Sony Has No Immediate Plans to Cut PlayStation Vita Price in Europe and the U.S.

No PS Vita Price-Cut Incoming, But 3G Option Gets Free in Some Stores

[02/27/2013 11:59 PM]
by Anton Shilov

Representatives from Sony Computer Entertainment in the U.S. and the U.K. said that the company has no plans to cut pricing of the PlayStation Vita portable game console in their regions, following Sony’s price-cut in Japan earlier this month. Nonetheless, there are still good news about the platform: the PS Vita with Wi-Fi and 3G now costs the same amount of money than the Wi-Fi only version in the official U.S. store.

“The price cut announced [earlier this month] is for the SCE Japan region only and we have nothing to announce at this time regarding pricing within our own region,” a representative for SCE in the UK told CVG web-site.

Starting from February 28, 2013, PlayStation Vita Wi-Fi and PlayStation Vita with Wi-Fi and 3G are priced equally at ¥19980 ($213), down from ¥24980 ($266) for Wi-Fi only and ¥29980 ($319) for Wi-Fi+3G model before. With 3G modem for free, PS Vita enables infinite possibilities for users to connect with other PlayStation Vita gamers from everywhere. The new price will make the platform more accessible than ever and will appeal to wider audiences looking to buy the model best suitable for their own game play style.

Sony will likely follow with price-cuts in different markets, as it typically does. However, given the fact that the PS Vita in the U.S. and Europe was priced lower than in Japan initially, those market will probably have to wait several months before Sony slashes the recommended pricing to boost sales there.

The price-cut after less than fifteen months on the market may reflect Sony’s dissatisfaction with sales of the console as well as growing competition from new gaming platforms, such as smartphones and tablets, which have set new sales records in 2012.

Sony sold around 2.2 million PS Vita portable game consoles in the first six months after the release. While in Japan the console saw bright days of record sales thanks to newly released titles, in the U.S. and Europe the system has been considerably less successful even during the holiday season.

Tags: Sony, Playstation, Vita, 3G

Discussion

Comments currently: 2
Discussion started: 03/04/13 06:04:56 AM
Latest comment: 03/10/13 11:17:23 AM
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[1-1]

They can keep their crap. As long as the games are +30$, nobody will invest in this. You can find FREE or cheaper games on tablets or phones, so good luck with those prices Sony.

0 [Posted by: TAViX Rating 564.71

| Date: 03/04/13 06:04:56 AM]

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3DS games are in the same price range yet seem to be selling fine. Cheaper games on tablets/phone doesn't = better. I've yet to find a single tablet or phone game that truly gives me a compelling game experience.

0 [Posted by: DedBeet Rating 1