PlayStation Vita has "a better chance" of success than Nintendo's troubled 3DS, reckons EA Labels president Frank Gibeau.
"I think that part of the videogame business is tough right now because they have had some significant competition come in that was totally disruptive, and that was the smartphone," Gibeau said.
"I think [Sony has] got a shot because they have some really unique innovation in the control scheme, the technology and the screen. It's got a lot of social features now so that you can actually communicate with your friends and be social.
"You can't ring them up by putting the device up to your ear but in general I think they've got most of the capabilities that you'd find in a smart phone, with some unique capabilities that make them stand out."
The EA Labels president said Vita's software line-up will have the edge on Nintendo's handheld.
"I don't think they're quite in the same boat as the 3DS... the 3DS was a really interesting piece of technology but I think there was some confusion over it and the title slate was a little different," he said.
"I think Vita has a better chance because it has a stronger title slate at launch. PSP's had a great run in Europe as a device, it seems to have reached a much larger audience here than it did in North America. So I think they've got a good shot. We're going to publish a few games on it and see how it develops."
In the same interview, the EA Labels president told CVG the publisher is looking to re-imagine and bring back "a couple" of classic franchises.
Comments
35 comments so far...
me4pd on 25 Aug '11 said:
Yeah probably. People don't seem to like Nintendo anymore. Mind you. Maybe they never did and I was too busy enjoying N64, GC, Wii etc to notice.
But also, the 3DS was rushed. It should never have launched this year. Well maybe in time for christmas. Instead of giving up half of his ridiculous corporate salary Iwata should probably go. Bring back Emperor Yamauchi! At least when Europe got stuff 8 years late in the past it was bloody good stuff. 3DS is just a mess at the moment. (I have a 3DS).
Dewin on 25 Aug '11 said:
The Vita is a clear followup to the PsP. Everything is better on the device and A LOT more powerful. The 3DS is more of a sidegrade then an upgrade. It is faster than a DS, but on par with a PsP. Its more of a DS 1.5 with 3D. And for that price, short batterylife and not enough good games it is not that great (at least, until the AAA games arive). I asked my 60 year old aunt, who has a DS, if she liked the 3DS. She thought it was like the Dsi and DSXL. The same handheld but with a 3d gimmick. She doesn't even know its more powerful. They should have called it the DS2 3D or something.
deepbluerd on 25 Aug '11 said:
I have to say I wasnt big on the Wii buy I was Dire hard for my DS Pokemon all the way. But the 3DS just doesnt seem worth it. PSV however ill buy one no matter what.
photoboy on 25 Aug '11 said:
Isn't it a bit premature for EA to be saying Vita has a better launch line up than the 3DS when the Vita launch titles haven't been confirmed yet? For all we know Uncharted, Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance, etc could all be delayed to 6 months after launch. In fairness though, I get the impression Sony have been quietly building Vita and its launch titles for quite some time and are actually ready for this launch, whereas Nintendo seemed to throw the 3DS together in a panic when they realised DS and Wii sales were flattening.
milky_joe on 25 Aug '11 said:
I wouldn't be surprised to find out that EA said similar things about the PSP back in 2004.
MattyR95 on 25 Aug '11 said:
I was going to get a 3DS quite early, but I thought i'd better wait and see what people really though of it. Glad I waited now.
I think the fact that vita has twin analog sticks and COD is going on it (probably most other shooters as well), will win loads of people over.
sakaspuds on 25 Aug '11 said:
the vita looks a good bit of kit, but is it what consumers want from a portable in 2011/2012 which lets face it, is a smartphone, (does lots of things well enough, but not a 100% gaming device) imagine an ipod touch with 2 analog sticks, thats where its at the first company to do it wins, games and apps (download only) 90% mini games for a few quid, because a lot of people only have 10-20 mins at a time to devote to gaming on the go, or when youre at home via cable or wifi whatever, you can send bigger titles to it, with tv out and a wireless controller too, actually apart from the analog sticks thats an ipod/ipad/iphone basically the size on an ipod touch with analog sticks and youre onto a winner, i think you look like a nerd if you whip out a ds 3ds psp or vita, but everyone has a phone right?
buffig on 25 Aug '11 said:
As long as Sony makes any kind of profit I dont think they should concern themselves with sales of the Vita compared with anything else. The question isnt how this stacks up against phones for the general public, its more a case of how it stacks up against a phone for a gamer. If enough gamers are interested then it should take care of itslef. It's like ferarri stopping making cars because ford focus are more popular.
