The PS Vita isn’t even here yet and already some game developers are calling for a failed product and a launch that one is describing as “a car wreck.” How you can call a launch a failure before the product even ships is beyond me. The PS Vita is expected to hit Japan later this year and land in the US early next year. Lyle Hall and Matthew Seymour from Heavy Iron Studios are already predicting failure of the PS Vita.
Seymour is predicting the launch will be “a car wreck” because he believes that consumers are no longer interested in a device that does one thing. He thinks that consumers have spoken with their wallets and that the iPhone and Android devices that are able to play games and do many other things are what the consumer wants today. He may be right with the Nintendo 3DS having failed to catch consumer attention resulting in a giant price cut.
Hall thinks consumers won’t pay $299 for a PS Vita when they would not pay $249 for a 3DS. He has a good point there; Sony may need to rethink its price. I think many will agree that the thing keeping the 3DS from being popular right now isn’t so much the price as it is the fact that there are no cool games. The Vita might have a chance if it launches with a strong game lineup. The Heavy Iron duo say they want to see the Vita succeed, they simply think the portable has a hard road to travel.