Sony’s new PlayStation Vita portable player launches in
Canada on February 22. We ask our tech guru Steve Makris about the ins and outs of where this player fits in an already crowded portable marketplace.
Global News: What is unique about the PS
Vita?
Steve Makris: The PS Vita is a 5-inch OLED
touchscreen hand-held video gaming device with the power and feel of traditional
gaming consoles. It includes multiple front and back controls and analog, has a
GPS and motion sensors, Wifi, Bluetooth and comes in an optional cellular data
model. It can also be used as a high quality media device with Sony’s
Entertainment Network.
GN: Will it be a big player in the
portable device market?
SM: Unlikely. Most folks are not into
carrying a third device in addition to their smartphone and tablet. Consider
the tens of thousands of game titles alone, among the hundreds of thousands of
apps between the Apple App Store and Android Marketplace. They can be had for free or up to $5, compared
to Vita’s top $49.99 titles. Even the next OS 2 version of the beleaguered BlackBerry
PlayBook, out this month, will run Android apps. These apps may not have the
depth of full blown storyline games but offer a much bigger bang for your
entertainment buck in a choice of smaller smartphone screens and larger 10-inch
tablets.
GN: Who will buy it?
SM: Despite the hype, even Sony
officials are saying the PS Vita will primarily attract gaming enthusiasts who
want the full video quality and game depth of consoles in a portable format.
GN: What competes against it?
SM: Sony’s current PSP (PlayStation
Portable) which is still available for $80 with many game titles and Nintendo’s
glasses-free 3DS selling for $169.99, which already offers multiplayer
connectivity and augmented reality – superimposing a game on top of its live
camera view on the screen.
GN: Pre-holiday PS Vita sales in Japan
where disappointing. How will the Canadian consumer respond to it?
SM: Sony had some early glitches, now
fixed, but I think mostly core gamers will pay $249.99 for the PS Vita, a steep
price for the youth market - and their parents - already invested in current
Sony, Nintendo or Xbox products. Most casual gamers are content with
entertainment on smartphones, tablets and iPads. Sony will have premier game
titles among a few dozen next week. But it will be a challenge for Sony to
attract game developers to invest their time in pricey $19.99 to $49.99 games
in a small market when they do better on cheaper but a larger demographic of
phones and tablets.
GN: What advantages does it have?
SM: It’s a gaming machine on steroids
maximizing the gaming experience in the palm of your hand. Detailed, rich
graphic rendering, amazing gravity feeling games, front and rear multi-touch
screens and cameras, game play between the PS3 console and Vita, dual analog
sticks for traditional game control, and the ability for two to play each other
on the same Vita screen by using controls on each side.
GN: What are Vita’s biggest
disadvantages?
SM: At $249.99 it costs as much as full
console players like the Sony PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Although it smartly ties
in with the Sony Entertainment Network, buyers need to invest in additional
memory for large game downloads, compared to gaming consoles with huge hard
drives. Unlike Nintendo’s popular pre-3DS price drop, Sony will likely stay
with its price on the more powerful PS Vita.
GN: Will the PS Vita help Sony’s poor
financial performance over the past several years?
SM: Sony has a lot of re-branding and
strategizing ahead of it on their entertainment offerings. Their recent
appointment of much respected insider Kazuo Hirai to Sony CEO and President alludes
to a change of course. Sony will need more than descent Vita sales to bring the
rest of its entertainment portfolio in line against aggressive and innovative gaming
competitors like Nintendo, Microsoft’s Xbox and Smart-TV makers like Samsung.
Check out Steve’s Tech
Talk on Edmonton Global TV Sunday and Monday Morning News at www.techuntangled.ca
Follow Steve on
Twitter @stevoidtech
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