game on · 16/06/2016 · Sony has a habit of snatching mediocrity from the jaws of in-novation...
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game on THURSDAY | JUNE 16, 2016 | PAGE 19 THE BLADE | toledoblade.com NIS America ‘Grand Kingdom’ Out this week Sony failed to deliver with PlayStation Vita By WILL HARRISON BLADE STAFF WRITER ASSOCIATED PRESS Kazuo Hirai, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, introduced the company’s next generation portable gaming machine, PlayStation Vita, during a news conference in June, 2011. ATLUS A screen-grab from the game ‘Persona 4 Golden.’ There are few things worse than getting an expensive piece of technology for Christ- mas that isn’t usable out of the box. I suffered this tragedy in 2012 as I opened a new PlayStation Vita, Sony’s newest handheld console. Excited to finally play the lauded role- playing game Persona 4 Golden, I bought the game dig- itally and began the download. Much to my chagrin, the new device required a memory card that I didn’t have. The Vita didn’t use just any standard memory format — it required an expensive proprietary mem- ory stick made by Sony. With stores closed on Christmas Day, I had to wait and instead play the mediocre Lego Batman. Sony has a habit of snatching mediocrity from the jaws of in- novation and success. Despite the success of the PlayStation brand there is a long list of Sony creative fail- ures. From Aibo, the robot dog, to the multiple attempts at pro- prietary memory stick formats, each failure has shown that Sony innovates, then abandons projects when they fail to meet sales expectations. This is never more clear than with the PlayStation Vita: the greatest handheld console of the last 25 years and one of Sony’s greatest blunders. Fea- turing an OLED touch screen, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, and a quad-core processor, the 2011 Vita is an impressive piece of hardware even by 2016 stan- dards. The Vita’s predecessor, the PSP, was a global success. The device captured the imagina- tion of Japanese and western consumers on its way to selling a staggering 82 million units, outselling Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance and DS. Sony couldn’t have had a big- ger or easier home run on its hands. Yet, the Vita is now offi- cially dead, with Sony confirm- ing last August that it would stop development of first-party titles. The handheld managed a paltry 13.9 million units sold worldwide, compared with the Nintendo 3DS — the Vita’s most direct competitor — which sold almost 60 million units. How did things go so wrong? Initial hype told the story of a handheld device powerful enough to provide a home con- sole gaming experience on the go. Well-known franchises, such as Uncharted, Call of Duty, Killzone, and Assassin’s Creed, all appeared on the Vita to mixed critical reception. These games paled in com- parison to their console itera- tions; genres such as first-per- son shooters don’t translate well to a small screen because the device creates a cramped control experience. The 10 highest-selling Vita games are all ports or derivative of a con- sole game. The highest selling Vita game from a new IP is Free- dom Wars, a quirky squad- based shooter from Sony Com- puter Entertainment. Audiences didn’t connect with weak cash-ins from fa- mous franchises, and it’s easy to see why. Games such as Un- charted: Golden Abyss were half-baked, poorly developed tech demos that offered hollow experiences when compared to their home console brethren. The Vita’s success as an on- the-go way to play classic games came by accident and Sony deserves little credit. The handheld has become a desti- nation for older, classic titles such as Metal Gear Solid: Port- able Ops and the Persona series. Likewise, most games from the PSP and PlayStation 1 have found new life as backwards- compatible Vita titles. A slew of poor design deci- sions further tarnished what is otherwise a sleek and powerfu machine. A lack of 5 GHz wire less connectivity killed innova- tive ideas such as remote play which allowed the Vita to pla PS4 titles across a wireless net work. Instead, games would lag and stutter, ruining the experi ence. As much as I praise the Vita’s compatibility with older games, even that is a chore. Not all PSP and classic games are compati- ble, and titles like Valkyria Chronicles 2 require more than a download. Some games must first be downloaded to PlayStation 3 then transferred to the Vita by USB cable. I worry the Vita will be membered most for it’s puz zling design and lack of kille hardware selling titles. Sony’ misunderstood handheld de- serves better and should be re membered for being an im pressive nostalgia machine that bit off more than it could chew. At least the Vita was bett than Aibo, the talking robo dog. Seriously, who was tha for? E3 announcements Publishers Bethesda took the stage Sunday night in Lo Angeles, announcing new and familiar titles on the first day of the E3 gaming expo. The Elder Scrolls franchise was well represented, with re veals of a mobile card gam called Elder Scrolls: Legends and more content for Elder Scrolls Online. Also in the works is Skyrim Special Edi- tion, a remastered version o the hit 2011 game that will fea- ture updated graphics and mod support on consoles. Bethesda closed its presen tation with trailers for Dishon- ored 2 and Prey, the latter be- ing a re-imagining of the 2006 shooter from 2K Games. Both will release in November 2016 and in 2017, respectively. Contact Will Harrison at: [email protected] or on Twitter @DoubleUHarrison.
