Sony has declared that PlayStation Vita games shall do away with a fixed pricing model, instead using a range of different prices to help combat the rise of cheap smartphone games. That's Sony doing something adaptive and smart. I'm genuinely impressed.
"I think it would be safe to assume we will take a more tailored approach than perhaps we've done in the past," said SCEE CEO Jim Ryan. "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. 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."
Ryan's words back up news that Japanese Vita prices will have quite a range to them.
I've wanted us to have a tiered pricing model for a very long time. It just makes sense to only charge a premium rate for the games that are guaranteed to sell for a premium rate, like the aforementioned Uncharted. Smaller titles and untested IP need a smarter price, and I'm incredibly intrigued to see how far Sony takes this.
Here's hoping that by "tailored prices" they don't mean "between fifty-five and sixty dollars."
Sony planning "more tailored approach" to Vita software pricing [GI.biz]
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Contest:
12:30 PM on 11.30.2011 | 
This is good and bad, and the Ridge Racer model is a scary thing for me. Everyone hates nickel and dime DLC, and that's the only way to get the full Ridge Racer game on Vita. I hope that doesn't catch on. This flex pricing allows them to do that instead of saying 'this game will be 50 dollars so we need to put 50 dollars worth of content in it.'
The flipside being this allows smaller, less known games to be released at better price points to give them a higher chance of selling.
Just depends on who's using it.
Well they're already charging that for memory cards... so why not?
Conan O'brian wannabe
Prices are already sitting at 40 like they were with PSP.
I see a few going to 50 but honestly dont see higher than that.
Most premium handheld games cost that much in Japan. Not sure what you're spazzing about.
The range will be $20-$50 for retail games, I'm betting. Most premium games will loiter at the $40 mark with some companies thinking they can push the $50 boundary (Capcom). $30 will be for the mid-tier games like Grand Knights History and Fate/Extra. I don't see many publishers outside of the smaller ones pricing their games for $30. Namco might with Touch my Katamari. $20 will be for stuff like Patapon.
$40 for games of unproved developers;
$50 for games of proved developers with unproved IP;
$60 for games of proved developers with proved IP.
Take $10 off for 3DS/PSV games and we can have a deal.
Japanese games always cost more than they do in the US/UK. Most of the games we pay 60 dollars for, they wind up paying 70-80 for. Japanese pricing makes absolutely no sense to me at all.
They do.
They cant expect someone to pay $40 - $50 for Little Deviants, although in this retarded industry they could get away with it, turn a profit, and be adored for it.
If so we could be looking at $20-30 for the less popular games. I can live with that..
This just gives them an excuse to charge more than the standard $40 for portable games. But Capcom already beat them to that punch with Resident Evil: 3DS!
Can't see good things happening from this!
@RenegadePanda,
the problem is that Vita games in japan cost as much as console games in japan.
Maybe I'm reading that wrong, but to me it sounds like;
"I think we might be able to get away with charging $60 for certain vita games."
Premium PS3 games, like Ni no Kuni, Dark Souls, and FFXIII, cost roughly 8000-9000 yen, actually.
If the games turn out to be cheap, I really see myself buying a Vita sometime next year... or the other.
YES
Basically, sce need to open up some parts of the ps vita, even their approach to pricing.
I will not be surprised if steam arrives on the ps vita too.