The PlayStation Vita will give Sony an advantage over Microsoft – Opinion
Anyone who has been following this, the seventh, generation of the video game console and its market, which includes Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, will know just how fierce the competition is between the three.
Nintendo Wii is almost at the end of its lifecycle, with Nintendo revealing its successor, the Wii U, a few months ago at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Microsoft, on the other hand, prolonged the life of its console, the Xbox 360, by adding a new
piece of tech, the motion control peripheral and global sensation known as the Kinect.
Sony still seem to have some life left in their console with a formidable GPU and its own version of motion control, the PlayStation Move, though its foray into 3D has been met with mixed reactions.
Yet, it seems that for core gamers, all that matters is the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, however, there is one minor detail people tend to overlook when one compares Microsoft to PlayStation; the latter’s portable gaming platforms.
Yes, there is no denying the fact that when the Xbox launched in 2005 it was completely sold out and that Sony had a hard time catching up to their most direct competitor. In fact, Sony only managed to match them in recent years, after price cuts and some
strong exclusive content started making the difference.
However, there is the one thing Sony has which Microsoft does not, and that one thing should change the way one looks at both companies when comparing them.
Sony, unlike Microsoft, is a major player in the portable gaming market, where it competes directly with Nintendo and indirectly with smart phones (which by the way are on their way to become a major player in the market themselves after iOS and Android
based game applications are set to earn $1-billion by the end of this year).
The thing is that the PlayStation Portable, or PSP, was a nice alternative for the average gamer, as well as a solid second option. It would not be uncommon for a person with an Xbox or a Nintendo console to have a PSP as well.
Nintendo had the same advantage as PlayStation and Xbox console owners would also tend to have either a PSP or a Nintendo DS. In a market where brand loyalty is key to survival, the fact that customers were buying from both parties should've been a concern
for Microsoft.
After all, what Sony is not making in PlayStation 3 sales, it is covering up to some extent with sales of the PSP, while Microsoft does not have that luxury.
However, the game changer will be the PlayStation Vita, Sony’s next generation of portable gaming devices. The Vita, can generate graphics almost identical to current generation consoles, has a host of features and is basically a current generation console
one can carry around.
It has interconnectivity features with the PlayStation 3, which is great for Sony, but should be a worry for Microsoft as gamers who own a Vita may want to make full use of the product and consider purchasing a PS3.
As far fetched as that may sound to some, it is a normal and standard phenomenon in the world, where people associate products with each other and tend to mould their preferences accordingly.
Priced at $249.99, the Vita is more affordable than Microsoft would have liked and it seems quite a few people will be saying the word Sony very soon, if the Vita can provide the right content for the portable gaming device.
All in all, Microsoft have not tapped into a segment of the market which its competitors have, and that could cost them in the future.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Bettor.com
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