Sony under pressure to drop PS Vita price - Analyst

The 3DS price drop goes into effect later this week, and its impact is already reverberating throughout the industry. Speaking with Bloomberg, Ace Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda said all eyes are now on Sony to see whether it reacts with a price cut for the upcoming PlayStation Vita.

"Gamers are increasingly anticipating Sony to lower prices, especially after the 3DS cut," Yasuda said. "Sony is under major pressure to cut the price of the Vita or risk a major failure."

That's a risk Sony is apparently willing to take. Last week, Sony executive deputy president Kaz Hirai told reporters the Nintendo drop wouldn't impact plans for the PS Vita.

"We packed so much into the device and made it very affordable," Hirai said. "There is no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game business decided that they were going to lower their price."

If Sony does cut the price of the PS Vita before launch, it wouldn't be the first time the company has pulled such a move. With less than two months to go before the PlayStation 3's 2006 Japanese launch, Sony cut the Japanese price of the 20GB system from the originally announced ¥60,000 ($515 at the time) to ¥49,980 (around $429).

The PS Vita is expected to launch in Japan this year, with North American and European launches following in 2012.