PSVITA and The Console Port Trap
I don’t think I’ve heard anyone cheer a price announcement before. Especially one that’s actually, you know, pretty high. $249 isn’t actually cheap. But it is competitive. It would seem that Sony and Nintendo are switching up their standard hardware strategies this time around, and the fallout will be interesting.
Traditionally, Nintendo have always released relatively low-spec hardware with a solid software line-up, while Sony have fumbled around trying to cram as much hardware into their device as possible, then shoving it out at a price-point no one can afford.
This time things are different. Nintendo, for the first time, has launched a handheld with graphics tech as the biggest new feature, and the resulting price-point is way above what their previous offerings have been. Sony, meanwhile, have gone their usual route of cramming loads of power into a device, but this time they’ve priced it aggressively right next to Nintendo’s offering.
And with a currently pretty empty looking software line-up, a $249 3DS is looking a little hard to justify next to the Vita and ALL THAT STUFF it can do. Nintendo need to announce a decent slew of NEW games for the 3DS at their conference; with the Vita hitting in fall, possibly with new Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet games and original IP, N64 remakes might not cut it anymore.
The trap that Sony have to be careful to avoid falling into with Vita is the same one the PSP fell into and stayed mired in for a couple of years after launch; with graphical capabilities comparable to home consoles, it would be all too easy for developers to fill the platform full of console ports, effectively stifling any actual creative efforts anyone outside of Sony might put into the device.
Remember when the PSP had nothing but poorly-executed PS2 ports, haggard by terrible load-times and crippling control schemes? While the Vita looks much more capable of being able to handle accurate console ports, the platform needs games of its own, unique experiences that can’t be found on the PS3.
The cross-platform connectivity much touted by Sony is all well and good, and having what is effectively a PS3 you can fit in your pocket is certainly something. But if Vita is simply seen as an accessory to the PS3, a device to play your PS3 games on while you’re on the bus, then it’ll miss the opportunity to be a great device in its own right.
It didn’t work for the PSP, and it won’t work for the Vita. The only thing that saved the PSP from obsolescence was certain developers (Capcom) developing a keen understanding of the advantages of a portable platform, and designing an experience (Monster Hunter) that suited these specific portable traits.
Understanding the real draw of portable gaming is something Nintendo have always been best at. This time, however, they seem somewhat unsure of how to move forward, and there’s a real opportunity for Sony to take a larger stake in the handheld market. But it will require something other than ports of WipeOut and Ridge Racer, and ‘Uncharted-lite’ entries into existing console franchises.
