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Can any handheld be truly successful at $249?
- Thread starter MercuryLS
- Start date
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
It's a fanfuckingtastic price. Count your blessings, son.
The worst part is not the price of the hardware, thats good considering the tech inside. The worst part is that with this hardware, gamers are going to expect console-like software for it. That means developers are going to need to invest large sums of time and money into titles and ultimately are not going to take many risks and I really hope Vita games are not $50.
They very well could be (unless I missed something already announced).
They very well could be (unless I missed something already announced).
Chuck Norris
Banned
I wonder if there will be a subsidised price with 3G, that could land a killer blow
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
While I agree that's its primary function, look at consoles and think - does anyone use PS3 and X360 just to play games anymore?DR2K said:
For the people confused on how this could be sold at this price with Sony not losing that much money while smart phones with worse specs are double the price:
Sony sells games.
People forget that most hardware companies don't do anything but sell their hardware, Sony gets licensing fees and software sales on their devices while companies like Samsung and Motorola sell you their phone and thats it. They need to pull a good profit off those phones because thats their only way to make money off that product.
Also take into account that there isn't any really new hardware in the Vita like the Cell or Bluray to jack the price up like the PS3.
Sony sells games.
People forget that most hardware companies don't do anything but sell their hardware, Sony gets licensing fees and software sales on their devices while companies like Samsung and Motorola sell you their phone and thats it. They need to pull a good profit off those phones because thats their only way to make money off that product.
Also take into account that there isn't any really new hardware in the Vita like the Cell or Bluray to jack the price up like the PS3.
childplease
Banned
150 is the sweet spot.
How many handhelds have launched at 250 ? Just the 3ds and the psp go correct ?
Both were met with mediocre sales.
NGP will suffer the same fate, until it gets a price cut.
How many handhelds have launched at 250 ? Just the 3ds and the psp go correct ?
Both were met with mediocre sales.
NGP will suffer the same fate, until it gets a price cut.
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
You're stuck in the past, dude. Today's handhelds (well, Vita at least) are much more impressive tech wise, and their price accurately reflect that. Also, people are nuts over portable devices lately. It'll do well.gibon3z said:
Also, PSP launched at $250, right?
balladofwindfishes
Member
250 is a substantial jump from the normal pricing of handhelds.
I think the maximum many people place on handheld systems (myself included) is around 150 dollars.
The Game Boy launched at 100 dollars with a packed in game. Factored for inflation, that's still only 180 dollars, or the cost of the DSi. So we've now moved passed the price point of the Game Boy and well into actual console prices.
Handhelds were always the market of the "less than consoles in power, but cheap and portable." Now we're losing that and moving towards "more like consoles, expensive, not exactly portable"
I think the maximum many people place on handheld systems (myself included) is around 150 dollars.
The Game Boy launched at 100 dollars with a packed in game. Factored for inflation, that's still only 180 dollars, or the cost of the DSi. So we've now moved passed the price point of the Game Boy and well into actual console prices.
Handhelds were always the market of the "less than consoles in power, but cheap and portable." Now we're losing that and moving towards "more like consoles, expensive, not exactly portable"
elrechazado
Banned
It's an amazing price for this thing. It's not necessarily a price at which they can sell as many as they would need to to make it commercially successful. This isn't that hard of a distinction to make really.distrbnce said:
Just to correct you, this is incorrect. The PSP launched for $249 in the US and more in Japan.OldJadedGamer said:
They are launching Vita for the same price as the original PSP.
The market has changed. The iPod Touch, iPad, and other similar products all cost as much or more and are all doing very well. $249 is an acceptable price point and Vita offers much more than a traditional gaming machine. Times have changed and comparisons to the Gameboy really mean nothing at this point.
Unknown One
Member
Yeah it did since I bought one at launch. It's still kicking.omg.kittens said:
akachan ningen
Member
psp launched at $250 and sold well. adjusting for inflation, vita is even lower than that.balladofwindfishes said:
radioheadrule83
Banned
My opinions on pricing have changed over the last few years.
$599 was an abhorrent disgrace to me in 2006, but looking back - Sony haven't actually done too badly. In the long term they've reduced prices and packed things in over time, to the point where now - I actually feel like a PS3 is excellent value. Ditto Xbox 360. The userbase is nothing to be sniffed at, just because they're not "first". Third parties clearly didn't care that it started slow and steady...
In the UK, I got a 3DS for £180 mere weeks after it launched, and now you can get the black one for £160. The 3DS had an open pricing model of sorts, so I think retailers have sort of reacted to the market -- which is saying, clearly that £230 is too expensive. I don't think that the same will be true of NGP. I think it will do okay at £230, and down the years it will come down in price too. 3DS will probably drop again by the years end, or have an equivalent pack in -- so to be honest --
all is well and good in the world.
I wish we were back in the days of £99 + less, but we're not. The reality isn't that bad.
