E3 has died down and Vita fans might be let down a bit by the lack of big gun titles. Is there still hope for the console, or is Sony trying to cut their losses with the Vita?
E3 can be a big time for developers to share their newest hardware and software. Sony took their press conference to showcase the PS4 and the games coming out for it, and little was left for the Vita, it seemed. Promises were made about "over 100 games in development" for the Vita, but no AAA hits down the pipe.
Zen Pinball keeps making good games for our Vita! |
Last year we had Killzone and Tearaway to showcase, but it doesn't look like many big exclusives are coming our way. In fact, in an article from Polygon with Yoshida,
"Do you think the Vita then will be getting fewer first-party games?"
"I would say, yes, that's correct," Yoshida said."
Still a big title to come to the Vita! |
Rationale behind this was that handheld gamers don't necessarily want to be playing big cinematic games with arcing storylines but instead a game that can be broken up into sections where you can end a quick session here and pick it back up again there. This is all thanks to the suspend feature that makes the Vita so easy to do this.
I wonder where they got this information to justify what a Vita owner wants. I'm curious to hear from you, the reader, how much time you spend on your Vita and where you play it.
The Big Push: Indies on the Vita
Sony's big push over the last few years has been to gather Indie devs to their team, and many gems are available for the Vita. Many are ports or multiplatforms, but are really fun to play on our handheld. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay.
Here are a couple that coming up this year that we have to look forward to.
Multiplayer monster hunting in the future? Freedom Wars!
Here is a title I have been looking forward to for a long time: Counterspy
Velocity 2X looks to be made just for our Vita.
Child of Light, an Ubisoft adventure/rpg game is making its way to the Vita next month.
And a game with rich atmosphere and great game play, Hyper Light Drifter
Strong titles, and seem to be a great fit for the Vita. Are you looking forward to any of these? Any others?
Other Vita directions:
Playstation TV was announced at E3 for North America, but not much else was dropped about it. Price point, $100 ($140 for a bundle with a controller). No list of games was given, but it will soon have access to Playstation Now, making it an inexpensive way to access the PS library. Remote play was also touted as a great way to use your Vita to hook up to the PS4.
Of course, most pre existing Vita owners just wanted to hear about big titles at E3. Gravity Rush 2, where were you? Mainly digital downloaded games? Memory card price drop, where were you?
Although the lack of attention to the Vita (not surprising with the PS4 needed to be supported), it did get more than I thought it would. I'm busily emailing Indie Devs, (they are pretty nice, these people) and trying to get interviews with them. Want to hear from a particular developer about a game? Let me know below, and I'll reach out the them!
So, Vita owners. Chin up, games are coming, I think we just need to think less lofty goals for the handheld than we might have had in the past. There are many Indie games in the pipe, many look awesome.
Readers, let me know what game you want to hear about, I will try to get an interview. Also, let us know how often you use your Vita and where you use it. Thanks!