Official PS Vita Thread

[IamMedellin]

Sony lowers Vita memory card prices

When GameStop revealed the prices for the PSVita's proprietary memory cards, fans were more than just a little pissed. $120 for a 32GB card seems ridiculously steep, considering that you can get an SD card of the same size for about a quarter of the price. Apparently, Sony took note of the backlash and decided to adjust the prices accordingly...well, at least a little. Here's the new prices:

4GB Card: $19.99
8GB Card: $29.99
16GB Card: $59.99
32GB Card: $99.99
So now the biggest card is only slightly above 3 times as expensive as a regular SD memory card. Huzzah! I'm sure Sony's tactic of using proprietary memory cards will add at least a couple of hours (maybe even a whole day!) to the time hackers will need to crack the system, so the high price should be definitely worth it.

http://vita.ign.com/articles/121/1215455p1.html

[Twigg4075]

I'm actually surprised they lowered the prices at all considering that the larger ones, 16GB and 32GB, have been selling like hotcakes in Japan.

[Swarley]

Now that the price is down a little, I may actually consider a bigger one like the 16gb.

[jms493]

Terrible article from forbes on the Vita. I am going to cancel my preorder. I will wait for a crazy coupons from stores that cant sell any....or even a price drop.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/terokuittinen/2011/12/29/sony-in-big-trouble-with-ps-vita/

During its first week on sale in Japan, PS Vita sold 320 K units. The sales period tracked was just two days, so hopeful fans thought that perhaps the first full week would bring good news.

But the second week brought devastation – just 72 K units sold. When Nintendo launched its latest handheld, the sales of the 3DS declined from 370 K to 210K over the first two weeks. That drop-off led to a steep further sales erosion, which forced Nintendo to implement an unusually early and steep price cut. This cut combined with the launches of big franchises like Monster Hunter, Super Mario Land and Mario Kart turned the fortunes of the 3DS around in Japan. The 3DS has now sold more than 4 Million units in Japan and in the past week it crushed Sony‘s more advanced PS Vita by 484 K vs. 72 K in unit sales.

Sony will likely be forced to cut the price of the PS Vita from 24’000 yen to well below 20’000 yen very soon. The upcoming US launch could be a true debacle for several reasons. Sony has decided to price Vita at $250, higher than the Amazon Kindle Fire. The hottest games like the latest Uncharted are priced at $50, while many other major titles are $40. The pricing seems delusional in light of the Japanese response to the PS Vita. The older PSP handheld console has been a bigger hit in Japan than it has been in the US market. The tablet and iPhone market penetration rates in America are higher than in Japan – consumers may well be more reluctant to splurge on expensive, proprietary handheld consoles. The launch of the Kindle Fire at $200 has changed the US consumer electronics pricing environment.

I believe Japan could well be the last stronghold of portable game consoles. Even though the 3DS stumbled badly during its early months, Nintendo revived the console with a steep price cut and nearly simultaneous launches of three major franchises near the end of the year. The 3DS should have been a surefire blockbuster in its domestic market – the summer softness in Japan may have been an early warning sign of the coming global portable market malaise. The disastrous second week of the PS Vita is the second sign. Sony clearly had some anxiety about the Vita’s launch – it built it massive early support via an extensive line of launch titles. Despite the fact that Sony’s PSP has been a big hit in Japan, the PS Vita is foundering badly out of the gate – the ancient and heavily discounted PSP outsold the brand new Vita by 40% during the Christmas week. Much is now riding on the Vita debut in the US market in February.

I argued last week that PS Vita could mark the end of the era of portable game consoles. There is no doubt that Nintendo’s 3DS is going to sell at least 20 Million units globally over the next couple of years. But the portable console market may now have entered an age of permanent, slowly accelerating decline.The true test of the industry is the United States, where consumers are embracing games designed for smartphones and tablets. The possible shrinking of the portable game consumer base would hit the runner-up Sony before Nintendo really gets mauled. The rot sets in first at the periphery.

Sony has approached the PS Vita launch in America with arrogance, pricing the console and games high while opting to debut the device during the slow retail month of February. Mobile app sales more than doubled during the Christmas of 2011 – solid triple digit volume growth. In the meanwhile, even in the Japanese heartland of video games, video game software unit sales are set to decline by double digits in 2011.

Mobile games have traditionally been simple and often very childish – yet slowly but surely, deeper and more sophisticated games are arriving, chipping at the depth advantage long held by the games designed for portable consoles. The majority of consumers are not interested in the 30 to 60-hour epics dominating game charts. The fickle casual gamers have started their grand migration from portable consoles to smartphones and tablets. 2012 could well be the first year when we see the shape of this transition. Early warning signs arrived in 2011.

[Twigg4075]

Is that article serious?

"Sony has approached the US launch with arrogance, pricing the unit high..."

WTF are they talking about? It sounds like the author is clueless about gaming.

[jms493]

Is that article serious?

"Sony has approached the US launch with arrogance, pricing the unit high..."

WTF are they talking about? It sounds like the author is clueless about gaming.

yup.....try competing against the 3DS and Mario Kart, Zelda, Star Fox and Mario land. I can get a bundle with Mario Land for $179 at target and can go play.

Apple Ipod Touch 8 GB - $199 and unlimited free and .99 - $5 games.

Vita -$250 + 4 GB card $20 + Flasgship game Uncharted $50 = $320

That is $150 more on DS and $120 more on Ipod.....pricepoint is the most important factor here. They are too high. Dont argue that the ipod is not a portable gaming device because it 100% is and one of the best selling ever.

[IamMedellin]

IGN predicting doom for Vita

http://vita.ign.com/articles/121/1215654p1.html

[jms493]

IGN predicting doom for Vita
http://vita.ign.com/articles/121/1215654p1.html

yup I am waiting to see how it does here....poor sales will spike some sort of sale or incentives to buy it.

No reason to buy at launch when there is a good chance some crazy sale or price drop will happen in 3-6 months.

[Garrett67]

I am going to cancel my pre-order too. I don't even care about this thing really and now I care even less

[Swarley]

I couldn't care less if the Japanese people aren't really into it. I'm still going to get my Uncharted on day one. I can see how some people could be turned off though.

[ryne candy]

Japan retailers are lowering the price 20% to get it out the door. If I wanted the system, just to play one game, I would wait till it goes on sale.

[BrntO4Life]

The iPod has killed traditional handheld gaming.

[jms493]

I couldn't care less if the Japanese people aren't really into it. I'm still going to get my Uncharted on day one. I can see how some people could be turned off though.

I dont want to pay full price and in 2-3 months see bestbuy or amazon put some crazy bundle for good value or $100 gift card for buying it.

[IamMedellin]

Rumor going around that if you Preorder Vita first edition, get Uncharted Golden Abyss free at BB

[Twigg4075]

Rumor going around that if you Preorder Vita first edition, get Uncharted Golden Abyss free at BB

That would be awesome. I was already considering switching my pre-order from Gamestop to BB anyway.