UFC Trainer dev: PS Vita "a car wreck"

[BoyBettaKnow]

The PlayStation Vita launch will be "a car wreck", believes UFC Personal Trainer creator Heavy Iron Studios."If people aren't willing to pay $249 for a Nintendo 3DS why would they pay $299 for Vita?" Heavy Iron president Lyle Hall told GamesIndustry.biz.
"People don't want to carry more than one thing in their pocket, that's why Android and iPhone have done so well, they are the devices of choice, they offer multiple functions outside of gaming.
"People don't want it."
Industry veteran (2K Games, Microsoft Game Studios) and new Heavy Iron signing Matthew Seymour added: "With all due respects to Sony and Vita, it's a car wreck. And how about Xperia Play? I'd love to pull up the numbers on that."
Sony couldn't convince the world about its digital-only version of PSP, the PSPgo. And Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play - "the first PlayStation certified Android smartphone" - has had a muted arrival.
More recently, Nintendo has struggled to find an audience for 3DS - prompting a huge price cut that was brought into effect last Friday, 12th August.
The handheld market, according to Heavy Iron, has moved on."The technology is sweet," said Lyle Hall of the PS Vita. "I'm a huge fan of mobile technology. But I just don't know there's a market out there any more for the hardware. I can't see why you would want to put a device out that only does games.
"The consumer has spoken," he added. "We wanted to see that world exist - more players, more opportunities for us - but at the same time people don't want that.
"Unless there's a super technology paradigm shift it's not going to shift back."
The PlayStation Vita launches in Japan this year and in Europe and North America early 2012.

Source
Make of it what you will. I think he is right in a sense. I know i wont enjoy carrying both my iPhone and any other devices i have but then i wont be taking my Vita everywhere i go. It will probably only get used of long journeys really

[mickice]

People aren't willing to pay for a 3Ds because it's main feature is a gimmick. Thats the honest truth to it all. PS Vita Takes all the complaints the PSP got and pretty much wipes the floor clean of them.
You want 2 thumbsticks? You got it. You want better thumbsticks? You got it. You want a touch screen? We have one of those too. And so on.
Nintendo did VARY little to upgrade from the DS to the 3Ds. Must be why average joe consumer are confused as headless chickens.
Without even touching one let alone seeing on in person, PS Vita is already the king of handhelds.

For the phone argument, not everyone has the latest phones. Some people still use old black and white 2G Nokia's.

I'd take a gaming handheld over a phone anyday.

[F34R]

People like us, mick, are in the minority though.. that's basically what this is about. I disagree about 3ds's main feature being a gimmick. Anyways... He has some points, and they are his opinion.

[Beast of Bourbon]

Hmm should i buy a 800$ smartphone so i can play 3dollar games with it or a psv so i can play uncharted and other gameseries that i already know and love?

Imo smartphonegames and "real" handheldgames are 2 different markets.
There are other reasons for 3DS's downfall.... like no f*ing games

[Nitey]

It won't be a car wreck. That's for sure.

It'll appeal to people like us, as you mentioned F34R. It should also appeal to techheads as well, obviously. I feel it all depends on how Sony advertise this beast, if people just think its JUST an upgraded psp, perhaps they wont bite very hard at launch(even though PSP sold pretty darn well)

He's sure as hell entitled to his own opinion and I suppose there had to be some negative press about the Vita and it's future, it's only natural, when you consider how much praise it has been getting from other developers and the sheer amount of 3rd party that are onboard. Infact the 3rd party that have commited to the platform should be indication enough of how others in the industry feel about Vita and it's chances/potential

[Ixion]

I definitely agree. I really don't see the Vita, or any other dedicated gaming handheld, succeeding with the presence of smart phones around.

[Beast of Bourbon]

...but they have no buttons, how can you play without buttons?

[R3D D3V!L]

He mentions the Xperia Play but that is a phone and has gaming buttons. What's his reasoning for that being a failure then?

[Gregorious]

Mr. Hall sounds a bit bitter, and understandably so. Something tells me we won't be seeing UFC trainer on a handheld. F34R had it right the 3DS is cheap gimmick, but that's kinda Nintendo's shtick. The VITA will have to meet some high expectations that I agree.

