Rumor: Vita's Digital Games Will Be Cheaper

[The Wooster]

Rumor: Vita's Digital Games Will Be Cheaper

Rumor has it that PlayStation Vita games downloaded from PSN will be 40% cheaper than their store-bought counterparts, which may explain the utterly mental memory card pricing structure.

According to Thrifty Nerd, the planned pricing structure was revealed by an unnamed Sony rep at a recent Vita event. According to the rep, Vita games will be capped at $39.99 at retail, and will cost around $23 on PSN. A similar, but less significant, discount for digital downloads has already been confirmed for the Japanese market.

While it's great to see digital game pricing lowered to reflect the reduced distribution and packaging overheads - not to mention the fact that digital games cannot be traded in - it does seem like Sony is increasing memory card pricing [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114397-GameStop-Leaks-Vita-Memory-Card-Pricing] to offset the lowered prices. Assuming you purchase the 32GB Vita memory card, which weighs in at a whopping $120, you'd have to buy eight digital games at the discounted price to make up for the card's cost.

Both Sony and Microsoft have been offering digital downloads of retail games for nearly two years now, and both companies have been criticized pricing digital games well above their street value. If this rumor is true, it marks Sony's first real attempt at pulling customers away from brick-and-mortar stores. In essence: they'd be poking Gamestop with a stick to see what happens.

Source: Thrifty Nerd [http://thriftynerd.com/2011/12/vita-games-on-psn-to-be-40-less-than-retail/]




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[Kapol]

Yay, another rumor. Oh well. Still, the question I would be asking if this was true is how big the downloads will be. The price difference may seem good, but they you might have to pay a huge ammount for relatively small capacity memory cards that may only hold 5 or so games at a time.

And I know you can just redownload them before anyone mentions. I don't care. It takes quite a while for me to download a couple of gigs to play the game, not to mention having to reinstall it every time (if they go the same route as the PS3 and PSP for handling games). That's time I could be playing the game if I could just buy a big memory card at a decent price.

 

[Scars Unseen]

I'll consider this a good deal once there are some cheaper alternatives to the ridiculously overpriced memory cards. But the real tell will be if they keep the price low in comparison to fluctuating prices of physical games.

 

[Giest4life]

If this rumor holds true, won't it piss off Sony's retail partners? Even if Sony's strategy works out, and people do buy the pricier memory cards en masse from retail, I'm not sure if it will benefit retailers like Walmart and Gamestop--Walmart might not care, but I'm sure Gamestop will.

 

[Scars Unseen]

If this rumor holds true, won't it piss off Sony's retail partners? Even if Sony's strategy works out, and people do buy the pricier memory cards en masse from retail, I'm not sure if it will benefit retailers like Walmart and Gamestop--Walmart might not care, but I'm sure Gamestop will.

That hasn't stopped anyone from offering digital services so far. Games come out on Steam, music comes out on iTunes, porn comes out on [redacted].

 

[jp201]

If this rumor holds true, won't it piss off Sony's retail partners? Even if Sony's strategy works out, and people do buy the pricier memory cards en masse from retail, I'm not sure if it will benefit retailers like Walmart and Gamestop--Walmart might not care, but I'm sure Gamestop will.

That hasn't stopped anyone from offering digital services so far. Games come out on Steam, music comes out on iTunes, porn comes out on [redacted].

Yes but for Sony to offer these at lower prices all the time as a digital download over an in store bought game from the brick and mortar stores is a huge slap in the face to them.

There is a reason why steam prices are the same as the brick and mortar store counterparts, companies do not want to invoke the wrath of the almighty walmart and have their games not stocked there.

 

[Tanis]

Ain't it ashamed that the main reason why I'm NOT getting a PSV is because of the insane memory card price?

Hopefully a 3rd Party adapter or memory card will come out.

 

[Johnson McGee]

I wish Sony would just use SD cards rather than insisting on their own memory cards, SD cards are much cheaper and better.

Of course they won't because then they don't get any money from selling memory cards.

 

[Jodah]

If this rumor holds true, won't it piss off Sony's retail partners? Even if Sony's strategy works out, and people do buy the pricier memory cards en masse from retail, I'm not sure if it will benefit retailers like Walmart and Gamestop--Walmart might not care, but I'm sure Gamestop will.

Eh, theres still a lot of people that don't know about digital games, don't trust PSN with their money (especially after the fiasco earlier this year), etc. Plus digital games are difficult to give as gifts (not impossible, but more difficult). It may hurt retailers but I doubt it will be that bad.

 

[Prof.Beany]

I dont think Ive ever bought a first party accessory for any console Ive ever had. Good old 3rd Earth and the like have always had better gear cheaper.
Hopefully Sony wont hold exclusive rights to making these cards.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

While it does sound like a good deal, I still don't think I could justify a digital purchase if I have nothing physical to show for it. That's just me though. It seems like the memory card pricing is something of a backwards step though. Since this is a Sony product, you know similar memory cards will likely kill themselves after making contact with the Vita (that's how it was with my PSP anyway).

 

[Waaghpowa]

here's to hoping the digital games are cheaper. I hate how the PSN is the only online store I have to pay taxes . Being Canadian, taxes hurt your wallet a tad.

 

[RatRace123]

Dammit Sony, if this rumor turns out to be true, that means I'm gonna have to do math to figure out which would be cheaper in the long run.
Getting a small memory card and hard copies? Or getting the large one and digital copies?

I hate having to do math.

 

[loudestmute]

This news would be all well and interesting, if there was anything that got me excited about the Vita. As it stands, it's a bit like the Wii when it was first announced. Banging on about the great first party titles when no one is addressing the more immediate concern of trying to make this new control method come off as anything but a gimmick.

Okay, replace the silly name business with optional cell phone contracts, but I still haven't seen anyone attempt to show me how to make a touch screen I can't see feel comfortable, much less intuitive.

 

[Catalyst6]

For all the cost they put into physical copies of portable Sony products, I certainly *hope* this is the case.

And besides, we still have the PSP! Why are we even worrying about the Vita? Mine is right over here... or maybe under here... under this T-shirt, no? Hmm, when's the last time I saw it? 2009? Better start tearing up the carpet.

 

[Roserari]

How to alienate loyal customers, PART ONE

 

[LiquidSolstice]

I wish Sony would just use SD cards rather than insisting on their own memory cards, SD cards are much cheaper and better.

Of course they won't because then they don't get any money from selling memory cards.

More like they don't want another PSP debacle which just turned out to be an emulation machine and a godsend for pirates.

I don't agree with their pricing strategy whatsoever, but I sure as hell understand the proprietary memory card choice.

 

[Treblaine]

According to the rep, Vita games will be capped at $39.99 at retail, and will cost around $23 on PSN.

Why has Sony been sitting on this info?

THIS IS GREAT! This is WAY more important than the $250 unit price! This is the price these sorts of games should be at as for too long publishers have been overvaluing the portability factor and underestimating how much limited controls and screen size devalue a product.

$23 is very good price, as the types of games on PSV - let admit it - really are only up to XBL Arcade level. They are nice, but hardly $60 nice!

I've really changed my mind on PSV now, especially if there turns out to be a permanent way to get cheap third-party memory sticks! DEFINITELY if Sony relents and jsut releases the PSV to accept Pro-duo memory stick (of which I bought several gigs worth for my PSP).