Round Table: Time for a Festive Chat

Tom: That all sounds fun (apart from Katy's socks and shampoo). Let's talk about where Sony is at the moment going into Christmas; Vita is still going and PS3 is possibly in its last year as the main home console. What do you think of Vita's position right now, first of all?

Corbie: I think Sony had better get some games to Vita and fast. And a price drop might be the only thing that kicks it up a notch. That thing is floundering right now; getting beat in Japan by PSP on a consistent basis is not good.

Sammy: Urgh, yeah, I think it's done in Japan.

Katy: I'm a bit worried about the Vita too, as Corbie says, it needs a dose of some quality games.

Sammy: Nintendo completely outmanoeuvred them in Japan.

Corbie: And it's too great a system to be struggling as it is. I'm with Sammy. The 3DS has just dominated.

Jamie: I am looking forward to seeing more releases of cross-buy games. It seems such a bargain to buy a title on PS3 and also have it on Vita, with shared save positions and cross-play potential.

Corbie: You know what I haven't seen so far in the US? A Vita commercial. Plenty of Wii U commercials, but no Vita promos.

Tom: They're plugging the crap out of a CoD: Declassified bundle in the UK. Which is a shame.

Sammy: Yeah, there's been loads in the UK.

Sammy: They also have the Champions League sponsorship in Europe, too, which they're using for Vita rather than PS3 these days.

It's a difficult one. It's such a shame because the machine is legitimately fantastic. But I can't see what would turn it around.

Tom: Have there been figures for EU and US recently, has there been a festive bump?

Corbie: I think the Vita sold decently during the holidays, but still not nearly where it need to be.

Sammy: Pretty much. It definitely did OK on Black Friday, and it proves that there are people waiting to buy it when it gets cheaper.

Tom: It's funny, but take Japan out of the equation and I think the talk would be similar around the 3DS.

Katy: How are the 3DS sales figures doing Tom?

Tom: 3DS is red-hot in Japan, but I think sales are mediocre in the U.S and rather poor in Europe, or in the UK at least.

Sammy: It's worrying because it means the analysts were right — the handheld market is dying. Especially in the West.

Tom: I agree Sammy, not sure Sony's entirely at fault, despite mistakes.

Corbie: Yeah iPhone is hurting in many respects.

Sammy: I constantly see kids playing Angry Birds and stuff on their parent's smartphones these days.
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Katy: I couldn't be without my handhelds, I play my 3DS nearly every night (even if I am playing DS games…) I don't personally see that iPhones or other devices could ever take their place, they're totally different!

Jamie: Yeah, forget Angry Birds, Sony should release an 'Angry Kratos' game on Vita, he was brilliant on PSP.

Corbie: I think they could to the masses Katy. We're a minority when it comes to handheld game devices vs the phones. And since most people always have their phones with them, why carry around a separate device?

Sammy: It's true unfortunately. I'd rather replace my eyeballs with hot toffee apples than play GTA3 on a touch-screen, but people do it!

Corbie: Right. Only the core gamers prefer the good old dedicated handhelds.

Jamie: GTA hot toffee, didn't that cause controversy back in the day!

Sammy: Haha! Good one!

Corbie: Now I want a caramel apple!

Katy: Ha! Hot coffee…

Sammy: Having said all that, I do still think there's hope for Vita as a niche product. People that own it clearly love the device, and the Black Friday numbers show there is a place for it. I'm just not sure how big that market is anymore.

Corbie: I think Vita might end up like PS3 in the way it becomes far more popular later on in its lifecycle than it does at the beginning.

Tom: OK, so tough times for Vita. If this is the last Christmas as "current-gen" for PS3, is it in a happy place, and are the current hardware offerings going to lead to a late surge in sales?

Sammy: Well, they announced 30 million sales in Europe the day we're writing this, and I think that number's going to soar. It's just hitting a mainstream price point!

Corbie: I see PS3 going out a lot like PSP in that it will probably remain fairly popular even after we see the next Sony console. And there are still some great titles coming for PS3 this next year to carry it along.

Katy: I definitely think the PS3 is becoming more desirable at this later stage, remember the price at launch?

Sammy: Exactly, that 12GB model is doing wonders in Europe. You can get a 12GB PS3 for less than £150 from Amazon right now.

Tom: The 250GB model is surely much better value.

Sammy: It is — but the 12GB system gets the base price down to something palatable for conscious consumers.

Corbie: And let's face it, Sony's PS3 is comparable power-wise to what Nintendo has just released as next-gen in the Wii U. We all know that the mammoth launch price is what kept the PS3 from really selling in its first couple of years. Now it's affordable and has a fantastic library of games to go along with it

Tom: Nintendo stopped giving a s**t about power with the DS, Corbs!

Corbie: I know, but I had to throw that out there Tom. I just HAD to!

Sammy: And next year's line-up is nuts, too. God of War: Ascension and The Last of Us are both coming in the first five months of the year — and Beyond: Two Souls could join them.

Tom: Yeah, I think the points about price and the library are important though. It's a hell of a package right now.

Corbie: Don't forget Sly Cooper 4!

Katy: Tomb Raider, DMC, Ni No Kuni...

Jamie: I agree with you guys, the two big Sony exclusives are God of War Ascension and The Last of Us. It is an awesome year ahead for multiformat releases, as Katy said: Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, BioShock Infinite and Lords of Shadow 2. The Last of Us is my most anticipated game of 2013. It is going to be a banner year for PS3, an amazing send-off for a class generation of consoles.

