Hellsing321
Member
If this system doesn't move this holiday the only price cut you'll be seeing is from retailers trying to get rid of stock as the Vita is quietly put out to pasture. They need to do something now. Not next year.
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Sony engineers working on PS Vita "cost reduction" for post-2012 price cut
- Thread starter DaSorcerer7
- Start date
Shining Sunshine
Banned
I just want 3G for my region.
COD only sells 20 million on a ~130 million install base. Add another billion if you want to include PC.
SolarPowered
Member
Then it would really be dead.
Indeed
I think it's especially crucial on handhelds where you can easily find yourself with more than a couple memory storage cards. The price piles up way too quick for handhelds. It's a bigger turnoff than the $250 price tag. At least you can easily make an argument that the pretty OLED and powerful components add to the vita experience. Proprietary memory doesn't add much over SD and it's more expensive/less useful like open memory.
It may or may not matter. PSP has its unique circumstances.
The gaming world is evolving quickly. Some of the formula and old patterns may have changed, and are certainly changing.
If we only look at past behavior, we will miss out new signs.
The key drivers are:
* New/better technologies
* More players in mobile gaming now. People getting busier, and having more mobile lifestyle
* People continue to look for newer experiences
The old notion of console-style game vs short mobile games may be outdated with digital games and new business models (e.g., Free-to-play, cross-platform gaming). It is also overly-simplistic to think console-style games automagically means they are not suitable for portable play. A long game can have a blend of short, medium and long activities. The developers will tailor them based on the audience. It is easy to sleep a game and resume anyway.
In the other direction, short games may need to build in hooks to keep people playing in an increasingly crowded world. So they will have "long" elements too.
I'd say just keep rolling out quality games. I play long and short games on-the-go. Only people on-the-fence are debating. These people may not have much choice anyway as the gaming world continues to change. You _will_ have long games and console-style games on-the-go. It may be inevitable.
OldJadedGamer
Banned
The first Gears of War sold 1 million to a 3 million install base. That was the most impressive percentage I've seen from a game. But then again, in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king.
Muahahaha... yap ! Paycut for Yoshida~ >_<
yellowjacket25
Member
How could 3 million in sales for a handheld title be considered bad?
You Are Viewtiful
Member
I want to want to buy a Vita, but Sony doesn't want me to.
Super Smash Bros. Melee sold 7 million to a 21 million userbase. It must have been stronger at its launch too
Super Smash Bros. Melee sold 7 million to a 21 million userbase. It must have been stronger at its launch too
I didn't say it was bad. michaelius just used this as en example that PSP software sales are awesome. I think this was just the beginning, and we'll all be proven wrong when we find out that PSP was actually a software juggernaut.
durrrrrrrrrr
Member
Sony can remove all the features they want if the revision comes with on-board memory.
*hugs PSPGO
*hugs PSPGO
It already has onboard memory ! The memcards are more like removable HDD for Vita.
timetokill
Banned
Yoshida agrees with Reggie confirmed
You are joking, am I right?
yellowjacket25
Member
Umm, no. Why would that be considered a joke?
Father_Brain
Banned
But what can they do? They can't afford to cut the price now in their current financial state (and it's very likely that it wouldn't have that big an impact on sales beyond the initial bump), and they can't make major unannounced software magically materialize in time for the holidays. Except maybe in Japan, but I doubt even that.
Pie and Beans
Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Apparently we're supposed to judge all portable game sales by New Super Mario Bros or Pokemon. This thread feels like the definitive Summer Carnival of Stupid. Equal parts from sales nonsense, failures to grasp this was an interview and he was asked the question didnt just randomly announce this statement of the blatantly obviousm and swarthes of "WELL I GUESS I WON'T BUY ONE YET" people that had absolutely no intention of doing so anyway.
Loghorn150
Banned
Agreed, they've already blown at least $462 Billion Yen from 2006-2009 off of the PS3 alone out of $644 Billion Yen that they made during the PS1 & PS2 days, & I'm quite sure that the rest (including the bit of money made from 2010 & 2011, see here) is already being put towards R&D for PS4.
