There is one but however, and that is Sony and it’s uninspiring software line-up. To me the Vita shows what you get when your hardware is good and your software is mediocre: a very bland handheld.
I had the same problem with the PSP which I got(second hand) for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. After finishing that game I looked around and found…nothing worth my interest. The entire PSP line-up was just very uninspired. Downgraded installments of Sony series like God of War and Jak and Daxter and not much else. Looking at the Vita, I see a downgraded Uncharted, a downgraded Little Big Planet and a new Wipeout game that looks worth my time.
That’s why i’m talking about first party content. Third parties are often way to unreliable when it comes to new content. But with Sony’s portable line-up, it’s just not inspiring a purchase.
That to me, is depressing, because I need an alternative to the 3DS and WiiU like you. I don’t want to leave gaming, but it still seems as if Sony is still more interested in technology then in content. I find it interesting that you keep talking about how Vita is made out of cell phone parts, but keep from recommending any games. That’s very illustrative of my problems with the Vita: the hardware is interesting. The software? Not so much.
I recognise it’s early days for Vita, but I had hoped that Sony would have taken a page out of the DS playbook of offering interesting software.
Anyway, have a nice vacation.
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First of all, I am not ‘drumming up excitement’ for Vita. I am only saying, “Do not underestimate Vita.” Sony today is not the same Sony that made the PSP. They have learned much from their PSP experience. Unlike the Nintendo consoles, the Sony systems will not require momentum from the start. Why? Because Nintendo will shift development resources for the Wii U soon. 2012 will be the last year of big Nintendo games for the 3DS and then it is all third party. All Nintendo fans will be able to expect is Aonuma Zelda and a Paper Mario or Smash Brothers. Nothing to break it out of the Gamecube mold.
People need to stop looking at the Eighth Generation with Seventh Generation eyes. The ‘breakout hits’ of one generation rarely translate to killer apps in the following generation. Monster Hunter, the Seventh Generation’s portable breakout hit, will not have the same power in the Eighth Generation. What is more important is what allowed the conditions necessary for Monster Hunter to become a breakout hit in the first place. I see these conditions far more on the Vita than on the 3DS. Vita will get many Japanese game development support especially concerning RPGs and adventure games. Will any of them become a breakout hit? It is impossible to say. But the probability still exists. The probability does not seem as strong on the 3DS.
Why do Sony and Microsoft systems sell in the West? What games sell them? FPS games. One possible path for Vita to get sales in the West is through FPS games (imagine a portable Modern Warfare). There is certainly a market for this, but how large? It is unknown. Nintendo recognizes this path which is why they are scrambling to throw on a second stick onto their 3DS. Nintendo realizes that if FPSes become big on Vita and 3DS didn’t have a second stick, it is not inconceivable that Vita could outsell 3DS in the West.
Nintendo’s behavior is pointing out what they fear. I want to ask you two questions:
Why is Nintendo ramming a second stick onto the 3DS and screwing over their faithful customers?
Why is Nintendo spending so much money securing Monster Hunter (when DS was mega-successful without Monster Hunter)?
You may not think Vita has potential. Analysts may not think Vita has potential. But Nintendo’s behavior points out that they are scared that the Vita does have potential. After the flop of 3d output, the Nintendo handheld is in a very weakened position. It has allowed the opening for a competitor to come in. Whether Vita will do this or not, I cannot say. But the fact is that the opening is there. And Nintendo knows it.