14 DAY TRIAL // The PlayStation Vita handheld was launched in Japan at the end of 2011, and the new device failed to reach the sales levels that analysts and Sony expected, but the hardware maker is sure that the Western launch will show the real potential of the new gaming platform.
Shuhei Yoshida, the leader of the Sony Worldwide Studios, has stated, “When you look at each title, not many of them really catered toward the Japanese market. Not something where Japanese gamers would say, ‘I have to have that.’
“What’s potentially working for us for PS Vita in the United States, the kind of games that work really well on PS Vita, the double analog sticks, great graphics on the screen, are the kind of games that people love here.”
He went on to highlight the variety of genres offered, talking about “action-adventures, shooters, FPS. We are betting that games like Uncharted or sports games like FIFA, Madden, Call of Duty, these are games that will lead people to look at the features of portable gaming on PS Vita, to have a great experience even compared to console games.”
The CEO also suggested that the Vita launch in Japan might have been hampered by the long-term popularity of the original PlayStation Portable, which is still seeing big video games launches and healthy sales.
The Vita was also affected by the strong late year performance of the Nintendo 3DS handheld, which benefited from such titles as Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land and its own version of Monster Hunter 3G.
Both dedicated gaming handhelds have also been affected by the increased popularity of smartphones, especially those powered by iOS and Android, which have offered some players the ability to engage with smaller games on the move while playing less for the experience.
The Vita launch on February 22 in North America and in Europe and one day later in Australia.