Bringing back the sexy...

• 10Mar 13

  Leet Gamers Asia Update

  Three weeks have passed since the inception of Leet Gamers Asia and the site is starting to take shape. We even managed to recruit two writers from GameSpot's very talented pool of bloggers/reviewers.

  Please let me know what you think about the site, or if you would like to write for us? Suggestions, feedback and critiques are all welcomed

   

  

  Keep staying awesome 

  • Posted Mar 10, 2013 10:46 pm GMT
  • Category: Games
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• 25Feb 13

  Where the hell have I been?

  Hey, its been awhile hasn't it? I have been guilty of lurking far too much on GameSpot instead of posting. All that changes this year! I...promise

  

  Recently I have been busy with creating a website centered on what else but gaming.

  With a heavy emphasis on the gaming scene in Asia (for now) our site aims to be the go-to-site for all the latest news and opinion pieces. By offering a platform to trade/sell things online through the forum, our site gives you the platform to advertise your wares for free and possibly start off a business venture. Having said that if you have an interest in helping out in the forums, do let me know and I'll set you up with mod capabilities.

  Do note that the site is still relatively new (only a week) and as such its pretty barren

  If you would like to be a writer/graphic designer, we'll be more than happy to have you on our team. The odd game, Xbox Live points, Nintendo eshop credit and PSN cards will also be thrown in for contributing members who give that little bit extra. 

  • Posted Feb 25, 2013 2:38 am GMT
  • Category: General
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• 10Aug 12

  A Look at the Vita and it's Future, It Ain't Pretty

  Amidst recent lukewarm reception for the Vita and it's ever dwindling sales, what can Sony do to help reinvigorate it's latest handheld offering? With the Nintendo 3DS and iPad continuing to run away with the competition each month, Sony needs to halt the Vita's shortcomings or it could be in for even more tough times ahead. Gamers may well remember how Sony addressed the PS3's initial problems, launching the console at $600, lack of killer apps during it's first year, PSN still in it's infancy are just some of the issues that plagued it's launch - but the company swiftly rectified these initial shortcomings. Can they do the same for the muchmaligned Vita?

  The following are some niggling issues that is seriously hampering the handheld's growth:

  

  • Expensive propriety memory cards

  With memory cards being relatively inexpensive, most of us wouldn't think twice before purchasing them. On the Vita, it's entirely different - as memory cards are priced around $20 and above, they are clearly overpriced. As if that wasn't bad enough, most games require having a memory card in the system or it will refuse to play. Surely including one along with the system isn't too much to ask.

  Note: Both versions of the 3DS have 2GB and 4GB right out of the box.

  

  • Only one account can be tied to a Vita system

  This is a step backwards as the PS3 allowed multiple accounts to be shared on one console. Why the sudden omission? Game sharing across multiple systems seems like the most likely reason. It allowed gamers to capitalize on buying titles at even further discounts, which inadvertently affected sales. Sony has since went on to allow only up to two downloads for each game. You may argue that there is a workaround, but when it involves yet another purchase of the expensive propriety memory cards - is it really worth it?

  What's worse is - you either have to sell your game or purchase another memory card (if its of a different region), or downloadble content's (DLC) won't work.

  

  • Bad marketing

  Lack of advertising certainly isn't doing the Vita any favors. Sony needs to market it's latest handheld offering as much as possible, like the PlayStation 3, because as it stands, not everyone knows about it's existence. Yes, Sony has been in troubling times as of late - but as with all new products, a good marketing strategy is not only crucial, its essential.

  

  • Lack of killer apps

  As it stands, the Vita just doesn't have the killer app that will make gamers want to purchase the system. Gravity Rush, while a really fresh and unique game, failed to add a significant boost to those numbers. If that wasn't troubling enough, many publishers have backed out on supporting the Vita. Can you really blame them? Selling about 10k plus on average in Japan, a region where analysts expected strong sales isn't the kind of figures that would attract would be publishers. Coupled with the fact that its predecessor, a 7 year old gaming handheld is shifting more units, something is clearly amiss.

  While it may be early days, Sony simply cannot allow this situation to continue any longer. It needs to convince more developers to make games for it, because as it stands, ports of popular titles just isn't working. Take the 3DS for example, faced with a similar situation as it's competitor, the flurry of killer apps just kept flowing in as the month's progressed. If Sony can secure the rights to a new GTA game like they did with the Liberty and Vice City Stories games, or a Monster Hunter title, it would be a start in the right direction, one which needs to happen sooner rather than later.

  

  • No UMD support

  Want to play all your previous titles on your new handheld? As much as you want to, it isn't possible. Gamers would either need to keep their existing PSPs or re-buy those games on the PlayStation Store if they wished to play it on the Vita. Could the dwindling Vita sales be inadvertently be affected by the lack of UMD support? This does carry some weight, as there is little reason for would be adopters to take the plunge at the moment. If Sony does phase out the PSP and place those titles (PSP) on the PlayStation store, the situation could very well improve. Only time will tell.

  Final Note

  Please don't take this the wrong way, as much as I love the Vita, with it's smooth and slick curves, dual thumbsticks, amazing OLED screen - it's just isn't giving me more reasons to carry it around. More announcement of fresh titles, not ports has to happen. The Vita's capabilities is remarkable, we all know that but it's not the capabilities that sell a system, its the games. Like Nintendo, Sony should assign it's A studios to make it's Vita games or most of us will just continue gaming on the PS3 instead. When you only showcase two games for the handheld at E3, Assassin's Creed Liberation and Call of Duty, something is clearly amiss.

  • Posted Aug 10, 2012 9:59 am GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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