Sony is Under Pressure and the PS Vita Might Fail

Tokyo-based Ace Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda said, while talking toBloomberg, that Sony was under a lot of pressure to cut PS Vita's price after the recent price cut announcement of the 3DS, and that they risk huge failure.

"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."

The PS Vita is supposed to launch at a price point of $249 (the Wi-fi model) and $299 (3G model). The 3DS also launched at $249, but Nintendo will be cutting its price down to $169 starting August 12th in the US and one day prior in Europe and Japan. It would be pretty understandable if fans are expecting Sony to announce a price cut too.

Another analyst, Nomura Holdings'Shiro Mikoshiba says the price is perfectly fitting for the Vita, considering its target audience.

"The customers Sony is targeting with its Vita are those willing to spend a lot of money," he said. "That's a valid strategy even if the volume's low as long as it can sustain the higher price."

Recently, Kaz Hirai said thatthere's no need for a Vita price cutjust because Nintendo did the same with the 3DS.

SOURCE

See, here is what I think. Whereas it is true that the PS Vita is priced failry for what it is, and that it is great value for money, the fact of the matter is that it does not exist in isolation as a product, and the competition and its products must be concerned. With the 3DS now selling at a very tempting $170, it is bound to pull away a lot of the Vita's potential customers.

I am more than happy to pay $250 for the vita...would pay $300 tbh (if it is/has what they claim it is/has)

I don't think there's any need for a price cut, and I think the Vita will sell fine.Morrdecai

This.

i cant understand why everyone is trying to compare the Vita with iOS and Android games. Yes, there will probably be similar app based games available via the PS Store but this is not the main feature people will by it for. Also, its not just a handheld console. it will be able to be used alongside the PS3 in a similar way to the Wii U as previously announced. Its a day one purchase for me as it still seems very reasonable for what you actually get in terms of hardware and features announced so far (there is bound to be more announced too)!

Just get the games out on it when it comes out and I sure it will do fine. While I be happy with a price drop lol, I think $250 is a great price for it.

The Vita will sell just fine at its current price point!

I don't think there's any need for a price cut, and I think the Vita will sell fine.Morrdecai

I agree.PSPVita is a High Quality system and it will be the best handheld system....it is very good and it is worth all the 250$.It is very soon to talk for the PSPVita but it looks more that nintendo is Under Pressure(because of the PSPVita) and the 3DS already have Fail.

I am more than happy to pay $250 for the vita...would pay $300 tbh (if it is/ah what they claim it is/has)rawsavon

[QUOTE="Morrdecai"]I don't think there's any need for a price cut, and I think the Vita will sell fine.AtariKidX

[QUOTE="AtariKidX"][QUOTE="Morrdecai"]I don't think there's any need for a price cut, and I think the Vita will sell fine.charizard1605

The price drop of 3DS will definitely affect the Vita. But $250 with those specs, it will definitely make potential 3DS buyers some consideration as well...

Listen to the smart analyst: "The customers Sony is targeting with its Vita are those willing to spend a lot of money," he said. "That's a valid strategy even if the volume's low as long as it can sustain the higher price."

It's all about the target audience. Jeez.

1.$250 and missing this holiday season 2.$170 direct competitor with good software releasing soon 3. smartphones are good enough for most people Vita will be DOAMFDOOM1983

Haha, there are soooo many things wrong with this.

1.You don't know the games coming out for the Vita for the first year.

2. You don't it's launch titles.

3. You haven't seen Sony's marketing scheme yet.

4. You're assuming the people who would buy a 3DS for Mario Kart are the same as the people who would buy a Vita for Uncharted.

5. Smart phones target completely different people!

no one is expecting or anticipating Sony to cut prices. This analyst is an idiot. Yes I said it, this may be his career but in knowing what gamers expect he is an idiot.

Listen to the smart analyst: "The customers Sony is targeting with its Vita are those willing to spend a lot of money," he said. "That's a valid strategy even if the volume's low as long as it can sustain the higher price."

It's all about the target audience. Jeez.

minh800

It's a valid strategy to get sales out the door, yes. But when that target audience all owns one? Does Sony expect them to keep buying more?

They need to appeal to more people, and Nintendo usually does that through cheaper prices (3DS notwithstanding) and (especially with the DS before it) tantalizing software from 3rd Party Developers, not to mention strong 1st Party Support. Sony needs to get themselves into high gear and start expanding their potential library, or else the Vita will go the way of the PSP: people will own it, but it'll go paperweight before long.

