Even PlayStation UK boss Fergal Gara admits that the PlayStation Vita is not the company's "best seller", but despite this the struggling handheld is still managing to keep its nose in front of the Nintendo Wii U in the UK. New figures from Chart-Track suggest that the portable platform managed to outsell the House of Mario's flagship home console throughout 2013 β despite adoption of the pocketable device declining by a whopping 41 per cent year-over-year.
However, the charts posted by Eurogamer.net don't quite tally with comments made elsewhere. Late last week, an MCV report suggested that the PlayStation 4 had pulled ahead of the Xbox 360 in total sales towards the very tail of the year β but this new article indicates the opposite, leaving us scratching our heads somewhat. Seeing as Chart-Track rarely discloses these figures publicly, we're probably going to have to wait for a clarification from either of the publications before we get the full picture.
Assuming that the figures are accurate, though, it'll prove a bittersweet victory for the Japanese giant's underappreciated handheld. While the platform holder itself admits that the console is "well loved" by those that own it, a dip in some already dismal sales is nothing to cheer about. As for Nintendo, well at least the 3DS continues to be the nation's most popular platform β even if we suspect that the massively popular PS4 will be competing for its crown in 2014.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 35
While I love the Wii U, PS Vita is better imo.
@darkhairwarrior Both for completely different games, and it sucks that Vita barely has more total sales than Wii U even though it has been out twice as long.
i love my vita and sony is now starting to offer awesome deals on digital content which makes it easier to impulse buy
Eh, wouldn't worry about it. If 2014 brings alot of great games, which it will, the sales will pick up for BOTH systems. Wii U's been chugging out respectable numbers for almost 2 months now, with quite a few good games in tow this year. To a lesser extent the Vita, but seeing interest spike in Japan with the release of FFX tells me people are looking for a reason to buy one. So yeah, both these systems will be fine.
I own a Wii U and Vita and can testify they are both very innovative, impressive pieces of kit, and they both have reasonable price points now. So it's not the system that's the hindrance. Wii U didn't have many games until a few months ago, and Vita's also suffered from a dry release schedule for a good chunk of it's life, not to mention those blasted memory cards.
Once Vita sees FFX/X-2, Borderlands 2, GoW HD Collection, Ratchet & Clank, Gravity Rush 2, Vita TV, and whatever else Sony has up their sleeve this year (hopfully 50% off all mem cards), they'll be fine. Once Nintendo brings DKC, Smash Bros, Bayonetta, X, Mario Kart, and whatever else they have up their sleeve this year, they'll be fine too.
I'd be surprised, no, I'd be AMAZED, if either one of these systems don't end up with a sizeable install base and robust library when everything's said and done.
I think PS Vita + PS4 for $650 is still a better value than WiiU for $350. At least until Nintendo follows suit and makes a WiiDS, but I'd hate [love] to see what Sony will have done by then
@midnafanboy
Then why post here?
@midnafanboy Well, why are you one a sony centered site? Hate it? Has sony slept with your mother?
@Gamer83 for the same reason I sometime post on Nintendo fans site. For me it's kinda itching when reading people love wii u more than ps4 and so I comment somehow
Vita need a game that is well known. I hope final Fantasy and God of war could deliver them well
@divinelite He is someone from Nintendolife i think. Only has a 3DS :') xD
@midnafanboy So......you comment because your "Wii U" isn't doing so hot so you have to be jealous of the vita little success??? LOL again from a NL loser that goes to a "SONY SITE" and say he hates Sony and the Vita that's pretty pathetic troll comment kid.......
I bought both a Vita ans Wii U and love them both. Yay for gaming!
@Sanquine he has a WiiU aswell --- while i dont disagree with the points about vita I wont deniy I love some of the games (Soul Sacrfice, Ragnrok Oddasy, Tearaway being the big 3) iv had a Vita from day1 (3G ver too) and for the 1st 5-6 months it was non stop crashing... hence my dislikeing to it luckly with all the updates it seams to have stoped (i asced a cupple of fredns it sounds like it was a 3G bug) still crashes from time to time. I orderd my PS4 on Sunday and am wating for it now... lol i got the one with KnacK.
