80°

A Price Cut Will Lead to More Vita Support

GenGAME Writes: The Vita may not be selling well at the one year mark in its life, but there’s definitely interest in the system. A recent Famitsu poll indicates that Japanese gamers are more interested in buying a Vita than any other system in 2013. So how does Sony transform that potential into sales?

For most, the debate comes down to two options: a price cut or more “must have” games. In time, we’ll see both of these come to pass on the Vita, but which one does the system need more? In a way, the two are connected. It’s true that nothing sells hardware quite like good software, but a price cut is just the jumpstart that the Vita needs to build up its software library.

legendoflex4091d ago

It could use an aggressive price cut alongside the next round of major first-party titles. I wonder if they're planning to reveal a price drop at PlayStation 2013? Give the little handheld a kind of re-launch in a sense, kind of like the DS Lite, but maybe a less significant hardware iteration/brand upgrade.

Erimgard4090d ago

If not by PlayStation 2013, you'd think they'd say something by the time E3 rolls around. They've still been avoiding the price cut question in recent interviews.

DarkBlood4090d ago

maybe they are trying to save hype or whatever the word is for the event or E3 instead of having it leak all over the net

probably dont want people waiting to get a vita if they knew a price cut was coming

Thirty3Three4090d ago

It probably would, but let's get something straight.

The device does NOT need a price cut. Everyone thought it'd price from 400-600 dollars (USA) prior to its official pricing announcement.

We were all blown away when we saw the insanely cheap "$250" pricetag.

SO those who are saying this device is way overpriced are stupid. And really greedy.

The PSP started out at that same price, and nobody complained. We thought that was the right pricing, while we thought that the Vita's 250 pricetag was insanely cheap.

Now I do agree on one thing:

The memory sticks need a drastic price drop.

If you don't have enough money at some point in your life to fork over 250 dollars for a vita, then you should really look into grabbing some welfare...

kma2k4090d ago

i cant speak for everyone but i know a large ammount of people myself included have some will power & insist they will not buy a new console be it home or handheld until the first price drop. Thats how i did it with ps2 & ps3 & depending on the ps4 launch price i might do the same again.

My interest in the vita is for my son & to be honest he is content with our nexus 7 & tablet games, we have a psp that he used to play every day but since we got our tablet he rarely ever touches his psp. I originally held off on the vita for the price drop but now i might just skip it all together the vita has some stiff competition & its no just the 3ds!

Soldierone4090d ago

Thats one thing I noticed. If the Vita released at 400 and got a price cut to 250, people would be gobbling it up. A price cut is just expected at this point, so companies are better off releasing it at an overpriced point, then cutting it.

Veneno4090d ago

Right now Vita is at the same situation that PS3 was at in 2008. It was more expsensive and it either needed a price drop or a killer app. And that Killer app was Metal Gear solid 4. It was seen as the ps3s "savior". Sony didn't drop the price until the next year. As of now there hasnt been a string of major title releases, so therefore I thinkmwe wont see a price drop until holiday 2013 or early 2014.

InMyOpinion4090d ago

I don't think the price itself is the problem. It's a very capable machine. The problem is it needs more unique gaming experiences. Games that you need a PS Vita to experience. The best thing it's getting now is ports of PS3 IP's, which if you aren't a huge fan is a bit same same.

TongkatAli4090d ago

You can look at the ones that aren't PS3 ports.

InMyOpinion4090d ago

Which ones are those? That are currently out?

Gravity rush looks cool but not something I think people would buy a Vita to play. Soul Sacrifice looks very promising but it isn't out yet.

Seraphim4090d ago

the price is definitely a problem. We're in a time where people just don't have funds to spend. They're too busy paying off all those credit cards, their houses, cars, etc. Uncle Sam is raping us every 2 weeks and we're scraping by just to live a comfortably broke life. Even w/ the PS3 at it's current price it's barely touched the install base it should. Because of price. $100 and parents would be scooping these up for their kids. Gamers who have content or a reason to own one would.... That's certainly not going to happen but dropping the price will help push Vita. Not sure what the sales figures look like for Black Friday/December but that $200 deal had to have moved quite a few Vitas.

Personally I had planned on buying one right away but between not seeing a need and having other priorities I passed. I just don't have a need for a handheld and for years my PSP predominately collected dust year in and year out since launch day. Even @ Christmas I really didn't have the cash to burn but when I saw the Vita priced at $180 [Amazon] for the AC bundle along w/ 3 months PS+ & Playstation All Stars I had to bite. Now that I own one I definitely see a lack of software and anyone who researchers the purchase will see that as well. Sure there's some great games out there along w/ a few great cross buy titles that offers great incentive to PS3 owners. So i'm knocking the Vita, I love it but at a time when people don't have $ to burn price alone definitely isn't going to cut it. Fair or not, reasonable or not the fact is the Vita definitely needs to see a friendlier price in these tight times. It really needs to see a push in software as well.

