Sony Cuts Vita Sales Predictions

[Marshall Honorof]

Sony Cuts Vita Sales Predictions

Sony aims to sell fewer than half of the handhelds it originally intended.

Whether it's personal budgets or big business, you always want to keep your financial outlook realistic. Sony has had to do just that [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121407-Hirai-Vita-Sales-On-the-Low-End-of-Expectations] in regard to its Vita handheld. While the company originally set out to sell 16 million Vitas (and PSPs, although that system's life cycle is effectively over), it slashed its expectations, first to 12 million, and then to 10 million. Declining hardware sales in Sony's Q4 2012 have necessitated another adjustment: Sony intends to move only 7 million handhelds by the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2013.

Sony cites "the slow penetration of the PlayStation Vita," in the hardware market as the primary reason why it hasn't sold nearly as many units as expected. Sales of the recently discontinued PS2 as well as the PS3 also decreased by over half a million units over the last year, further exacerbating Sony's gaming financials. The major difference, of course, is that both the PS2 and PS3 are relatively old systems whose sales have most likely already peaked, whereas the Vita is a new entrant in the market. Sony considers the Vita's flagging sales a "particularly important issue."

On the whole, Sony's revenue and losses have improved since last year, although this is more due to television and movie sales than anything related to videogames. It's unclear how many Vitas Sony will have to move before April in order to reach a 7 million unit goal. With limited new software releases during that window [http://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/release-date/coming-soon/vita/date?view=detailed], it may take something drastic to reverse the powerful handheld's fortunes during this fiscal year.

Source: Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/186206/Sony_slashes_PS_Vita_sales_forecast_once_again.php#.URPZBaVNs_F]

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[ohnoitsabear]

Maybe if they actually released any halfway decent games for it, people would buy it. There's maybe a couple of games for it that I would buy if I had the system, and none of those are even close to system sellers. In addition, I haven't seen anything that's coming out for it that's remotely interesting, so I have no reason to buy this expensive handheld, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

[jp201]

Maybe if they actually released any halfway decent games for it, people would buy it. There's maybe a couple of games for it that I would buy if I had the system, and none of those are even close to system sellers. In addition, I haven't seen anything that's coming out for it that's remotely interesting, so I have no reason to buy this expensive handheld, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

Yes, you actually need good software in order to sell a system. I bought mine because I got a good deal on it and it is definitely a great system.

Issue is the only games I've wanted to play on it were persona 4 golden and some PS store games.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I know I keep saying this, but $250 is still way too much to expect people to buy a handheld for.

 

[Korten12]

I know I keep saying this, but $250 is still way too much to expect people to buy a handheld for.

Which is funny considering everyone said that was a fine price... Until the 3DS got a price cut and then everyone called fowl on the Vita.

Although I do hope for a price cut so I get my friend to get one in time for Soul Sacrifice.

 

[Casual Shinji]

This thing is never gonna get off the ground, mark my words.

Sony really should've learned their lesson with the PSP.

 

[Trishbot]

I know I keep saying this, but $250 is still way too much to expect people to buy a handheld for.

Which is funny considering everyone said that was a fine price... Until the 3DS got a price cut and then everyone called fowl on the Vita.

Although I do hope for a price cut so I get my friend to get one in time for Soul Sacrifice.

I do think it could be cheaper, but the system itself is less of a problem than those damn supremely overpriced memory cards. It's like Sony has no idea how much flash card storage you can buy for the cheap these days. $80 for 32 is simply inexcusably greedy.

Couple that with a lack of true system sellers (it has good games, like Persona 4, Gravity Rush, and Assassin's Creed: Liberation... but none worth buying a system for), intense competition from both Apple and Nintendo (3DS has easily three times the quality games worth getting), and the fact you could buy a 500GB Playstation 3 Slim for LESS than the price of a PS Vita, and I think Sony just has no rational clue what they're doing, what they're charging, and why they're failing.

Systems are useless without support and software. Which companies are going to actually pour millions of dollars into supporting a failing handheld when the market for the competition isn't just stronger, it's flourishing. Sony needs to give them a reason to do so, and then give customers a reason to buy it. They're not doing either. They're sitting back and expecting the Playstation brand to sell it for them. It's not going to happen.

 

[faefrost]

Where the PSP finally found its market was in making portable a plethora of the best content from the PS1 days. If SONY had given us a wide library of our beloved PS2 software on the PSV we would be throwing money at them. Instead they give us this weird touchy feely crap. A portable needs to be a walk around emulator of our beloved mispent youth that we can play on the train during our eternally dreary commute for our dreary lives. Nintendo understood this. SONY seems to have missed it.

 

[Korten12]

This thing is never gonna get off the ground, mark my words.

Sony really should've learned their lesson with the PSP.

Actually the PSP in Japan got off it's feet and soared. It's just not everywhere else.

 

[Casual Shinji]

This thing is never gonna get off the ground, mark my words.

Sony really should've learned their lesson with the PSP.

Actually the PSP in Japan got off it's feet and soared. It's just not everywhere else.

Yeah but I think even that happened much later in its cycle.

The thing is that a console experience on a handheld is not what most people want, and the PSP proved that. And now with mobile gaming as prevalent as it is, trying this approach again just seems dangerously stubborn of Sony.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I know I keep saying this, but $250 is still way too much to expect people to buy a handheld for.

Which is funny considering everyone said that was a fine price... Until the 3DS got a price cut and then everyone called fowl on the Vita.

Although I do hope for a price cut so I get my friend to get one in time for Soul Sacrifice.

