Like the revelry that our 7th Gen consoles have brought us over this past decade, the hubbub and excitement of E3 2013 has finally come to close. This year’s expo was certainly full of surprises–some that were exciting, some that were gut-wrenching, mind-boggling blunders–and as always it was an informative few days that has left all of us gamers jazzed up about the future of gaming and the highly anticipated 8th Gen gaming consoles.
While the Xbox One, PS4, and (to a lesser extent) the Wii U received the most attention this year, they were not the only gaming systems on display. One of these other systems, the one that seems to have gotten particularly shrouded in the sound and fury of the 8th Gens, is the PS Vita. The Vita, Sony’s handheld gaming system created to rival Nintendo’s 3DS, is an impressive piece of gaming machinery, and has largely been a critical success. Sadly, critical acclaim and rave reviews don’t always translate into the ultimate sign of prosperity: profits. In a market where even the most hardcore of gamers have become content to play cheap, quickly downloaded games on their smartphones, selling the idea of a premiere handheld gaming system has become harder and harder.
But Sony is NOT giving up on their little gaming system that might!
At this year’s E3, Sony Computer Entertainment America President Jack Tretton confirmed that while the Vita already has a surprisingly large library of games, 125 according to Mr. Tretton’s estimation, the company plans on releasing another 85 titles by the end of 2013. Let that sink in for a second. 85 new freaking releases. For a gaming system that hasn’t exactly been holding its own in the market, the company sure does seem to have faith that it can, and will turn things around.
Some of the more anticipated titles include The Walking Dead, Destiny of Spirits, Hohokum, and Killzone Mercenary, just to name a few. Investing all this capital into upcoming releases tells us one of two things about Sony. Either a) they are dedicated to convincing gamers that the Vita is well worth their money, and they plan on making it a much more comprehensive part of their gaming experience, or b) these new titles are a last-resort desperate shot to get some blood pumping in the veins of this flat-lining system.
Considering the fact that Sony ALSO announced that gamers who have both the PS4 and the Vita will be able to use Wi-Fi to utilize the Vita as a sort of “remote-play” device (that gives users access to a 650 game library), I’d probably guess A. Enticing as this cross-promotional ability may be, however, I can’t help but wonder if it will be enough to justify making the jump to the Vita over your smartphone.
Do ya feel lucky Vita? Do ya, punk?
Though its presence may not have been as resounding as its new big brother, the PS4, the Vita sure did come to this year’s E3. Though we did not notice it as much as we did the drama playing out between Sony and Microsoft, or the beautiful new teaser trailers being premiered left and right, we still saw the Vita in action. What remains to be seen, is whether or not it has enough gusto to conquer our hearts and our wallets.
Do you think that the Vita has what it takes to translate over into the next generation of gaming? Would you buy a Vita for all that it offers, or would you be just fine playing another bagillion hours of Angry Birds or Words With Friends? These are real, pressing questions, people! You all will be the ones to ultimately decide this systems fate, so why not start the discussion here on this article?
