PS Vita Bombing in Japan. Price Cut Coming?

It's to be expected since they support the PSP with games there once it releases in the US the demand should be much higher. Also, there's no Monster Hunter game to attract their market but Uncharted should be a monster over here. If they had release more games that were geared towards the Japanese audience it would've definitely moved better. The 3DS "flopped" until they had AAA titles to propel it to near 4 million sold.
 
I would love to see a price drop to $199 and $249, but honestly, the system is currently worth it's price. People are just overrating.

EDIT: Instead of reducing the price before launch in North America, I think including Little Deviants and a 4GB memory card with each version would more than justify the price...
 
The first week sales aren't too bad but when you take into account 2nd week sales, they've got a real problem on their hands if that trend follows to NA. The fact that they're launching Feb here could also present a major problem considering Feb. is one of the worst months for retail sales.

I know they're already either selling it at cost or for a loss but I think the article makes some important points (although written on the bombastic side...) that Sony needs to take a good hard look at their launch strategies for Vita in NA and EUR. Whether that means price drop or more packins the simple fact is they need to get people on board with this thing because consumer confidence is crucial in launching a new video game console. The major dropoff in sales in Japan certainly has me concerned about my contemplated Vita purchase and I'd imagine I'm not the only person to feel that way.
 
This certainly isn't great news, but Gravity Rush, Persona 4 The Golden, and the Y's 4 and Final Fantasy X remakes are enough to justify my purchase at $249. If only they had made the memory choice microSD...
 
Sony should either reduce the price or as SynGamer said, include Little Deviants and a 4GB memory card. I personally feel that this would motivate people to pick one up.
 
I think a week is long enough to determine if the system is going to succeed or not. Sony might as well just not release it in the U.S.
 
[quote name='whoknows']I think a week is long enough to determine if the system is going to succeed or not. Sony might as well just not release it in the U.S.[/QUOTE]
lol u mad bro? if a console is going to flop I think releasing it to the biggest market in the world would at least help recuperate costs.
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']I know they're already either selling it at cost or for a loss[/QUOTE]

Honestly, I never bought Sony's story that they were supposedly selling anything at cost or at a loss. Profit was made on every sale. It's only a major company's justification for such a high selling price.
 
[quote name='SolidSnake86']Honestly, I never bought Sony's story that they were supposedly selling anything at cost or at a loss. Profit was made on every sale. It's only a major company's justification for such a high selling price.[/QUOTE]
looking at the specs alone, the vita's hardware is easily worth 500+. Smartphones with half the power go easily for that much without a contract.
 
Any reasonable consumer would wait until the model got its slim version, for a price cut to something that's affordable, and for the library to be expanded. I think with all the recent experience with lackluster console launches in the last decade, people are starting to realize this.
 
[quote name='SolidSnake86']Honestly, I never bought Sony's story that they were supposedly selling anything at cost or at a loss. Profit was made on every sale. It's only a major company's justification for such a high selling price.[/QUOTE]

Obviously you haven't done any research. Sony and MS have been running the loss leader strategy for a while now. It's not "supposedly" or anything, it's legit and many companies do it. I believe Sony said the Vita would be profitable in about 3 years...which makes perfect sense considering the technology inside the systems.
 
[quote name='whoknows']I think a week is long enough to determine if the system is going to succeed or not. Sony might as well just not release it in the U.S.[/QUOTE]

It's certainly not enough to determine the entire success or failure of a system but it ain't exactly like week 3 is gonna roll around and suddenly the sales are gonna pop back up to 200,000-300,000. Ya dig?
 
I'd probably give every system at least a few months before declaring it's bombing...but these blogs and sites need news so...this is the news.
 
Of course a price cut is coming eventually (and I don't intend to buy a Vita until one does). That's how technology works. But if you're talking about one coming soon, I wouldn't count on it. While the Vita hasn't been lighting up sales (kinda strange considering the holiday season), it hasn't even released worldwide yet. Sony is likely to test consumer reaction in all markets before they make any rash decisions.
 
Let me explain a few things.

1. No pricecut coming anytime soon. Sony does lose a small amount of money on every hardware they sell and they are NOT doing that again (their CEO rather gain marketshare slower than put the company in a hole financially).

2. The launch lineup is NOT a big time selling line-up to the Japanese. Minna No Golf and Ridge Racer are no longer major sellers. Minna No Golf didn't sell all that great on PSP while Ridge Racer continues to decline. Uncharted is not a big seller for Japan. Disgaea 3 sold under 100k on PS3. The launch fighters haven't sold well on any platforms. The lineup does appeal to the west better. The first game that has a potential to sell over 100k does not come out until Jan. (Tales of Innocence R). The majority of devs have only had final Vita dev kits (according the the RR devs) since Spring 2011. Games are not going to come right away.