Not going to make a huge difference if the software situation is still as dire.
I was dead set on buying one at first, and was even pretty happy with the price point, but the lineup feels like it's never expanded much beyond what they showed us in 2011. My MO ever since then has been "wait for E3, wait for TGS, etc." but there just hasn't been any announcement or release substantial enough to warrant pulling the trigger.
At this point I'm just waiting for signs of life. I'm almost scared to know how few third-party developers are actively making games for it. Maybe TGS will inspire a bit more confidence (yeah, dem goalposts), but with Yoshida himself saying third-parties aren't interested, I'm not really expecting anything.
As it stands, even if the price dropped to 3DS levels tomorrow, I'd be hard pressed to fill up even one hand with reasons to own one.
I was dead set on buying one at first, and was even pretty happy with the price point, but the lineup feels like it's never expanded much beyond what they showed us in 2011. My MO ever since then has been "wait for E3, wait for TGS, etc." but there just hasn't been any announcement or release substantial enough to warrant pulling the trigger.
At this point I'm just waiting for signs of life. I'm almost scared to know how few third-party developers are actively making games for it. Maybe TGS will inspire a bit more confidence (yeah, dem goalposts), but with Yoshida himself saying third-parties aren't interested, I'm not really expecting anything.
As it stands, even if the price dropped to 3DS levels tomorrow, I'd be hard pressed to fill up even one hand with reasons to own one.
Schobeleth
Member
Business 101 for the games industry: The hardware isn't the reason people pay money. The cost and quality of the hardware should not be taken into consideration when pricing the product.
What people are buying is an ability to play Vita games; with the 3DS, they were purchasing the ability to play 3DS games. For the 3DS, it turned out that "the ability to play 3DS games" was not worth the original asking price as far as the mass market was concerned. After the price cut - certainly in Japan, at least - the price of the 3DS was much more in accordance with what people thought was a fair price to get "the ability to play 3DS games".
With the Vita, they either need to add more value into "the ability to play Vita games" to bring that in conjunction with the mass market's expectations - through increasing the size of that library or advertising the library more entusiastically to make it more desirable in the first place, or - alternatively - reducing the price like Nintendo did to something more in tune with what the mass market believes "the ability to play Vita games" is worth.
lowrider007
Licorice-flavoured booze?
People that say they are waiting for a price drop, do you guys really buy systems when they price actually drops?, I find it hard to believe, I can understand waiting a few weeks for a guaranteed price drop but months?, I oftend find by that time when a price drop has arrived then the perceived value of 'said' product goes down and the same crowed still moan it's priced too high and ask for another price drop, I think with products like this if you really are serious about purchasing it then $50's isn't really going to stop you tbh, not for the type of folk that browse these forums anyway.
(Of course there are exceptions to the rule and although that shouldn't need to be stated being the internet it seems most people take posts as absolute/literal, I'm talking about the majority of demographics that make such statements on gaming forums, not everyone)
(Of course there are exceptions to the rule and although that shouldn't need to be stated being the internet it seems most people take posts as absolute/literal, I'm talking about the majority of demographics that make such statements on gaming forums, not everyone)
Byakuya769
Member
[Verse 1]
Vita hangin' on a rope,
Got it ten feet off the ground.
And gamers hear what you say,
But vita just can't make a sound.
You tell me about value,
Then you go and sale me caaards...
But wait...
You tell me that you're sorry,
Didn't think I'd turn around...
And say...
[Chorus]
That it's too late to lower price.
It's too late...
I said it's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
Yeah!
[Verse 2]
I'd take another chance,
Play a game, with touch controls too.
I need a Vita like a ps3 needs the move,
But it's nothin' new.
I loved you with a R U Red E,
Now it's turnin' blue...
And you say...
Sorry, you're not the gamer
that would work a job or two...
But I'm afraid...
[Chorus]
It's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
I said it's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
Whoa!
[Interlude]
[Chorus]
It's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
I said it's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
It's too late to lower price. YEAH!
