The Vita's been taking a lot of heat in the media lately. Though Vita hardware sales in the States were significantly bolstered by a one-two punch of Black Friday deals late last year and an almost too good to be true selection of free titles on PlayStation Plus, it's no secret that Sony has been engaged in a bit of an uphill battle trying to build the Vita's strength worldwide. The turning tides in portable gaming have certainly made the road long and difficult for Sony in the west, but nowhere have both the challenges and victories faced by the system been more pronounced than the system's homeland of Japan.
Leading up to the system's Japanese launch in December of 2011, the situation couldn't have been better for Sony. With pre-orders selling out online at many major retailers nationwide and PlayStation fans camped out on the eve of Vita’s launch, things kicked off with a bang. Riding a wave of hype generated in part by the runaway success of its predecessor, the Vita experienced sellouts online and moved an impressive 324,859 systems during its first week on the market, comparing favorably with the Japanese launch figures of the original PSP (which clocked in at a less-impressive 160,019 in its first week).
The software library available at launch - while short on killer apps - was packed with plenty of big franchises (like Uncharted, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Hot Shots Golf, and more) to show off the potential of the system. Sony was definitely taking notes during the tepid launch of the 3DS: in order to move systems, they needed to have software. The console launched with an impressive array of games for a wide variety of interests, and many of them were designed to take advantage of the handheld's unique features. For all intents and purposes, the launch was a success.
For all intents and purposes, the launch was a success.
Like nearly all major hardware releases over the past few generations, though, the Vita's successful launch period soon gave way to a typical post-launch software drought. With the latest entry in Capcom's multimillion-selling Monster Hunter franchise exclusive to the 3DS (at least for the time being), there didn't seem to be many titles on the horizon for Japanese Vita owners, and the console's weekly sales began to plunge. Consider the case of the launch of well-received Vita exclusive Persona 4 Golden. Despite the fact that the game tripled sales of the Vita in its launch week, the 3DS still managed to overtake it by nearly 2:1 according to Media Create figures for the week of June 11, 2012.
Currently, the 3DS is selling at a ratio of approximately 9:1 against the Vita in Japan according to the latest numbers from Media Create. Looking at sales figures alone, however, is misleading. It's important to note that the 3DS had its own share of problems during its first several months, with difficulty selling at the price point where the Vita currently sits, as well as the same troubles acquiring third-party exclusives. It took a significant price drop and the launch of several noteworthy first-party titles before the machine truly came into its own.
It was that price drop in August of 2011 that vaulted 3DS sales numbers into the stratosphere - with Media Create declaring that 196,077 new systems landed in players' hands that week compared to a paltry 4,132 the previous week - despite the fact that most of Nintendo's hardest-hitting franchises weren't even scheduled to land on the 3DS until the holiday season. I've heard plenty of Vita "doom and gloom" talk over the last few months, and heard just as much about the 3DS prior to the unit's price drop.
In many ways, the Vita finds itself in a similar situation to that of the 3DS early on. Despite all the cries of gamers claiming that the handheld has no worthwhile games, there are actually many developers who are throwing support behind the Vita, many of whom are located in Japan. The challenge for Sony now is keeping that Japanese support going, and keeping the Vita as a platform out of the dreaded "Console Starvation Feedback Loop" (that is, lack of system sales puts development projects on hold, which adds to the lack of sales, which contributes to lack of projects in development, and so on) that was responsible for killing many capable pieces of hardware (such as the Jaguar, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Neo Geo Pocket Color) over the last few decades.
Looking at sales figures alone, however, is misleading.
Though small, the Japanese market as a whole has shown an incredible resilience in terms of reception to dedicated gaming handhelds in the face of ever-growing mobile competition, and because of this Japan may very well be the Vita's most important market worldwide. It's a good thing, then, that while the console hasn't quite pulled itself out of the first-year software drought just yet, there are certainly a few promising signs of things to come as we now find ourselves in 2013.
Here are just a few of the Japanese developers throwing support behind Sony's pocket powerhouse.
