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Posted by: Matt Liebl

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Despite the PlayStation Vita's impressive hardware, Sony's handheld is struggling to move units. After a strong launch in Japan last December, numbers have fallen flat following its worldwide release in February.  While some feel it's the price affecting sales, Sony's competition feels it is something completely different.

According to Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, the handheld's weak software lineup is hurting the Vita sales.

"It's obviously a very hi-spec machine, and you can do lots of things with it," Miyamoto said of Vita. "But I don't really see the combination of software and hardware that really makes a very strong product."

If anyone knows about weak software, it's Miyamoto, whose Nintendo 3DS suffered a similar fate before sales boomed thanks to the release of several big-named titles.  Since August, however, the 3DS has been Japan's best-selling hardware every single week.  Was it the price cut or the release of some much-anticipated games?  Miyamoto feels believes it was the games, although I'm sure the price cut didn't hurt.

"When we launched the 3DS hardware we didn't have Super Mario 3D Land, we didn't have Mario Kart 7, we didn't have Kid Icarus: Uprising," he said. "We were striving to have all of these ready for the launch, but we weren't able to deliver them at that time."

"We were kind of hoping that people would, nevertheless, buy into the product, find 3DS hardware promising, but looking back we have to say we realize the key software was missing when we launched the hardware."

It's not hard to comprehend what Miyamoto is saying. It's the software that helps sell systems.  The Vita, like the 3DS, needs games.  The Vita has had a decent amount of titles, but I think Sony is struggling to find that big title that will make gamers want to go out and purchase the system.  Looking down the calendar, I don't see that changing any time soon.  The next big release for the system is Gravity Rush, due out in June.

[Edge]

Tags: PS Vita, Sony