$599 was an abhorrent disgrace to me in 2006, but looking back - Sony haven't actually done too badly. In the long term they've reduced prices and packed things in over time, to the point where now - I actually feel like a PS3 is excellent value. Ditto Xbox 360. The userbase is nothing to be sniffed at, just because they're not "first". Third parties clearly didn't care that it started slow and steady...
In the UK, I got a 3DS for £180 mere weeks after it launched, and now you can get the black one for £160. The 3DS had an open pricing model of sorts, so I think retailers have sort of reacted to the market -- which is saying, clearly that £230 is too expensive. I don't think that the same will be true of NGP. I think it will do okay at £230, and down the years it will come down in price too. 3DS will probably drop again by the years end, or have an equivalent pack in -- so to be honest --
all is well and good in the world.
I wish we were back in the days of £99 + less, but we're not. The reality isn't that bad.
Chuck Norris
Banned
No you are wrong, the base model launch at 19,800 yen (about $180). Nobody bought the base model though cause it was stripped of functionality so it launched at a single price of $250 in the USdark10x said:
I think people who doubt the ability for a handheld device to be "pricey" are not really looking at the marketplace today. ALL the best and most popular consumer electronics are not only portable devices but they most are above $250. Vita will have no issues
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
£150 is the max I'd pay for a handheld, I think.
balladofwindfishes
Member
The PSP sold "well" ?akachan ningen said:psp launched at $250 and sold well. adjusting for inflation, vita is even lower than that.
It didn't grab a portion of the market, and died years before the company officially ended it. I hardly call that doing "well."
Making your investment back (if Sony even did) isn't doing "well" at all.
IrishNinja
Member
balladofwindfishes said:
wait, is the bolded part even in question?
akachan ningen
Member
balladofwindfishes said:
yes
OldJadedGamer
Banned
Chuck Norris said:
Youi are wrong as well. The $200 PSP had the same functionality as the "value" pack model. It launched at $250 in the states only because they refused to sell the unit by itself like they did in Japan for the real price.
Haunted
Member
The Apple comparisons aren't holding up, Sony doesn't have an army of diehard supporters that will buy whatever they're putting out.
oh wait
No, but seriously.
1) If Sony can convince people that it's a better value than the DS or the 3DS, they can sell it. If someone wants a handheld and the Vita is the best value with the best games out there, they'll buy it.
2) If Sony can convince people that it's more than just a handheld electronic device, but a lifestyle choice, putting its worth as a status symbol in front and its actual worth in the background like the iP____ line did so successfully, the price matters even less.
oh wait
No, but seriously.
1) If Sony can convince people that it's a better value than the DS or the 3DS, they can sell it. If someone wants a handheld and the Vita is the best value with the best games out there, they'll buy it.
2) If Sony can convince people that it's more than just a handheld electronic device, but a lifestyle choice, putting its worth as a status symbol in front and its actual worth in the background like the iP____ line did so successfully, the price matters even less.
akachan ningen said:
Sony sold well, in the past tense. The PSP hasn't sold well for years; the PSP-2000 was really the last model to do anything and that thing came out in... 2006? 2007? The PSP-3000 and PSP Go were pretty much DOA, and I don't think Sony's incompetence was really to blame for once. They were and still are faced with a far superior direct competitor in the DS, and the other end of their market was completely lost to people buying $1 games on their smartphones and Apple devices.
I just do not see a market for the Vita.
akachan ningen
Member
well, that's your problem, not sony's.Cheech said:
MightyKAC
Member
balladofwindfishes said:
Selling 70 million units of something isn't doing "well"?
Having the second best selling game system in a major region isn't doing "well"?
Oh, and if you think that Sony hasn't made money off of each PSP (with maybe the exception of the go) sold then you have a lot to re-examine.
Haunted said:
Sony has not been a status symbol since the Walkman days in the 1980s. Any cachet they had was long ago obliterated by Apple.
akachan ningen said:
Oh, Sony has a huge problem. They just had a $250 PSP die in a fire a year ago. What makes this $250 PSP any different? Unless they spend more money on advertising this year than they EVER spent on the PS3, the Vita is going to be stillborn.
lucius
Member
It's just for launch they will both drop in price maybe quicker than last gen, but I think both will see less sales overall because of mobile phone gaming(mostly iPhone), Facebook game crap. I think 3DS will top out at around what PSP did lifetime (70 million) if lucky and PSVita be around 60 million lifetime.
Lance Bone Path
Member
Well, to be fair, the 3DS is hardly a status symbol either, and that's the Vita's competition at the $250 price point.Cheech said:
DigitalDevil
Member
hell, $249 seems like a steal to me. Shit, I paid $139 for my wife's kindle and the only thing it can do is show books in some fancy e-ink. It's not even touch capable. So, the answer to your question is yes, yes a handheld can be successful at $249.
MrCompletely
Member
in response to the original thread... of course a handheld cant be successful at $250! But it's good business to start out high and get those early adopters
on board while you can. Thing will drop at least $50 after its first year.
