Vita isn't doing well in general. I think part of it has to do with Vita being a victim of the PSP's success, especially in Japan. It somewhat mirrors the way how the early days of PS3 were a struggle against its predecessor, the PS2. Though Vita does seem to have had relatively better luck in the West, especially in the US. Likely due to the fact that most of the PSP games that make it so popular in Japan are the kind of games that are unexportable to the West.
I find it amusing that I used to mock the PSP's lack of games in its early days, calling it "more portable media player than actual handheld console". Now I've got one... thanks, Summon Night 5 (and all the other cool games released since, but SN5 was the "must get it to play it" tipping point for me).
Quote:
Originally Posted by
reddyxm 
What's sad is that Namco/Bandai doesn't want to release the "Tales of" games in the US on the Vita because the Vita sales in the US is abysmal. On the contrary, folks don't want to purchase a Vita because there are hardly any good games for the Vita. Oh the paradox. ;_;
While I find the US "Tales of" fandom to be particularly myopic in their whining about the lack of localization of their beloved series, they do have a point. Namco has been inconsistent in deciding to port the series. I think Namco Bandai wants to reach out to the Western markets, but doesn't know how. From previous releases (Abyss, Symphonia, etc.), the series seems to be considered exportable. The problem likely lies in that the Tales series is a niche series in the West. Either that, or they found the recurring theme of racism to be too heavy for export.
Namco Bandai has been doing some surprising things lately, like picking up the second Ni no Kuni game (PS3) for localization. Also, you have to give NBGI credit for getting Project X Zone to the West (crossovers are a special pain due to licensing), even if it's only going to be for the 3DS. Optimistically, they see the crossover as a good doorstep to raise awareness for their other lesser-known series (e.g. Tales of). Pessimistically, the Tales localization process goes something like, "We know we're not going to get many sales doing an overseas port of the latest Tales game... do we have any other potential projects at the moment that have a better return on investment?"
Any major vitalization (pun?) of the Vita would likely have to rest on established franchises (where name recognition and series loyalty makes it a safer bet) and start-up developers (who are more willing to take risks to get their name out there). I suppose the mobile phone/tablet market encroaching on the handheld console market also makes things harder. Despite that, Sega is a Japanese company that seems to have their stuff together as they've released Phantasy Star Online 2 on Vita (though it's also on PC and there are plans for Android and iOS ports). The Western releases have been delayed, but Sega has said they want Western releases of it.