3. Sony themselves are NOT pricing the Vita right now at the mass market price to be eaten up right now, just like PS3. PS3 started off very slow in Japan and has done much better now. They fully understand that it's going to sell to a more limited audience early on. They expect Vita to sell more when $200, and way more when it reaches $150. PS3 didn't start selling very well until it hit the $300 pricetag. One reason Nintendo tends to have an easier time at launch (outside the 3DS) is because they price at (or very near) the mass market price. Sony never does that and never will.

4. While Christmas may not be widely celebrated in Japan like the US, there is a lot of gift giving to younger kids. The Wii/DS last year were selling worse than the PS3/PSP. When the Christmas Holiday came around, we would all of a sudden see Wii sell very well and DS beat out PSP at the end. That's pretty much why the Nintendo stuff is at the top of the charts (gift giving time). People are not going to buy a Vita for a young child.

5. Compared to the 3DS and a few other platforms at launch, people cannot buy a Vita just to play their UMD games. Keep in mind that digital sales in Japan have always been low (on reason PSGo sold very low there). People can't buy a Vita just to play their Monster Hunter 3 or FF Type-0 disc. The only way to play it is to download it. Therefore, the majority who are buying a Vita are either those buying it for JUST Vita games or the very small number of people who have a digital collection of PSP games.

6. Oh course the 3DS is going to have its best sales being Christmas, Mario Kart 7 + Super Mario Land 3D released (which sold a few million on DS in Japan alone). Monster Hunter 3G helps too. Once the Holiday season is over (in Jan.), it definitely will not sell anywhere near as high.

The difference between Nintendo and Sony when it came to their newest handheld launch, Nintendo decided to price high because the cost of technology was a bit higher than usual when they released a device (Nintendo will not sell handheld hardware at a loss). When Nintendo saw they were not meeting mass market sales early (which is rare for them on a handheld), they panicked and dropped the price. Sony actually knows that they are not reaching mass market sales now and isn't in a sudden hurry to do it now, especially when there isn't a wide selection of games the Japanese want. People should remember that back in 2008, MS dropped the price of the Xbox 360 while Sony left the PS3 at $400. They knew very well that MS may gain more marketshare by the lower price, but Sony wasn't dropping the price of PS3 because they could not afford to take more significant losses.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Let me explain a few things.

2. The launch lineup is NOT a big time selling line-up to the Japanese. Minna No Golf and Ridge Racer are no longer major sellers. Minna No Golf didn't sell all that great on PSP while Ridge Racer continues to decline. Uncharted is not a big seller for Japan. Disgaea 3 sold under 100k on PS3. The launch fighters haven't sold well on any platforms. The lineup does appeal to the west better. The first game that has a potential to sell over 100k does not come out until Jan. (Tales of Innocence R). The majority of devs have only had final Vita dev kits (according the the RR devs) since Spring 2011. Games are not going to come right away.[/QUOTE]

I pretty much agree with most of what you said with your other points, but Sony stated that digital sales are exceeding expectations. So I wouldn't necessarily count Hot Shots Golf or Ridge Racer, or any other top selling Vita game out sales-wise. That said, the launch line-up for Japan clearly had some western influence which will no doubt be well-received in February.
 
[quote name='SynGamer']I pretty much agree with most of what you said with your other points, but Sony stated that digital sales are exceeding expectations. So I wouldn't necessarily count Hot Shots Golf or Ridge Racer, or any other top selling Vita game out sales-wise. That said, the launch line-up for Japan clearly had some western influence which will no doubt be well-received in February.[/QUOTE]I was only trying to say the launch line-up of games does not have the must-haves that sell well in Japan. That was the point I was trying to get acrossed.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']I was only trying to say the launch line-up of games does not have the must-haves that sell well in Japan. That was the point I was trying to get acrossed.[/QUOTE]

Which I agreed with, I was merely pointing out that digital sales haven't been released but reports indicate Uncharted and Hot shots Golf were both selling well digitally.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Let me explain a few things.

1. No pricecut coming anytime soon. Sony does lose a small amount of money on every hardware they sell and they are NOT doing that again (their CEO rather gain marketshare slower than put the company in a hole financially).

