The idea that the product has been out on the market for 10 months for the Wii U or two years for the Vita, and people en masse are simply undecided about whether they want it or not is nonsense. People either have decided not to get the product, or the product doesn't even enter contemplation. The latter does not imply indecision, it implies disinterest.
The Vita has more than enough exposure last year. There were a lot of adds promoting Call of Duty, FIFA, AssCreed and other games. And it still didn't sell, so you are probably right. It's a very bad situation, but they can still make it sell "decently" (maybe) if they:
1.- Drop the price fast for both the console and memory cards and, at the same time, broaden the appeal of the console. They seem to be trying that (with games like Invizimals). It might work, it might not, but I don't think they are doing it wrong.
2.- I don't think it's a "normal" situation. Sony has been planning some crazy stuff like Remote-Play and the TVita. Those are not going to set the charts on fire alone, but it could be a nice start if done right.
Still, both are chances, not facts. But Sony seems to be going down with that route, so something good could happen. And about the WiiU, it's not that people is undecided, is that people don't know what is it. Just go out there and ask. Even a friend that boughts a vg magazine every month thinks Nintendo still hasn't released a new homeconsole. People can't decide if they want something if they aren't aware of it. I haven't watched a WiiU add in months, and retailers had NSMBU in the WiiU stands, which isn't the best game to show that it isn't a Wii.
For a massive turn around, both will need a buckload of money. Neither Nintendo (pretty conservative in those things) neither Sony (we are seeing signs of recover, but they are still fucked) are going to spent that amount of money if their "secondary markets".
Comments like "the product is fine" are exactly what I was talking about with regard to an inability to separate personal attachment from examination of the market situation.
People usually can't separate personal attachment from examination of the market situation. It happens with everyone and is unconcious. I love my Vita, as do other people and I'd be happy if other people discovered how awesome it is. So seeing such an IMHO amazing product (it's flawed, but it's still amazing) being rejected by the market hurts a little.
Rayman looks very French. I'm not sure the art style speaks to Japanese audiences who are exposed to a very different kind of animation.
After seeing Pupeteer shrinking, I don't know if the problem with it is being "french" or simply being a platformer without a recognizable brand name for them. Without a marketing push, people won't know what the hell is Rayman, in the same way most people won't buy Tales of Xillia in the west simply be looking at the cover.
even bad vita releases make the top 50 so no
Being in a Japanese Top50 is not such a huge deal. Most times Top30 is at around 7-10k. Last Vita game with decent legs we've seen was Toukiden, and before that... who knows.
If you look at the Top50, 40-50% are usually 3DS games, 25-30% are PS3 games and the rest is splitted between other platforms. Most Vita games are niche, so they sell well week 1, decently week 2 and then dissapear. That is far from "good", but is still better than nothing.
I think we will know how bad everything is about the Vita around the end of the year. But Pokemon / Monster Hunter sure are draining the little life it had had for the past few months.