The Vita hasn’t had the smoothest of starts to its life as Sony’s flagship portable console. Sales figures that we could generously term “adequate” and a sometimes odd feeling among gamers that there’s a lack of available games to play have hampered its first months at retail. Nothing shifts hardware like a price cut, though, and Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida has told Eurogamer that they’re working towards just that.
The engineering teams are trying to find ways to bring the cost down, as they always are. Yoshida says that they “would like to address the pricing issue for some of the people who are waiting.” The price cut won’t come this year, though.
The focus for 2012 is on ensuring value through bundle deals like the Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation and Black Ops Declassified bundles we’ve seen talked about. That seems like a very sound strategy to me, with the fourth quarter sales period and a few really massive franchises sure to cause an increase in the number of units sold.
Yoshida goes on to candidly admit that Sony has noticed the perception of a lack of games and to say that the company wants to focus on making sure that is addressed by providing “more content from big titles people are looking for in terms of franchises, to very small, snack-sized, intuitive casual games on the digital distribution side.”
It’s all very reassuring stuff from Sony – nice and honest and open about their situation so far.
uncleniccius
First of all they are bringing good software onto the console, a good move. If by the time the cut happens, they have launched Killzone, Tearaway, Cod, AC etc, they could do really well. Good games make someone want a machine, a cheap price ensures they buy it.
Peter Chapman
Yep, spot on.
They release the software now and provoke the buyers that want those games and then they cut the price in the spring (or around E3?) and say “look, it’s cheap and has all those great games!”
Then they make loads of money and commission exclusive remakes of Road Rash, Desert Strike and Sensible World of Soccer, right?
Alex C
Sensible Soccer you say?
http://vimeo.com/47591747
PS Mobile.
uncleniccius
Once the price drop has happened, and Cod and Fifa are on it, A LOT of gamers who just play those games will buy it too.
Cod and AC cold do huge things for the Vita IMO, even if Cod does look awful.
Bilbo_bobbins
Sensible soccer ? ???? If that comes out I will go and buy a Vita that day.
Sympozium
Don’t see Cod/Fifa “gamers” wanting it for Christmas.
xdarkmagician
There’s one problem with that. Games like CoD that have a huge online appeal might not have a big enough online community a year after launch. Especially since most online communities survive from regular DLC injections. If there aren’t enough initial sales to justify the extra DLC cost there might not even be any DLC. Personally, whenever I buy a new to me, but still an older online focused game I think about if there is anybody still playing it to justify buying it.
dave87fez
I’m sure the Vita will eventually strike the right chord with many more people; it’s quite unique in that it doesn’t really have a direct competitor. I don’t think Nintendo’s handhelds can directly compare to it (can’t imagine an exciting Uncharted adventure or a really good game of FIFA on the 3DS), and then there’s the convenient extras that make it almost the only machine you need to take with you when you go out…music, photos, internet, apps like YouTube, Skype, Maps etc.
When the right price point is found, it will do very well indeed, I think.
(God, I sound like a Vita salesman…)
gazzagb
Its the memory card prices that need to come down, I almost bought a Vita but when I went to add a 32GB memory card to my online basket and saw Sony had put a 400% price increase over a similarly sized SD card, Sony completely lost my sale. There’s no reason for the cards to be so expensive except greed and ripping their own customers off.
Deathbrin
Also, can’t there be 64GB cards?
Kivi95
I would like 100GB cards :(. (and cheap).
Sympozium
120gb… would cost so much. *shivers* (wallet burns its self)
Sympozium
They should be asked about this in interviews.
Smallville2106
This is the reason that pushed me to the ‘I’m not getting one’ side of the fence.
PoorPaddy89
Cards will come down eventually, along wiyj 64gb cards too. Hopefully larger capacity cards than that will come out, but it’s hard to tell. I do like having EVERYTHING I have with me, even if I don’t play it all that much.
rapidly-greying
If Sensible Soccer is on Ps mobile then they would have to be stupid not to release it on Vita. They would sell a shitload of copies.
Surely somebody at Sony must realise how popular it would be if they released it on the store at a reasonable price and with online multi-player.
Sympozium
they should bribe the creator… oh wait Microsoft would do that.
xdarkmagician
I find it hilarious that for the past few months every time someone talks about the PS vita they have to include CoD and AC III. It’s even funnier when you think about the CoD haters that own a vita, now that the success of the vita basically hinges on CoDs success. lol. But seriously, the new cost efficient design should have been their FIRST design, not some last ditch effort to save the handheld a year from now. If they announce a price drop at next years E3 for next fall, then that’s basically 2 years since launch and around the time for the normal price drop. What’s so special about that? It’s not Sony addressing the issue, its Sony ignoring the issue until it naturally goes away. Sony’s actions in the last few years make me very skeptical about any new product the sell, especially the PS4. Sony needs to realize they’re not just failing to sell overpriced vitas they’re losing Sony customers in general.