Japan's next high-profile release for Vita is also one that's already guaranteed to release on western shores: Keiji Inafune's third-person co-op action title Soul Sacrifice. The concept of Soul Sacrifice is notably unique: "great power requires great cost." This philosophical idea manifests itself in interesting ways during the title's gameplay, which consists of battles during which players are able to conjure powerful magic at a notably significant price: a sacrifice (which could range from an item to a limb) is needed. The more powerful the magic attempted, the more significant the sacrifice required, forcing the player to make difficult decisions about how to best tackle each challenge.
Sony is pushing hard for this title to draw sales for the Vita, and are planning to launch a special edition red system with the game when it hits Japan on March 7th.
Barely known outside of Japan for many years, this long-running RPG specialist developer is in the process of gaining worldwide notoriety as the makers of two series in particular: Ys and Legend of Heroes. They've contributed titles from both of these major franchises to the Vita, beginning in 2012 with the yet-to-be-localized action RPG Ys: Foliage Ocean of Celceta and continuing this year with the cross-platform traditional JRPG Sen No Kiseki.
While neither is currently announced for Western release, given the localization record of recent games in the Ys series and the massive outpouring of interest from JRPG fans for more Legend of Heroes titles, both are fairly strong candidates. However, XSeed Games – the publisher who has worked with Falcom to bring over entries in both of their stable franchises over the last few years – has yet to announce their 2013 lineup, and the localization status of Falcom's latest and greatest is unfortunately still up in the air.
Though portable titles in the "Tales" series don't get a lot of attention in the West, they remain significant in Japan. Namco Bandai has contributed to this effort releasing remakes of the two "mothership" titles in the Tales series originally released on the Nintendo DS: Tales of Innocence R (which released in 2012), and the upcoming Tales of Hearts R (which is scheduled for this year). Those looking for something with a little more action would probably be interested in Namco's latest collaboration with Shonen Jump: Project Versus J, a cross-platform Vita/PS3 title that at first glance appears to be a spiritual successor to the Jump SuperStars series released originally on the Nintendo DS.
As of now, very information has been released on this title, but if the early buzz is to be believed, it's shaping up to be a pretty big deal. While Project Versus J will probably remain a Japanese exclusive due to the licensing issues involved in releasing it worldwide, fans of the "Tales" series should take heart as Namco's track record with Western releases of games in the franchise has improved significantly over the last two years. If Tales of Xillia on PS3 is financially lucrative for Namco Bandai, perhaps the Vita titles will follow.
Anyone doubting the relevance of 2D art in modern gaming need look no further than George Kamitani's Vanillaware. Vanillaware originally hit the scene in 2007 with the gorgeous 2D RPG-platform hybrid Odin Sphere, and since then has gone on to release some of the most memorable niche titles in recent memory across multiple consoles, including the 2009 Wii sleeper hit Muramasa: The Demon Blade. Muramasa, which included some of the most detailed, unique 2D visuals on the Wii, is currently scheduled to receive a Vita-exclusive director's cut in March that includes more protagonists, more levels, and DLC support.
After that, they also plan to release the long-in-development side-scrolling beat-em-up Dragon's Crown as a cross-platform title with PS3. Though there was some recent concerns regarding the cancellation of the title, the latest information from Dragon's Crown's new publisher Atlus suggests a release sometime this year. While no official announcement has been made concerning a localization for the Vita version of Muramasa, an interview with the game's producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto on Siliconera recently hinted at the possibility.
This summer I spent a great deal of time in Japan, living and studying there while covering the Nagoya fighting game tournament scene. Though I knew the Vita was struggling all over the world, it was quite surprising to see the incredible amount of marketing support Atlus was throwing behind their upcoming Vita title. All of Akihabara was plastered with advertisements - including streetlight flags depicting the lovable Shadow world resident Teddie - declaring the imminent release of Persona 4 Golden.