TongkatAli4090d ago (Edited 4090d ago )

Gravity Rush is really good and there is no game like it. For a gamer it should be a system seller.

Persona 4 Golden is a good one, awesome JRPG with amazing writing. Its a port of the PS2 game, but it looks prettier and has so many extras that make it feel like the "real Persona 4".

Dj Max Technika Tune is another, very addicting and has sooo much swag. I'm an American born redneck so i take great pride in the love i have for that game. Its so different from the games i usually play and its a breath of fresh air.

Escape Plan is another, puzzle survival with a lot of charm. My friend got his sister addicted to that game.

I got a lot of games for the Vita and its a year old. Its doing a very good job for me.

Veneno4090d ago

Dj max looks good, but damn is it expensive! 40 bucks? For real?

kma2k4090d ago

depending on the ps4 launch price the vita might need a price drop to justify the ps4 price that might be what sony is waiting for.

wishingW3L4090d ago (Edited 4090d ago )

a price cut would only lead Sony to leak even more money since they are already selling the system at a loss. For them to recoup some of that after the cut the system would have to start selling lots and lots of software and who can guarantee that that would happen?

If the price-cut only increases the sales for a while and then starts selling at the same or maybe a slightly faster pace things are only gonna get worse than they already are.

Erimgard4090d ago

They aren't necessarily selling the system at a loss. Sony President Kaz Harai said it would take about three years for the Vita to make a profit, not necessarily that it would take three years for the hardware to sell at a gain.

So, total debt from hardware losses, marketing costs, etc, is expected by Kaz to be made up by total gains in three years.

We don't know if that prediction included a price cut or not. He may very well have calculated a price drop in with his three year plan to profitability.

Show all comments (24)
130°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers9h ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

z2g6h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing5h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H95h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola2h ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn6694h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle4h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

Show all comments (11)
130°

Sony Could Increase Your Game's Difficulty If It Sees You Complain About It

Sony has recently published a new patent that wants to dynamically handle the games' difficulty and gameplay based on the player's emotions.

jznrpg21h ago

This is something I might use. Sometimes I play some good games but they don’t have difficulty option and are a little too easy.

Profchaos21h ago

Souls games will be like that players struggling make it harder

PassNextquestion20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

I think if used correctly it could work well

jambola16h ago

cool idea
cool idea for horror games especially
the way it's explained here sounds like it could never be forced hopefully, so that's ok with me

Show all comments (8)
280°

Sony Taps Bungie's Head of Revenue to Lead Live-Service Games

Sony has recruited Bungie's head of revenue Jaremy Rich to head up its live-service gaming division, Rich has announced on social media.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
ChasterMies21d ago

Please do not put Destiny’s monetization into Sony’s first party games. The monetization is what’s driving players away from Destiny.

just_looken21d ago

The new temp boss is the sony cfo bean counter so i can see this being a thing get every penny.

Cacabunga21d ago

PlayStation officially losing it.. fans will never support gaas games

just_looken21d ago

@car

The new boss did a interview in japan he wants to tap into the mobile market like nintendio so he give 0 fucks about gamers/fans

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

Redemption-6420d ago

@Cacabunga
You only speak for you and those who think like you, but most fans will support what they want. Playstation and PC fans are literally supporting Helldivers 2 and that is a gaas. Maybe you wouldn't, but many more would if they like it.

Huey_My_D_Long20d ago

@Redemption-64
Look, Im not making any judgement calls about this guy, but I will say that Helldivers 2 GaaS model is unique to Helldivers, and legit the only other game I can think of thats similiar was the Avengers game except HD2 pass is still better.
The fact that you can earn in game currency in a way that doesnt make you feel like you have to grind forever, as well you being able work on that pass that you bought...on your own time without a time limit...that right there is fucking huge to me, and I can't name any game other than avengers that avoided trapping players with FOMO logic...I think GaaS on HD2 shouldn't be compared to the rest of the industry...it should be copied.

Einhander197220d ago

Cacabunga

Helldivers 2...

Redemption-64

In Europe it's a 60 40 split favoring PC.
In the US its a 60 40 split favoring PS5.

So PlayStation owners supported the game just fine, it's not getting carried by PC or anything like that.

FinalFantasyFanatic20d ago

@just_looken,
I'm perfectly fine with the way Nintendo entered the mobile market, I never touched their mobile games, meanwhile, the console/handheld stayed the way it is. As for being a bean counter, he's probably going to reel in these massive budgets that Sony's studios have had lately, I haven't played Spiderman 2, but I cannot see how they almost tripled the budget for that game.

