Playstation Vita vs. Smartphones/Tablets.

I've owned iPod touches, iPhones, currently own an iPhone 4S and and iPad 2. I've played quite a few games on these, and even the best looking games on these devices, like Infinity Blade 1/2 and Rage are not that exciting, they're short casual games that show off the graphics capabilities of mobile phones/tablets.

I also owned a DS, and currently own a 3DS, PSP, and Vita. The games on the dedicated handheld gaming devices are miles beyond the offerings you get on something like an iPhone. Part of it is about hardware, having buttons and analog sticks go a LONG way, but I think the biggest part of it is the games themselves. Games for handheld can take many many hours to complete, whereas most iPhone games tend to be either very short, or very repetitive in order to make the game take longer.

There's nothing wrong with either type of game IMO, I play both. The people that argue that the Vita is part of a dying breed may be correct, but that won't be because the games on the mobile devices are just as good or better, it will be due to the mindset people have that they don't need a Vita if they already have a portable device that can play games, like an iOS/Android-based device.

The 3DS and Vita are what I use to game on the go. I bought a Samsung Tab 10.1 to game on and I hate it. I have around 30 games on it and have yet to spend more than 15mins on one because the controls. Touch screen controls work for Angry Birds and Tower Defense but thats it. Try playing an FPS or Platformer give up. All I use my 10.1 for is Web/Youtube. There will always be a place for good handhelds for serious gamers until they add sticks and buttons.

Take for instance the Wii. Every one said it was the casual gamers choice and that PS3 and Xbox wouldnt come close. Of couse Wii sold like hot cakes but it didnt barely put a dent in Sony or MS sales. They are two different markets.

Look at Japan the 3DS just broke a console sale record it sold faster than any other console ever. Five million units in 52 weeks! In a country that has tons of tablets and smart phones! Not to mention they are still recovering from the tsunami.

There will always be a place for these devices. Its like the great Console vs PC argument. Ya well its easier to plug a console into your tv than build a PC for some. But the consoles never have killed PC gaming and are now falling behind.

I think it makes good taking points for game "journalists" to act like one thing is going to take over the market. Well there is more than one market in gaming and plenty of brand loyalty.

It would be like Road and Track claiming that the new Ford Focus was going to take over the market. Sure they may sell a ton of them cause they are cheap! But they havent put BMW or Lexus out of business. Two different markets.
Edited by Hawk777th - 2/20/12 at 10:44am

All sony would have had to do is put a 4G LTE radio on the Vita as standard with the ability to assign a phone number to your device, and it would have been a homerun. Since that is not the case, I have to question how long the Vita will remain on the market. I don't question the fact that the vita is a better gaming device than any smartphone out there, but once you're over that hurdle, the Vita is nearly too large to carry in your pocket, and it lacks the functionality of a smartphone. That means it is now just another device to carry around.

In a world where the "complete package" is the key to success in the mobile market, the Vita lacks several elements that could have easily made it that package, which means it's going to appeal to a niche market only. Every business I know of wants their products to appeal to the largest population possible, and since the Vita only appeals to a very small minority (see hardcore mobile-gamers), I have to assume that this device will not last on the market. The hardware is fantastic, but the appeal for larger audiences is not there. Hell, even as hardcore of a gamer as I am, I will not buy this. The price is too high, and the future for this device is uncertain.

By that token, a 3DS has a proven pedigree of titles and support. Therefore, if I could afford it right now, I would get a 3DS in a heart beat EVEN if I couldn't use it as much as I would like. Nintendo has been in the mobile market since the earth cooled, and it has seen success over 5 different mobile consoles and all the different variants that each model had. The 3DS does not pretend to be a gimped and proprietary smart phone alternative.

Nintendo will succeed this generation, but I'm not sure the Vita will see the same success.
Edited by Mad Pistol - 2/20/12 at 10:10am

No, unless the mod community takes over. I tried the Vita out in store, and it seems they haven't really learned anything useful from the PSP. I tried the Mod Nation Racers demo and it took the system a solid 2 minutes to go from the home screen to in game. That's completely unacceptable for a mobile device. The whole point of having one is so you have something to do before class or waiting for the bus. Little 10 minute intervals. If you have to spend 1/4 of that time just waiting for the game to load why bother? You might as well save some money and buy a PS3, since its nearly as portable.

Not sure why it took 2 minutes, all of my games start up in about 5-10 seconds, with another 10-15 seconds to sift through the menu, click start, and wait for it to load. Most of the time I just pause my game and leave it on standby, so it takes about 5 seconds to turn on the Vita and have the game running right where you left off.

Ya the one I tried went into game in seconds not minutes. Pretty sure you are just making stuff up.

Wipeout 2048 the game with the worst load times at launch goes from Menu to Playing in less than 2 mins. 118 secs to be exact.
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2012/02/09/ps-vitas-load-times-analysed/

Nice try.
Edited by Hawk777th - 2/20/12 at 12:17pm

Still, 2 minutes of load time off of a cartridge? That's crazy. Sounds like the developer's problem in that case, not the hardware.

I own all the best looking and top games on iOS, and I can tell you for sure that right now they wouldn't compare to anything on the Vita in either category. I do see that changing over time -- e.g a couple of years, particularly with the introduction of the PowerVR SGX600 series, which should get the attention of some developers attention to build some more graphically stunning games, and hopefully implement longer and better stories.

This thread is flame bait... but with that said hopefully it stays out of the official vita thread because of it.