Sony's NeoGeo Pocket's (PSP2/Vita) business/non technical ramifications talk

[Shifty Geezer]

I think PSN Store shows how this is going to go. Day-and-date releases at full RRP, a good £10 more than what you'll pay in a shop to get a physical cart. DD will be technically available yet remain a pretty pointless implementation.

ShopTo have added an automated warehouse system. It's possible to order online at online prices and have it in the post in 5 minutes, 24/7, including a photograph of your package getting ready to go. Delivery comes the next morning. There can't be many people who value DD at a massive markup because it can save them perhaps a few hours, a day at most, over existing retail. Expect perhaps if purchasing from other regions is allowed, where games like LOTR:War In The North is getting a three week delay in the UK versus everywhere else. I can see some folk wanting to import and DD would allow that easily. Such cases are few and far between.

Have we any stats on how many people have downloaded the recent £50+ games off PSN? I've only ever heard scoffing and ridicule over those prices.

 

[Gradthrawn]

I think PSN Store shows how this is going to go. Day-and-date releases at full RRP, a good £10 more than what you'll pay in a shop to get a physical cart. DD will be technically available yet remain a pretty pointless implementation.

ShopTo have added an automated warehouse system. It's possible to order online at online prices and have it in the post in 5 minutes, 24/7, including a photograph of your package getting ready to go. Delivery comes the next morning. There can't be many people who value DD at a massive markup because it can save them perhaps a few hours, a day at most, over existing retail. Expect perhaps if purchasing from other regions is allowed, where games like LOTR:War In The North is getting a three week delay in the UK versus everywhere else. I can see some folk wanting to import and DD would allow that easily. Such cases are few and far between.

Have we any stats on how many people have downloaded the recent £50+ games off PSN? I've only ever heard scoffing and ridicule over those prices.

Separate discussion, how would Sony/MS handle or head-off backlash from retail stores for undercutting their prices? They have retail space for their own boxed products to consider (like the systems themselves). I'm not saying they should pander to retail, just raising the question.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Separate discussion, how would Sony/MS handle or head-off backlash from retail stores for undercutting their prices?

They can't really, but that in itself is surely the biggest bottleneck to DD. If we could do without the BnM stores, or even online stores, then DD can be priced sanely. As long as there has to be wriggle room for retailers to compete, DD will have to remain overpriced, discouraging its adoption and reinforcing the traditional boxed product. Imagine if there was a cheaper DD-only Vita available, like PSPGo - it'd be a dead product because no-one is going to want to spend 20% more on games. Thus a DD handheld can't be released. Thus any handheld has to be designed around a cart or some media.

The only way out of this AFAICS is to go the Apple route and have the hardware hugely profitable, making it expensive and seriously impacting the value proposition of a handheld.

 

[wco81]

Nightmare scenario for Sony would be people buying Vitas but not buying games, using it as a PMP mostly and browsing the web, loading it with video and audio content from other sources than PSN and Sony media stores.

Even worse, have it rooted and someone install some variant of Android and run simple Android games.

Of course that would be under-using the capabilities of the device but when you have that 5-inch AMOLED screen for $250, that's a nice PMP.

Of course, you have to spend ridiculous prices on the proprietary memory cards ...

 

[patsu]

PlayStation Vita Doesn’t Play Nice With PsOne Classics:
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/13/playstation-vita-doesnt-play-nice-with-psone-classics/

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan posted a PlayStation Vita FAQ and there is a big asterisk next to the part where it says the handheld is compatible with PSP software downloaded from the PlayStation Store.

It says support for Game Archives (aka PsOne Classics and TurboGrafx-16 games in Japan) are the exception. In other words, PlayStation Vita won’t be able to run Metal Gear Solid or Chrono Cross. Sony says they will release more information about this soon.

May be they want to encourage people to buy new Vita games first ?

 

[Arwin]

But those games will come to Playstation Suite and then be playable through that channel. At least that's what I'm guessing.

 

[patsu]

Sounds logical ! They will need to (re)confirm TurboGrafx-16 games for PS Suite too.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

But those games will come to Playstation Suite and then be playable through that channel. At least that's what I'm guessing.

Yep. No emulation in Vita and the games can go via PSS for cross-platform. Basically PS1 emulation per system becomes redundant, and PS1 can live on forever trhough official emulation. That does mean rebuying PS1 games though. It's possible someone bought a PS original, then the PSP download, and will now have to get a PSS version. That's no different to everyone buying Star Wars three times over though.