People lined up to buy a PS3 for $600... would you pay that for one now?
suckers
People lined up to buy a PS3 for $600... would you pay that for one now?
SonicMegaDrive
Member
Well, I certainly wouldn't buy a handheld for that price. But I can't speak for others.
It better. The day a dedicated powerful gaming handheld cant succeed at that price is a very sad day and likely a strong sign its time for me retire the hobby. You shouldn't need tons of non gaming added crap if there is that many gamers out there. I dont give a damn about texting, social aspects, making calls or playing movies, just deliver the games.
Posted this in the conference thread:
I'm thinking Vita will be essentially DOA (same with 3DS).
I'm not saying that the hardware isn't compelling and that I don't think it will sell out and sell well for the first couple months. The problem is the business model for mobile has changed and Sony can't realistically expect the Vita to be a five year machine anymore. It's going to be technologically lapped by cellphones and tablets within a year if not sooner. Mobile 3D performance is jumping by at least a factor of two every year.
The pricing will definitely be an issue. Yes, $249 is a good price for the device in a vacuum. Unfortunately, it's competing with subsidized mobile devices. $500, $600, and $700 devices are selling for $199 or lower on contract. That's a difficult row to hoe for a device with a limited scope of usage.
Ultimately, I think the Playstation Suite on Android is going to be much more successful for Sony than the Vita. I'm a bit surprised they didn't focus on it more.
I'm thinking Vita will be essentially DOA (same with 3DS).
I'm not saying that the hardware isn't compelling and that I don't think it will sell out and sell well for the first couple months. The problem is the business model for mobile has changed and Sony can't realistically expect the Vita to be a five year machine anymore. It's going to be technologically lapped by cellphones and tablets within a year if not sooner. Mobile 3D performance is jumping by at least a factor of two every year.
The pricing will definitely be an issue. Yes, $249 is a good price for the device in a vacuum. Unfortunately, it's competing with subsidized mobile devices. $500, $600, and $700 devices are selling for $199 or lower on contract. That's a difficult row to hoe for a device with a limited scope of usage.
Ultimately, I think the Playstation Suite on Android is going to be much more successful for Sony than the Vita. I'm a bit surprised they didn't focus on it more.
Chuck Norris
Banned
Vita will likely be subsidised too, and it should offer every functionality that those phones do besides the phone calls themselvesvenne said:
I believe PS Suite is available on Vita too
Joel Was Right
If you smell burning, it's probably the generators acting up. Report it anyway.
To me it's not so much as the price point, which is important obviously, but the functionality of the device. Unless I'm travelling or will be away from my console/PC, I don't need a portable gaming device for single player. What would entice me, however, is whether or not online gameplay would be more feasible than it currently is. I've never used 3G to game but I would suspect the network performance isn't desirable, which makes paying for it - on top of the device and games, seem silly to me if you're already doing that at home.
A next gen portable device becomes next-gen, in my opinion, when the network infrastructure is there to support high-speed Wifi in public areas e.g. on the subway, trains and the bus. Because playing a campaign outside on a small screen doesn't necessarily draw me away from a quick game of Bejewelled on my mobile. I'd rather play Uncharted on my wide screen TV. I'd want to play Call of Duty on my Vita outside though.
A next gen portable device becomes next-gen, in my opinion, when the network infrastructure is there to support high-speed Wifi in public areas e.g. on the subway, trains and the bus. Because playing a campaign outside on a small screen doesn't necessarily draw me away from a quick game of Bejewelled on my mobile. I'd rather play Uncharted on my wide screen TV. I'd want to play Call of Duty on my Vita outside though.
I think 199 is the market price limit for a dedicated gaming handheld device at the moment; marketing, games, features and perceived value are relevant of course, but > 200 is a barrier. Nintendo has managed to sell lots of DSi XL at 170 or more ( in Europe) and the DS in its various forms has until recently been 150. But they are not selling 3DSs systems for 250.
On the other hand, launching at 250 is a good position to go to 199 once the dedicated gamers and brand fans have already taken care of the first few millions of devices.
On the other hand, launching at 250 is a good position to go to 199 once the dedicated gamers and brand fans have already taken care of the first few millions of devices.
darkhunger
Member
The PSP didn't beat the DS, for a number of reasons... Price wasn't one of them.balladofwindfishes said:
In fact, it was neck-to-neck with the DS before the DS Lite came out and its software took over.
Chuck Norris said:
If you look at other connected devices, the Kindle 3G isn't subsidized, the iPad 3G isn't subsized, and the Nook 3G isn't subsidized. I doubt the Vita will be.
Single function devices are going the way of the dodo. Nintendo better have received that memo when it comes to their next console.
PumpkinPie
Banned
balladofwindfishes said:
This is the forum of opposites, the PSP sold well but the 3DS was a bomba when it sold 4 million units.
As for the price, a PS3 costs under £200 or you can buy the Vita, complete with inferior PS3 ports for £250.
