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Yeah, I definitely want to talk about the coming lineup. Now I know, obviously, you can't speak to what specifically is coming. I've been around long enough to know that you have to have a big splash at E3. That's how it is. What can you tell me about that? Because obviously, that's a question on people's minds.
SR: You said it yourself. Unfortunately, this is the part of these interviews that kills me, because you know I feel like I'm a gamer talking to a gamer and I just want to sit here and talk about everything I know that's coming out in the future, but I can't, is the bottom line. Just rest assured that there's a ton of things in development on both the first and third party fronts, and of course there'll be some fun announcements at E3, but there's a lot of goodness to come in the next couple of years, for sure, on the PlayStation Vita.
You said you've been working very strategically for the past three years to get the software lineup running, and it can't have all been culminating in launch, I assume.
SR: No, not at all. I think that there are some that argue that we may even have too much lined up at launch, but I know we've got a lot more in the works.
Again, referencing what you talked about for PSP, I think that there were too many droughts of killer titles. There were too many long droughts, and I think we recognized that. And we've put a serious investment into our long-term PS Vita plans, so there's a lot of stuff in the works.
Something else you have going on with this that you didn't have on the PSP and, I think, even more so than you do perhaps on the PS3, is you have different levels of games.
You have smaller, more bite-sized things in sort of the Mini vein, closer to an iOS title. You have PSN-level notable games, and you have retail games. How are you managing that portfolio, and what are your attitudes towards the different tiers, and what you need to hit?
SR: Well, I think it goes even more beyond that, when you look at there are even different tiers at retail, and that's something that's different than what we've done in the past, on consoles. And the bottom line is something that you hit on earlier: we want to have a very broad experience. We want people to eventually be purchasing very inexpensive games on the Vita, just really simple experiences, or even downloading you know free apps like Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare, things along those lines, because it's definitely a part of the portable experience that's kind of par of the course these days.
But the bottom line is it's not something that worries us. We're not sitting here with a portfolio on a giant wall in a war room saying, "Okay, we need 10 of these small games, and 10 of these medium-sized games, and 10 of these large games." That's not the way we're working this. We're actually looking at each experience individually and saying, "Is this something unique? Is this something that's special that we can bring to the market?"
And if so, and if we can wedge it into my annual software development budget, then we pull it off, and I think that that's something that we're very proud of -- that the experiences are incredibly diverse. I mean, you're not going to find a platform that has something like Sound Shapes or Escape Plan on that level, and then all the way up to a premium sports experience like MLB or like FIFA that EA is going to come out with, or Uncharted or Resistance: Burning Skies. You're not going to have that diversity anywhere else. It's something we're very proud of.
Sound Shapes
What do you think about the importance of new IP to driving interest in a system? Because you spoke earlier about how Nintendo's 3DS really did pick up, and I agree with you that this happened when Mario and Mario Kart hit it. It wasn't new IP that got people really interested in the 3DS. What do you think?
SR: It's always an interesting mix, and that's why we're trying a selection of different things. And there's still things to come, over the upcoming months, that do introduce new IP on the Vita. But it's always going to be a mix, and I think that you have to have new IP.
The new platform launch is, without a doubt, the best opportunity to launch a new IP. If you were to launch Sound Shapes in year three or four of the Vita, it could easily get lost in the crowd, and people would never notice. But when it's out there six months before, at all the preview launch title events, and when it's out there as one of the few new titles that are available on the PlayStation Store, it's going to get a lot more buzz that way. I think it's important to sell the merits of the system with new IP.
The press has released its reviews of the final U.S. hardware. There has been any number of articles in the last couple days about what people think about the system. I wouldn't want to pull out, necessarily, a dominant thread, but you definitely see a lot of, "This is a really nice piece of hardware, but can it really succeed? I'm not sure. The market's changed too much." Does that bother you? Are you sick of hearing about it? How true do you think that kind of assessment is?
SR: Well, it certainly doesn't bother me, or concern me, because that's just the press doing their job, right? Everyone has to evaluate anything that comes out, whether it's in our industry or not, and there's always going to be pros and cons for any device that comes out.
The reason I can speak with so much confidence about the Vita is because I love to play games on any device. I've seen it for the last couple of months, where we've had our early test retail devices on hand, and I'm just telling you, anyone that gets it in their hands that is a gamer, you can't get this experience on anything else that's available out there. So when you get it into the hands of people, they are going to enjoy it.
Will that be a quick escalation to the top of the market in mobile? Will it be a longer curve before more people get involved with the PlayStation Vita? That's to be determined. But what I know is that the software that's out there from first, and the stuff that's coming from third, is a great, great lineup. The machine itself is excellent. The features that are coming online are only going to get better over the next couple of years, so you know, it's just not something that I'm overly concerned about at all.
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"And you saw the same phenomenon in Japan, when Monster Hunter took hold for the PSP. Very late in the lifecycle, that machine just took off like crazy."
Here, I wonder, what he means, the first Monster Hunter was released on december 1st 2005, twelve months after the launch of the console, that's not what I would call "very late in the lifecycle", the PSP had it's japan killer app right away.
