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My Issues with Sony's PSVita and Nintendo's 3DS. (Warning: Very long winded)
Posted by
CDdude55
,
07 September 2011
·
1,205 views
nintendo3ds handheld psvita
To start off, let me just say the both the 3DS and PSVita have some great features and capabilities, we've finally gotten to that line that separates consoles and handhelds. We are now capable of bringing close to console like experiences on the go. We're now getting handhelds that are packing 3G, multiple analog sticks and enough power to run scaled down versions of bigger game engines.
With that said, this articles main focus is of the disappointments i'm having the the current/soon to be line of handheld gaming units. Now granted every early hardware/software release will generally have issues, some are preventable and some aren't. Nintendo seems to be making more preventable mistakes with the 3DS then Sony and the PSVita, anyways, to kick things off i'll start off with the Nintendo 3DS.
When Nintendo announced the 3DS at E3 2010(Electronic Entertainment Expo), it was a very exciting moment. We were finally getting a successor to the every so popular Nintendo DS line of hardware, which is currently the best selling gaming handheld to date with over 145 Million units. They showed us a few good key franchise games as well as a solid release date which they met without delay. One big cardinal sin that formed at launch was the lack of any key launch titles, now of course such a thing is arguable as to what games are good or not. But when hardware launches you must back it up with key software, the Nintendo 3DS launched with three first party titles, all in which none were of significance to the Nintendo brand and that hurts you right of out the gate.
Moving past launch and the current lack of titles (though Star Fox 3D just came out), the two biggest issues are the constant revisions speculations and the price drop, the latter being the least of my concern considering they were kind enough to make up for it with games ( the Ambassador Program). The 3DS is starting to feel like a prototype, almost like they weren't ready to release it just yet. Recently it was announced that a cradle carrying a second analog stick would debut, and while i appreciate the adding functionality, i really felt like they should of attached one to the system day one for good measure, instead of releasing a tumor of an attachment to the system itself just to get similar functionality. I feel as though they're backpedaling on what they want, and to be honest, i wouldn't be surprised if they redesigned and re-released the system to accommodate what they think they missed.
So that's sort of my jist of disappointment for the Nintendo 3DS, now granted, they are bringing the big guns in terms of games later this year and even next year, we got Mario Kart 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Kid Icarus and even a Luigi's Mansion game inbound so we've got some great stuff coming. Next up i want to discuss my PSVita disappointments, not bear in mind the system isn't out yet until early 2012 in the U.S.. But after E3 2011 and other all the other conventions they've showed the Vita and it's games off, i think most people have a good overview of the system lingering in their minds.
So the PSVita was announced at Sony's own '' 2011 Playstation Meeting'' over in Japan back in January with vague details, they mostly just showed everyone what the handheld was capable of in terms of power and a light overview of the handhelds features. It was a great moment, like the PSP before it Sony showed us that powerful games can be created for smaller platforms. After the ''Playstation Meeting'' there was a lull for months with little information being brought to the light which was understandable considering E3 was in about 5 months. So E3 2011 rolls around and they announce the systems release schedule (no solid release date), the official name or the system(Vita) as well as price. In the beginning i was happy about the release date for us here in the U.S. which was ''Holiday Season 2011'', it was a good strategy because since the 3DS is already out, the holiday season battle would do great things for all.
Unfortunately about two months or so after E3 , Sony pushed the Vita to early 2012, and while i'd rather have then take their time i don't think their strategy is in good standing. Especially since in Japan the Vita is launching this year, this tells me that the units are completed overall and ready to ship, but something is lingering in their minds that's making them hold back for a U.S. launch this year. So now we move on to the most important expect and what i see as a potential problem for the Vita, the games. The Vita is a very powerful gaming handheld, but it seems like they might be taking the same route as when they released the PSP, where they release this monster of a handheld in terms of power, but the games lacked because developers just want to consistently port older console IP's to show them off on the new portable. Sure they unveiled Uncharted, Resistance, Killzone etc on the Vita, but there are only so many times i want to have those experiences, since the Vita can run games almost similarly to the PS3(but scaled down of course) it makes it so that the differentiation between the two almost becomes non-existent. We've been through 3 Killzones, 3 Resistances and well as 3 Uncharted games, so the hype tends to wear off especially with how similar they look to the full scale console versions.
The price for the machine i both like and hate, the like it because i was predicting a much higher price considering the features and power, but i was disappointed because i think the pricing strategy is a bit excessive in the grand scheme of things when in comparison to their full fledged console counterpart. They priced their Wifi only model at $250 which was only $50 cheaper then a PS3 at the time and the 3G+Wifi model was $50 more expensive then a PS3, but now they actually lowered the price of the PS3 to $250, and this creates an issue to me where their handheld market is intertwined with it's console market. People now have to wrap their heads around whether they should go with the $100 more expensive Vita, the similarly priced Vita or a full fledged gaming console. Now bear in mind this strategy isn't new they did the same thing with the PS2 and PSP, where the PSP came out 5 years after the PS2 launched and it was priced similarly, so it's more then debatable whether or not you think this is a good way to go again based off the past.