MD1500 on 25 Aug '11 said:
Well, they would say that.
You only have to look at the shovelware they released for the 3DS at launch.
Lame Sims port for £40 anyone?
Serebii on 25 Aug '11 said:
I'd like to see these innovative controls and technology of which he speaks... Based on everything shown, it seems to be the same controls and just stronger technology.
While the 3DS does struggle with differentiation issues from the DS, it is not a "DS 1.5". The DSi technically was as it had faster processor etc. from the DS. The 3DS is clearly the followup specwise, they aren't incremental upgrades, they are massively significant.
sakaspuds on 25 Aug '11 said:
youre right, but they dont really make money from hardware, (unlike supercars) they need software sales in big numbers, and the only way to do that is by having a very large customer base,
at some point you have to cater for the masses, not always at the expence of the hardcore minority, i know its not easy to be all things to all people, but the more you have to offer the more sales they will get...
it has to be relatively inexpensive to get people on board day 1 and have a hell of a lot of quality games, but also try to break into the casual 'smartphone' market to get the new users interested, even a very casual gamer will invest in core titles once they get into it, you have to see the big picture, i hope it sells well and sony start to make some serious money from something like the old ps1 days, i think they dont back the hardware long enough to get a decent return, this also unsettles the consumer because they dont want to invest in a system that could be updated in 6 months time,
how many different psp style devices do sony have/had? 5 psp's theres the phone ones xperia play, the vita, might be more than that i'm no expert on hand helds, but the point is, if sony believes in vita they need to back it completely, and pump out lots of games, and they cant touch the hardware for at least 5 years, make price cuts when possible, but not at the expense of removing features, and stop with the psp 1 year after vita is out, maybe offer special trade ins when upgrading a psp to a vita, that could be handy, because they are flogging a dead horse and confusing the public backing 2 very similar devices
oOo ZOMBIE oOo on 25 Aug '11 said:
The fact that the VITA has a better spec and probably much better games wont really matter as the majority of the public who unlike us game fans will allways plump for nintendo over the sony brand .
For one reason nintendo marketing is allways of a mucher higher quality and saturation.
Another reason is the majority of people who where non gamers but now play ds's is huge even my kids grans and grandads have a ds so it stands to reason that the 3ds will eventually follow suit
And my final reason for thinking no matter how better the vita is technically and how much better the games are you can never bet against nintendos might!
jtthegame on 25 Aug '11 said:
More putting your head up sonys backside hey EA. stop it now EA. please start behaving like a third party like you are ment to be
MD1500 on 25 Aug '11 said:
I recall them saying similar things about the GBA and the DS....
AJDarkstar on 25 Aug '11 said:
The 3DS was rushed, I've always said it. With the eShop and a major launch title like Mario Kart 7, it would have flown off the shelves at launch.
I love Ocarina and Starfox 64, but I can't help buy feel they should have been more complete packages - SF64 should have included the SNES game as a bonus, even if not graphically enhanced, and Ocarina should have been bundled with Majora and/or Wind Waker (both direct sequels).
The Vita will have the same issues - many games are PS3 side-steps akin to the PSP GTA stories, or remakes, and that's all people will see. The tech allows near-PS3 games, so people won't see the point of buying it. And as Nintendo have just proven, £230 is too much for a handheld - and most retailers were selling 3DS way below that (I got mine for £178 the day before launch with a game!)
