"Why Sony Made A Mistake Focusing On PS VR2 Instead of A New Next-Gen Handheld" - Gaming Bolt

[Bryank75]

PSVR is great and gives a completely different way to play, it's a niche that Sony can get a foothold in where others are struggling if they even try.

However from a business and commercial point of view, handheld would have been a great possible expansion of the userbase..... they should never be putting games on PC and Steam deck, they should never add to competing platforms.
If they sold even 50 million handhelds and that was added to 130-150 million home consoles and then the live service games going everywhere.... you could have MAU's of well over 200 million.....

Even if I don't put much stock in MAU's cause we are usually in the dark regarding methodology.

 

[Bodycount611]

Because VR is a growth segment for them and handheld is not?

Sony re entering the handheld space would be a disaster, especially right now. the 3ds was stiff enough competition, but imagine trying to compete with the Switch?

Ask Valve how that's going. 122m to 1m, lol.

 

[Old Gamer]

Ask Valve how that's going. 122m to 1m, lol

And it still is considered a success compared to the Steam Box... thing.

 

[Hezekiah]

What a shit thread

 

[Zzero]

Between Steam Deck and Switch, there's clearly no space for a new handheld on the market.

Switch 2 will probably be out in 2 years and no matter what fanboys say the market resets every generation. The problem there, though, is that Sony doesn't have enough dev teams to adequately support two platforms at once OR adequate experience crafting quality handheld games (Japan Studio/Asobi know how it's done but that's one team and a lot of them might have been let go a year ago.)

In my opinion Sony would have been best off just focusing in on the base PS5, no vomit-goggles, no second platform. Dominate core gaming on the tv with single-player AAA experiences.

 

[Deleted member 417]

In my opinion Sony would have been best off just focusing in on the base PS5, no vomit-goggles, no second platform. Dominate core gaming on the tv with single-player AAA experiences.

They already do and there's room for them to expand into VR

 

[Zzero]

They already do and there's room for them to expand into VR

Then keep doing it? That shit can all go away if you divert resources away to make games for PSVR or PSP3. Nintendo had huge release droughts for Wii (late in it's lifetime), 3DS (early in it's) and Wii U (early in it's, too) because they had to bounce back and forth propping up the "lagging" system and gamers paid for it by having fewer new releases. Having only one supported system is a huge boost to game output and Sony would be fools to give it up.

 

[Deleted member 417]

Then keep doing it? That shit can all go away if you divert resources away to make games for PSVR or PSP3. Nintendo had huge release droughts for Wii (late in it's lifetime), 3DS (early in it's) and Wii U (early in it's, too) because they had to bounce back and forth propping up the "lagging" system and gamers paid for it by having fewer new releases. Having only one supported system is a huge boost to game output and Sony would be fools to give it up.

I don't think sony are giving up on Single Player AAA experiences, there's no evidence for that.

Sony don't have to split any resources between VR and flat screen because those with VR experiences will be separate teams and studios. ND may make a VR game but they won't pull the TLoU3 team away from that just to make a VR game.
Outside of Sony's first party studios, Sony don't have to lift a finger. 120 million PS4s sold last gen, with every indication that PS5 will be at that number, or greater. That's a big plus for any developer, big or small, wanting to get exposure of their game. And with PSVR2 being the only player in the console space, that exposure becomes easier than it would on PC.

All Sony has to do in that case is nod and allow devs to put their games on PSVR2. There are 100 games in development for PSVR2, 100! with 30+ happening at launch or during the launch window. How many of those 130+ games are Sony AAA games vs 3rd parties desperate to get on the PSVR2 platform?

I don't gush over corporations but it cannot be denied that Sony's timing and strategy of VR is a genius move.

 

[Shmunter]

I’m unable to wake the ps5 from sleep on remote play… does it work from you?

Works for me

 

[Zzero]

I don't think sony are giving up on Single Player AAA experiences, there's no evidence for that.

Sony don't have to split any resources between VR and flat screen because those with VR experiences will be separate teams and studios. ND may make a VR game but they won't pull the TLoU3 team away from that just to make a VR game.
Outside of Sony's first party studios, Sony don't have to lift a finger. 120 million PS4s sold last gen, with every indication that PS5 will be at that number, or greater. That's a big plus for any developer, big or small, wanting to get exposure of their game. And with PSVR2 being the only player in the console space, that exposure becomes easier than it would on PC.

All Sony has to do in that case is nod and allow devs to put their games on PSVR2. There are 100 games in development for PSVR2, 100! with 30+ happening at launch or during the launch window. How many of those 130+ games are Sony AAA games vs 3rd parties desperate to get on the PSVR2 platform?

I don't gush over corporations but it cannot be denied that Sony's timing and strategy of VR is a genius move.

Wii U had the biggest launch ever (in terms of games) for a Nintendo system. And you are being disingenuous if you think that diverting resources away to make VR ports isn't going to lessen the flow of games to the base system. If a Horizon developer is working on Horizon VR he by definition isn't working on Horizon 3. It definitely does pull teams away from regular PS5 development.

