vita right from the early days - it’s not like they abandoned it later, it was pretty much right after launch day. Any property they had that could have given the system a boost just never made it to the system.

        I don’t feel Sony had any skin in the game when it came to the Vita. It didn’t seem like they cared one way or another and made little attempt to make a success of it.

        That said, it has a load of games that I really enjoy. Very few absolute top notch games, if any. But lots of very enjoyable ones.

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          #5
          Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
          I really like my Vita and have enjoyed a lot of games on it. But I feel almost the opposite to Asura. It was just a bumped up PSP, which would have been fine except right from day one it wasn’t even powerful enough to run games at its own specs, hence Uncharted not running at the resolution of the screen. And far from thinking Sony believed in it at all, I feel Sony basically sabotaged the Vita very early on. The system was not promoted. It was not pushed. Very few big name Sony games made it to the system. The PSP seemed much better supported than the Vita right from the early days - it’s not like they abandoned it later, it was pretty much right after launch day. Any property they had that could have given the system a boost just never made it to the system.

          I don’t feel Sony had any skin in the game when it came to the Vita. It didn’t seem like they cared one way or another and made little attempt to make a success of it.

          That said, it has a load of games that I really enjoy. Very few absolute top notch games, if any. But lots of very enjoyable ones.
          I get what you mean; though perhaps I didn't phrase myself well. You're totally right; Sony, collectively, clearly didn't believe in the Vita - or if they did, their faith was short-lived. I mean more than I think someone did; either an individual or a department, who really went for it, despite the rest of the corporation probably looking on in confusion.

          Personally I've always felt sorry for the Guerilla guys who made Killzone Mercenary and later, RIGS for PSVR. Two titles, both very good, both launch titles, both underperformed due to circumstances beyond their control and then Sony threw them under the bus.

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            #6
            Rigs wasn’t very good! Killzone was though, excellent game.

            Also the 3G on vita wasn’t there to support synchronous multiplayer e.g. ridge racer only supported 3G for downloading of ghost data.

            Vita was just like Gamegear though, you’re right there. It didn’t matter that vita had dual analogs and an amazing screen etc, Nintendo still won.
            Last edited by Brad; 02-11-2019, 07:50.

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              #7
              It's still a sexy bit of kit but like the PSP you really need to hack it to unlock its full potential. Being able to play every PSX/PSP/VITA game with Bluetooth headphones is also really nice and conveniant.

              I never had any interest in the console styled games Sony would release personally and I think it was a mistake to go in that direction. I do love all of the smaller niche games though and that's really where the system shines.

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                #8
                Originally posted by Cepp View Post
                with Bluetooth headphones
                One of Nintendo's biggest mis-steps with the Switch.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Asura View Post
                  One of Nintendo's biggest mis-steps with the Switch.
                  Completely agree. It’s mad that the DS had an easier communication system built in than the Switch. Now I don’t think it has harmed them all that much and, personally (I realise this is not true for most), I can’t imagine I’d use it much after swearing off voice communication in the 360 days but it’s a very notable hole in the system that it hasn’t got an easy communication method and Bluetooth connectivity built in.

                  Back to the Vita, I’m realising actually now that the Switch has been brought up again that the main draw for me on the system was playing many indie games on the go. Like Hotline Miami and so on. That doesn’t have value for some who are happily locked to their TV but it was always a big deal for me. But the Switch has well and truly taken that over and delivered a lot more than the Vita did in that regard.
                  Last edited by Dogg Thang; 02-11-2019, 17:59.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                    Back to the Vita, I’m realising actually now that the Switch has been brought up again that the main draw for me on the system was playing many indie games on the go. Like Hotline Miami and so on. That doesn’t have value for some who are happily locked to their TV but it was always a big deal for me. But the Switch has well and truly taken that over and delivered a lot more than the Vita did in that regard.
                    In truth, I've said this on here before, but I'm surprised we haven't seen more of the Vita's exclusives (or quirkier titles) show up on the Switch. It's not like it would struggle to run them.

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                      #11
                      Sony should’ve called it quits with handheld gaming after the PSP.

                      Sure, the Vita looked like a desirable piece of kit and packed power. But ultimately there was no appetite for the home console-style experiences that it tried to deliver (which funnily enough was the same mistake that dogged the PSP even if it was contextually more successful than the Vita) - something underlined by Sony releasing the PSTV, which also crashed and burned.

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                        #12
                        Playing it again recently it's surprising how much handhelds struggle to feature enjoyable analogue sticks. The Vita ones never felt right but I suppose won out because they aren't as faulty as the Switch ones. Now though the Switch is better in almost every regard.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Neon Ignition View Post
                          Playing it again recently it's surprising how much handhelds struggle to feature enjoyable analogue sticks. The Vita ones never felt right.
                          And after feeling like such an obvious missing feature on the PSP for so long, due to the lack of big games on the Vita not a huge amount of games absolutely needed them in the sense that we got very few of the games that were crying out for dual sticks on the PSP.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                            And after feeling like such an obvious missing feature on the PSP for so long, due to the lack of big games on the Vita not a huge amount of games absolutely needed them in the sense that we got very few of the games that were crying out for dual sticks on the PSP.
                            I think Sony must have been disappoitned that the Call of Duty game was so bad.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I'm just on the penultimate level of that figuring it can't have been as bad as reviews said unless technical issues were horrific. Nope, it's just that lazy an effort.

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