What is a handle system?charizard1605

The GameCube 8)

[QUOTE="minh800"]

Listen to the smart analyst: "The customers Sony is targeting with its Vita are those willing to spend a lot of money," he said. "That's a valid strategy even if the volume's low as long as it can sustain the higher price."

It's all about the target audience. Jeez.

mmmwksil

It's a valid strategy to get sales out the door, yes. But when that target audience all owns one? Does Sony expect them to keep buying more?

They need to appeal to more people, and Nintendo usually does that through cheaper prices (3DS notwithstanding) and (especially with the DS before it) tantalizing software from 3rd Party Developers, not to mention strong 1st Party Support. Sony needs to get themselves into high gear and start expanding their potential library, or else the Vita will go the way of the PSP: people will own it, but it'll go paperweight before long.

You do know that the cost price of the Vita will decrease dramatically in a short amount of time, right? This is Sony's strategy: get core gamers who are willing to drop that cash in the first couple of years of the Vita's life then go for the masses when the production costs are lower.

The library is pretty diverse from what I'm seeing. Broken, Smart As, Little Deviants, Little Big Planet, Gravity Daze, Uncharted, and Resistance, See? Diversity.

no one is expecting or anticipating Sony to cut prices. This analyst is an idiot. Yes I said it, this may be his career but in knowing what gamers expect he is an idiot.

lowkey254

i fully agree. the vast majority of gamers all seem in favour of the announced price,

[QUOTE="charizard1605"]What is a handle system?IronBass

The GameCube 8)

Oh, how I love that little cube :3

I have that same color. It's like my most played console of all time

The price is fine for the tech, but that doesn't make the price appealing to everyone.

The GameCube 8)

IronBass

$250 is already low considering what you're getting. Just because a competitor is cheaper doesn't mean they have to be cheaper to be successful. *cough* Apple *cough*

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

[QUOTE="minh800"]

Listen to the smart analyst: "The customers Sony is targeting with its Vita are those willing to spend a lot of money," he said. "That's a valid strategy even if the volume's low as long as it can sustain the higher price."

It's all about the target audience. Jeez.

minh800

It's a valid strategy to get sales out the door, yes. But when that target audience all owns one? Does Sony expect them to keep buying more?

They need to appeal to more people, and Nintendo usually does that through cheaper prices (3DS notwithstanding) and (especially with the DS before it) tantalizing software from 3rd Party Developers, not to mention strong 1st Party Support. Sony needs to get themselves into high gear and start expanding their potential library, or else the Vita will go the way of the PSP: people will own it, but it'll go paperweight before long.

You do know that the cost price of the Vita will decrease dramatically in a short amount of time, right? This is Sony's strategy: get core gamers who are willing to drop that cash in the first couple of years of the Vita's life then go for the masses when the production costs are lower.

The library is pretty diverse from what I'm seeing. Broken, Smart As, Little Deviants, Little Big Planet, Gravity Daze, Uncharted, and Resistance, See? Diversity.

Maybe it's just me, but PSP did not drop in price significantly until VERY recently. At least, not low enough to compete with the DS (and let's face it, it needed to compete with the DS).

As for the library, I could not find more information on Broken or Smart As (too lazy to scour the internet for scraps of information, honestly), but Vita is still missing a genre or two for the launch lineup. I'm just saying, if they want a powerful launch against Nintendo (especially considering the delay now), they would do well to add in an RPG of some sorts to bolster sales. This bodes especially true for Japanese consumers.

Get the early adopters in at $250. Price drop it by November 2012 (but not as much as the 3DS was dropped, to avoid negative press).

I think the only danger the Vita is in is making the same mistakes as the PSP.

Get the early adopters in at $250. Price drop it by November 2012 (but not as much as the 3DS was dropped, to avoid negative press).

SakusEnvoy

I think the only danger the Vita is in is making the same mistakes as the PSP.

789shadow

What mistakes did the psp make?

[QUOTE="minh800"]

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

It's a valid strategy to get sales out the door, yes. But when that target audience all owns one? Does Sony expect them to keep buying more?

