As technology constantly evolves, older technology is phased out. Welcome to RIP, our dedication posts to slowly dying technology.
The gaming industry has been the star of the technology industry for decades now. Before we had computers on our desks, and way before cell phones were in our pockets, there were video games. Whether it be going down to the arcade, playing Star Wars: Battlefront at home, or duking it out in MarioKart while on the go, almost everyone has played video games. Despite what you may think, people of all ages play some form of video games and that is not going to change anytime soon. I can say without a doubt that someone, somewhere, will always be a gamer. But the times, they are a changin'. Many people don't need a console or handheld to get their gaming fix. Why pay $500 for a Xbox One or $200 for a PS Vita when the iPhone you already have has Infinity Blade III. And if you do buy a console, is it really worth the bag/purse/gigantic pocket space? You may or may not be in this mindset, but the majority of people are. It's 2014, and this is the death of the gaming handheld.
Let's clear something up; you can buy a gaming console right now and play video games on the road for many years to come. The gaming industry is not going away anytime soon. However, the gaming industry is evolving into an entirely new beast. Today, more people are playing games on their mobile devices than dedicated consoles and handhelds. There are many reasons for this, but convenience is by far the most important. Who is going to carry a 3DS with them every day when they can play "old-school" Super Mario Bros. on their iPhone's emulator? When gaming companies only make clunky, outdated, pieces of technology, there is no visual or physical appeal to buy one. The colorful glowing screen of an iPhone 6 looks far cooler than thethree-foot half-an-inch thick Vita. Yes the iPhone 6 is a very expensive smartphone that more often than not requires a contract, and probably shouldn't be compared to a $200 PS Vita. What does need to be compared is the value of your dollar. You are going to buy a phone no matter what, but you do not necessarily want to play games on it. Sure you enjoy playing games but you don't enjoy playing games. If you only have $200 to buy a piece of technology, you are going to buy the iPhone 6 It's more useful, practical, and quite honestly the more fun decision. This is not from personal taste. This is from a lazy gaming industry.
If that PS Vita or 3DS happens to be what ends up in your shopping bag, you probably intended on playing games on it. Some titles like Super Stardust Delta and MarioKart 7 push the respective consoles' capabilities in fun and creative ways. These games, and many more, can push people to buy consoles but Sony and Nintendo are not pushing these games. Specs and cardboard displays will not bring people's wallets out. Samsung's advertising techniques are almost unparalleled, with Apple being the only one that comes close. What do these companies do? They shove their products and their features into everyone's faces. There is not a day that passes where you don't see a Samsung or Apple ad. Everyone remembers the dancing iPod ads, the Samsunged Apple-mocking commercials, and Apple's Think Different advertising campaign. Apple makes sure that everybody knows what the iPad can do. You might not have an iPad but you know that you can type on it, play games, listen to music, watch videos, and even make music on it. A Galaxy phone has never been in your pocket, but you know dang well that it has a gigantic screen and good camera. If you don't see any compelling games to play on the 3DS or Vita, then you also don't see a reason to buy it.
Developers themselves are also somewhat to blame for the dying gaming handheld industry. They did not do anything wrong, they just jumped the Titanic before it hit the iceberg. People do not buy many gaming consoles, so developers do not make many games for them. There are still gaming studios making only for consoles and PC, and there are some still developing for handheld consoles, but the majority are focused on making games for mobile devices. If they happen to create games for handhelds, the smallest amount of effort is going into them. This is not a problem for them, you or me. This is a problem that Sony and Nintendo need to handle.
New and creative handheld games are few and far between, with boring games frequently popping up. I have had my PS Vita for about two years now, and I bought four games with it. Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified was bundled with it, and I decided to also buy Lego Batman 2, ModNation Racers, and Need for Speed Most Wanted. All of these games looked great, Lego Batman 2 was gorgeous, and all of them were fun to play, but that was all they were. There was nothing compelling about any of them, and some were downright frustrating. Black Ops: Declassified had ridiculously difficult and confusing levels, and online multiplayer was the only fun aspect of it. Sure this is to be expected from any Call of Duty game, but I also expected something to be different or better about it. The same goes for all the other games I ever played on the PS Vita. I have also played Uncharted: Golden Abyss and FIFA on my friend's Vita, and they were incredibly boring. Nothing was fresh and exciting about them. They both looked great and were almost as good as their PS3 counterparts, but they are not compelling enough. You might argue that these are all very old games, but what else has come out? That super-cool indie game might be almost revolutionary, but that's just one game. People, myself included, cannot and will not justify buying a new console with just one game.
