Their loss...es.

I think they just can't afford a price cut. They are losing enough money as it is.

Not terrible, but not bueno. They just need to get working on these so called bundles that they have mentioned. Get a 16 gb card and free download game or something in the hands of new buyers. Then they will make some dosh.

The price of the system is fine. The price of the memory sticks are the problem. Price those closer to equivalent SD cards and they'll find a big hurdle towards people adopting the Vita removed.

Well that and more games, although I honestly haven't had a time since I purchased mine where I haven't had SOMETHING to play.

I dunno why, the System is pretty good...

...except the fact they havn't released a new 'good' game in 3 months. >_>

Everything Shane Saiyan said +1. Great post.

Id be a little more inclined to buy this if its library of games weren't already playable on the PS3

Maybe if they had something other than just Resistance and Uncharted, people might bite more. I mean you can only play the same few games a couple times before things start to get stale. It also doesn't help that I've played a quarter of the vitas lineup already and I don't even own one.

Shane is right. The Vita's price, I wouldn't mind so much if the memory cards hadn't set people back. Although since they are, a price cut would be, y'know, nice. Keep in mind, though, Sony probably needs to make a profit from memory cards and thus they're overpriced (IMO). They probably don't make much from the system.

After all, remember that Nintendo didn't make money from 3DS sales until recently after they did a price cut.

@Shane, you say that until you have the system, the main issue is Software. It needs more knockout titles, people thought that Gravity Rush might spur something but new IP can only do so much, and that story SHOULD be a stand alone game. Luckly, Otaku/Weeaboos will drool over Persona 4 The Golden and we should be getting some CoD fags soon enough, but what i'm waiting for myself is the new Phantasy Star game as the PSP one worked out pretty well on it, and should give Sega some much needed cash influx after Sonic Generations.

@friedzombie

I don't wanna be the internet police or anything but careful with the gay slurs. I know you don't mean anything by it but remember this isn't 4chan. Still love ya anyway.

I totally agree that memory cards are a big issue, though I'm willing to guess the mass market doesn't quite know about that trap yet and just isn't willing to spend $250 up-front for something that isn't a phone, doesn't have a big library of enticing games, and generally doesn't serve too much of a purpose at the moment.

The main problem, I fear, is that the portable gaming arena has changed so much and Sony's sticking to its old guns.

Those memory cards are just tweaked Memory Stick Micros. I would bet BIG money on Sony being able to substantially slash the memory card price and still turn a hefty profit on them.

It's a gamble, to be sure. They'd cut into their profit on the product line as a whole, but the memory stick cost seems to be a very common complaint amongst people who haven't yet bought a Vita, and removing that might just be what Sony needs to bump up sales.

Cause a Nihilistic developed Call of Duty game isn't gonna cut it.

For people like me who bought the original PSP(and loved it) at $130, $250 is a big deal. Just not worth it IMO. This is ignoring the extra memory card cost.

I actually bought one very recently, and at first I was a little worried it was a bad idea, but I haven't looked back. Not only do I get to check out some PSP stuff I missed (mine's been broken for a couple of years) but I'm looking forward to plenty of stuff, and have used it nearly every day since purchase. The recent announcements have made me even more pleased I have one. I'd love it to gain some momentum so I keep using it for a long time, but even if it doesn't, it's just a lovely bit of hardware which I'm pleased to own, while I regretted my 3DS purchase almost immediately (and still only cling onto because a) I'm stubborn and b) I failed to fool wardrox into buying it off me at Eurogamer)

What a shame...
I don´t know how to insert a picture, but global Vita sales are lower than Japan only Dreamcast sales...
could be wrong but...seems likely :
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=41172678&postcount=424

Love the header. Dead Alive was one of my favorites growing up.

I'll rush out to give Sony my money when they impress me with better games.

And why do people keep giving Nihilistic their IPs? They're a terrible developer. Please stop it.

More games? That would imply there are games to begin with.

When Nintendo cut the 3DS's price, a lot of people said it was 'to save the system from failing.'
Now, the Vita's doing even worse, yet they aren't changing anything. If the allure of future games wasn't enough for the 3DS, it's safe to say it may not be enough for the Vita.

However, Cross-Buy seems like a magnificent idea, so I hope that can invoke some sales.

@Perro

This, pretty much. Though the ridiculous price and memory doesn't help either.

This really does just seem to be Sony's MO. There's nothing wrong with it, and it's usually worked for them... I just think it's something they can't afford to do right now because of their own corporate losses.

It's almost a carbon copy of their strategy with the PS3: sell an expensive console, get the early adopters, diversify game selection and lower the hardware price, then begin trickling in the masses after around a year... while still selling the old gen hardware for pure profit (in this case, the PSP).