Sammy: I think the timing of those big releases is what's so interesting. Beyond: Two Souls aside, there's nothing announced for Fall 2013.

Corbie: E3 should be quite interesting this year.

Sammy: And when you've got games as big as the ones we're talking about on the way, well, it does make you think...

Tom: So, PS4 for Christmas 2013, anyone?

Corbie: I think 2014 for PS4. New Xbox maybe, PS4 no. Thinking March or April.

Katy: I have high hopes for the PS3 next year, either Sony want to finish the PS3 off with a boom or the PS4 may be a 2014 job.

Sammy: Yeah, I think it's coming next Christmas. There's no way they would release The Last of Us in May if they didn't have something up their sleeves.

Jamie: Good point both Sammy and Corbie, I can't wait for a next generation console announcement at E3 2013. I wonder what will fill the gap during the latter part of the year, there is Star Wars 1313 and Watch Dogs ahead, but I think they are expected later on.

Corbie: You never know. You know these hardware makers want to hit the holiday season if they can.

Tom: I think it'll arrive next Winter, and I’m not sure it’ll be a tech behemoth in the way PS3 was. Sony's been burned too much with hi-tech kit not selling (Vita), and will leave self-destructive unsupportable power-tech willy-waving to Microsoft.

Sammy: No, I disagree there too. I think they're both going to go crazy.

Corbie: Sony like to knock the ball out of the park and I think they'll go all out with PS4.

Tom: It could be their funeral if they do.

Sammy: You won't ever see a $599 again, but I think both Microsoft and Sony are going go bonkers.

Corbie: I do too Sammy.

Tom: A £400-500 console will sink next gen. And Sony can't afford to swallow a big loss on each system, seeing as their financials have sucked recently.

Katy: Remember all the controversy on the Wii U's price (and I thought that was pretty reasonable!)

Tom: Exactly Katy, and Wii U isn't exactly flying off shelves.

Katy: Which is a great shame, it's a great console.

Corbie: Sony knows they need a big step up from their PS3 to convince consumers to upgrade. So I'd think they'd really go all out on this next piece of hardware.

Sammy: I think the key thing is that the hardware's going to be designed differently this time. You're going to see something that's easier for developer's to work on and cheaper to produce. But that doesn't mean that it won't be a behemoth.

Corbie: Now that would be a welcome thing Sammy. Because we know the PS3 was difficult to develop for at times. I think MS and Sony have both dismissed Nintendo and are just ready to go head to head on this next game console race.

Tom: To clarify, by not being a behemoth I mean it won't be as big a shift as PS2 to PS3 was. It'll still have more grunt than Wii U, easily, but I don't expect the same gulf.

Corbie: I don't know Tom, I just know Sony; they like to be the big shot. And we know Xbox 720 or whatever it's going to be called is supposedly quite potent.

Tom: But Sony has no cash! Shareholders must be pissed.

Corbie: Well they have their electronics division to fall back on. Their televisions and stuff still sell well.

Tom: Electronics is going backwards too, their TV division isn’t in great shape.

Sammy: Their televisions are killing them at the moment. That's their big problem.

Corbie: We know what would be the SMART play for them, but will they do that? I don't think so. Sony is always balls out.

Tom: You’re possibly right, but I think they need to think hard and keep the price reasonable, otherwise only enthusiasts will dive in, and that audience isn’t big enough on its own.

Sammy: I think the thing with Sony at the moment is that they've identified gaming as one of the company's main strengths. So, if they're hearing rumours that Microsoft's doing x and x (and by all accounts they're going nuts), they'll almost certainly attempt to match them.

Corbie: Exactly Sammy.

Jamie: As a side-note, the future of downloadable games looks bright. I have just downloaded The Gaming Wonders Bundle, which is deal number ten out of this year’s PS Store '12 Deals of Christmas'. The Unfinished Swan and Journey were sold for a combined half-price bargain of £9.99. Both of these games have been so well received, I read Push Square’s 10/10 review of each one and they represent a stunning year for exclusive downloadable games on PS3. I knew I could not miss out on two of this year’s stand-out PlayStation titles. From what I have read these two downloadable titles stand tall amongst the very best releases of 2012.

Sammy: Yeah, that Journey and The Unfinished Swan bundle is amazing.

Katy: Jamie that bundle sounds awesome, might have to download that later!

Tom: Good point Jamie, maybe PlayStation Network credit will be a nice gift this Christmas. On that, let’s agree that PS4 will be exciting and round-off with some festive messages!

Corbie: I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas!!!!!

Sammy: As for final Christmas thoughts, I just want to thank everyone for reading and commenting on the site this year.

Jamie: One last festive thought, if you have the chance to play Sonic 4: Episode II be sure to check out White Park Zone Act 1, with its fluttering snowfall and Christmas trees in the background. Not everyone enjoyed the music in Episode II, but the jingly tune for Snow-Blind Wonderland is my favourite track in that game and hearing it as I control a snowboarding Sonic makes me feel festive inside.

Katy: Happy Christmas everyone!

Corbie: Remember Christmas isn't about video games, it's about being with those you care about. Okay, I'm kidding, it's about video games!

Jamie: Have an incredible Christmas everyone. I also wish the Push Square team all the very best for the New Year. I really need to spend some more time with NiGHTS into Dreams HD, because 'Christmas NiGHTS' can be unlocked in the PSN version. Merry Christmas!

Tom: Merry Christmas indeed! Now let’s play some games…