I was playing Ocarina the other day, and marvelled as I realised that nothing on my iPhone comes close, in terms of gameplay, visual style (I honestly think the graphics look far nicer than the majority of iOS games) or content. It's nice to play a 'proper' handheld game rather than 69p phone fodder.
eXciSioNz on 25 Aug '11 said:
everything 'has a better chance' than a 3ds
gideonseer on 25 Aug '11 said:
Not one of my mates are interested in the 3DS, everyone is excited about Vita. Even though they think it'll have a price just a bit steep, I don't know anyone who wouldn't splash out if they can. I was keen on 3DS, then tried one a few times in HMV and Asda. Underwhelmed is the word I'd use. Problem with 3D effect for me is that it effectively has one fixed viewing position, any variation and you lose the picture. For me the 3D really needs a bigger screen as well. And it really doesn't have the games yet. Roll on Vita!
alan666 on 25 Aug '11 said:
hmm i seem to remember some bloke from EA saying that Fifa 12 3DS was the best version of the game on any console gameplay-wise.
kimoak on 25 Aug '11 said:
Well I bought a 3DS and I am not going to get a vita. I am not made of money.
I'm more of a casual gamer when it comnes to portable, but not casual enough to be just reliant on a phone.
liveswired on 25 Aug '11 said:
3DS is a clear followup to DS and I think somehow asking a 60year old about games is ridiculus - she'd probably believe the Vita was a PSP - it doesn't look much different from the PSP afterall.
The 3DS has Dual Arm 11s, 128MB FCRAM@3.2ghz, Dual Pica A200s, plus a 800x240 3D screen and a 320x240 touch screen. It's a pretty meaty handheld - its 2-3x more powerful than Wii. The Wii was more powerful than Gamecube, Gamecube more powerful than PS2, PS2 more powerful than PSP - there is a definite difference. unfortunately due to being kicked out the door - developers ended up kicking unfinished games out the door to hit the launch sales. But look at the recent Resi Snow demo - that game that sits right up there with the Vita titles in terms of stunning visuals. Mario 3D land and Mario 7 are alread looking much sweeter than their console cousins - with months left in development.
You can't compare titles that push one handheld console to the limits to titles that have been rushed out the door. The quick and dirty port Resi Mercernaries looks better than all PSP games as does SF4 - so there are exceptions.
Now lets look at those specs - the DSi has an old Arm running at 133mhz, 16mb ram and 256 × 192 pixel screens, with ps1 style graphics - side upgrade my ass.
3DS is obviously not as powerful as a Vita, but it's more powerful than Wii and definitely beyond PSP territory and features. Give it time.
Anyways, like it or not - anyone that makes claims like that about a 3DS is clearly someone who does not own one.
liveswired on 25 Aug '11 said:
ah yes - so you're one of these handheld gamers that flails their arms about, jumps up and down and runs around a room while playing a game? Have you tried Ocarina of Time or even Pilotwings - two titles that feature amazing 3D depth? Funnily enough I hear very few 3DS owners having any difficulty using the 3D.
Look at it this way - I could go into a store when Vita comes out, play a boring part of a good game or even play a poor game and claim it's underwelming and not buy one - it's not a good excuse. But yes - the 3DS does not have the games that really show it off yet - in time they will come! Just look at the ps3 - it took a year before any really good titles started to arrive - but there where many like you writing it off - often with the same excuse - underwelming.
The same people criticise 3D games on ps3 - they work - but the fact is there alot of myth and rubbishing of technology just because people don't own it.
liveswired on 25 Aug '11 said:
PS Vita is really a Playstation ipod (Obviously more powerful and better controls)
What people are forgetting that like an iPod - half of that RAM and processing will be reserved for social networking features and Apps that will continue to run in the background. Sony will be aiming to chew a good chunk out of the iPod market share which I hope it does.
3DS is a handheld games machine - that's dedicated to games alone.
At the end of the day people who are aiming to get a Vita don't really have a reason to dis the 3DS and likewise because both are aiming to capture quite different markets and are both excellent pieces of technology.
Fr33Kye on 25 Aug '11 said:
It's not.
Some say you just get used to holding your head there without thinking about it.
Yes the vita has 512 mb because of all the other features it's running in the background but to say that they are not in direct competition is a little ridiculous.... The 3ds has netflix and 3d video. ? They are pretty much going for the same market. You can have both of course, but they are largely the same market.
Odd thing to say, must be good on the 3ds, but hardly relevant.