@Dodoo same lol only machen i dont buy is X Box ... i dont see a point tbh as most of there games wind up on PC
Embarrassing for Nintendo that a handheld that is failing to sell worldwide outsold their home console. Slightly embarassing for Sony that the only thing they can outsell is the worst selling console in nearly two decades. Still it's a start.
@midnafanboy I couldn't agree more :/
@get2sammyb can the NLife do something to try and stop posts like @midnafanboy. It is the sole reason why I cannot stand NintendoLife anymore & I hope it does not spread over here.
Anyway, that is great news for the PSVita.
@midnafanboy Enough of that, please. It's totally acceptable to have that opinion, but please present it in a less combative manner. It's hard to have a reasonable discussion with comments like that, and it ruins the rest of the thread.
@The-Sega-KiD much agreed. If you read my last comment (obvious sarcasm) I never like Nintendo for this exact reason. The only thing I'm missing out on is pokemon.
@The-Sega-KiD So now you have to be a kid to enjoy amazing AAA games like A Link Between Worlds, Ocarina of Time 3D, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, Fire Emblem, Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, Pokemon, & Animal Crossing?
Just because Nintendo makes family friendly games/systems doesn't mean that they are "kiddy" games. Adults can enjoy them just the same as they enjoy their rated M games on their PlayStation. I enjoy Zelda and Mario just as much as I enjoy Grand Theft Auto, Infamous, Assassins Creed, etc. Mature adults are the ones willing to admit a great game when they see one and not hide behind "M" rated games saying Nintendo consoles are for kids.
I just find them all the same and boring. Just my taste. I don't think Nintendo makes rubbish games. They just don't interest me. Ps makes plenty of family friendly games and they're far more creative and original doing so. I imagine knack or tearaway would sell millions if it was available for nintendo?
Outsold in the UK =/= Outsold all over the world
The Vita still has a weak install base when compared to the Wii U worldwide, so proclaiming that it's superior to it in any way is a stretch. Not that I hate it, or anything, I mean Hell I owned both the Vita AND the 3DS and I used them both for my various needs, not just as a gamer, but a social creature as well.
The Vita had vastly superior social networking capabilities while the 3DS had better games. The latter still does, actually. The only game I found worth playing on the Vita was Ragnarok Odyssey - maybe Time Travelers if I knew how to read and speak Japanese. Resistance: Falling Skies and Unit 13 wasn't bad, though. Implementing the second joystick was a major upgrade to the hardware, whereas it was secondary for the 3DS.
The point is that all systems have their perks and people will have their own preferences. I expected better, more civil conversations and debates from both Sony and Nintendo fans, but I see them degrading into the Xbot degenerate cesspool of ignorance. It scares the Hell out of me, to be honest.
@Volmun
Speaking of crashing, anyone else here with a Wii U still having their damned thing freeze and crash on them?
@The-Sega-KiD
Any adult male who thinks the way you do is crazy. Not about your opinion that Vita is better than 3DS, I can respect that, but your thoughts about how it is REQUIRED to love one thing over another in order to be considered masculine.
@AVahne only with a handfull of 3rd party games biggest ofender for me is Lego Marveil. Iv only had it crash onese with a 1St party game (i think dont remember others crashing) being Mario 3D World be me and my frend had been on it all day.
I'm yet to get a vita but I'm loving my wii u so far
@JaxonH I'm hoping they both pick up in sales also.
I plan on getting a Wii U and a Vita to go along with my 3DS, and maybe a PS4 if it gets them games I wan that are not on the Wii U. I mainly play handhelds, so the off tv play feature is my main reason for wanting a Wii U. I would consider a PS4 first, but paid online is a deal breaker for me this generation, as I am not made of money sadly. If microsoft came out with a handheld, withfree online like the others, tha would be cool too, but I probably won't get an xbox because of the paid online as well.
