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Miyamoto says PS Vita needs games

Mario creator acknowledges abilities of Sony's latest handheld, but says it doesn't have the software-hardware combination that makes for a strong product.

231 Comments

The PlayStation Vita has struggled in the sales charts, and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto thinks he knows why. Speaking to Edge, Miyamoto suggested the Sony system's software isn't matching the abilities of the hardware.

Shigeru Miyamoto has some recent experience launching hardware without the right software.
Shigeru Miyamoto has some recent experience launching hardware without the right software.

"It's obviously a very hi-spec machine, and you can do lots of things with it," Miyamoto said, "But I don't really see the combination of software and hardware that really makes a very strong product."

Miyamoto expressed a similar sentiment about the 3DS's initial struggles after launch.

"When we launched the 3DS hardware we didn't have Super Mario 3D Land, we didn't have Mario Kart 7, we didn't have Kid Icarus: Uprising," he told Edge. "We were striving to have all of these ready for the launch, but we weren't able to deliver them at that time. We were kind of hoping that people would, nevertheless, buy into the product, find 3DS hardware promising, but looking back we have to say we realize the key software was missing when we launched the hardware."

Nintendo spurred the system's retail success with a substantial price cut mere months after launch, and a holiday lineup of games included Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land. Though the cut has Nintendo selling the 3DS at a loss and contributed to the company's first-ever annual shortfall, the company has said it expects to rebound for the current fiscal year.

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xcollector

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Edited By xcollector

...so does every other console, especially Nintendo's

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helldew

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Edited By helldew

agreed entirely sadly. and i get the feeling he isnt saying this out of spite either, its really a damn shame Sony was to stupid to cut the Backwards compatbility off the system . that was one of the most moronic things to do with the system. considering there is obviously a very large number of people buying PSPs right now i think it would have serously helped the system. it would have at least gave early adopters a little more choice.

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xMoonDevilx

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Edited By xMoonDevilx

@helldews Actually the requirement of purchasing Data Memory cards...some per each game, adding to the actual costs of the Vita itself as well as games...is the reason.

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Serpentes420

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Edited By Serpentes420

An obvious statement from Miyamoto, but he is still a golden god :D

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unreal_master

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Edited By unreal_master

Though Vita does need games, I feel like this could be said about 3ds and kinect also.

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the9thinning

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Edited By the9thinning

@unreal_master 3DS has games now though. You could say it for it's launch, but not now.

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lowkey254

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Edited By lowkey254

Truth, unfortunately.

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COPMAN221ISBACK

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Edited By COPMAN221ISBACK

Give this man the nobel peace prize. Shame on the rest of the gaming community for not figuring this one out years ago.:)

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NuclearPig

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Edited By NuclearPig

*Reads title* No sh*t Sherlock

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deactivated-60889f10c3b8e

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He's right. But good software always follows good hardware... eventually.

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oKiRe

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Edited By oKiRe

These guys are in the gaming industry and they are only realizing this now? I've been saying this stuff before 3DS and PS Vita even launched. No ones going to buy these new systems unless it has the games people want.

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DiscGuru101

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Edited By DiscGuru101

And in other news, sunlight is shinny.

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Elite_Bushido

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Edited By Elite_Bushido

i bet he thinks it needs about 40 different Mario iterations.

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pasinpman

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Edited By pasinpman

I personally don't think the Wii or 3DS is doing great in the games department. Maybe Miyamoto should look at his hardware's lineup.

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furrynic

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Edited By furrynic

@pasinpman U are right about that, but still 3DS does have better games, plus just having a Mario game is good enough to sell millions of 3DS. PS VITA dont have that.

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tjb3

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Edited By tjb3

@pasinpman You are kidding right? Just what, exactly, have you played on either of these systems?

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QOSMSTR

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Edited By QOSMSTR

The 3DS sold slightly better because it had great games on the horizon, which are out now. Something your just not seeing for the Vita. The Vita needs announcements of games that they know will draw peoples attention, and a price cut before thing get better.

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Maxx_the_Slash

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Edited By Maxx_the_Slash

I'd like to get that game "Warrior's Lair" for the Vita (it's the only game I'm interested in on the handheld). Unfortunately, I heard there's a hiccup with it's development and it's currently stalled. I'll need to get Heroes of Ruin for the 3DS for my hack-and-slash RPG gaming (which is fine, the game looks fun).

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endorbr

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Edited By endorbr

It's funny because he's speaking from experience. Nintendo released the 3DS six months too early. They also brought it out at too high an entry price. $199 for the 3DS would have been more reasonable. The Vita tech is worth the extra coin it just needs more games to pad the line up. And they're coming. May will see the release of several new Vita titles and Sony is going to be pushing the Vita hard at E3 this year.

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Maxx_the_Slash

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Edited By Maxx_the_Slash

@endorbr

That's what I always tell people about the 3DS's price. It was too high at launch, but the price cut was waaaay too deep. $200 would have been perfect. People don't realize that the tech inside the 3DS is much better than the DSi's, so why did the 3DS have to match the DSi's price as if the 3DS was meant to be the next DS instead of the stand-alone device that Nintendo wants it to be?

$199 would have been perfect, I completely agree with you.

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SirNormanislost

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Edited By SirNormanislost

thank you captain obvious....

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deactivated-5ae060efb3bf6

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Vita needs games. Tell us something we don't know. Mines collecting dust next to the Wii.

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graphidz

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Edited By graphidz

thank you mr. obvious!seriously,the vita was released a few months back,what do you expect?this comment just shows how arrogant he is.give the vita some time and it'll gain it's own momentum

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scatterbrain007

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Edited By scatterbrain007

The only game that interests me on the Vita is Vanilla Ware's "Dragon's Crown". Other than that, there is no other game that I care about. I honestly don't want to play an Uncharted game on such a small screen. Gravity Rush is another game I'd rather play on my full size television.

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deactivated-57bac25e99ee3

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But what if Sony tells Nintendo that their 3DS needs to do more than 3D without glasses? The debate rages on...

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KFHEWUI

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Edited By KFHEWUI

I have to agree with him.

When the PS Vita was revealed, I thought it was interesting, but I was not impressed with the game line up. There are no games out yet or coming out soon that interest me into buying a Vita just yet.

24 • 
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burgeg

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Edited By burgeg

Pot calling kettle black. This time last year 3DS had barely any games worth owning too. I should know. I bought one! In time it will get a sizable library of games. It's already got some good games on it and more to come.

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ToTs_00

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Edited By ToTs_00

@burgeg Did you read the whole article? He mentions that the 3DS had the same problem at launch

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wurdmann

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Edited By wurdmann

I came in here to say the same thing, but then I realized he admits that the 3DS had the same problem. @burgeg

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Muteki_X

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Edited By Muteki_X

I've been a NIntendo fan for a while, but this is a classic case of "the pot calling the kettle black."

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PillyChickle

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Edited By PillyChickle

@Muteki_X

Not really, everyone knew the 3DS was going to get some system-selling games. Same can't be said for the Vita which is selling far worse than the 3DS ever did before the price cut.

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