 

[Dr Bass]

Someone who runs a website, knows how a company can succeed more than the massively successful company itself?

It's a little different from criticizing a company that is floundering and having obvious ideas ("Well did you ever think about making video games for your video game console?")

Funny how you never have articles or links like this for the company that is currently in dead last by a long shot.

 

[SLB1904]

Lol handheld yuck

 

[Old Gamer]

Someone who runs a website, knows how a company can succeed more than the massively successful company itself?

It's a little different from criticizing a company that is floundering and having obvious ideas ("Well did you ever think about making video games for your video game console?")

Funny how you never have articles or links like this for the company that is currently in dead last by a long shot.

Normally there are such criticisms for failing companies, but this one happens to control a good amount of mass media.

 

[anonpuffs]

Hilarious, why doesn't the video ask why xbox didn't focus on handheld instead of putting out a shitty series S? That would be a more pertinent question.

 

[Deleted member 417]

Wii U had the biggest launch ever (in terms of games) for a Nintendo system. And you are being disingenuous if you think that diverting resources away to make VR ports isn't going to lessen the flow of games to the base system. If a Horizon developer is working on Horizon VR he by definition isn't working on Horizon 3. It definitely does pull teams away from regular PS5 development.

Wii U isn't comparable to VR, that's disingenuous. For sure two teams can work on one game vs 1 on a game and 1 on VR I would be daft to argue otherwise, but there is no indication that that is happening. Sony is increasing the size of it's studios and as we saw with Horizon, GG gave us Horizon 1 DLC, Horizon 2 and Call of the Mountain. There's evidence to say that AAA first party games are, or will suffer because of VR.

I'll even go as far as saying that VR is bringing more games to Playstation than would be on the platform without VR

 

[Zzero]

Wii U isn't comparable to VR, that's disingenuous. For sure two teams can work on one game vs 1 on a game and 1 on VR I would be daft to argue otherwise, but there is no indication that that is happening. Sony is increasing the size of it's studios and as we saw with Horizon, GG gave us Horizon 1 DLC, Horizon 2 and Call of the Mountain. There's evidence to say that AAA first party games are, or will suffer because of VR.

I'll even go as far as saying that VR is bringing more games to Playstation than would be on the platform without VR

The evidence is every system add-on in history from the FDS all the way up to Kinect.

 

[SLB1904]

Hilarious, why doesn't the video ask why xbox didn't focus on handheld instead of putting out a shitty series S? That would be a more pertinent question.

Good point. Both are rubbish anyway

 

[Muddasar]

The only viable handheld is something around the same spec as a Steamdeck.

That sold 1 million.

I guarantee you PSVR2 will outsell the Steamdeck.

Though I do agree that Sony needs to stop giving Nintendo a free reign in Japan.

 

[Kokoloko]

Wii U isn't comparable to VR, that's disingenuous. For sure two teams can work on one game vs 1 on a game and 1 on VR I would be daft to argue otherwise, but there is no indication that that is happening. Sony is increasing the size of it's studios and as we saw with Horizon, GG gave us Horizon 1 DLC, Horizon 2 and Call of the Mountain. There's evidence to say that AAA first party games are, or will suffer because of VR.

I'll even go as far as saying that VR is bringing more games to Playstation than would be on the platform without VR

When Returnal and TLOURemake come to Steamdeck this year we’ll get a good indication of what the tech could be like next year or so for how portables will run PS5 games.

Zelda on the Switch on launch had horrible battery life and so does the Steamdeck so Im guessing so would a portable that plays PS5 games.
Im all for it anyway

 

[Deleted member 417]

The evidence is every system add-on in history from the FDS all the way up to Kinect.

And those add-ons were just that; add ons. There's no indication that VR is this generations' light-gun or PSeye. Even though the console has been built from the ground up for VR, there's no reason to believe that Sony would take resources away from their bread and butter of single-player AAA games and divert them to VR. Instead they will increase their resources.

In the 6 generations that Sony have been in the console business, they have never turned their back on their core audience. Even with the introduction of light-guns, multiplayer, online, MTX, GAAS, FTP, Motion Controls...they have always kept their core audience happy.

When Returnal and TLOURemake come to Steamdeck this year we’ll get a good indication of what the tech could be like next year or so for how portables will run PS5 games.

Zelda on the Switch on launch had horrible battery life and so does the Steamdeck so Im guessing so would a portable that plays PS5 games.
Im all for it anyway

I've never been a fan of portables, I think they're gash. The OG gameboy and Gamegear were good tech. I love my Vita as an emulation machine. Outside of that, why would I want to game on anything other than a huge TV or monitor with a powerful console or PC rig hooked up to it?

The steamdeck has sold because it's a handheld for PCMR to jizz over. OMG!1!1!1 I CAN PLAY TEH GAMES ON TEH MOVE.!1!!1! when in reality, most PC gamers don't go leave their monitor, let alone go anywhere for long enough to need to play games. Joking aside, I can't see the demographic that wanks-off over spec wars to go buy a shitty handheld.

The steamdeck is selling purely on novelty and consumerist virtue signalling.