They need to appeal to more people, and Nintendo usually does that through cheaper prices (3DS notwithstanding) and (especially with the DS before it) tantalizing software from 3rd Party Developers, not to mention strong 1st Party Support. Sony needs to get themselves into high gear and start expanding their potential library, or else the Vita will go the way of the PSP: people will own it, but it'll go paperweight before long.

mmmwksil

You do know that the cost price of the Vita will decrease dramatically in a short amount of time, right? This is Sony's strategy: get core gamers who are willing to drop that cash in the first couple of years of the Vita's life then go for the masses when the production costs are lower.

The library is pretty diverse from what I'm seeing. Broken, Smart As, Little Deviants, Little Big Planet, Gravity Daze, Uncharted, and Resistance, See? Diversity.

Maybe it's just me, but PSP did not drop in price significantly until VERY recently. At least, not low enough to compete with the DS (and let's face it, it needed to compete with the DS).

As for the library, I could not find more information on Broken or Smart As (too lazy to scour the internet for scraps of information, honestly), but Vita is still missing a genre or two for the launch lineup. I'm just saying, if they want a powerful launch against Nintendo (especially considering the delay now), they would do well to add in an RPG of some sorts to bolster sales. This bodes especially true for Japanese consumers.

Anything under $200 is mass market friendly for handhelds. That's the price the Vita will eventually reach in the coming years. Mobile tech is booming, meaning that the current tech used in the Vita will become commonplace soon enough and then ancient soon after. The price will drop quickly because of that.

It needed to compete with the DS in Japan which it did very well in the last two years. Japan is way more important than the rest of the world when it comes to dedicated handhelds.

We do not know all of the launch titles. Capcom is still sitting on their's so I'm assuming they're not the only ones. Falcom is readying a RPG for the Vita's launch/window. And Japan is the king of RPGs, of course there will be something at launch since Sony is the biggest gaming company in Japan right now. I'm assuming NIS has something. In the US, developers will probably re-release their PSP games on NVG cards if companies like Xseed don't have enough time to localize real Vita games. This is especially good since the PSP is an RPG machine. Type-0, Valkyria Chronicles 3, the Tales games, etc.

[QUOTE="SakusEnvoy"]

Get the early adopters in at $250. Price drop it by November 2012 (but not as much as the 3DS was dropped, to avoid negative press).

PurpleMan5000

(Make it so, Sony. Desperate times call for desperate measures!).

[QUOTE="789shadow"]

I think the only danger the Vita is in is making the same mistakes as the PSP.

TheMoreYouOwn

What mistakes did the psp make?

Aside from piracy (which led to lack of software development/localization), controls, and comfortability, nothing that I can think of. Nothing Sony hasn't/isn't trying to fix.

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

[QUOTE="minh800"]

You do know that the cost price of the Vita will decrease dramatically in a short amount of time, right? This is Sony's strategy: get core gamers who are willing to drop that cash in the first couple of years of the Vita's life then go for the masses when the production costs are lower.

The library is pretty diverse from what I'm seeing. Broken, Smart As, Little Deviants, Little Big Planet, Gravity Daze, Uncharted, and Resistance, See? Diversity.

minh800

Maybe it's just me, but PSP did not drop in price significantly until VERY recently. At least, not low enough to compete with the DS (and let's face it, it needed to compete with the DS).

As for the library, I could not find more information on Broken or Smart As (too lazy to scour the internet for scraps of information, honestly), but Vita is still missing a genre or two for the launch lineup. I'm just saying, if they want a powerful launch against Nintendo (especially considering the delay now), they would do well to add in an RPG of some sorts to bolster sales. This bodes especially true for Japanese consumers.

Anything under $200 is mass market friendly for handhelds. That's the price the Vita will eventually reach in the coming years. Mobile tech is booming, meaning that the current tech used in the Vita will become commonplace soon enough and then ancient soon after. The price will drop quickly because of that.

It needed to compete with the DS in Japan which it did very well in the last two years. Japan is way more important than the rest of the world when it comes to dedicated handhelds.

We do not know all of the launch titles. Capcom is still sitting on their's so I'm assuming they're not the only ones. Falcom is readying a RPG for the Vita's launch/window. And Japan is the king of RPGs, of course there will be something at launch since Sony is the biggest gaming company in Japan right now. I'm assuming NIS has something. In the US, developers will probably re-release their PSP games on NVG cards if companies like Xseed don't have enough time to localize real Vita games. This is especially good since the PSP is an RPG machine. Type-0, Valkyria Chronicles 3, the Tales games, etc.