I said it's too late to lower price. YEAH!
Vita hangin' on a rope,
got it ten feet off the ground.
Vita hangin' on a rope,
Got it ten feet off the ground.
And gamers hear what you say,
But vita just can't make a sound.
You tell me about value,
Then you go and sale me caaards...
But wait...
You tell me that you're sorry,
Didn't think I'd turn around...
And say...
[Chorus]
That it's too late to lower price.
It's too late...
I said it's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
Yeah!
[Verse 2]
I'd take another chance,
Play a game, with touch controls too.
I need a Vita like a ps3 needs the move,
But it's nothin' new.
I loved you with a R U Red E,
Now it's turnin' blue...
And you say...
Sorry, you're not the gamer
that would work a job or two...
But I'm afraid...
[Chorus]
It's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
I said it's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
Whoa!
[Interlude]
[Chorus]
It's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
I said it's too late to lower price.
It's too late.
It's too late to lower price. YEAH!
I said it's too late to lower price. YEAH!
Vita hangin' on a rope,
got it ten feet off the ground.
zerokoolpsx
Member
Will also pick one up when it does drop.
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
Yes. I had a 4 gb for the longest.
BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO
Junior Member
People also must have expected piracy
Last I heard, there's not a great deal of 3DS piracy despite the system using bog-standard SD cards.
maverick40
Junior Member
Pathetic stuff right here.
No more PSV Memory stick slot or something else missing? Is that what you're implying?
Price drop will help but it won't convince some of the folks here. ^_^
The way out is to ignore them, and focus on people who can afford and appreciate the value first.
However to do that effectively, Sony need to repackage the Vita. The CrossBuy and new IPs announced @ Gamescom is a step in the right direction. They need to stack more on top @ TGS (Healthy PSOne and PSP library, more IPs), and then even better, show how Vita can complement other platforms, including PC, iOS/Android and PS4 -- anything the PS3 can't do. ^_^
Vlodril
Member
So all the people that are saying now i will wait for the price cut next year lol didn't really expect a price cut for next year? Would the console stay at the same price forever? One of the key components of building it with the hardware it has was that the price would drop fairly quickly , they said that from the start.
metalslimer
Member
So basically they are giving up on Vita if they're not dropping the price this year. I'll pick one up on the bomba aisles for like 100 bucks next year.
It makes sense as a preemptive explanation if they're expecting weak holiday sales. The 'The Vita hasn't even seen its first holiday!" excuse will expire and be replaced with "The price drop will save everything!"
I am curious to see where they price the CoD bundle, since it apparently contains a memory card.
DjangoReinhardt
Thinks he should have been the one to kill Batman's parents.
Talk to more adults with full-time jobs and families who've been playing games since the 70s or 80s, then. It's no problem to wait to buy games and consoles because the opportunity cost of waiting is almost non-existent. Your free time is at a premium, a high percentage of new games are just shinier versions of something you've already played many times before, and the utility of paying an early adopter premium to own the new handheld as soon as possible is quite low.
For now, who knows if tey'll remove it or forget about it.
metalslimer
Member
OH HELL NO. One of the only reasons I want one is OLED PSP and PS1 games.
EatinOlives
Member
Good to know that at least a drop is coming. I prefer this over Nintendo's method, in which they lie that there's no price drop until the minute that they announce one.
metalslimer
Member
Yeah that method actually makes business sense. Same thing with the current PS3 which is going to get a price drop soon. Yoshida probably feels like he has nothing to lose anyway on saying a Vita price cut is coming because sales can't get much lower.
OldJadedGamer
Banned
Sony did this with the PS3 in the early years actually.
Did sony use a lower quality screen when making the PSP cheaper, I thought they got better with new models even though there were price cuts, no reason to think they will take the OLED away.
timetokill
Banned
"Nintendo's method," or do you mean "pretty much everyone's method because it's the rational way to do it?"
BrokenEchelon
Banned
Redesign coming in 2013 with a third analog stick.
Believe.
Believe.