After the Nintendo 3DS price cut, it’s hardly unexpected to find analysts and commenters assuming Sony will do the same. Regardless of your thoughts on mobile gaming, Apple have changed the market, forever.
Compared to the PS3 (and, indeed, the 3DS) PS Vita is actually priced quite competitively, but that hasn’t stopped people urging Sony to reduce it further. “Gamers are increasingly anticipating Sony to lower prices, especially after the 3DS cut,” said Hideki Yasuda, a Tokyo-based analyst. “Sony is under major pressure to cut the price of the Vita or risk a major failure,” he said, as picked up by Bloomberg.
[drop2]Sony Consumer Group president Hirai is defiant, though. “We have a very good product at a very affordable price, he said. “There’s no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game industry decided they were going to.”Sony’s main competitor in the market isn’t just Nintendo, though – it’s Apple, who have sold more than 200 million devices capable of playing more than 100,000 very cheap games. “The market opportunity for specialist devices is shrinking rather than growing” aid Piers Harding-Rolls, analyst at a research firm IHS, and it’s all due to convergence.
Koki Shiraishi, analyst at Daiwa Securities Group, agrees. “The environment for portable game players has become more difficult because of smartphones,” he said.
Gamesindustry.biz’ Rob Fahey is of the same opinion. “What you can’t do,” he says, “is make smartphones and tablets go away… It’s smartphones and tablets that will have the largest impact. Multifunction devices may not play games quite as well as dedicated devices (yet), but they play them well enough for most consumers.”
“And [that has] led many consumers to see handheld games as something that should be free or very inexpensive, casting huge doubt on the market for £30 software.”
“The money being pumped through the iOS revenue system, contrasted with the failure of the 3DS to ring the tills at retail, is proof positive that [this is] already happening on a large scale… 3DS and PS Vita will, quite simply, never scale the heights of the previous generation of handhelds – but if Nintendo and Sony are fast, and clever, and more than a bit lucky, there’s a good chance that they can carve out a viable, if smaller, market.”
Of course, Vita’s main draw is the PS3-quality gaming, which from what we’ve seen is absolutely a reality, rather than the more ‘disposal’ games that the iPhone is, often wrongly, understood to concentrate on. With games like Uncharted and WipEout the Vita will certainly appeal to existing PS3 fans. But is this enough?
“One thing is certain – dedicated handheld gaming devices are now in rapid decline, and barring an extraordinary technological advance, they’re not going to come back. Birthed with the Game & Watch, this sector is going to end with the 3DS and Vita. All that remains to be seen is whether it ends with a whimper, or a bang.”
What do you guys think about this?
MornelitheVT
As has been stated already here, Apple and Android buyers are simply a different demographic than those who purchase portable consoles. Look at it like the Wii versus 360/PS3 buyers, completely separate markets.
The only thing I really care about however is, Apple and Android won’t ever see SCE* games. That’s not a slant, it’s simply the truth. It’s why Sony has loyal customers, people like the games their 1st and 2nd party developers make. End of story.
As far as pricing goes, attempting to remain competitively priced with an unreleased handheld, versus a handheld that’s been out for months AND is lest costly to mass produce is a fools errand, and again forgets the target audience of Sony hardware.
People bought the PSP at over $200, and given both the technology AND the consumer requested improvements they’re offering in the device, it’s a bit naive to suggest it’s not going to be widely popular among the Sony faithful.
DirtyHabit
You’re right, it probably be popular amongst the Sony Faithful. Question is, will that be enough?
MornelitheVT
How much is enough? The PSP, which when launched, was priced pretty close to the PSV, has sold 70 million units. That’s…one of the highest selling pieces of hardware in history. So obviously, it’s done quite well. Has other hardware done better? Sure, but it doesn’t mean the PSP’s a failure.
Besides, it’s not like the 3DS is setting the charts on fire, either.
Starman
Does anyone else think a lot of the vitas success hinges on whether it gets hacked & pirated like the psp did? I know some developers said they were put off making psp games due to the widespread piracy.
MornelitheVT
Not at all, there’s piracy across the entire gaming world and hand helds are no exception, if developers were that concerned about it, they wouldn’t be developing games…cause that’s the only way to avoid piracy, entirely.
Look at all the 360/PS3 homers who clamored about PC piracy, until all of a sudden, 360 and PS3 games show up online pre-launch, and before the PC version even hits the market. Even when release dates are simultaneous the console version(s) tend to show up online far more quickly than the PC versions, these days.
XisTG
This again :/
These comparisons show complete ignorance of the market. They just toss all videogame players in one bag.
It’s like saying that a gourmet restaurant with premium quality hamburguers with white trufles and Port wine reduction won’t sell their product because consumers will think “why should I pay so much if I can eat at McDonalds”.
There will be people who will always eat McDonalds. There will be people who won’t even get near a Big Mac. And then there are those who love a good fancy hamburguer for dinner but will glady have a Big Mac for lunch when he’s in a hurry.
TSBonyman
^^ I like this analogy :)
TheChaosGamer
I’d love to get this, I just can’t see myself being able to afford it.
TSBonyman
The price was very well received by most people when they announced it at E3 – so there’s no need for Sony to rush into any price drop until after they’ve satisfied the ‘launch frenzy’ ;)
Yahavage
I don’t think mobile gaming is really what’s murdering the HH market. I don’t think anyone who is buying a smartphone these days is doing for the choice of games available to them. However they are finding once they’ve bought them, they do have a wealth of cheap games available which are very easily accessible. I think the 3Ds was just doomed to fail because of a high price tag and a poor release lineup.
Tanster
I think for the tech you are getting it is well priced. Day 1 for me. Preordered and paid off my trading in PSP original (phat) and DVDs!!!
wirralsman
Sony will continue as is, and will only drop the price if they feel the are in a similar situation to the 3DS I am sure. The luke warm popularity of the 3DS might be in part due to the mentioning of the Vita by Sony, it would be egg on their face if they dropped the price of the Vita because the 3DS sold less than expected and had to drop the price because the Vita was putting people off buying it!