Joysticks are fine for me as well and I think the whole point of uncharted was to show the Vitas potential I've played far worse games on PSP and I still like the PSP. Maybe I'll feel different after completing it as it's probably my game with the lowest replay value but I'm still at the wow this is very pretty stage.
To the max? I turned it way down . I've had a couple of "dead stick" incidents with Rayman. I hope it's a software issue and not a defect with my unit. I should make it clear that I am liking the Vita in general. But 1) I'm not as big a fan as many folks around here; 2) it hasn't really changed my views on iOS gaming. For me the Vita is a home-console-replacement device. Home consoles don't really fit into my life, and it's nice to have a device to play big-budget games that doesn't need to be hooked up to a TV. What's so disappointing about Uncharted is that, objectively speaking, it fails so badly to measure up to real console games. Ninja Gaiden Sigma, which is a well-made port of the PS3 version, is more like I was expecting for my $40+ purchase. Rayman Origins is beautiful and imaginative in ways that, say, Super Mario 3D Land, wasn't. To be honest, though, it really does feel like a handheld game (which is what reviews of the console version said) and somewhat overpriced at $40. I have high hopes for Gravity Rush, but many of the other recent announcements leave me cold (not a Metal Gear Solid fan, I hate Phantasy Star, and so on). Silent Hill: Book of Memories sounds interesting, but the fact that it's being developed by a WayForward (known for their DS sidescrollers) suggests that it will be limited in scope and not quite the SH experience I know and love. Basically, if I'm paying console pricing, I want console gameplay, not the handheld equivalent. On the PSP the smaller scope was understandable, as the device was comparatively underpowered and lacked one stick -- the PS Vita is supposed to be a different beast altogether. I am afraid that the AAA logic of the console world is going to bite the Vita in the ass, and in the end what we'll see is small games overblown and overpriced, the odd console ports of varying quality, and a small defensive fan base that doesn't not make proper demands of the system. But I guess time will tell. I am curious to see what the NPD data shows, since Sony has been mum about actual US sales (the fact that Vitas are available for sale pretty much anywhere you look is not a good sign). Don't get me wrong: I want the Vita to succeed. After all, I sold my 3DS to get one, and I've already invested a bit of cash on it . @Teknikal: I've played way better games on the PSP, including Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (or whatever it was called in the PSP), both God of Wars (which look better, too, IMO), and Syphon Filter. Heck, I hated Resistance on the PSP and I still think it's a better game than Uncharted.
The Vita has changed my view on iOS gaming, and apparently others' as well. I find the cumbersome touchscreen the worst factor, at least for 'console-like' games. For example, I doubt we'll see Cod on Vita offering an option to walk with an on-screen joystick, fire button and swipe-to-aim.. Who wouldn't just use the buttons and and joystick for that? I mean, it's a whole lot easier, no? I really like Shadowgun for what it pulls off but it's really not enjoyable to deal with the controls anymore. Dead Space is a pretty good exception but it's so slow pace, it hardly matters if you fumble with the controls for the first 3/4 of the game. And I think the fact that you see the Vita as a home console replacement is a pretty telling sign. It's a portable console with high budget games. Their gonna cost more, as they cost a whole lot more to produce than on iOS where 'big budget' games typically sell for no more than 8 dollars, with constant 1$ sales. That is why I speculated on GL preferring to develop for the Vita, where they can comfortable raise the bar, ditch in-game purchases and sell their games for a fair price without devaluing their name. Btw, the Vita has an instal base of ~1.5 million (and growing) only two weeks after worldwide launch. ALL of these are gamers, unlike the iOS. I think the install base of iOS is generally overstated when looking at it from a gaming perspective since not all iOS devices are used for gaming. That is the benefit of developing for a console, IMO. Anyway, just rambling a bit but I think there's a point in there somewhere.
You wanna see something cringe-worthy? Find a copy of Perfect Dark Zero and slip that baby into you 360. Or find a copy of Ridge Racer 6. Do those look anything like modern 360 games? Or do they look like slightly upscaled original Xbox games? Perfect Dark Zero looks like an Xbox game with a bit of enhanced environmental texturing. Player models are ugly. I literally have seen better on the Xbox and Ps2. Point is, these are launch titles. First gen games. Extremely early games in the Vita's developmental cycle. What did you expect? Check out Splinter Cell 3D for the 3DS, then compare it to Resident Evil Revelations, and then imagine how far the Vita is liking to come in the next year in regards to system optimization. As far as a true console equivilent, well, it's a reasonable facsimile. But the $20 extra dollars is going to make a difference. As will the probability that established AAA franchise games are likely to sell between 5-10 million copies on a home console (at 59.99 a piece). Even HomeFront sold like 3 million at that price. The vast majority of Vita games will likely retail at $39.99, and will sell nowhere near 3 million copies, much less 5, or 10. Devs already know that going into the process, and will budget their overhead accordingly. The Vita will almost assuredly never see games that are as epic as 360 or Ps3 games at their highest end. You Have to be practical enough to temper your expectations, and I have. I agree that, whatever your portable alternative, that console gaming is a relic of the past. In the fast-paced world in which we live in, home console gaming is just too inconvenient. I have a 360 at home, collecting dust. I'd rather buy the PC version of console games and play them on my laptop.
Whether it fails, or succeeds (especially if it fails) the Vita is the closest thing we will ever see, in terms of BOTH hardware and software, to a home console gaming system that can fit in our pockets.
