UK 3DS and Vita sales figures revealed
3DS to reach one million sales soon, but will have taken three times as long as the DS took.
Sales figures for Nintendo's 3DS and Sony's PS Vita have been revealed by Chart Track (via Pocket Gamer). The figures reveal that neither handheld is doing as well as their predecessors.
The 3DS is currently at 950,000 units after 61 weeks on sale. The DS managed to break the one million mark after 51 weeks. The DS did sell at a significantly lower price than the 3DS did during its initial weeks on sale.
While the 3DS isn't doing brilliantly in comparison to the DS, Sony's PS Vita is hardly a shining example of handheld sales in the UK either. According to Chart Track the system has only managed a third of the sales the PSP managed in the same time period.
VideoGamer.com Analysis
Are you interested in buying either handheld? What would it take for you to buy one or are you no longer interested in dedicated gaming handhelds now smartphones are on the market?
User Comments
pblive
dav2612@ Endless
tvr77@ Endless
FantasyMeister
Endless@ dav2612
dav2612@ Endless
The pricing of the minis is not always bad though, I picked up Pac-Man CE for half the price I paid on XBLA. It's the same game minus leaderboards.
Endless@ dav2612
Fieldrunners was a mini though. I think thats par for the course of game I expect and I dont recall many minis being up to that level. Of course you can play Fieldrunners for free in your Chrome browser these days, as you can Metal Slug and Plants vs Zombies. The balance in the market as a whole is just all off at the moment I feel.
With any new generation we ought to be able to spend about 10-15 quid for games similar in scope to that of the previous generation. What we're getting instead are games that are buying decisions similar to those we have to make when buying a home console game. And for me (and if sales figures of both consoles are anything to go by, most consumers) if I had the choice of paying 25-35 for a game on a handheld, or 30-40 for the same (or similar) game on home console, the easier decision is the home version for that level of purchase.
There are too many games being released for every game to be a full-price console blockbuster.
dav2612@ pblive
pblive@ CheekyLee
There are more smaller, download titles coming to Vita very soon, some very interesting ones at that, but they need more advertising. Sony seem happy just to do this via their Blog, rather than through the usual channels. Their PR team should really be pushing these sorts of games out to websites with codes to review them, as it's often the only exposure that some gamers will have to those games not on shop shelves. Unfortunately, Sony's PR are rather invisible to me at the moment so I can't tell if they're active on this front.
CheekyLee
But, saying they don't offer console-like experiences is disingenuous. Whilst I have not played anything on Vita, I can certainly talk about the 3DS. It has MGS 3, RE Revelations, DOA Dimensions, a Ridge Racer title, Sonic Generations, Rayman Origins, and even PES and FIFA. That's not too bad for a console still in its first year, especially as I have yet to mention the first party games.
Endless@ dav2612
dav2612@ Endless
And going back to your earlier point about pricing, the digital PSP games have mostly all had sensible price cut so you may find something more to your tastes at a suitable price.
The new handhelds need to cater for all tastes and I think they are trying to. I want PS3 experiences at my desk at work, where I do all my Vita gaming. So far Wipeout (both offline and online), FIFA, Uncharted, Rayman, Mortal Kombat and Virtua Tennis are doing just that. If I want a change of scene I have the likes of Peggle and Pac-Man CE.
Endless@ pblive
For me, games like Mortal Kombat and Uncharted: Totally not wanted on a handheld. Those are home console games that I dont want crammed and cut into a handheld. They should stay where they are best.
And that is part of my problem with the 3DS and the Vita, they are pushing an experience onto a device where I dont want it.
For me there is a lack of true handheld titles on both platforms: puzzle games, rpgs, turn-based strategy, 2D platformers and 'tap' games. There's too much experimentation and not enough tried and tested; The balance is out of whack and the quantity of titles being released shows two things: titles take too long to produce because they are trying to be console games and the cost to produce these games is too much for the the audiences that they can reach to be worthwhile doing in the first place.
I absolutely accept that there are people that want these kind of experiences, and what would a new generation of device be without bringing new experiences to the plate. But the sales figures tell me that these are not experiences for the people that made the DS the best selling dedicated mobile gaming device of the past 10 years. Those people are still playing their DS.
My level of engagement on a mobile device isnt even close to that required to play a console game, even when I'm sat on my sofa. I dont want console games on the move, I want better/bigger handheld titles. And this is why iOS and Android games are becoming more popular imo. Because they are filling the void the the new dedicated handheld gaming machines have left behind in their pursuit of 'bringing the console experience to a handheld'. It's almost as though the new generation of handhelds were made to sit alongside, yet somehow elevated above, Android and iOS devices, as well as the old DS. But those platforms offer both old-school and new generation and increasingly more 'console-like' experiences, which is what the 3DS and Vita isn't doing.
pblive
Yes, several of these have been on a console, but its the same game on a handheld, which counts for a lot when you need to game on the go and want a console experience.
Then there's the next tier; Motorstorm RV, Stardrone Extreme, Ridge Racer etc, which all come in at much lower prices and are smaller, but still very playable titles.
Yes, I conceed that there should be a lot more out by now and I'm hoping E3 provides this, but there's still a lot out there to like on Vita.
I've said the same about the 3DS. I love the Mario games, Pilotwings still keeps me amused, Starfox, Zelda and others have propped up the console, but yet again there needs to be more.
The problem is that handhelds are not judged in the same way as consoles. A console release can see maybe 3 or 4 good games propping the system up for months on end before the second wave of good titles hit. Maybe it's because we haven't had a proper console launch for years now and feel spoilt by the choice as the consoles are all dug in?
Part if it is also going to be financial issues and not wanting to spend more on gaming. Sales have fallen all over the place and new hardware is launched against the rise of cuts and spending adjustments.
Endless@ dav2612
I would much rather have a handheld that played purely XBLA/PSN titles than ANY of the current or previous handheld consoles. No exceptions. hell a handheld Steam console would be just as appealing.