It looks odd compared to other console makers, but it does seem to work for them. It's been said before, but I think the biggest issue with rating Sony's success is comparing it to Nintendo's... which it will never even get close to reaching. Sadly it's all Sony CAN be compared to, and Sony simply doesn't have the legion of fans willing to buy their hardware like Nintendo.

I should add I still think the PS Vita is a fucking sexy machine and I want it to rock. It's incredibly frustrating to see it just sit there while Sony does what it's done with every system in the past few years and promise "things" in the "future."

sorry to be so negative...but this ( http://www.computerandvideogames.com/363968/ps3-and-vita-cross-buy-potential-is-limited-sony-admits/ ) @ everyone saying cross buy will save it.

This attitude is basically Sony´s biggest weakness: The dependence on third partys.
Every single console launch in Sony´s history got their killer app from a third party (PS1: Tekken/Ridge Racer/Crash/Resident Evil/Final FAntasy, PS2: GTA, PSP: Monster Hunter, Ps3: MGS4 and to a lesser extent Uncharted )
Not hating on Sony, but you have to admit the PS brand is overly reliant on third partys...just my two cents

Fuck... What's that header from? I know I've seen it.

*was overly reliant (they make great exclusives)

Even though I there are no games on the PSV that catch my attention, I dont see any difference to the 3DS.
Did not buy a game since Resident Evil; Revelations, so what are all the killer games on 3DS that everyone is talkin bout?

I own one myself and this is pretty bad news. I can see why there is issues with getting more 3rd party support with only 2.2 million worldwide. Seeing as software developers/producers are looking into the millions for sales... with such a narrow user base, a "hit" title on the Vita would be something like 500k sold.

But come on Jimbo, you gotta admit that everything Sony promissed on the PS3 is here and they delivered even more.
If the VITA goes the same way as the PS3 did, delivering really awesome games in the near future, it'll doubtless succeed.
Still need to buy a VITA, i've been flirting with it for a long time, but I gotta get laptop first to do some freelances, only 1 PC for me and my wife isn't enought.
But as soon I get that laptop, I'll be all over VITA.

The price of the system is fine. The memory cards needed to be cheaper yesterday.

I just bought my vita and I love it so far, but 100 bucks for 32gb is just retarded.

I agree, they can't afford to sell it at a loss. They really need a killer app for it to get people interested. There are several games I really felt I needed to buy a 3ds to play, however all the Vita has (as did the PSP) are ports and watered down versions of games available on the PS3.

What's sad is, it's probably a very niche system that will never be as popular as the PSP. After 3rd parties getting burned by piracy, the failure of the UMD format and an inability to make money on the PSP, it appears no one is even slightly interested in making 3rd party Vita games.

Maybe once a new GoW or the new AssCreed 3 comes out, more publishers will take interest in the system if those games do well.

The only game I want a Vita for is STILL Hot Shots Golf. I need more games before I jump into a Vita, well that, or a price drop.

It needs more games... that is the absolute reason.

If the hardware is shit but the games are great people will buy it. Look at the 360's years: breaking from normal usage, yet still selling great. Why? because it had the Games people wanted, and that will always outweigh hardware faults.

They are already losing money on each Vita sold, so a Hardware Price cut won't help much anyway.

The only STUPID going on here are the fools who won't buy a Vita, especially if they are PSP owners.

I'm waiting for a Price drop myself. And some games to play on it. If the bring Suikoden Genki or whatever stateside i'm sold.

I was fine buying the hardware at it's current price day one, but the memory prices are just dickish. However, I just bought a 32GB memory stick yesterday because my 8 is already filled. I got really lucky though, because it was on sale for $79 AND I found a $25 visa gift card in my room last week. If this series of events hadn't happened, then I would have kept waiting for an official price drop on memory. Anyway, as long as Sony doesn't give up on Vita and tries to keep 3rd party relationships up with the handheld, then I'll be happy.

Deadhorse.jpg

@elektro

I want to bang my head against the nearest, hardest object and scream into a pillow when I see you've posted something.

199 bundles with Uncharted or Gravity Rush and I'll buy it.

Or and drop the price of the damn memory cards, they are just ridiculous.

"2.2 million sold." Is that 2.2mil Sony -> retailers, or retailers -> consumers? Sony claimed a ton of sales early on with the PS3, too, but it turned out they weren't actually bought by anyone, they were just sitting on shelves somewhere.

@Brennan Hornburg

PSP is not a failure technically. It's a huge hit in Japan, to this day I'm pretty sure they still sell more psps a week than Vita. It also has PLENTY of exclusives that cannot be played on any other system (besides a Vita). What definitely killed it here was the hacks/piracy. Keep in mind though that psp games are still being released and brought to the US. Gungnir, Unchained Blades and Growlanser just recently came out and those are exclusive to psp/vita.