O.o
O.o He just says it has a better chance. Relax...
BACK TOUCH PAD FOR SOME ODD REASON! WOOO. ODD DESIGN CHOICES YEA!!!
Sony f**king suck at marketing, but nintendo are kind of lost in that area because of brand confusion. They switched from "3D IS AWESOME" to, "the next gen is here."
....and that's all.
gideonseer on 26 Aug '11 said:
@liveswired Yes, I love to play games whilst flailing my arms about, jumping up and down, frequently hanging upside down from the ceiling light and bouncing off the walls...before the men in white coats come to give me my medicine.
Your experience is different to mine. I have tried Pilotwings several times precisely for the purpose of seeing if I was drawn in by the 3D effect. I was bored with it quickly. Sure there are people who will love it but I'm not one of them yet. If a game comes out that blows me away with the 3D then I'll change my mind but for now I'm not sold on it.
I haven't ever rubbished the technology, just needs to have better games. Even Street Fighter which is supposed to be one of the best 3D games wasn't that great for me.
I don't recall writing 3DS off, I said not one of my mates was interested in it and I was underwhelmed myself. That's stating a personal opinion, not writing it off. Just saying that for now its not for me.
I could indeed play a boring Vita game in some store and be underwhelmed by it. However what Sony seems (although no proof yet) to be getting right and Nintendo are admitting they got wrong, is to have some great games available for launch.
Pilotwings 3DS versus Uncharted or Resistance Vita? Unless the games for Vita are truly rubbish, I think Vita will win hands down.
And I'm not a Sony fanboy, just in case anyone thinks that, in fact when I had to sell either my Xbox 360 or PS3 to raise cash, I sold the PS3.
liveswired on 26 Aug '11 said:
lol, I take it the medicine is wearing off again?
liveswired on 27 Aug '11 said:
But look at the recent Resi Snow demo - that game that sits right up there with the Vita titles in terms of stunning visuals.
It does.
ah yes - so you're one of these handheld gamers that flails their arms about, jumps up and down and runs around a room while playing a game? Have you tried Ocarina of Time or even Pilotwings - two titles that feature amazing 3D depth? Funnily enough I hear very few 3DS owners having any difficulty using the 3D.
And some would say it's only natural when playing games. Unless you are playing a game that is specifically designed for constant physical movement. Another flipside to the argument is that learning processes and getting used to things without thinking about them are involved in all aspects of life.
My mistake for not wording correctly. What I mean is they will end up capturing quite different market demographics - largely the same market? that is incorrect, markets are too diverse and there are all sorts of dynamics that come into play regarding consumer choice, needs demands and price. But your are correct is saying both will still inevitably be in direct competition as both companies will want to eat into each others 'gamerbase'
A general prediction is that Nintendo will arguably bring back their core fan base and will maintain the massive casual market that enjoyed the DS and Wii brands - once Mario Kart hits the scene the 3DS sales will explode - 27 million purchased Mario kart on Wii and that's not even considering the other system selling IPs.
Sony will arguably reclaim their PSP fanbase, 'hardcore', the 'real serious and elitest' consumers - so far all fingers are pointing to a more limited and focused gamer base - it will be a console that will perform at its best towards the end of its life when it is down in price and games can be picked up cheap on the preowned market.
Fr33Kye on 27 Aug '11 said:
What signs point to the vita being the psp? It appears to be more diverse than the 3ds. The idea that history will simply repeat itself is ignoring numerous factors. I also dont see that general prediction. I think the general prediction is that nintendo will have a tough time reaching casual gamers.
Serious and elitist? Is that a joke? What is elitist about the vita or psp?
liveswired on 27 Aug '11 said:
You don't like to be wrong Fr33kye. I'm right.
Sony faltered at the start of the PS3's life start off with the 'elitist and hardcore' focus - it seems to be making the same mistake yet again with Vita. Vita simply has the serious gamer approach written all over it - Sony turned just as many off as on with this focus and of course the price - it took a few iterations and butchery of the ps3 to get it to sell big. If a 3DS couldn't sustain sales at £200, a Vita won't sell at £250 - but of course there are plenty of gamers that can't get enough of Drake's arse.
and what price will Vita games be? Some propriety Sony version of SD cards? looks like full phat console prices to me.