Sony might have nearly forgotten about the PS Vita, but Nintendo is a different story. The 3DS has an amazing gaming library. MarioKart 7, Super Smash Bros. 3DS, and Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds are absolutely fantastic. While they might be iterations and re-issues of old titles for new consoles they are, unlike many Vita games, new and exciting. Nintendo somehow found new ways to make an old title like MarioKart fun and compelling. They also did this with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Animal Crossing has been around for a very long time, but the 3DS game offers something that dozens of Vita games do not: social gaming. Multiplayer is not a new concept, nor is it something you miss out on with Sony's offerings, but Animal Crossing doesn't have just multiplayer. The game does not just offer you the choice of playing with other people; it pushes you to interact with other players. You can drop gifts at their house, trade villagers, and even mess up other people's towns. There are always goals to work towards, unlike a set linear campaign. It is nearly impossible to get bored with it. The Vita's near map does not coerce me to keep playing, nor to get others to play with me. Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified does not offer me much to do, and Little Big Planet does not push me to keep playing.
People do not get hyped up for Borderlands 2 and Disney Infinity coming to the PS Vita. But when MarioKart 7 and Super Smash Bros. were announced for the 3DS, people freaked out. Nintendo's in-house developers know what consumers want to play, and they show it off. Sure the third-party games for the 3DS are not very interesting or innovative, but they are available. There are hundreds of stupid, childish, and boring games for you to play. They aren't the only ones available, but they are there. It is not difficult to find dozens of great titles, and it is incredibly easy to find something new.
It's not too hard to see why gaming handhelds are dying. People don't care for handheld consoles, and neither do the companies making them. Hardcore gamers will always be satisfied with a PS4, Xbox One, or PC. Those are not going away for a very long time. The handheld gaming console is a niche market that's shrinking every single day. So if you happen to fit in that niche, what do you do? The PS Vita is incredibly powerful, has a few console-like games, and has so much "potential". On the other side of the spectrum, the 3DS is underwhelming hardware-wise but has an incredible gaming library. I have personally owned a PS Vita for two years now, and I am still waiting for that "potential" to be utilized. I haven't felt the need to buy a new game in two years. Many hardcore gamers are satisfied with the Vita's current library, but I am not a hardcore gamer and I'm not satisfied.
Being an average gamer, I am not asking for much from my consoles. Like almost everyone, I just want to play fun and exciting games. I want a console that can provide me with fun games that I will play for years to come. My aging DSi XL and the almost decade old MarioKart DS always make it into my bag, but my PS Vita has not received the same treatment. This is a sad story for Sony, but it provides a clear answer for you and me. I'm selling my Vita and buying a 3DS XL, and you should too. Let's go play MarioKart 7 and you can hit me up on Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
There Jessica. You win.
Let's clear something up; you can buy a gaming console right now and play video games on the road for many years to come. The gaming industry is not going away anytime soon. However, the gaming industry is evolving into an entirely new beast. Today, more people are playing games on their mobile devices than dedicated consoles and handhelds. There are many reasons for this, but convenience is by far the most important. Who is going to carry a 3DS with them every day when they can play "old-school" Super Mario Bros. on their iPhone's emulator? When gaming companies only make clunky, outdated, pieces of technology, there is no visual or physical appeal to buy one. The colorful glowing screen of an iPhone 6 looks far cooler than the
If that PS Vita or 3DS happens to be what ends up in your shopping bag, you probably intended on playing games on it. Some titles like Super Stardust Delta and MarioKart 7 push the respective consoles' capabilities in fun and creative ways. These games, and many more, can push people to buy consoles but Sony and Nintendo are not pushing these games. Specs and cardboard displays will not bring people's wallets out. Samsung's advertising techniques are almost unparalleled, with Apple being the only one that comes close. What do these companies do? They shove their products and their features into everyone's faces. There is not a day that passes where you don't see a Samsung or Apple ad. Everyone remembers the dancing iPod ads, the Samsunged Apple-mocking commercials, and Apple's Think Different advertising campaign. Apple makes sure that everybody knows what the iPad can do. You might not have an iPad but you know that you can type on it, play games, listen to music, watch videos, and even make music on it. A Galaxy phone has never been in your pocket, but you know dang well that it has a gigantic screen and good camera. If you don't see any compelling games to play on the 3DS or Vita, then you also don't see a reason to buy it.