@Redemption-64,
That's an exception to the rule, I'm expecting a lot of these GAAS games from Sony to fail, to be fair, they only need a few to succeed, but I would have preferred that they put more of their resources into other types of games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 20d ago
DivineHand12521d ago

True their monetization is driving players away and at the same time, their decision to chop out content and convoluted systems is keeping new players away from the game.

Joe91321d ago

I don't think that will happen based on how things worked out at Naughty Dog now that we know what we do, seems they had the option to fully commit to live service games or stay making single player experences so they gave up on their live service game. We are not sure how things came about with Bend making a live service game but I hope that was not a forced situation. Sony doesnt seem like they are forcing studios to switch up but we will see, Sony's bread and butter is single player games it is how they dominated the console market.

Obscure_Observer20d ago

Yeah, I though Sony learned something from all their failures in the LS segment under Bungie´s disastrous leadership and supervision which led to games been cancelled, studios closed and all the people laid off.

Looks like Bungie still plays a major role in Sony´s LS initiative and Sony is not backtracking on their GaaS plans.

S2Killinit20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Are we forgetting that Destiny is also a highly successful franchise? I feel like that definitely deserves mention here.

Besides, there is no reason why a person cant learn from past experiences.

Joe91320d ago

I agree, people act as if Destiny flopped when it came out lol it took 9 to 10 years for the numbers to fall yet people are still playing it add the success of Helldivers 2 no wonder Sony is going forward down this path.

S2Killinit20d ago

Personally, I see no problem with Sony also having service games as long as they make good ones, and more importantly they deliver the AAA story driven games that they are known for. So yeah, I agree 100% with you.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 20d ago
Christopher21d ago

I mean, this person made some pretty bad decisions at Bungie. I hope they've learned from them because I definitely don't see those type of ideas as good for PlaySation in general.

CrimsonWing6920d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Honestly, what’s to learn from? How to make people happily continuously dump money into a single game over its life-time? Buy season passes continuously for several years with a smile on our faces?

GaaS is a design decision that is everything wrong with this industry. The fact that Helldivers 2 did so well and people defend the monetization because it was $40 and is a fun game, scares the sh*t out of me to see that the door is open and all shift will probably be to replicate that in future games. We already know the ROI for traditional game dev cost isn’t doing it for them.

I thought with Jimbo leaving we’d see a change for the better… I’m not so sure now.

S2Killinit20d ago

Service games are being offered by everyone. Sony cannot afford to only create single player AAA games. No one can. They already said they will be doing both.

Abnor_Mal21d ago (Edited 21d ago )

Ps5 gamers in 2023 seemed to play more live service types of games, so regardless to how people feel about them, numbers don’t lie and Sony is going where the money is. I mean look at the excitement around Helldivers2, people are showing that they want live service games.

Christopher21d ago

They play long-time existing live service games like CoD, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, and the like. Mass majority of new live service games are considered failures and aren't moving gamers away from older games.

just_looken21d ago

Yep the huge issue with live service is they need paid players along with a reason to play them.

You forgot mobile market that also taps into that player base as well as the eve online style games there is only a certain amount of krakens/whales blind supporters compared to the amount of live service games we have its not sustainable math wise.

700 restaurants making food for every seat for 1000-3000 eaters just does not work out

Einhander197220d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Christopher

I am not a big live service fan and literally own zero of the games you listed, but that is not true, unless you call games that aren't the top games to be failures.

There are tons of live service games that are profitable.

Games don't have to be the biggest game ever they just need to make more than they cost.

I challenge you to show professionally prepared data that shows that more live service games fail than make enough to keep going.

Because all the data that I have seen shows that live service is less of a gamble than making a big AAA budget game which needs to survive off retail sales.

FinalFantasyFanatic20d ago

I sometimes wonder if we're at saturation point, where it's hard for a new game to join those ranks unless it's particularly exceptional, people only have so much time and money to devote to these types of games.

romulus2320d ago

Correction, they have no issue playing good live service games

shinoff218320d ago

Lol it's not even a quarter of the ps5s sold. Helldivers may have been a hit but let's not say most are enjoying it because truth is most(the real most ) don't care about it.

S2Killinit20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

I play what is fun. If a live service game is good I’ll play it as long as its not a money scheme which Helldivers is not.

And Im a single player gamer.

mastershredder21d ago

How do you kill a franchise that already been killed?
Destiny’s grind, cash-in-on-playbass-cha-Ching, and pop-culture-insertion mainstream-me-too bs totally killed any rep Bungie had. Sony/Bungie, if you are doing this to ward-off players, it’s already working.

crazyCoconuts21d ago

Headline truncated:
"... off a cliff"

Show all comments (43)