The success of Monster Hunter Portable was the basis, Capcom worked on with the later incarnations, till Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. It was already a phenomenal success in it's first PSP incarnation, but to say it's the reason, why the PSP sales took of at a certain point is much to simple.
In fact, in the 12 months following the launch of Monster Hunter Portable the sales for the PSP fell, compared to the 12 months before. later they rised, but there where much more factors involved, besides Monster Hunter.
"with the experience that you're missing from having those tactile controls like the sticks and buttons, it's a totally different experience."
"you're going to need some of those traditional controls that all touch device just can't offer. And again, if you're paying for a device that only has touch controls and you're paying what you're going to pay for a dedicated gaming console, I think the hardcore group is still going to lean towards the portable consoles."
"I think the tradeoff when you go to a tablet device is that you don't get those controls. So you can secretly play your games, if you will, but you're missing out on the full gaming experience that is available with the dedicated consoles."
LINK1:
http://www.ebgames.com/tablets/asus-transformer-prime-32gb-grey-tablet-bundle/98
405
LINK2:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/02/03/sony-tablet-s-adds-playstation-controller
-support
LINK3:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/245762/onlive_now_on_android_tablets_ios_devices_
soon.html
PAGE3:
"And then I can guarantee you that if a Skyrim-style experience is going to come onto those platforms, it's not going to be for 99 cents."
LINK4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypQIJzP145Y
LINK5:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rockstar.gta3&hl=en
Price of GTA3 on Android, $4.99 Deconstructing the argument for Vita, priceless.
+ The average user probably wont want to jump through the hoops of syncing a PS3 controller to an android tablet (assuming they have a tablet that is compatible with the app you are suggesting to use).
+ It seems inconvenient to whip out your 7 inch tablet and prop it up on your lap in a bus while you play with a PS3 controller. A compact, easily portable form factor seems like an obvious benefit in this case.
+ I wouldn't consider GTA3 (a 10 year old PS2 game) running at an inconsistent 20FPS (judging by the video) with a jury rigged control scheme a "Skyrim-style" experience.
I'm not saying that tablet gaming will never offer an experience comparable to current portable console (or home console) experiences, but I think Scott is right in saying the current state of tablet gaming doesn't compete with traditional consoles when it comes to controls, depth and polish.
I will concede that the pricing model for new "premium" games for the vita/3ds (or any console for that matter) is too expensive, but that is what amazon deals are for.
I would also argue that the number of people willing buy a tablet with built in controllers or use a separate PS3 controller with the tablet would be far less than those willing to buy a dedicated gaming system with the controller built in to it ala Vita.
And then, after you've got your controller, how are you going to hold the tablet while you're gaming portably? And if you're not playing portable games, why on earth did you buy a $500 tablet (twice the price of the Vita) to game on with a controller? It'd have to be the least cost effective controller-enabled option available.
And, of course, if you're buying a $500 device to play games on with touchscreen, are you really going to be looking for ports with relatively clunky (compared to stick and button controls) of a game that's more than 10 years old? Comparing an 11-year old game for a last-gen system, with Skyrim, is just plain ridiculous.
As is not being able to see the difference between touch-based tablet/smartphone gaming and sticks and buttons. Apart from the tactile feel and the far better response of sticks to touch-based virtual sticks, it's also far easier for the fingers to access a greater range of controls quickly than it is with touch only (Dead Space on mobile is a great example - it's a great game, if you play it on the Xperia play - it's a clunky game with a great atmosphere if you play it with touch).
And, as before, if you're hooking up a controller to your smartphone/tablet, it's starting to look somewhat less portable (hard to hold both at once ;)), and it's expensive enough as a portable option, without being a ridiculously expensive non-portable one!
I don't think its arguable that within a few years tablets will at least come close to the Vita in terms of processing power. The point is not that GTA3 is a game on par with Skyrim---its that tablets already have the processing power to emulate what was arguably one of the biggest 3D games of the decade. What does that say about the long term relevance of the Vita's specs?
I hear the arguments about portability, but the Vita itself is not a very svelte device. And I think the point you're missing is about containment. The fact is that if a superior controller experience is available on your tablet, that's one more reason not to carry around a dedicated gaming handheld. Maybe you're on a bus and can't set up a wireless controller at that moment. But then what can you do with a tablet that you can't do with your Vita? Get access to cheap high quality touch games, check your email, etc.
On the price, I would say again that the Vita is not that cheap. We know that at least right now, if you want to buy a 32gb memory stick for the Vita---which is comparable to the tablet bundle I cited---you add $100 to the hardware cost. The core hardware will definitely come down over time, but that does damper the value proposition.
Its also worth pointing out that if third party controllers meant for consoles at home are compatible with tablets now, it isn't hard to imagine more streamlined controllers coming out. With the Vita being such a gated device, I think its going to be hard to compete with such diverse platforms in the long run.
The GTA III version for Android and iOS is not an emulation, but a port. And, I played it on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 a clumsy one with an inconsistent framerate and terrible touch controls. Didn't played it with a gamepad, but gamepad support for Android devices is not very comfortable anyway.