2. The launch lineup is NOT a big time selling line-up to the Japanese. Minna No Golf and Ridge Racer are no longer major sellers. Minna No Golf didn't sell all that great on PSP while Ridge Racer continues to decline. Uncharted is not a big seller for Japan. Disgaea 3 sold under 100k on PS3. The launch fighters haven't sold well on any platforms. The lineup does appeal to the west better. The first game that has a potential to sell over 100k does not come out until Jan. (Tales of Innocence R). The majority of devs have only had final Vita dev kits (according the the RR devs) since Spring 2011. Games are not going to come right away.

3. Sony themselves are NOT pricing the Vita right now at the mass market price to be eaten up right now, just like PS3. PS3 started off very slow in Japan and has done much better now. They fully understand that it's going to sell to a more limited audience early on. They expect Vita to sell more when $200, and way more when it reaches $150. PS3 didn't start selling very well until it hit the $300 pricetag. One reason Nintendo tends to have an easier time at launch (outside the 3DS) is because they price at (or very near) the mass market price. Sony never does that and never will.

4. While Christmas may not be widely celebrated in Japan like the US, there is a lot of gift giving to younger kids. The Wii/DS last year were selling worse than the PS3/PSP. When the Christmas Holiday came around, we would all of a sudden see Wii sell very well and DS beat out PSP at the end. That's pretty much why the Nintendo stuff is at the top of the charts (gift giving time). People are not going to buy a Vita for a young child.

5. Compared to the 3DS and a few other platforms at launch, people cannot buy a Vita just to play their UMD games. Keep in mind that digital sales in Japan have always been low (on reason PSGo sold very low there). People can't buy a Vita just to play their Monster Hunter 3 or FF Type-0 disc. The only way to play it is to download it. Therefore, the majority who are buying a Vita are either those buying it for JUST Vita games or the very small number of people who have a digital collection of PSP games.

6. Oh course the 3DS is going to have its best sales being Christmas, Mario Kart 7 + Super Mario Land 3D released (which sold a few million on DS in Japan alone). Monster Hunter 3G helps too. Once the Holiday season is over (in Jan.), it definitely will not sell anywhere near as high.

The difference between Nintendo and Sony when it came to their newest handheld launch, Nintendo decided to price high because the cost of technology was a bit higher than usual when they released a device (Nintendo will not sell handheld hardware at a loss). When Nintendo saw they were not meeting mass market sales early (which is rare for them on a handheld), they panicked and dropped the price. Sony actually knows that they are not reaching mass market sales now and isn't in a sudden hurry to do it now, especially when there isn't a wide selection of games the Japanese want. People should remember that back in 2008, MS dropped the price of the Xbox 360 while Sony left the PS3 at $400. They knew very well that MS may gain more marketshare by the lower price, but Sony wasn't dropping the price of PS3 because they could not afford to take more significant losses.[/QUOTE]

Your main point seems to be that Sony has positioned themselves with the Vita to be in it for the long haul with the expectation that there will be very slow early sales of the system. That's certainly a possible scenario and one that I'm willing to accept.

The only problem with that approach is that its a very precarious position for Sony to put themselves in from 2 standpoints; which would be developers and investors. Neither of those 2 groups are accustomed to this approach.

Investors can easily lose confidence; news reports like the one this thread is based on make them lose that confidence. If Sony is adopting the approach you've mentioned, they need to be more clear with investors about it because otherwise they're just gonna see another failed consumer device which Sony has spent (what I'd imagine) a boatload of money on already.

Developers are also a group that need to be confident in a system. Without developers feeling that there's a strong player base in a system, they're not gonna invest their resources in developing for a system. Thus, the problem spirals into less 3rd party support leading to less install base leading to even less 3rd party support. There doesn't seem to be any killer 3rd party games for the Vita on the horizon at this point, maybe Sony's gonna take the approach of going it alone in developing the major releases for the Vita, maybe not. At this point it seems like they'll need to be major advocates in developing for their system.

Overall, everything we're throwing about is pure conjecture at this point. The sales results from Japan could mean everything, or it could mean nothing, for the North American sales. The simple fact that they have dropped off almost completely in week 2 should, at the very least, cause some concern for Sony in spite of taking the approach you're advocating.
 
Sorry to go OT, but is "oh course" an actual thing? TMK is the only person I have ever, ever seen use it but in the last 5+ however many years no one ever corrects him. I can't tell if people ignore it because it is actually a real phrase instead of "of course", and I've just never seen it before, or if they simply don't want to make him feel bad for using super secret aspie code words.
 
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