Both the 3DS and Vita should be great systems in the long run, it's still to early to fully tell what they can do and how their features will be used in game. I'm liking the 3D in the 3DS, though some games it's not very good in *cough Dead or Alive Dimensions cough* and the Vita looks sweet with a touchscreen on both the back (more like a ''touchpad'' on the back) and the front and of course the raw power it offers.
-Phil
With that said, this articles main focus is of the disappointments i'm having the the current/soon to be line of handheld gaming units. Now granted every early hardware/software release will generally have issues, some are preventable and some aren't. Nintendo seems to be making more preventable mistakes with the 3DS then Sony and the PSVita, anyways, to kick things off i'll start off with the Nintendo 3DS.
When Nintendo announced the 3DS at E3 2010(Electronic Entertainment Expo), it was a very exciting moment. We were finally getting a successor to the every so popular Nintendo DS line of hardware, which is currently the best selling gaming handheld to date with over 145 Million units. They showed us a few good key franchise games as well as a solid release date which they met without delay. One big cardinal sin that formed at launch was the lack of any key launch titles, now of course such a thing is arguable as to what games are good or not. But when hardware launches you must back it up with key software, the Nintendo 3DS launched with three first party titles, all in which none were of significance to the Nintendo brand and that hurts you right of out the gate.
Moving past launch and the current lack of titles (though Star Fox 3D just came out), the two biggest issues are the constant revisions speculations and the price drop, the latter being the least of my concern considering they were kind enough to make up for it with games ( the Ambassador Program). The 3DS is starting to feel like a prototype, almost like they weren't ready to release it just yet. Recently it was announced that a cradle carrying a second analog stick would debut, and while i appreciate the adding functionality, i really felt like they should of attached one to the system day one for good measure, instead of releasing a tumor of an attachment to the system itself just to get similar functionality. I feel as though they're backpedaling on what they want, and to be honest, i wouldn't be surprised if they redesigned and re-released the system to accommodate what they think they missed.
So that's sort of my jist of disappointment for the Nintendo 3DS, now granted, they are bringing the big guns in terms of games later this year and even next year, we got Mario Kart 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Kid Icarus and even a Luigi's Mansion game inbound so we've got some great stuff coming. Next up i want to discuss my PSVita disappointments, not bear in mind the system isn't out yet until early 2012 in the U.S.. But after E3 2011 and other all the other conventions they've showed the Vita and it's games off, i think most people have a good overview of the system lingering in their minds.
So the PSVita was announced at Sony's own '' 2011 Playstation Meeting'' over in Japan back in January with vague details, they mostly just showed everyone what the handheld was capable of in terms of power and a light overview of the handhelds features. It was a great moment, like the PSP before it Sony showed us that powerful games can be created for smaller platforms. After the ''Playstation Meeting'' there was a lull for months with little information being brought to the light which was understandable considering E3 was in about 5 months. So E3 2011 rolls around and they announce the systems release schedule (no solid release date), the official name or the system(Vita) as well as price. In the beginning i was happy about the release date for us here in the U.S. which was ''Holiday Season 2011'', it was a good strategy because since the 3DS is already out, the holiday season battle would do great things for all.
Unfortunately about two months or so after E3 , Sony pushed the Vita to early 2012, and while i'd rather have then take their time i don't think their strategy is in good standing. Especially since in Japan the Vita is launching this year, this tells me that the units are completed overall and ready to ship, but something is lingering in their minds that's making them hold back for a U.S. launch this year. So now we move on to the most important expect and what i see as a potential problem for the Vita, the games. The Vita is a very powerful gaming handheld, but it seems like they might be taking the same route as when they released the PSP, where they release this monster of a handheld in terms of power, but the games lacked because developers just want to consistently port older console IP's to show them off on the new portable. Sure they unveiled Uncharted, Resistance, Killzone etc on the Vita, but there are only so many times i want to have those experiences, since the Vita can run games almost similarly to the PS3(but scaled down of course) it makes it so that the differentiation between the two almost becomes non-existent. We've been through 3 Killzones, 3 Resistances and well as 3 Uncharted games, so the hype tends to wear off especially with how similar they look to the full scale console versions.
The price for the machine i both like and hate, the like it because i was predicting a much higher price considering the features and power, but i was disappointed because i think the pricing strategy is a bit excessive in the grand scheme of things when in comparison to their full fledged console counterpart. They priced their Wifi only model at $250 which was only $50 cheaper then a PS3 at the time and the 3G+Wifi model was $50 more expensive then a PS3, but now they actually lowered the price of the PS3 to $250, and this creates an issue to me where their handheld market is intertwined with it's console market. People now have to wrap their heads around whether they should go with the $100 more expensive Vita, the similarly priced Vita or a full fledged gaming console. Now bear in mind this strategy isn't new they did the same thing with the PS2 and PSP, where the PSP came out 5 years after the PS2 launched and it was priced similarly, so it's more then debatable whether or not you think this is a good way to go again based off the past.
Both the 3DS and Vita should be great systems in the long run, it's still to early to fully tell what they can do and how their features will be used in game. I'm liking the 3D in the 3DS, though some games it's not very good in *cough Dead or Alive Dimensions cough* and the Vita looks sweet with a touchscreen on both the back (more like a ''touchpad'' on the back) and the front and of course the raw power it offers.
-Phil
