Is the PS Vita really a contender in the handheld market?
Ian Cloutier

“Sony won't want to see this venture fail. They've staked a lot of their reputation on its success, against the odds, and I believe they have the clout to carry it out.” says Darryl Kaye of gamingunion.net. He thinks the massive amount of launch titles, along with the dedicated third-party support and technology behind the Vita will give it the appeal it needs to succeed. However the PS vitas sales in Japan say differently, with a “77% drop in sales in only its second week on the shelves,” reports Playstation Universe.  Some people like Tero Kuittinen of Forbes think that the PS Vita will be the last major handheld gaming console to come out of this dying market because “Nintendo and Sony are fighting the old war while the guerrilla attacks from mobile and social game companies steal a few seconds more of the consumer leisure time with each passing day.” The US launch is doomed because the mobile gaming market in the US has the iPhone and other tablets to contend with. The Montreal Gazette had a different view in Paul Chapmans review of the device, saying that “While gaming is clearly the spine of the Vita, and considering the PlayStation's gaming pedigree, the push for Sony on this is going to be around it being an "all-in-one" device.” Chapman says that the PS Vitas versatility, with its many different social and non-gaming related apps, could be a good buy even in the tablet flooded market of the US.