I wouldn't call the PSP an "RPG Machine" when its library is made up more of ports and remakes than actual RPGs. I'd give that kind of name to the DS. That aside, it'd be nice to have some confirmation of SOME kind of RPG for Vita.

[QUOTE="minh800"]

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

Maybe it's just me, but PSP did not drop in price significantly until VERY recently. At least, not low enough to compete with the DS (and let's face it, it needed to compete with the DS).

As for the library, I could not find more information on Broken or Smart As (too lazy to scour the internet for scraps of information, honestly), but Vita is still missing a genre or two for the launch lineup. I'm just saying, if they want a powerful launch against Nintendo (especially considering the delay now), they would do well to add in an RPG of some sorts to bolster sales. This bodes especially true for Japanese consumers.

mmmwksil

Anything under $200 is mass market friendly for handhelds. That's the price the Vita will eventually reach in the coming years. Mobile tech is booming, meaning that the current tech used in the Vita will become commonplace soon enough and then ancient soon after. The price will drop quickly because of that.

It needed to compete with the DS in Japan which it did very well in the last two years. Japan is way more important than the rest of the world when it comes to dedicated handhelds.

We do not know all of the launch titles. Capcom is still sitting on their's so I'm assuming they're not the only ones. Falcom is readying a RPG for the Vita's launch/window. And Japan is the king of RPGs, of course there will be something at launch since Sony is the biggest gaming company in Japan right now. I'm assuming NIS has something. In the US, developers will probably re-release their PSP games on NVG cards if companies like Xseed don't have enough time to localize real Vita games. This is especially good since the PSP is an RPG machine. Type-0, Valkyria Chronicles 3, the Tales games, etc.

I wouldn't call the PSP an "RPG Machine" when its library is made up more of ports and remakes than actual RPGs. I'd give that kind of name to the DS. That aside, it'd be nice to have some confirmation of SOME kind of RPG for Vita.

Spoken like somebody who doesn't know the real library of the PSP.

[QUOTE="minh800"]

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

Maybe it's just me, but PSP did not drop in price significantly until VERY recently. At least, not low enough to compete with the DS (and let's face it, it needed to compete with the DS).

As for the library, I could not find more information on Broken or Smart As (too lazy to scour the internet for scraps of information, honestly), but Vita is still missing a genre or two for the launch lineup. I'm just saying, if they want a powerful launch against Nintendo (especially considering the delay now), they would do well to add in an RPG of some sorts to bolster sales. This bodes especially true for Japanese consumers.

mmmwksil

Anything under $200 is mass market friendly for handhelds. That's the price the Vita will eventually reach in the coming years. Mobile tech is booming, meaning that the current tech used in the Vita will become commonplace soon enough and then ancient soon after. The price will drop quickly because of that.

It needed to compete with the DS in Japan which it did very well in the last two years. Japan is way more important than the rest of the world when it comes to dedicated handhelds.

We do not know all of the launch titles. Capcom is still sitting on their's so I'm assuming they're not the only ones. Falcom is readying a RPG for the Vita's launch/window. And Japan is the king of RPGs, of course there will be something at launch since Sony is the biggest gaming company in Japan right now. I'm assuming NIS has something. In the US, developers will probably re-release their PSP games on NVG cards if companies like Xseed don't have enough time to localize real Vita games. This is especially good since the PSP is an RPG machine. Type-0, Valkyria Chronicles 3, the Tales games, etc.

I wouldn't call the PSP an "RPG Machine" when its library is made up more of ports and remakes than actual RPGs. I'd give that kind of name to the DS. That aside, it'd be nice to have some confirmation of SOME kind of RPG for Vita.

yeah, like maybe an HD remake of FF7??

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

[QUOTE="minh800"]

Anything under $200 is mass market friendly for handhelds. That's the price the Vita will eventually reach in the coming years. Mobile tech is booming, meaning that the current tech used in the Vita will become commonplace soon enough and then ancient soon after. The price will drop quickly because of that.

It needed to compete with the DS in Japan which it did very well in the last two years. Japan is way more important than the rest of the world when it comes to dedicated handhelds.

