PlayStation Vita Sales Continue to Plummet in Japan

[Guest]

They've really been pushing the PSP over here (in Japan) in the run up to Xmas & New Year so it's no surprise to me that it has sold well. I couldn't find any information on the PS Vita in shops even a week before launch, but the PSP was being massively promoted, presumably to unload stock on unsuspecting customers who were unaware that it was being replaced.

 

[NuclearShadow]

I'll buy a Vita after a price slash of both the handheld and those over priced memory cards.
They claimed the price of the memory cards was to combat piracy it may have worked but it also combated legit sales too.


[citation][nom]elcentral[/nom] wtf psp is still selling ?? i had one for 1 year and i culd not find a single good game for it.[/citation]

The PSP is quite popular in Japan and gets titles that the rest of the world does not. If I am not mistaken a new Final Fantasy game just released for it (or is close to release) in Japan.
It's still going quite strong over there.

As for your claim of no good games for the PSP, I can hardly see that as possible even in a opinion standpoint. There are all types of games for all types of gamers if you couldn't find a single one than you obviously did not put any effort in the search.

 

[dark_lord69]

Yeah, I think i'd rather get a Tegra 3 Tablet or Phone...

 

[ddkshah]

[citation][nom]NuclearShadow[/nom]I'll buy a Vita after a price slash of both the handheld and those over priced memory cards. They claimed the price of the memory cards was to combat piracy it may have worked but it also combated legit sales too. The PSP is quite popular in Japan and gets titles that the rest of the world does not. If I am not mistaken a new Final Fantasy game just released for it (or is close to release) in Japan.It's still going quite strong over there.As for your claim of no good games for the PSP, I can hardly see that as possible even in a opinion standpoint. There are all types of games for all types of gamers if you couldn't find a single one than you obviously did not put any effort in the search.[/citation]

The memory card prices are NOT overpriced!!! Vita games on the psn are cheaper than their retail counterparts.

 

[Vladislaus]

[citation][nom]ddkshah[/nom]The memory card prices are NOT overpriced!!! Vita games on the psn are cheaper than their retail counterparts.[/citation]
100$ for 32GB isn't expensive? For that price I can buy 3 32gb microSDHC class10.

 

[cobra5000]

Stick a fork in Sony...they are done.

 

[techy74]

In Australia the Vita is not quite released yet. When you see the 3DS and the soon to be released Vita, there is not question about the 2. The Sony looks better, is bigger, much bigger screen (compared to the tiny Nintendo) and good selection of titles and seems well integrated into the PS store / PS3 XMB. Compared to the 3Ds (it main competitor) the Vita is better and will have a longer life.

 

[old_newbie]

*sigh* Anyone who's matured past puberty in the last 10 or so years will know this is how it usually goes. New system released just before Christmas. System sells very well over the holidays. After holidays, sales cliff drop. Exclusive blockbuster title released the following summer. Sales pick up. Devs begin to learn system. 3rd party makes or breaks the system....blah blah blah. Seen this episode already.

The 'unwritten' story here is that the industry does not actually know where to go right now. Is it the latest tech/hardware? Maybe, but the Wii's success proved otherwise. Is it the form factor? Cant tell 'cuz people game on portables, phones, PC's and consoles. Is it game development? Could be, but a hot indie app can sell as well as a multi-million dollar studio title.

Right now there is a lot of uncertainty, so Sony's strategy seems to be diversity (Vita, PS3, Xperia play, Move, PSN, Indie SDK, etc) as they can definitely afford it. Time will only tell if it is better for them to do one thing very well or do many things...not so well.

 

[okibrian]

[citation][nom]GreyMachine[/nom]Also these sales are only in japan, im sure the numbers will be bigger than 18K four weeks after the world wide release...[/citation]
Yes, but that's not really the point. The point is sales are going down (lack of interest). And that is in the country where Sony lives.

 

[darkavenger123]

I said this before....PS VITA will have a hard time fighting mobile smartphones which can pratically do the same thing, minus the expensive memory card. Most people play games on mobile just to kill time waiting in banks, queue, or their wives/gf shopping. There's really no need to have another handheld console for this purpose. These are the casual gamers and they're the king of the markets now....not hardcore gamers....a console like VITA is for hardcore gaming....which is now a VERY niche market....sooner or later, they find the ROI for this market is getting thinner and thinner...it is very hard to have a budget to do a full experience console game vs the 2 dollars apps which moves by hundreds of thousands easily. It'll not be a financially wise decision to develop for this market...when you can spend less in development, faster turnaround, and get higher sales easily....

I hope the VITA will survive though. But the price of the hardware and games and memory cards has to come down.

 

[theconsolegamer]

[citation][nom]Vladislaus[/nom]100$ for 32GB isn't expensive? For that price I can buy 3 32gb microSDHC class10.[/citation]I payed 150USD for 8gb back in 07 or 08 for Sony's MS PRODUO to crack my PSP with some games. 32gb for 100USD isn't that bad deal if you compare.

 

[Vladislaus]

[citation][nom]theconsolegamer[/nom]I payed 150USD for 8gb back in 07 or 08 for Sony's MS PRODUO to crack my PSP with some games. 32gb for 100USD isn't that bad deal if you compare.[/citation]
The price from 5 years back is irrelevant. What's relevant is the price for other flash cards. Also MS are also expensive.

 

[NuclearShadow]

[citation][nom]ddkshah[/nom]The memory card prices are NOT overpriced!!! Vita games on the psn are cheaper than their retail counterparts.[/citation]

Sony themselves have come out and stated the steep price is a method to try to combat piracy. There is no need to be fan-boy defensive when your own statement goes against what the company itself has said.