Developers themselves are also somewhat to blame for the dying gaming handheld industry. They did not do anything wrong, they just jumped the Titanic before it hit the iceberg. People do not buy many gaming consoles, so developers do not make many games for them. There are still gaming studios making only for consoles and PC, and there are some still developing for handheld consoles, but the majority are focused on making games for mobile devices. If they happen to create games for handhelds, the smallest amount of effort is going into them. This is not a problem for them, you or me. This is a problem that Sony and Nintendo need to handle.
New and creative handheld games are few and far between, with boring games frequently popping up. I have had my PS Vita for about two years now, and I bought four games with it. Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified was bundled with it, and I decided to also buy Lego Batman 2, ModNation Racers, and Need for Speed Most Wanted. All of these games looked great, Lego Batman 2 was gorgeous, and all of them were fun to play, but that was all they were. There was nothing compelling about any of them, and some were downright frustrating. Black Ops: Declassified had ridiculously difficult and confusing levels, and online multiplayer was the only fun aspect of it. Sure this is to be expected from any Call of Duty game, but I also expected something to be different or better about it. The same goes for all the other games I ever played on the PS Vita. I have also played Uncharted: Golden Abyss and FIFA on my friend's Vita, and they were incredibly boring. Nothing was fresh and exciting about them. They both looked great and were almost as good as their PS3 counterparts, but they are not compelling enough. You might argue that these are all very old games, but what else has come out? That super-cool indie game might be almost revolutionary, but that's just one game. People, myself included, cannot and will not justify buying a new console with just one game.
Sony might have nearly forgotten about the PS Vita, but Nintendo is a different story. The 3DS has an amazing gaming library. MarioKart 7, Super Smash Bros. 3DS, and Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds are absolutely fantastic. While they might be iterations and re-issues of old titles for new consoles they are, unlike many Vita games, new and exciting. Nintendo somehow found new ways to make an old title like MarioKart fun and compelling. They also did this with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Animal Crossing has been around for a very long time, but the 3DS game offers something that dozens of Vita games do not: social gaming. Multiplayer is not a new concept, nor is it something you miss out on with Sony's offerings, but Animal Crossing doesn't have just multiplayer. The game does not just offer you the choice of playing with other people; it pushes you to interact with other players. You can drop gifts at their house, trade villagers, and even mess up other people's towns. There are always goals to work towards, unlike a set linear campaign. It is nearly impossible to get bored with it. The Vita's near map does not coerce me to keep playing, nor to get others to play with me. Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified does not offer me much to do, and Little Big Planet does not push me to keep playing.
People do not get hyped up for Borderlands 2 and Disney Infinity coming to the PS Vita. But when MarioKart 7 and Super Smash Bros. were announced for the 3DS, people freaked out. Nintendo's in-house developers know what consumers want to play, and they show it off. Sure the third-party games for the 3DS are not very interesting or innovative, but they are available. There are hundreds of stupid, childish, and boring games for you to play. They aren't the only ones available, but they are there. It is not difficult to find dozens of great titles, and it is incredibly easy to find something new.
It's not too hard to see why gaming handhelds are dying. People don't care for handheld consoles, and neither do the companies making them. Hardcore gamers will always be satisfied with a PS4, Xbox One, or PC. Those are not going away for a very long time. The handheld gaming console is a niche market that's shrinking every single day. So if you happen to fit in that niche, what do you do? The PS Vita is incredibly powerful, has a few console-like games, and has so much "potential". On the other side of the spectrum, the 3DS is underwhelming hardware-wise but has an incredible gaming library. I have personally owned a PS Vita for two years now, and I am still waiting for that "potential" to be utilized. I haven't felt the need to buy a new game in two years. Many hardcore gamers are satisfied with the Vita's current library, but I am not a hardcore gamer and I'm not satisfied.
Being an average gamer, I am not asking for much from my consoles. Like almost everyone, I just want to play fun and exciting games. I want a console that can provide me with fun games that I will play for years to come. My aging DSi XL and the almost decade old MarioKart DS always make it into my bag, but my PS Vita has not received the same treatment. This is a sad story for Sony, but it provides a clear answer for you and me. I'm selling my Vita and buying a 3DS XL, and you should too. Let's go play MarioKart 7 and you can hit me up on Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
There Jessica. You win.
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