We do not know all of the launch titles. Capcom is still sitting on their's so I'm assuming they're not the only ones. Falcom is readying a RPG for the Vita's launch/window. And Japan is the king of RPGs, of course there will be something at launch since Sony is the biggest gaming company in Japan right now. I'm assuming NIS has something. In the US, developers will probably re-release their PSP games on NVG cards if companies like Xseed don't have enough time to localize real Vita games. This is especially good since the PSP is an RPG machine. Type-0, Valkyria Chronicles 3, the Tales games, etc.

minh800

I wouldn't call the PSP an "RPG Machine" when its library is made up more of ports and remakes than actual RPGs. I'd give that kind of name to the DS. That aside, it'd be nice to have some confirmation of SOME kind of RPG for Vita.

Spoken like somebody who doesn't know the real library of the PSP.

Enlighten me, oh noble minh800.

[QUOTE="TheMoreYouOwn"]

[QUOTE="789shadow"]

I think the only danger the Vita is in is making the same mistakes as the PSP.

minh800

What mistakes did the psp make?

Aside from piracy (which led to lack of software development/localization), controls, and comfortability, nothing that I can think of. Nothing Sony hasn't/isn't trying to fix.

Agreed, the piracy was quite an issue. Other than that though, I thought the device was pretty successful. It's actually got quite a decent library, and did sell more units than the 360 or the ps3. I don't know if that's good for a handheld, but I can't really call it a failure.

[QUOTE="minh800"]

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

I wouldn't call the PSP an "RPG Machine" when its library is made up more of ports and remakes than actual RPGs. I'd give that kind of name to the DS. That aside, it'd be nice to have some confirmation of SOME kind of RPG for Vita.

mmmwksil

Spoken like somebody who doesn't know the real library of the PSP.

Enlighten me, oh noble minh800.

Maybe if you were an avid reader of Siliconera or andriasang, you could enlighten yourself. :)

Maybe if you were an avid reader of Siliconera or andriasang, you could enlighten yourself. :)

minh800

You're going to bring up a "real" library of the PSP and not back up the claim? Also, if the majority of the releases are Japan only, it really doesn't help your case. The PSP's library may be stronger in Japan, but here in the States it was trash compared to the PSP (I'm talking RPGs only).

Edit: Sorry, bad editing on part.

[QUOTE="minh800"]

Maybe if you were an avid reader of Siliconera or andriasang, you could enlighten yourself. :)

mmmwksil

You're going to bring up a "real" library of the PSP and not back up the claim? Also, if the majority of the releases are Japan only, it really doesn't help your case. The PSP's library may be stronger in Japan, but here in the States it was trash compared to the PSP (I'm talking RPGs only).

Edit: Sorry, bad editing on part.

[QUOTE="minh800"]

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

Enlighten me, oh noble minh800.

mmmwksil

You're going to bring up a "real" library of the PSP and not back up the claim? Also, if the majority of the releases are Japan only, it really doesn't help your case. The PSP's library may be stronger in Japan, but here in the States it was trash compared to the PSP (I'm talking RPGs only).

Maybe if you were an avid reader of Siliconera or andriasang, you could enlighten yourself. :)

Should I really have to enlighten people? Ignorance isn't my problem. This year alone in (new) RPG goodness:

Final Fantasy Type-0

Frontier Gate

Grand Knights History

Valkyria Chronicles 3

The Legend of Heroes

Gungnir

Fate/Extra

UnchainBladesRexxx

Makai Kingdom

Radiant Mythology 3

Gloria Union

Growlanser IV

7th Dragon

The Little Battlers

Nano Diver

Ragnorak

Angelique

White Knights Chronicle

Akiba's Trip

Good enough? Like I said, I was talking about the real library, so, yes, it did help my case.

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

[QUOTE="minh800"]

Maybe if you were an avid reader of Siliconera or andriasang, you could enlighten yourself. :)

SakusEnvoy

You're going to bring up a "real" library of the PSP and not back up the claim? Also, if the majority of the releases are Japan only, it really doesn't help your case. The PSP's library may be stronger in Japan, but here in the States it was trash compared to the PSP (I'm talking RPGs only).

Edit: Sorry, bad editing on part.

In that sense, yes, it is a JRPG machine. But I maintain that without localization of these games in the States, it pales in comparison to the DS in this regard.

End of the day, the real winners here are the Japanese-literate, sadly.