It would seem like it. Sony’s wonderful idea to give gamers a wired PlayStation extended / media streamer, seemed like a great idea at first. However it seems that it didn’t meet the success that Sony was looking for when it first released as the PS Vita TV in Japan back in November 2013. Sony then later brought the device over to the North American market late last year and hasn’t managed to make much head way with the device.
I’ve noticed myself that retailers have dropped the price of the device multiple times since it’s release in the states and now it seems that retailers are going even further. It’s been reported and confirmed that Gamestop is currently running a promo that will net gamers a free PlayStation TV when they purchase a PlayStation 4 console. Bestbuy is also getting into the action and is offering the same deal + 1 year of PSN for this week’s upcoming sale on February 22nd. That deal is now live here.
Now that’s not saying that the device is doing awful however it’s definitely not a good sign. Despite it offering the ability to stream PlayStation 4 titles to the micro-console via a wired connection,the ability to play PlayStation One/PSP/PS Vita titles and the ability to stream movies there are still faults with the unit. There is no surround sound, you’re limited to a 720p/1080i resolution, media streaming options are limited to Sony’s Video channel, Crunchyroll, Crackle…. No Netflix, no Hulu, up-scaled PS Vita games look terrible on a big screen tv, and not all games that support touch controls can be played on the unit. And while it can also streaming PlayStation 3 titles from Sony’s PS Now service, that is still limited in it’s offerings and way overpriced, at least to me. It’s the classic “This device had potential” and if I was Sony, i’d be looking on how to change the outlook on this unit.
Still it’s a great way to stream your PlayStation 4 titles, as long as you don’t mind dropping the resolution down to 720p/1080i and the lack of surround sound. It definitely works as I actually own a PlayStation TV and lets you get into the game in a room that doesn’t have access to a gaming console or on the road, though I have yet to get that working but apparently it does work. If you don’t have a PlayStation 4 already and planned on picking on up, then either one of these deals would be perfect for you.
Still it would seem that retailers are likely frustrated with the lack of sales of the PlayStation TV (as is Sony), they maybe trying to trim their stock of the micro-console that couldn’t. Which is a shame as the device had a lot going for it, at least on paper. Which is also another sad reminder of another Sony product that has fantastic potential but isn’t being acted on.
Sony PS Vita, anyone?
Update: That Bestbuy PlayStation TV offer is indeed real and is live now – here. Just pick up any PlayStation 4 console and get a PlayStation TV on the side for free.
Sources: Cheapassgamer
$0N¥ = lies and overhype that underdelivers. VitaTV had failure written all over it from the start. Poor dying $0N¥ and their legion of pauperfantards.
The Sony had to bust it’s ass in the console wars hasn’t shown up. While the PS4 is a success, that’s the only thing. The Vita, despite it being the superior handheld console, is getting its ass handed to it due to no major exclusive titles and non-existant support. The 3DS on the other hand is getting several kick ass games.
Sony just doesn’t have the focus, especially to support 3 devices at once, something has to give and as we’ve seen, the PS Vita and PSTV are already on that slippy slope to no where.
How about they just give me one and I’ll be the judge of how good/bad it is.. Better make it two just to be safe.
I think Sony is quietly pushing these sales behind the curtain to ramp up sales of the PSTV. There’s a lot going on that indicates they’re trying really hard to push these out to a skeptical public. Hopefully it works.
The console is a hard sell to anyone who is not a hardcore fan though. Try explaining it to someone who doesn’t understand video games that well and you’ll discover just how complicated it is. The easiest way to sell it is as a Remote Play box.
And Hulu does work on it now apparently.
I’ll have to try that, since I boxed it back up. However between my Amazon Firetv and Chromecast, there’s really no point. I wish Sony had focused this as strictly as a gaming accessory and had not added media streaming. It was crippled from the start due to that.
Like I said, it’s not a bad device but it’s up to Sony to push it and I doubt they will or can, especially in the state they are in now.
The perfect combination is a PSTV and a FireTV stick. One plays games really well and one streams media.
I have my PSTV hooked up to a 48″ tv right now and I’m playing Rayman Origins on it. It looks so beautiful. So does Ninja Gaiden. Looks amazing on a big screen.
Unless you can truly compete on price, selection, and ultimately value against Cable TV, Broadcast TV, Netflix, various paid and free services and so on you don’t call your device a TV because that is what people will think about first in terms of value. They could have called it something like SME (Sony Media Extender), make sure it was cheaper than a PS4, then said it also does TV. However, Sony made the same mistake with this peripheral that Microsoft made with the XB1 launch. Who is your target audience? People who watch TV or people who play games that might want to watch TV or some other media service on their PS4 connected device?