Transcript of game on · 16/06/2016 · Sony has a habit of snatching mediocrity from the jaws of in-novation...
game ongamegamegamegameTHURSDAY | JUNE 16, 2016 | PAGE 19THE BLADE | toledoblade.com
NIS America
‘Grand Kingdom’Out this week
Sony failed to deliver with PlayStation VitaBy WILL HARRISONBLADE STAFF WRITER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kazuo Hirai, president and group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, introduced thecompany’s next generation portable gaming machine, PlayStation Vita, during a newsconference in June, 2011.
ATLUS
A screen-grab from the game ‘Persona 4 Golden.’
There are few things worsethan getting an expensivepiece of technology for Christ-mas that isn’t usable out of thebox. I suffered this tragedy in2012 as I opened a newPlayStation Vita, Sony’s newesthandheld console. Excited tofinally play the lauded role-playing game Persona 4Golden, I bought the game dig-itally and began the download.
Much to my chagrin, the newdevice required a memory cardthat I didn’t have. The Vitadidn’t use just any standardmemory format — it requiredan expensive proprietary mem-ory stick made by Sony. Withstores closed on Christmas Day,I had to wait and instead playthe mediocre Lego Batman.
Sony has a habit of snatchingmediocrity from the jaws of in-novation and success.
Despite the success of thePlayStation brand there is along list of Sony creative fail-ures. From Aibo, the robot dog,to the multiple attempts at pro-prietary memory stick formats,each failure has shown thatSony innovates, then abandonsprojects when they fail to meetsales expectations.
This is never more clear thanwith the PlayStation Vita: thegreatest handheld console ofthe last 25 years and one ofSony’s greatest blunders. Fea-turing an OLED touch screen,Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support,and a quad-core processor, the2011 Vita is an impressive pieceof hardware even by 2016 stan-dards.
The Vita’s predecessor, thePSP, was a global success. Thedevice captured the imagina-tion of Japanese and westernconsumers on its way to sellinga staggering 82 million units,outselling Nintendo’s GameBoy Advance and DS.
Sony couldn’t have had a big-ger or easier home run on itshands. Yet, the Vita is now offi-cially dead, with Sony confirm-ing last August that it would
stop development of first-partytitles. The handheld managed apaltry 13.9 million units soldworldwide, compared with theNintendo 3DS — the Vita’smost direct competitor— which sold almost 60 millionunits.
How did things go so wrong?Initial hype told the story of a
handheld device powerfulenough to provide a home con-sole gaming experience on thego. Well-known franchises,such as Uncharted, Call of Duty,Killzone, and Assassin’s Creed,all appeared on the Vita tomixed critical reception.
These games paled in com-parison to their console itera-tions; genres such as first-per-son shooters don’t translatewell to a small screen becausethe device creates a crampedcontrol experience. The 10highest-selling Vita games areall ports or derivative of a con-sole game. The highest sellingVita game from a new IP is Free-
dom Wars, a quirky squad-based shooter from Sony Com-puter Entertainment.
Audiences didn’t connectwith weak cash-ins from fa-mous franchises, and it’s easyto see why. Games such as Un-charted: Golden Abyss werehalf-baked, poorly developedtech demos that offered hollowexperiences when compared totheir home console brethren.
The Vita’s success as an on-
the-go way to play classicgames came by accident andSony deserves little credit. Thehandheld has become a desti-nation for older, classic titlessuch as Metal Gear Solid: Port-able Ops and the Persona series.Likewise, most games from thePSP and PlayStation 1 havefound new life as backwards-compatible Vita titles.
A slew of poor design deci-sions further tarnished what is
otherwise a sleek and powerfulmachine. A lack of 5 GHz wire-less connectivity killed innova-tive ideas such as remote play,which allowed the Vita to playPS4 titles across a wireless net-work. Instead, games would lagand stutter, ruining the experi-ence.
As much as I praise the Vita’scompatibility with older games,even that is a chore. Not all PSPand classic games are compati-ble, and titles like ValkyriaChronicles 2 require more thana download. Some games mustfirst be downloaded to aPlayStation 3 then transferredto the Vita by USB cable.
I worry the Vita will be re-membered most for it’s puz-zling design and lack of killer,hardware selling titles. Sony’smisunderstood handheld de-serves better and should be re-membered for being an im-pressive nostalgia machine thatbit off more than it could chew.
At least the Vita was betterthan Aibo, the talking robotdog. Seriously, who was thatfor?
E3 announcementsPublishers Bethesda took
the stage Sunday night in LosAngeles, announcing new andfamiliar titles on the first day ofthe E3 gaming expo.
The Elder Scrolls franchisewas well represented, with re-veals of a mobile card gamecalled Elder Scrolls: Legendsand more content for ElderScrolls Online. Also in theworks is Skyrim Special Edi-tion, a remastered version ofthe hit 2011 game that will fea-ture updated graphics andmod support on consoles.
Bethesda closed its presen-tation with trailers for Dishon-ored 2 and Prey, the latter be-ing a re-imagining of the 2006shooter from 2K Games. Bothwill release in November 2016and in 2017, respectively.
Contact Will Harrison at:[email protected]
or on Twitter @DoubleUHarrison.