@eaglebob345
Yeah I don't do the paid online thing either. I have a Wii U, Vita, 3DS and PS4, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's like two halves that equal a whole. Wii U and 3DS provide one half, with extraordinary games you just can't find anywhere else, and play them in a way you can't anywhere else. Then you have PS4 and Vita, which supplement nicely with a healthy storehouse of 3rd party games that don't come to Nintendo platforms. You COULD just game on one brand or the other- many people do, but you won't get the robust, full experience without both. That's how I see it anyways. I do plan on getting an Xbox One, but I'm waiting for a slim model that's ironed out some of the kinks, ya know.
@JaxonH I feel that way, too. I am jumping back into home consoles, now that I have a newfound love for games like Monster Hunter and Resident Evil and the promise of franchises I thought lost in the sea of FPS, like Kingdom Hearts and Star Wars: Battlefront. Coupling those with exclusives I like, like Pokemon, Mario Kart, and Rachet and Clank, and it is a given that I can't just stick to one company. I look forward to trying out some new games as well and I may pick up a PS3 for the exclusives that I missed, also. I just got a Wii but I can upgrade to the Wii U with the other underrated feature I enjoy, backwards compatibility.
It makes me sad that Nintendo and Sony are both struggling to get their consoles to latch on in the market. It makes me think of how, if Nintendo wasn't so controlling and oppressive in the 1990's, Nintendo and Sony's partnership would be now. I think that their libraries of games target different markets, though they can overlap, and they would fit well together. I mean Sony and Nintendo vs. Microsoft and Sega very well could have happened. Both partnerships would have been stellar. I understand what Nintendo's intentions were, but I don't think they will ever truly be forgiven by companies like Sony and Square Enix.
Think about it: PS4 and 3DS could have been under the same roof. That would make my life easier.
@eaglebob345
Yeah, PS3 has one of the best gaming libraries EVER. It's a fantastic console that will go down in gaming history. Too many great games to list. But we all know what it is already.
The Wii was limited, BUT, there were some gems on there that alot of people don't know about. DKC Returns, Xenoblade, The Last Story, Sin & Punishment Star Successor, Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, Metroid Prime Trilogy and Other M, Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, Zelda Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, etc...
I'm VERY pleased with the Wii U though. Wii was ok (don't get me wrong it definitely had its' must-play games), but it wasn't epic or anything. Wii U is bucking that trend HARD though. Almost every game on the console is beyond amazing. I've already amassed over 30 games for the system, many of them (Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, Zelda Windwaker HD, Wii Sports Club) all-time favorites of mine. And it's not just the games either. Finally playing Nintendo games in HD with dual analogues makes a huge difference alone, but the Gamepad second screen and Wiimote integration where applicable (nice they only use it when it's a natural fit now, unlike the Wii where it was shoehorned into every game), along with a well designed Pro Controller is what really makes the console shine.
2014 is gonna be a great year to finally get a decent PS4 library going, and some great Vita games as well. 3DS might take a backseat to the Wii U this year, but that's understandable considering how big of a year it had in 2013.
@JaxonH I am actually hoping that the 3DS is put on the backburner so they can focus on the Wii U this year, as well. Sony's job will be a little harder building up two systems, but, I think they still have hope with the Vita, especially if they take the route Capcom did with MH3U cross playing with 3DS and Wii U. I love that idea, and it is my main drive for getting a Wii U.
@eaglebob345
Right, and they've got a solid lineup of games so far, but the best part is most games aren't revealed until a few months before release. So there should be a good chunk of games coming this year that we don't even know about yet.
Vita's been doing pretty decent lately, particularly in Japan (same for Wii U). So I'm not too worried about it. It's a typical slow start, but it'll get there.
@eaglebob345
PS4+3DS = perfect combo
I agree with The-Sega-KiD,the 3DS game are only for kids but PS VITA is for adult even "New York" times as already mentioned that
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