I know the fact that Vita plays psp games as well doesn't seem to be a huge selling point for most, it definitely was for me. Since I haven't played most of the psp games that I wanted to this is just sort of extra incentive. Plus you can adjust your camera controls in the Vita's config when playing a psp game so you can have proper camera controls and don't have to use "the claw" method. This means a lot for MHFU, and other 3rd person camera games. But I digress, if you only want to play psp games, just buy a psp.

I don't think it's a matter of pride so much as a matter of not being able to afford a price cut. Just consider how much money Nintendo lost when it cut the 3DS price. Now consider how much more powerful the Vita is. I just don't see how Sony can cut the price right now without losing billions of dollars.

I'm just gonna out and say it. For when I go out, my phone is not only the only thing I want to bring with me, it also gets the gaming job done really fucking well.

Forget about the 300 bean price point, all said, and imagine the number of people who have no real will to use this portable almost anywhere but home, and those people witnessing a selling point that is entirely "a home console experience on the go!".

What "go"? That's what I ask myself.

I want a 3DS (almost bought one, but ran out of cash) because I don't have a DS anymore, and the thing has a boner for the kinds of games I can't really get on a console. The Vita doesn't seem to have quite that same boner, so I'm waiting.

But honestly, at the end of the day, my phone caters to all my gaming needs when I'm somewhere that's not home, and my PS3 caters to them when I am.

I think as long as they nail the prices of their bundles this fall they won't need a price drop. A vita + game + mem stick for 250 is great. It's almost like a pseudo price drop. Plus the big brands like Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty (even if they don't turn out great) will help move those bundles, and Vitas.

I just don't see a good reason for me to own one right now.  It appears to me that many of the games available on the PS Vita can be already purchased for my PS3.  I'm going to give it the same treatment I gave the 3DS.  Until more exclusives come out or a price drop, I'm not going to buy it.

I really think this is a matter of perspective. By comparison to the 3DS the Vita might not seem to be selling to well, but 2.2 million units is not bad. Nintendo has always dominated the handheld space, just because Sony can't match those very high numbers doesn't mean their handhelds aren't a success.

I think Sony is doing a pretty good job with Vita games. Gravity Daze, Tearaway, and Soul Sacrifice all look like solid games to me. 3rd party support is pretty good too, it's just there aren't many 3rd party exclusives at the moment. Software sales aren't too bad either. The sequel to 999 only sold slightly less on Vita than 3DS, and Time Travelers sold slightly more on Vita than it did on 3DS.

At the end of the day the Vita won't be the best selling game system, but the sales will be high enough for it to be worthwhile venture for Sony and 3rd parties, and there will be sizable group of people who really appreciate their Vita's. Those are the 2 most important things for a gaming device.

@Scissors

It's anything but a matter of perspective, but I'll indulge a few numbers because I like it.

In the 6 months since the Vita has come out in in all markets, 2.2 million have sold. For perspective, the PSP sold more than 5 million units in the same time frame. For reference, that put it just 2 million units behind the DS at the time.

The Vita, according to the only sales figures available, sold 450k units its first week of release outside of Japan, almost 1/4th of its entire combined sales according to Sony.

The machine barely outsells the PSP most weeks (within a margin of 10k units, many times much closer than that), and is routinely outsold by the 3DS 3-1.

I know I say this way too often, but in the months of April, May, June, and July, there were 10 weeks where no games were released on the PSV. That's 10 out of 16 weeks.

There are massive problems right now for this thing, and it has nothing to do with perception. No one in the Sony boardroom is making that argument, nor would they. They would probably be out of a job if they did.

I am still wishing I could play most of my Vita and 3DS games on my big screen TV. The most play these systems gets out of me is when I am away the odd weekend or travelling to and from London by train for work, otherwise they sit there plugged into their chargers looking accusingly at me.

Truth is, unless I end up commuting by train on a regular basis again at some point, I have no room in my life for these systems. Walking to and from work most days means I just don't carry them. But there are still one or two games that I absolutely must play, like Uncharted, Shinobido, Gravity Rush, Mario Kart and Theatrythmn, so I ended up getting these systems anyways.

The reason why is they do not want to make their supports feel like they got screwed royally like I did with the 3ds.

Sony has always been a slow and steady company, and dropping the price 4 months later sends a clear message that their fans don't mean a damn, and you do not have faith in your product.

I bought a Vita for $249 and feel it is worth every penny i paid for a superior handheld console.

@Alan Argentina

Fair enough, I guess I overlooked some facts, and the Vita is in a worse position than I thought. Are you staff now? I could have sworn you use to go by OneRed, if so congrats.

Also, why is that chick in the header, deepthroating the biggest, reddest, dog dick I've ever seen?