[Nitey]

That the vita and smartphones and 3ds and such are all in the same market.
That and he doesnt have space in his wee pockets

[n@ruto-kun]

People like us, mick, are in the minority though.. that's basically what this is about. I disagree about 3ds's main feature being a gimmick. Anyways... He has some points, and they are his opinion.

Smartphone occupies only 15% of the cellphone market. And it's not true that people don't want to carry more than one device in their pocket otherwise ipads and google tablets are not selling.

Cellphone gaming has been around even before the advent of smartphones. Snakes, and the multitude of games available through download. What Apple and Google has done however was the creation of a unified market for an easier downloading of games.

Casual gaming has been around since the PSP and DS. Sure there will be people satisfied with phone gaming, the casual gamers. The hardcore gamers obviously won't. The question is how big is the market? We can agree to disagree all day about it, but I definitely won't look at the 3DS numbers to justify that the hardcore market is shrinking especially when the 5-year old PSP is outselling it.

Casual gaming is a huge market hands down, but it's relativity to the size of the hardcore market doesn't matter as long as the hardcore market can sustain a profitable business.

Hardcore gaming would be a niche in the smartphone world. Precisely because people use phones to make phones and contacts. Unless battery technology progresses exponentially to provide at least 2 days worth of smartphone usage, hardcore gaming on cellphone will continue to be a niche market and shall be limited to games in the likes of Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, where all that matters is 5-minute distraction.

[jj03]

i'll take my gs2 over the vita....its.many functions (including actual games that use the dual core exynos..coming soon...) just make.it so i only need one device..and i travel upto 5 hours a day.

sent from my galaxy S2.

[Rtc]

I don't see how people think smartphones will make an end of dedicated handheld gaming systems.
The only smartphone I see making it really good as a gaming system is the iPhone only because every iPhone 4 is the same specs so it's easer to make a phone for millions.
You have android phone anywhere from 600mhz processor to 1.2 dual core how can u make a game for all unless angry birds and little very addicting games like that.

[Royals]

I'll take the Vita with all those great looking games over smart phone games anyday.

[R3D D3V!L]

I wonder if there will ever be a Vita phone?

[LfCpS3]

i'll take my gs2 over the vita....its.many functions (including actual games that use the dual core exynos..coming soon...) just make.it so i only need one device..and i travel upto 5 hours a day.

sent from my galaxy S2.

Well enjoy angry birds HD and other games THAT only work on touch screen phones ( which are just 50p games that only last 2 hours and do not last up to 5 hours)

[F34R]

Well enjoy angry birds HD and other games THAT only work on touch screen phones ( which are just 50p games that only last 2 hours and do not last up to 5 hours)

I disagree. Even labeled as "casual" games, you can spend hours upon hours playing these games to completion. With achievements, add-on levels, etc., being developed on these games, they tend to be played even longer than "hardcore" handheld games. They cost less, provide entertainment, more accessible, etc.

[Soldier 95B]

I agree with Vita being a car wreck, as I figured the 3DS would be a car wreck as well. The mobile platform is moving to tablets and mobile phones.

[F34R]

I think Vita is going to be a powerhouse, and as long as good games come out for it, I don't care if I'm the only one who has it lol.

[Acid Snake]

I never took my psp anywhere and the same would apply for the vita. I never really cared for playing games while outside,

[SnowHawk]

I think Vita is going to be a powerhouse, and as long as good games come out for it, I don't care if I'm the only one who has it lol.

Well me and you will have one.

[F34R]

Well me and you will have one.

Oh man, that will be the day to put in the books; you and I playing our vitas together.

[The Black Wolf]

I'll buy the Vita just to game. That's what I bought my 3DS for as well. As for gaming on a cell phone, it just isn't the same as playing a handheld gaming device.

What I don't get about this article is the Vita doesn't just do game. You can probably listen to music and watch movies on it just like the PSP. Good games and features like that make the Vita a worthy investment for me.

[SnowHawk]

Oh man, that will be the day to put in the books; you and I playing our vitas together.

Hell yeah, can't wait for that day.

[tbx59]

the 3ds does not differentiate itself from the ds and was twice the price. The vita will be a gadget/fan boy device