 

[patsu]

Sony Looking Into PSP To PlayStation Vita Save Data Transfers
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/13/sony-looking-into-psp-to-playstation-vita-save-data-transfers/

but what about that 80 hour Gods Eater Burst file on your Memory Stick? Will you be able to bring that to your new handheld too? Maybe. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan said in their PlayStation Vita FAQ they are considering PSP save data handovers. More details about this will be announced soon, says Sony.

 

[Prophecy2k]

Sony Looking Into PSP To PlayStation Vita Save Data Transfers
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/13/sony-looking-into-psp-to-playstation-vita-save-data-transfers/

smh... Surely that should have been a no brainer!

Or is the PSP save system some strange mismangled mess that's somehow specific to the PSP HW? Or is there some Vita-specific security features that disallows them to have the Vita read non-Vita save data?

It's just seems silly to even bother with emulation if you can't even carry over your old saves.

 

[Arwin]

Yes but on the other hand there are a lot of things they're looking at and then actually doing now before the launch, let alone the US and EU launch, which is a huge improvement versus the way they used to do it.

 

[patsu]

smh... Surely that should have been a no brainer!

Or is the PSP save system some strange mismangled mess that's somehow specific to the PSP HW? Or is there some Vita-specific security features that disallows them to have the Vita read non-Vita save data?

It's just seems silly to even bother with emulation if you can't even carry over your old saves.

They should consider game save management a part of the overall experience... like cross/resume play between assorted devices, not just between PSP and Vita. That's usually a one-time effort.

It should also cover cloud backup, and syncing game saves from/to multiple devices.

[Here comes the nagging just to drive the point home]

... and fix the [strike]awesome[/strike] Vita UI they showed so far.

 

[patsu]

Hundreds Line Up For PlayStation Vita Pre-orders:
http://andriasang.com/comyl1/

Back at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony said that pre-orders for PlayStation Vita would begin on October 15. In Japan time, October 15 is NOW, with a capital OW if you didn't get up early enough.

Famitsu.com has been covering some of the line activity. The Akihabara Yodobashi Camera, one of recurring retailers you'll see in line reports for product launches, had promised to start pre-orders at 7:00 in the AM. By midnight, the shop's line had reached the 200 mark. By around 6:00, the line had reached around 500 or so.

The shop opened up ten minutes in advance, but people kept on coming. Despite the large numbers, Famitsu says that even at 7:00 Yodobashi had not closed off the line.

...

 

[patsu]

Phhppt... Nikkei says over thousand showed up for Vita launch:
http://andriasang.com/comylj/

Who can count better ? Nikkei or Famitsu or none of the above ?

 

[Gitaroo]

nikkei is usually more accurate....

 

[patsu]

PlayStation Vita With 3G More Popular With Preorders, Retailer Reports:
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/1...more-popular-with-preorders-retailer-reports/

Retailer and blogger Sinobi reports the 3G version is more popular among his customers. 65% of PlayStation Vita reservations on the first day were for the 3G model. The other 35% were for the Wi-Fi version, that means the 3G version sold nearly 2:1. 82% of people bought a memory stick and 72% picked up one with 32GB of storage.

Sinobi also notes in his tweet selling PlayStation Vita software was more difficult. According to his data, the PlayStation Vita has a tie ratio (games per console purchased) was 0.57. Still way too early to determine if this is a negative sign since some users may be waiting for reviews or more information about the PlayStation Vita’s launch lineup.

 

[wco81]

Hmm, will be interesting to see if 3G provides any gaming benefits beyond uploading high scores and trophies or chats.

Online gaming on 3G seems dubious.

 

[Gradthrawn]

PlayStation Vita With 3G More Popular With Preorders, Retailer Reports:
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/1...more-popular-with-preorders-retailer-reports/

Not surprising if one assumes that pre-orders for hardware are far more likely to be placed by core gamers, many of whom are probably less price sensitive then other demographics.

Stupid question that I know has been covered, but what is the storage situation on the PSV? Last I heard there was an SD expansion slot, that I thought could be used for everything. I take it that is no longer the case? How do I not know this?

 

[patsu]

Ah, I think that's because the first 100 3G pre-orders get free 3G for X hours I think (Remember reading it somewhere).

If I were to buy a Vita, I will also get a 3G one. Regreted getting my iPad without 3G. It can come in handy sometimes.

For 3G gaming, I think they can be useful for some games (e.g., board games). I think something like "Who &%*(&%*$ stole my Vita ?" is helpful too.

 

[wco81]

No SD slot, proprietary memory cards which are more expensive.