Nintendo of course has made mistakes too - but it always does, it gets cocky, forgets it's ways and then makes amends - it fell into the trap of believing they could sustain sales of a console through a launch period with unfinished games and no services, but they have acknowledged this and are making the changes required to enable it to be successful - luckily for them this time they have time on their side - next generation they may not be so lucky. 3DS first Christmas is potentially explosive for sales and this will give it a quite a head start over the vita when it comes out next year.
This period will gather quite a few adopters who have fallen for the fun, family friendly appeal of Nintendo's system - they won't want to fork out an extra £250 for the more hardcore focused Vita -which it most definitely is.
If specs and diversity sold, as you say - we would be seeing gaming PCs with mid to high end graphics cards in living rooms the world over - consoles would be crushed.
The majority of people ie Casual gamers don't look at specs or 'serious' gaming when purchasing an iPhone or an iPod do they? they see a fun, casual, friendly device, 3DS is a fun, friendly device, Vita is a fun, serious, hardcore device.
You see specs = sales, I say family, friendly appeal = sales. We'll just see how it pans out.
Fr33Kye on 27 Aug '11 said:
People were actually impressed by the price point. People bought the 3ds at $250 because they can't get enough of link's arse lol. The vita costs less than you think and games will already cost the same as psp games. The development costs are pretty much the same as the psp and games are currently listed for $40. There is a difference between a 3ds at $250 and a vita for $250. The vita is being sold at a loss. The 3ds is being sold at a high price. The vita actually has a decent launch lineup. The 3ds did not. The vita is both more powerful and has more applications than the 3ds. So it's more about value.
The nintendo brand is definitely more family friendly than the playstation brand, but why is the vita's diversity a negative thing? I don't see specs equal sales. Where the hell did you get that from?
Why is the vita more hardcore focused? The games? Because 3ds ads are showing games like resident evil and street fighter, neither are exactly family friendly.
I never said the majority of people look at specs O.o
I'm saying that a large amount of the audience that nintendo's brand caters to is now being served by apple.
Why is the vita elitist? I don't understand where you are getting all of this from...
What about the vita is serious or hardcore? There aren't even any advertisements for it yet. Marketing has not even started. Nintendo are using all those serious, hardcore games you keep talking about to advertise the 3ds. It's all about "next gen" now instead of 3d.
Your making a lot of odd assumptions.
I think your confusing your negative perception of the sony or playstation brand with what is actually known right now.
If the 3ds had trouble at 250 because people can't fit it into their lives, then yea both handhelds are in trouble and will have to look to the few dedicated gamers left for sales. If the 3ds had trouble at 250 because of games, brand confusion, value, and apathy towards it's biggest selling point, then the vita might have a better start.
liveswired on 27 Aug '11 said:
lol, they do both have quite nice arses lol.
When I call the Vita an elitist, serious and hardcore platform I don't mean it in a derogative way - I love the Playstation brand - but I am a gamer, gamers love that brand - it's cool, it's slick, it's creative, it's a designer attraction - it's excellently marketed - towards gamers and the tech savvy consumer. I look at the Playstation brand and I see 'real' gamers games - I look at the Vita and I see this - this is what I love about the Vita - it's designed to provide hardcore gamers what they want - essentially all of us on these sites are enthusiasts otherwise we wouldn't be on them - it's the kind of console that's aimed to pull us in - and I can't deny I'm not tempted to purchase one.
I look at Nintendo, they have a different approach - they have a casual, happy go lucky, family friendly, fun appeal - I see fat italian plumbers, kissing princesses, butt slamming mushrooms (lol) which again I don't mean as derogative - but to me it does have a certain air of advantage in the mass market.