Actually, the last word from Sony is 1.2 million shipped, and that includes Japan, which has had the device for almost 4 months (and had the PSPs largest installed base). It may be educational for you to look up how many PSPs were sold in Japan during the same 4 months -- it was around 800,000. There were no lines on any Gamestops in my area on launch day, and even with the limited supply they were given (according to a manager I spoke with) there were no sellouts. At $40-50 a pop, you will find that after the initial hubbub most Vita gamers will be buying about 1 title a month. At less than 10,000,000 install base, that means that you will have one or two big hits, a few break-evens, and a whole lot of developers who will lose their shirts. Expect a bunch of cancellations or delays if sales don't pick up, particularly in Japan. For me, the Vita doesn't create any new "facts on the ground" that weren't already there with the PSP and the 3DS. What it does for me is give me the hope of playing console games without having to hook up a PS3 or XBox 360 to my TV (in fact, it was Rayman Origins that sold me on the unit -- I've been wanting to play it since I saw the first PS3 screenshots). The notion that we're supposed to be happy with "big-budget" handheld-level games is what I mean by the undemanding nature of the PS Vita fan base. Again, if you are paying console prices you should be getting console quality -- no ifs, ands, or buts. Uncharted is certainly not a console-quality game, not by a longshot. That's what killed the PSP for me -- basically I was constantly feeling ripped off by the games. My dream is that Sony and 3rd party publishers will do crossplatform titles and basically develop for the PS3 and PS Vita simultaneously. That's not going to happen unless the install base gets a lot bigger.
Games for the Vita cost less than games for home consoles. And if you follow vgchartz (I'm not sure how accurate they are), word is PSV is keeping up with the 3DS' sales. And I think we all know the PSV has little to no Japan centric games, where the 3DS currently owns that market at the time being. I feel like this has become an argument.. Another point: after a rough start, the 3DS is currently the fastest-selling handheld of all time. So yeah... I don't think you can count out a system based on its early stages. If sales alone help convince you that iOS is a superior platform, that's fine. I'll enjoy playing real games with real buttons, and leave iOS to what it does best, quick pick up and play sessions and cheap bargains -- with the rare exception of course.
I very much agree with your final sentiment (about having a console in your "pocket"), and your thinking about console gaming mirrors mine. But I don't think the Perfect Dark comparison holds. That was a generational change in consoles, and it's not surprising that the development skills were simply not there at the time. The PS Vita is supposed to bring PS3-level gaming to a handheld, and the expertise is all there to achieve that. In any event, Uncharted definitely looks the part -- it's the gameplay that's paltry. By comparison Ninja Gaiden doesn't quite look as good, but the gameplay is as robust as that of a full console game (which is what it is, after all). As to how developers/publishers budget their games, I would be surprised if they do a better job of it than they did with the PSP -- and a lot of them lost money on that market. @Madman: It's not an argument, it's just not a fanboy wank . As to "keeping up with the 3DS," that's nonsense, unless they are referring to initial sales. Last numbers from Japan showed the 3DS selling five or six times more units than the PSV (which has also been consistently outsold by the PSP).
If thats your view-how has Nintendo succeeded? Those are Console priced games that arent console quality... mario kart full priced? Ghost Recon at 3ds launch... Im sure there are loads more-gamers still buy them
There's a reason I don't own a 3DS anymore . And the 3DS market is basically behaving like the DS market, with a few 3rd party middling successes, many failures, and very strong sales for Nintendo first party titles. Personally, I didn't buy a single 3DS title that was worth the money (including Super Mario Land 3D, which I found creatively bankrupt compared to SM Galaxy 1 and 2). @Madman: Didn't know that. Let's see if that can be sustained -- it wasn't in Japan.
Have some faith, it's only been out a couple weeks worldwide and is by far the most capable handheld ever released. It's only a matter of time until people realize there are better things to look forward to than the yearly iPad.
I'm thinking of getting another game. I already have Uncharted and I'm debating between UMvC3 or Lumines. Which is better?
Well the Vita had all but sold out at all of the stores in my local shopping centre (I got the last one, or so the salesman told me), as had Rayman Origins Are there any PSP game that are a must buy? how are the GTA ones?
It's not a matter of faith, it's a matter of economic fact. Whatever technological advantage the Vita has will be gone in 6 months -- smartphones and tablets are moving way too fast. After that it's all going to be about the games. @Midian: according to reports, Phantasy Star 2 Online is only 25% done, so I wouldn't expect it for another year or so. A port of Monster Huntee will probably make a bigger difference, but I don't believe one has been announced. @Zoet: Sony shipped very small quantities on purpose at the launch. I regularly stop at three GameStops in the Boston area and all had ample supplies as of last week. Keep in mind that Japan sales dropped about 80% after the first two weeks, and as far as I know they haven't picked up since.
UMvC3, in my opinion. I'm not that into Lumines but I know a lot of people are. I've barely scratched the surface of all the gems in the library of PSP games but I'd be glad to help out if you'd give a rough idea of what types of games you prefer.. The GTAs on PSP have outstanding reviews from what I've seen and they're not stories you can play on consoles. If you have a PS3, MGS Peace Walker is a game transferable to the Vita, and it too has outstanding ratings. Also, the GoW games as well.
Here in UK alot of shops have sold out of a lot of games! Asda supermarket has only had Uncharted in stock for last few days-unless the orderers arent doing there jobs properly lol
