One PS Vita Comment To Train Wreck Them All... Not Likely

So, one fairly minor developer makes one comment about the Vita "train wreck" and, it being a slow pre-GamesCom news day yesterday, about 90% of the hundreds of articles citing it continue to suggest the Vita is "DOOMED!"

The other 10% take a little perspective on things, citing the Vita's long life span compared to smartphones, Sony's acceptance that minis and smaller games are a vital part of the ecosystem, and so on. What most fail to mention is that its the market that will decide if Vita succeeds or fails, not one developers opinion, even its Sega's who seem to love it or any of the other insiders whose comments have covered pretty much the rainbow of optimism to the gloominess above .

There are so many possibilities its largely pointless in speculating, but if things do get off to a slow start, there's the price-cut route. If the costs mount up, Sony can bundle it with the PS3, or its home consumer goods, or partner with other vendors to sell rebadged versions (ala the 3D0), I still like the idea of partnering with Microsoft to give them a handheld platform for mobile Halo (unlikely, but these are funny times).

Yes, the game has changed with the arrival of smartphones, but video games players haven't just vanished. There are still hundreds of millions, looking for their next core fix and with no new Xbox or PlayStation to go under the TV for a few years, a fair percentage will shuffle along to the next thing.

In the younger games market, how many parents will fork out £800+ over a couple of years for a smartphone contract, a £200+ one-shot device will look a lot more appealing. So, the Vita's success, while far from cut and dried, doesn't just hang on the words of one random dude, its an organic tree of possibilities that has years to sprout, some vines will wither, others thrive, and I'll be happy just going along for the ride.