PS Vita sales plummet to new weekly low in Japan

[doomguy]

Because the 3DS is underpowered compared to the Vita and therefore less console like. I really hate the idea for the 3DS, 3d doesn't work for handhelds and it doesn't immerse much with poor graphics. If you want good 3d gaming go PS3 of PC

[tz101]

Sony just announced 10,000 job cuts so it does not bode well for the future of their video game products. Maybe the crash is at hand?

[JCU]

You hit it right on the head.

Not even close. People are buying the 3DS and it has sold quite well since it was released last year. Of course the price drop has contributed to the sales but still, people are buying it. Even with the Vita, $249.99 is not a lot of money these days yet it doesn't have much to play. Both systems are experiencing a drought (more so with the Vita) and naturally titles are what pushes systems.

The Vita has been the biggest disappointment of the two though. How many people thought all of its power and enhancements would propel it to a stature occupied by Nintendo for years? It's flopping like a fish out of water.

[MrMatthews]

Because the 3DS is underpowered compared to the Vita and therefore less console like. I really hate the idea for the 3DS, 3d doesn't work for handhelds and it doesn't immerse much with poor graphics. If you want good 3d gaming go PS3 of PC

This is the dumbest non-Zoltor argument I've ever read.

[Lastcallhall]

How is the 3DS "to a lesser degree?" It's smaller (therefore more portable) and has better battery life than a Vita.

Just trying to follow the logic here...

Because the PS Vita is essentially a portable PS3. Hell, they even tout the ability to move your game from your console to the Vita while on the go. The 3DS isn't quite there yet - in Otherwords, it's no portable Wii. I'd place it at a portable Gamecube at best (which is still good don't get me wrong). My point is, is that it's harder for you to "take your (home) console with you on the go" with a 3DS versus the Vita, that's all.

[Obviously]

I think there's gonna be a crash come next gen. I don't think anybody is going to be able to garner enough interest enough with new gimmicks to maintain any staying power. I could be wrong though. I've been out of touch with modern stuff for a while.

As I said before I think devices like smartphones and pads are going to ultimately kill the dedicated gaming handheld industry. Innovations like cloud gaming have it in for traditional consoles as well. I think most of us will see within our lifetimes the sales of physical media for books, video games, movies and music practically disappear. It may not be soon but probably sooner than we think.

My prediction is that the next console generation is going to be a flop since it won't have much new to offer beyond a few transparent gimmicks. We've reached a saturation point and the current economy can't really prop up all three major players in the hardware industry right now. I think we'll see a crash followed by a major shake up in the way we play video games. It's a necessary step for the next evolution of the industry to occur. The market has to change first before the way things are done can change.

Or I could be completely wrong and it will be business as usual.

[Robotwo]

I haven't really tried my hands on the Vita yet, but while some of the games seem acceptable, I must say the hardware just bugs me to no end.
I mean sure it has a decent amount of input alternatives, but it just seems to overdo it.

As if a Dpad, 4 face buttons, shoulder buttons, two analog sticks and a multitouch screen and a mic isn't enough.
They just had to add an additional multitouch on the back, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, 3-axis electrical compass, GPS, front camera and back camera.

Most games so far doesn't really seem to utilize the new inputs in any new or interesting ways, it's just as a really excessive alternative to the regular controlls.
Like climbing by moving your fingers back and forth on the back panel instead of just holding one of the analog sticks up.

The fact that they use memory cards for saving on a system that uses memory card based games also seems a bit odd,
given a 8gb memory card will probably hold a bunch of saves though so you wont have to switch all the time.
But why not use the M2 standard sony already had out instead of make a same-sized memory card that can only be used by the Vita,
thus forcing you to buy one even if you have a spare M2 lying around.

To me the Vita just seems to try too hard to compete a little too much with everything and everyone instead of doing its own thing.
But it still seems like a rather capable system, if only we can get some games that use it in a intersting way.

[Zoltor]

Sony just announced 10,000 job cuts so it does not bode well for the future of their video game products. "Maybe the crash is at hand?"

That is the dumbest thing I ever heard of. Look, not only would the industry survive if Sony went under, it would be more healthier then it has been in ages. Between Sony only caring about graphics, not focusing on gaming in general, and the ilegal BS/scams they pull every year, Sony going under would be the best thing to happen in the industry, since Nintendo saved the industry back in the 80s.

To Robotwo: Omg yea that's BS, I was yet again pissed at Sony when I went to the store, and found out that they made cards that only work for the Vita, I mean WTF.

Everyone with a PSP better buy up every PSP memory card they can find, because they seem to have stopped making them as well. Really Sony goes out of their way to screw gamers, infact so much so, they must love being the scumbags of the industry.

[Obviously]

That's a very idealistic view of Sony's impact on the industry. They're a business like the other two and they all do what they believe will help them profit whether people like it or not.

It's kind of an interesting thing to consider though. If Nintendo and Microsoft were the only ones left would we see some kind of East vs. West schism in game design? Would Japan accept Microsoft more or would Nintendo dominate the market there? Would somebody else fill the void? (Sega?! Haha, no.)

I think we're edging towards a really interesting turning point in our beloved hobby.

[NeoZeedeater]

Sony going under would be the best thing to happen in the industry, since Nintendo saved the industry back in the 80s.

I can't believe the internet hasn't been rid of the whole Nintendo industry saviour revisionist history bullshit yet.

[Zoltor]

I can't believe the internet hasn't been rid of the whole Nintendo industry saviour revisionist history bullshit yet.

Not only did they save it, they made it actually grow. If Nintendo didn't come around, console gaming would've been dead, and the industry(what was left of the industry that is) would be completely PC driven.

[Cornholio857]

Not only did they save it, they made it actually grow. If Nintendo didn't come around, console gaming would've been dead, and the industry(what was left of the industry that is) would be completely PC driven.

Nintendo may have "saved" the industry but at the same time they nearly ruined it with their third party licensing policies.

[NeoZeedeater]

"What if" scenarios aren't facts. It's entirely possible that another console would have become popular. What is fact is that you can't save an industry that isn't dying. Video games in general were alive in the arcades and computers.

Nintendo obviously did a lot for the industry (both good and bad if you look objectively). They were highly influential in helping shape it and should be noted for what they did. That's not the same as saving it, though. A lot of people on the internet have misinformation about the "crash". They don't realize that there was never a point in the '80s where you couldn't walk into a mall and find a bunch of new game releases.

[GriskaGyoran]

*Gasp*

Do I sense a gap that Sega can come back into?

[TrekkiesUnite118]

*Gasp*

Do I sense a gap that Sega can come back into?

Maybe if they weren't in an equally dire financial situation as well.