Sony Planning a "Tailored Approach" to Vita Game Pricing

[The Wooster]

Sony Planning a "Tailored Approach" to Vita Game Pricing

Sony intends to stave off the growing threat of cheap smartphone games by offering Vita titles at various different price-points.

There's been a lot of noise lately about the traditional retail retail price-point for games being counterproductive [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114410-Scribblenauts-Dev-The-Retail-Model-is-Broken], particularly in the handheld and mobile markets, which are dominated by cheap, simple titles made by small teams.

Last week, PlayStation Europe boss Jim Ryan said it would be "foolish and naïve to ignore what's happening" in the smartphone sector. Talking to Gameindustry.biz today, he said: "I think it would be safe to assume we will take a more tailored approach [to pricing] than perhaps we've done in the past."

That doesn't mean Sony is just going to start churning out Angry Birds knock-offs, Ryan maintains that traditional handhelds like the Vita still have a lot to offer the core gamer.

"Absolutely it does do other things, but it has been designed as a gaming device, and a perfectly logical consequence of that is that the gaming experiences you can have on Vita are superior to what is possible on a device that has other functionality at its heart," he said.

"It's our challenge to ensure that the gaming experience that we provide is closer to that TV console experience than it is to your 69p thing that you've downloaded on your iPhone," he continued. "If we do that and we provide great value to the consumer on games like Uncharted, I think the possibility to sustain historic console type price points is there."

With any luck, cheaper Vita games should offset the cost of its absurdly pricy memory cards [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114397-GameStop-Leaks-Vita-Memory-Card-Pricing], great.

Source: Gameindustry.biz [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-11-30-sony-planning-more-tailored-approach-to-vita-software-pricing]

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[RedEyesBlackGamer]

It will have Disgaea 3, Dragon's Crown, and Persona 4. I am not worried about my experience with it.

 

[Furioso]

When I read the title I was super happy, then I realized they aren't changing the memory card price, and then I was ultra pissed/sad again

 

[gigastar]

Until i see hard numbers, im not changing my stance in regards to the Vita's pricing.

But for now, im more interested in...

the traditional retail retail price-point for games being counterproductive [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114397-GameStop-Leaks-Vita-Memory-Card-Pricing]

You might want to check where that link actually goes.

 

[Baresark]

Anyone who is not skeptical is a fool. Sony doesn't know how to give value priced software to their customers anymore than it thinks this won't become the next mobile pirate platform.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Persona 4, that's all that matters to me. I have never got the chance to play Persona 4 (only P3, then my PS2 borked), something I wish to rectify.

 

[Something Amyss]

When I read the title I was super happy, then I realized they aren't changing the memory card price, and then I was ultra pissed/sad again

"We're going to have progressive pricing on our games, but you'll need to buy our expensive proprietary memory cards first!"

 

[Lancer873]

Hunh... well the Vita is a confusing little console isn't it? A simple yet huge upgrade with the second analog stick, yet a lot of strange gimmicks with the motion sensing and the dual touchscreens. A step forward from the PSP with a massive launching line-up of games, big and small, as well as a focus specifically on games rather than the other things it can do, and yet a step back with a smaller battery life. And now a variety of game pricing to appeal towards a wider range of gamers and game developers, and yet a higher memory stick and console cost that puts a significant barrier of entry to it all... I'm so emotionally torn...

 

[Atmos Duality]

"We're going to have progressive pricing on our games, but you'll need to buy our expensive proprietary memory cards first!"

Yup. Sony doesn't want ANYONE stepping on their toes there.
While the rest of the world pulls away with efficiently priced SD cards, Sony is still pushing their gouging bullshit.

Any defense one can muster for Sony dies in their throat because Sony always gives the bare-minimum amount; which kind of necessitates an upgrade no matter what games you plan to download.

 

[Lancer873]

And just like that a thought occurs... alternating crazy-good and simply-bad announcements... It's like they want people to either love or hate it... Almost as though they want people arguing over whether the 3DS is better or not more than usual... Is Sony intentionally trying to ramp up a console war or something? ._.