I may well be wrong - but I think the answer is we are both right. As humans we form opinions, based on our personal experiences - I look at Playstation now and see Tech savvy and more hardcore and Nintendo now as more mass market. Maybe my perception has been clouded as I followed the development of the ps3 closely, followed the development of Cell, Blu ray, and read alot of Sonys marketing spiel over those years - and this era of marketing has created a lasting effect - now that is the sign of good marketing.
listen to this for verbal schizophrenia lol - because of that very marketing I have the original 60GB PS3 - it was the pinnacle creation of love and elitist values straight from Sonys heart. It's heavier, it's glossier, it features chrome bezels, it's made of higher quality plastic, ps2 compatibility, more copper on the inside, media card hub, more USB ports, higher power usage and I always make these points to my mates when discussing how much better my PS3 is to their 40GB and Slim models - which is elitist even though I don't game so much any more - even the fact that my PS3 consumes more power than every subsequent model and the original 90nm process Cell gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside (lol). To me the Vita has the high end aura and attraction around it.
Are you on PSN? I've enjoyed our debate by the way.
oOo ZOMBIE oOo on 27 Aug '11 said:
Well put..but mobile phone games are all shovelware in my opinion and I would like to see all mention of them being obliterated from game sites such as C&VG,if it aint got a true controller it aint a games platform and as for the shovelware devs...meh!
Fr33Kye on 27 Aug '11 said:
The ps3 was the culmination of sony's values lol, but the vita is more about what they've learned from the ps3 and psp. Even from it's first announcement as the ngp it wasn't really about the "hardcore". The vita contains all these interfaces in order to be home for all experiences. Even the games sony have announced, they all vary. There are games from mobile developers, first person shooters, simple platformers, unique puzzle games that utilize the touch/gyro/AR capablities, they vary quite a bit. I know what the playstation brand is normally associated with, but i think that's why they called it the VITA instead of the psp2. The same way people just say wii instead of nintendo wii, sony wants to get away from any negative connotations associated with the playstation portable brand, and anything that might negatively affect the vita. It's not a very elitist console actually.
Our perception as gamers who frequent sites like this see the power in this handheld, but not every game is designed to be a powerhouse. There 2d games coming to the platform already.
If you think about it, the 3ds may seem more childlike because it's design is so similar to the ds, and it comes in many colors, but children are playing iOS devices that pretty much just come in black or white. People tend to like black, i'd be happy if there were a few game oriented designs. Like they have for monster hunter. While being colorful would certainly help nintendo with children, it won't help them with people who are slightly older, who would be embarrassed to pull out a ds or 3ds. See a big problem with handheld gaming is that gaming on an iphone is cool, gaming on a psp or ds is not. If sony want to win they have to change that. They've never been wonderful at advertisements, but the trailers for tag and sound shapes are a step in the right direction.
Yes i'm on psn as Fr33Kye i believe. Feel free to add me. I'm currently playing through majin and the forsaken kingdom and loving it. I read a review after i bought it that compared it to zelda, and i've never played a zelda for long
So feel i should probably break out ye olde gamecube and play the collectors edition i have lying around here.
deepbluerd on 27 Aug '11 said:
What about people like me I got my PSP never played it even a quarter of the time I did as my DS but I'm made on the Vita and will buy it day one. Ive pre ordered it everywhere so I can get the best price cause im sure the retailers will do the same and price cut the hell out of it.
Laughlyn on 28 Aug '11 said:
In all fairness Nintendo really ballsed up the 3DS launch and games lineup for the first year. 3DS should have just been coming out and it should have released with Zelda OoT and at least Mario Land 3D along with the release games. Failing that one of the mario games should have been ready for teh summer holidays.
I'm sure Vita will be a great machine, like the PSP, good at many things, great at none.everyone said the DS wouldnt succeed the PSP and look how that turned out. I have my 3DS and i'm likely to see what money is like when Vita released and see if they begin to use it as the Wii U setup and may look at buying it. I bought a PSPgo not long ago when they announced it had been retired and its a great lil emulation machine for GBA, SNES, NES ect. as for PSP games, never even loaded one up
Cinaclov on 5 Sep '11 said:
Can't help but feel it might've been abit different for the 3DS if they'd kept Pokemon's track record of there being a new gen of Pokemon for each new gen of consoles. Black and White being 3DS exclusive would have given the 3DS a massive boost.