Sony had a great year in 2011. Great titles like Infamous 2,
Killzone 3, and Uncharted 3 made for a killer year in software, and Sony have
sold over 60 million PS3’s worldwide. The Playstation Vita was made official,
and the PS3 price was cut to $249.99. After a stellar 2011 what can we expect
from Sony in 2012?
Playstation Vita will be making its North America debut very
soon, and I expect 2012 to be the year of the Vita for Sony. The Vita is an
extremely powerful device, and is priced aggressively to compete against the
3DS. Sony has already put some major franchises on the Vita such as Uncharted
and Hot Shots Golf. And you can expect to see other major franchises to make
their Vita debut. Twisted Metal, God of War, Ratchet and Clank, and Killzone
are all titles that will be either released in 2012 or at least be announced
some time during the year. With the power of the Vita, these games can look and
plays as well as their console counter parts. 3rd party support will be just as
strong with titles like Madden, Assassins Creed, and Kingdom Hearts coming to
the system. Sony has got to keep the games coming in a world where portable
games are apparently “dying” according to analysts.
PSN is the issue with the Playstation 3, and Sony needs to
realize this. PSN needs a redesign in 2012. A unified system similar to Xbox
Live needs to be made for PSN. Sony has said that party chat is impossible on
the PS3 due to ram issues, but Sony needs to find a way to make it happen.
Being able to play with your friends is the easiest experience on the PS3. Sony
has Microsoft beat on one major factor of its online system, price. If Sony
redesigns the PSN and makes it as good, but have it for free. I think you would
see some people start to pick up some 3rd party games more often on the PS3.
Software on the PS3 is a big question mark for 2012. This is
a chance to bring out titles that disappeared like The Last Guardian and Agent.
God of War IV is coming in 2012, and an E3 2012 announcement is coming. Surprises are something I am hoping for in 2012,
and I believe that is the only way Sony can “beat” the competition. Sony needs
some killer surprises to make people that don’t have a PS3 say, “I have to buy
a PS3 right now.” Bring back some classic franchises that have been subpar like
Crash Bandicoot or Spyro and get them exclusively on the PS3.
Sony has already said that the Playstation 4 will not be
making an appearance at E3 2012. I still feel like a PS4 announcement is coming
in 2012. Tokyo game show will be the stage, and that is where I think we will
finally see the PS4. I believe Sony will wait till after E3 because of the Wii
U, and the possibility of an announcement of the Xbox successor. Sony always
talks about the 10 year life cycle of their products, but we got the PS3 before
the ten year cycle was up on the PS2. Overlap will occur, and Sony can’t wait
much longer to get PS4 news out there.
2012 will be Vita focused, but PS3 owners will still have a
lot to play. Hopefully Sony can bring us some big surprises that will breathe
life into the PS3 and give it on last push before the inevitable PS4 arrives.
Here's the question: will you buy a PS4?