I'M ONTO YOU SONY!!! You'll never get me to talk about your console in a negative light! Waitwhat...

 

[ProjectTrinity]

First thing I thought was:

"So....balancing out the insane cost of memory sticks. ' -' "

Persona 4. I am not worried about my experience with it.

I lol'd

But for good non-jerkwad reasons (for once).

 

[Something Amyss]

Yup. Sony doesn't want ANYONE stepping on their toes there.
While the rest of the world pulls away with efficiently priced SD cards, Sony is still pushing their gouging bullshit.

Any defense one can muster for Sony dies in their throat because Sony always gives the bare-minimum amount; which kind of necessitates an upgrade no matter what games you plan to download.

It's a shame people will defend them anyway.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Yup. Sony doesn't want ANYONE stepping on their toes there.
While the rest of the world pulls away with efficiently priced SD cards, Sony is still pushing their gouging bullshit.

Any defense one can muster for Sony dies in their throat because Sony always gives the bare-minimum amount; which kind of necessitates an upgrade no matter what games you plan to download.

It's a shame people will defend them anyway.

While all that is true, they get one free pass from me for having no region lock. That is really good. So the memory card business is their one free pass.
But remember, Sony,
That is it.

 

[Atmos Duality]

You're claiming gouging, in an article about how they're dropping prices from the standard $40.

Notice what they're talking about in the article: GAMES
Notice what I'm talking about: SD CARDS, the medium on which those downloadable games will be stored.

Sony pushes their proprietary versions of SD Cards for use with their system, instead of letting the consumer choose from other, cheaper brands; they are in a way, creating and hiking prices because of monopolistic practices.

Sony overcharged/gouged for this VERY SAME THING on the original PSP.
Add Sony has not shown any intentions of changing that practice for the Vita.

What the fuck is wrong inside your head?

I should be asking the same of you; what's with the attitude? Did my post kill your dog? Shit in your cereal? Or do you just get off on using stupid ad-hominems to close your arguments?

 

[Atmos Duality]

Yes, notice what is actually relevant to this article - GAMES
Notice what is not relevant in the slightest and is just trolling - SD CARDS.

I'll spell it out for you:

1) Lower game prices = Higher consumption; basic economics. Certifiable fact.
2) Sony's Online Store (which I've seen and used), prices competitively to retail; so any price cuts made to retail versions are clearly going to transfer to the online store. Certifiable fact (unless Sony is acting colossally stupid)
3) Lower prices = more purchases per user, which equates to them needing more space for their games. This applies to BOTH PHYSICAL RETAIL AND THE ONLINE STORE, BY ECONOMIC LAW.

Also, if consumers want to pay market prices for SD cards, they should for the Vita too - $500. If you're going to claim that sbullshit, actually stick to it.

That's called a "Loss Leader" strategy. Sony subsidizes production of their system so they can make greater profits on game licensing, and secondary/related purchases (extra controllers, cables, and of course, PROPRIETARY SD CARDS).

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo ALL DO THIS to some degree.

 

[Epona]

Well, if I see a game launch at $20 instead of $40, I am going to assume it sucks. For games that get great reviews, you'll still pay $40. Who is this helping besides people who buy bad games at launch?

Further, trying to compete against 99 cent phone games is a bad idea. You can't match that price point with a Vita game but putting yourself into that market just makes your games look too expensive. They are different markets just like handheld and console games are a different market. They were smart enough not to try and charge $60 for handheld games because they recognize they can't compete in that market with handheld titles. Here, they are only lowering the value of Vita games to that of 99 cent disposable games while charging much more.

BTW, to all of those who have been asking for this. Games that suck go down automatically even if they do launch at $60. Within a few months a shitty game will be down by 50% atleast so there really isn't any need for progressive pricing. If you wanna complain about a short shooter being the same price as an epic game like Skyrim, complain about something legitimate like price fixing (you know, when different companies get together to set prices on competing products to avoid price competition).