Weak Sony PS Vita sales prompt price-cuts
3DS sets an example
Sony's PlayStation Vita experienced a rapid decline in sales during its second week on Japanese shelves, prompting suggestions the company may have to reduce the console's price.
Several retailers are unofficially doing so already.
According to sales rankings provided by local market watcher Media Create, during the week leading up to Christmas Day, Sony sold just 72,479 Vitas, a historical low for any console's second week on shelves.
The company shifted more than 320,000 units following launch the previous week.
Wipeout... your bank account
Compare that to sales for Nintendo's 3DS and the results could be seen as worrying for Sony. The 3DS shifted 370,000 units in its first week on sale and a further 210,000 in the second week. Even that was sufficiently worrying for Ninty to cut retail prices in a bid to boost sales. At the time, the 3DS was priced roughly the same as the Wi-Fi model of PS Vita - the equivalent of £219.
Since the price-reduction, the 3DS has outsold all other consoles. In the US, Nintendo shifted almost half a million devices in the week leading up to Christmas, bringing the total number of units sold past the 4m mark.
This was boosted by a strong lineup of recent game releases such as Super Mario Land 3D, Mario Kart 7 and Monster Hunter 3D, but while the Vita promises a healthier-looking lineup of titles for launch, will the price of the hardware be too much for the regular punter?
Retailers certainly think so, and several have already brought down the the Vita's price by as much as 20 per cent, GamesRadar reports.
Feel the pinch
With more people turning to mobile phone games, and hardware such as Amazon's Kindle Fire hitting shelves at inexpensive prices, Sony could well find itself on the backfoot when the Vita is launched over here on 22 February.
You can read Reg Hardware's preview of the PS Vita, based on a play with some of the launch titles, here. ®
COMMENTS
Battery Life
The killer feature of the DSLite was the battery life (easily 8-12hours). The 3DS and PSVita both struggle to reach more than 3 hours so hold no interest for me.
They are DOOMED
Well, with you and the other 12 linux fanboys boycotting Sony, they are doomed.
Other OS was promoted
"and please don't try the OtherOS thing, as it was never promoted as doing it"
Yes, it was promoted. It was promoted on Sony's website, and used at introduction to make the PS3 look like a computer. Sony even attempted to declare it as computer to avoid the import duties that are due for consumer electronics.
" it was a fancy extra that idiots abused, so was removed"
Wrong again. It was removed before it was abused. In fact, the possibility for running pirated games on the PS3 only exists since after the Other OS feature was removed.
You're right, Bazza, but they don't fall off like that. That's an over-the-cliff plunge.
