Joystiq Discussion: Are you playing on PS Vita?

"Honestly, Vita owners are the ****ing best," said Chris McQuinn, designer at Drinkbox Studios, in an April interview with GamesIndustry International. McQuinn's team has put their impressive talents to work multiple times on PS Vita, pumping out inspired games like Mutant Blobs Attack and Guacamelee. Some might say, though, Drinkbox would have been better off bringing its vivid slapstick adventures to Steam or home consoles first rather than a handheld with such sluggish sales. McQuinn disagrees. There may not be many Vita owners out there compared to PC players or iPhone owners, but Vita owners are proven game players. "People rag on the Vita so much, and I think people who rag on the Vita don't understand, at least from a business perspective, the purchasing power of Vita owners. Vita owners are serious purchasers of games. It's an amazing system."

He's not wrong. PS Vita's blend of inputs, both traditional button controls and multi-touch surfaces, has proven revelatory in myriad games, from Sony and Media Molecule's Tearaway to scrappier independent productions like Roll7's OlliOlli.

Those are just two games in what's become one of modern gaming's most quietly impressive libraries. For the classically minded player, Vita's got HD remasters like Final Fantasy X HD as well as a treasure trove of PS1 and PSP games on tap. For the modernity obsessed, it hosts a who's who of independent gaming, from Hotline Miami to Luftrausers. That's not to mention its handful of big budget originals like the sublime Gravity Rush.

For all its merits, though, Vita's rough reputation persists. Why? Why is there a perception that Vita doesn't have any games when it's flush with new games and classics alike? For those that have resisted its wiles, why haven't you picked one up and what would convince you to take the plunge? Take the poll and discuss in the comments.

[Images: Drinkbox Studios]

This article was originally published on Joystiq.