Really? Everyone thought that $250 was fine for the 3DS? Really? So all that rage about the $250 price tags on these very forums was an elaborate joke to make me feel silly? Now that I'm done with the rhetorical/sarcastic questions, I sure we both know that reason that the 3DS' price point was the main reason for the low sales.


And before you blame the lack of credible launch games remember that the original DS had the same abysmally lame launch game selection and sold much better. If everyone though that the $250 price tag was ok for the 3DS, they wouldn't have needed a price cut of $90 6 months after launch. Would they?

 

[Korten12]

I know I keep saying this, but $250 is still way too much to expect people to buy a handheld for.

Which is funny considering everyone said that was a fine price... Until the 3DS got a price cut and then everyone called fowl on the Vita.

Although I do hope for a price cut so I get my friend to get one in time for Soul Sacrifice.

Really? Everyone thought that $250 was fine for the 3DS? Really? So all that rage about the $250 price tags on these very forums was an elaborate joke to make me feel silly? Now that I'm done with the rhetorical/sarcastic questions, I sure we both know that reason that the 3DS' price point was the main reason for the low sales.


And before you blame the lack of credible launch games remember that the original DS had the same abysmally lame launch game selection and sold much better. If everyone though that the $250 price tag was ok for the 3DS, they wouldn't have needed a price cut of $90 6 months after launch. Would they?

Holy shit batman! Calm the hell down.

I have been on these forums for a while now and when the 3DS was announced at 250, there was some complaining but overall the majority seemed fine. However it was after the Vita released and the 3DS got a price cut that everyone began to cry fowl.

Also no it's the games end of. Vita has good games but it doesn't have enough good games, the 3DS started slowly but by the time it reached it's first anniversary it had begun to pick up steam which the Vita has been struggling to do and thus isn't selling as well. (Also hampered but the vita memory card.)

Software sells and with good software people will buy. You could make it cheap as hell but if there is no good games no one would buy it. The 3DS began to sell because around the time of the price cut if began to get loads of games releasing for it.

 

[Sheo_Dagana]

The PSP was slow to take off at first, but it ended up being a pretty nice system towards the end of it's life. I'm afraid for the Vita, because it's a great machine, but no developer has stepped up to bat to give us a fantastic game that utilizes the machine's power, not just it's touch screen. Ragnarok Odyssey and Silent Hill: Book of Memories are the only games I play on it, although Gravity Rush is pretty sweet. Other than that, it's a mobile Final Fantasy IX machine for me.

I hope things get better for it, but there seriously needs to be more games for it first.

 

[J Tyran]

Also question, I got a bunch of games free with that Vita sales thing, do I keep the games once my 90 day PS+ subscription runs out?

No, you need to keep the subscription going to keep playing the "instant game collection games" but any games you bought with the discount are your games so you keep those.

I grabbed the 90 day deal too and I intend to keep the sub going, its great because it applies to the PS3 and the PS Vita. So getting those discounts and the instant game collection its pretty awesome what you get for the sub cost.

Microsoft should hang their heads in shame.

 

[Balmong7]

Where the PSP finally found its market was in making portable a plethora of the best content from the PS1 days. If SONY had given us a wide library of our beloved PS2 software on the PSV we would be throwing money at them. Instead they give us this weird touchy feely crap. A portable needs to be a walk around emulator of our beloved mispent youth that we can play on the train during our eternally dreary commute for our dreary lives. Nintendo understood this. SONY seems to have missed it.

Actually The Vita is a great emulator. I own more PS1 and PS2 games on my Vita than I do Vita games.

 

[Balmong7]

I think that Sony needs to push the mobile aspect of the Vita more. I was looking through the PlayStation store and every game that was made available on that xperia smart phone is on there as well. The thing can play just about anything. Its great for college students like me who don't want to transport the console everywhere. The only problem is the lack of WPA2-Enterprise support.

 

[FalloutJack]

The Vita is going to continue to have poor selling rates for some of the above reasons and BECAUSE of the PSP. The PSP is rather nice. It found its place and it does alright for itself. Because so much of what it has is NOT in the Vita, the question of "Why should I bother?" comes to play. They didn't make it backwards compatible and the digital copies idea isn't fullly compatible with all games either. It was still too soon with not enough good ideas involved.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Holy shit batman! Calm the hell down.

I have been on these forums for a while now and when the 3DS was announced at 250, there was some complaining but overall the majority seemed fine. However it was after the Vita released and the 3DS got a price cut that everyone began to cry fowl.

Also no it's the games end of. Vita has good games but it doesn't have enough good games, the 3DS started slowly but by the time it reached it's first anniversary it had begun to pick up steam which the Vita has been struggling to do and thus isn't selling as well. (Also hampered but the vita memory card.)

Software sells and with good software people will buy. You could make it cheap as hell but if there is no good games no one would buy it. The 3DS began to sell because around the time of the price cut if began to get loads of games releasing for it.

See, again, your point goes against the fact that the original DS had just as shitty of a selection of titles upon launch and a good long while after launch. The DS sold millions more. It was also $90 cheaper. The 3DS came out with no games, but sales sucked due to the price. It doesn't make sense for the DS to have sold as much as it did when you think of it from a "software sell" point of view exclusively.

To this day the 3DS still isn't selling as well as the DS in the same time frame. $250 is just too high to sell a handheld at. You have to admit, if Nintendo is slashing the price of its handheld by over 30% just 6 months after release due to poor sales, it was the price, not the games that were a bigger factor in why sales were so slow. I haven't heard of a price cut that big and that quickly since the days when Sega was still in the console race.

I mean really, most console have horrible launch selections.