The game, a significantly enhanced version of the 2008 PS2 release with upgraded graphics, new scenarios, and Vita functionality, went on to become one of the highest rated games on the system and sold quite a few Vitas when it launched in Japan earlier this year. Not wanting to leave English-speaking fans out of the Shadow-slaying goodness, Atlus USA translated the game into English and released it in North America in fully localized form.
Tecmo's Team Ninja has given its support to the Vita as well, beginning with enhanced ports of the first two titles in the Ninja Gaiden Sigma series and has no intention of slowing down. Yusuke Hayashi, the head of Team Ninja, recently announced via video that an updated version of critically acclaimed fighter Dead or Alive 5 will land on the Vita next year with new features and full compatibility with the PS3 version.
Game Who? Old-school JRPG fans may remember these guys as the team behind the Grandia series. While they are far more niche than they used to be, they have worked on some pretty high profile titles for Vita, including action-adventure title Ragnarok Odyssey for GungHo Online Entertainment and puzzle-platformer Dokuro for Sony CEI. While the final version of Ragnarok Odyssey didn't quite turn out as well as many fans of the genre had hoped, Dokuro is gaining a small following as one of the more charming, creative puzzlers to hit the Vita platform.
A proponent of Vita since its announcement, Capcom has thrown its support behind the handheld, releasing quality ports of two of its top fighting titles: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 launched along with the Vita late last year, while Street Fighter x Tekken hit the handheld this past fall. While players do not receive "Cross Buy" benefits for purchasing the titles on PS3, Capcom did include a few perks in Street Fighter x Tekken's portable version to sweeten the deal for those considering a double-dip. One sore spot in the Capcom lineup is, of course, the glaring omission of the Monster Hunter franchise.
Though relatively niche in Western markets, the series commands a huge following in Japan and was one of the major reasons why the Japanese PSP remained such a strong platform for game development over the last few years. The latest title in the series available on the PSP - 2010's Monster Hunter Portable 3rd - was not only the fastest selling PSP title in Japan, but also the most successful title in Capcom's history, selling over 4.7 million copies in 6 months on the market. That's impressive, especially considering that the game never received an English localization. The fact that Nintendo managed to secure the next numbered title in the series is certainly a blow to the Vita's short-term sales potential, to say the least.
While some could argue Sony's first-party support for their handheld has been lacking of late, they've managed to ensure that many of their strongest first-party releases of the holiday season are available on both PS3 and the Vita simultaneously, which is no easy task. I expect to see major Vita announcements during the first part of 2013. For now, though, the true wildcard for Sony and the potential strength of the platform remains PlayStation Plus and its Instant Game Library.
While the selection in North America and Europe currently trounces that of Japan (including major Vita titles like Gravity Rush), Japan does get an exclusive in the form of Sumioni: Demon Arts with more promised for the near future. The Instant Game Library is an advantage that no other platform holder has implemented, and it's something that can certainly draw people to the system. The fact that PlayStation Plus subscriptions work across both PS3 and Vita makes the transition as painless as possible.
The biggest barrier to entry on Vita isn't lack of games, it isn't the capability or "wow factor" of the hardware. The biggest barrier to entry is also the simplest one to fix, and it's also the very same one that plagued the 3DS for months following its own launch: the price. Beyond that, exclusive titles from Japanese developers will be playing a major role over the next few months in keeping the Vita a relevant platform - not only in Japan, but worldwide.
With the smartphone boom slowly but surely penetrating the traditional realm of dedicated gaming handhelds in Japan, it's now more important than ever that the Vita successfully gains momentum in the marketplace. If Sony can get the price under control and keep the first and third-party exclusives coming from the Japanese market, there's no reason why Sony's underdog handheld won't be able to carve itself its own niche in the increasingly complicated world of dedicated handheld gaming.
Ganbatte (good luck), Vita!
Michael Migliacio is a software engineer by day, freelance gaming journalist by night, and Japanese gaming enthusiast 24/7. When he's not covering the eSports scene as a Staff Writer for Evil Geniuses, he can be found on IGN as angstygaijin or on Twitter @angstygaijin.
Source : ign[dot]com
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