What does that mean? Game pads for the Android are the same ones you play console games with. And it tethers wirelessly just like a console, so its the exact same play experience with a smaller screen size. And how does GTA3 being a port detract from my argument? Its still one of the most popular games of all time, and its a full 3D sandbox game. What happens when tablets can all run PS2 caliber games perfectly?
It will be interesting to see the new Project Diva game from Sega for the Vita. Many people are hoping that it includes AR capability.
As far as the tablet argument, I think that he was technically accurate in saying that playing Skyrim on a tablet isn't a 99 cent experience. Tablets are very expensive. I mean, I look at a tablet with a base cost of at least $400-$500, plus maybe $100-$200 more if I really want a powerful machine (and no accessories/plugins), and then I look at a full scale gaming laptop for $1100... well, it's pretty obvious which one is the better buy at this point. Compared to $300-$350 for the Vita with dedicated gaming controles, it's pretty obvious which one is superior for gaming. Also, games like Skyrim have much better control with keyboard and mouse than game controllers.
If tablets drop in price but have the same capabilities, we'll see. Right now, they are only for a certain specific market segment (i.e., one who doesn't want a full scale gaming laptop for whatever reason).
Same problem with smart phones... they are far too expensive for anyone who doesn't use the phone very much (or at all, really).
The current market reminds me of back when cell phones first started going mainstream. Within a few years, cell phones dropped way down in price (like 10% of what they were several years earlier).
I think it all depends on how the market evolves and what the various needs are for specific segments. As he said, we'll have to see.
I personally think that poor marketing is what really hurt the PSP and piracy the second.
Their ads are either controversial(psp b/w) or just plain annoying(marcus), most of the times they just don't bother advertising at all(Ghost of Sparta.)
Also compared to Ms and Nintendo, Sony's the only company that is relying on 3rd parties to sell their consoles/handhelds. Uncharted and GT are good and all but they're not system sellers like Halo or Mario. Specially in Japan where they have nothing that interest the people there.
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To start with, I am looking forward to the improvements that the PS Vita brings to handheld gaming, and am especially pleased to hear that they've taken precautions to avoid the game drought that both the PSP and PS3 experienced. Nonetheless, I'm concerned with Sony's habit of offering more options than will likely be supported by either themselves or the developers, which is something that the Vita is at risk of as well. On the one hand, I understand how such an approach grants flexibility to the pre-launch hype that has preceded both the PS3 and the original PSP, and how it makes the systems seem closer to being a "Renaissance system" than a specialized piece of technology.
However, it seems to me that as the life cycle progresses for a Sony system, there's always several "innovative" ideas that were originally announced that are subsequently underutilized or abandoned, which makes me skeptical on exactly how much of what is being offered will actually last. Some examples come to mind in particular:
[PSP]
- Remote Play sounds like what they're advertising in the MLB commercial right now. Too bad it was so incredibly poorly supported by anything that actually mattered like most games and movies
- Was to function as a controller for the PS3. I don't know of anyone who used it though.
- You could play multiplayer games with others who had a PSP nearby, but it was a miracle if you could find a person that both owned a PSP and the game you were playing.
- Microphone & VoIP. I need to research what percent of the systems total game sales used the microphone, but I sense the answer is "negligble." And who the hell used it as a phone replacement?
- You could browse the internet, so long as you're comfortable with using a joystick to navigate pages and can make due with the atrocious virtual keyboard that Sony still implements
- You can watch videos on it, which was a big pro over the DS, but is universal amongst smartphones and tablets now
- You could read Marvel digital comics on it. Oh wait, that was discontinued.
- TV output, in case you want to show everyone in the room what you're playing. Otherwise, why?
- With the PSPGo and Vita announcements, you were supposed to be able to convert or trade your UMD's for digital versions of the game on the newer system. Both were canned stateside due to lack of demand, which I can understand.
- PSPRoom, something like a PSP approach to Playstation Home, which I honestly didn't even know about until looking it up just now.
[PS3]
- Backwards compatibility, which only lasted for first generation
- Region free, which while technically true, is still largely restricted according to whether your television uses NTSC or PAL standards. All-in-all, though a minor positive.
- Can use the Playstation Eye to play games. A carryover from the PS2 where it was hardly used, same here, but seems like it's being targeted for resurgence as a Kinect-esque feature for Sony's next console generation. Not sure if I'd rather have that or the 3D visor.
- Can use PSMove instead of standard controller, which already seems to be falling to the wayside a bit due to news about the PS Eye.
- Sixaxis controllers, originally the standard that Sony felt warranted removing the Dualshock feature. And yet, Dualshock controllers remain the norm, and I can't remember the last time that Sixaxis was used in a PS3 game to any significant purposes.
- Playstation Home. Woo 19 million total downloads! Why can't I find out its MAU or DAU though?
I don't honestly expect every game to incorporate every feature. But the usefulness of a given feature is only as great as the game(s) that best implements it. And though I love games made by smaller, independent companies, I'm confident that the lion's share of the best-selling games will be from major studios rehashing existing intellectual properties, which indicates what the majority of peoples memory of playing with the system will be. It is upon these games, how fun they are and how well they use these new inputs, that Vita's success/value/longevity depend upon.