Why The PlayStation Vita Needs — But Won’t Get — A Price Cut


Even when you’re at a a fan convention packed with wall-to-wall gamers, it can be hard to find people playing Sony’s newest handheld. The fact that the Vita is so difficult to spot is just one bit of anecdotal evidence that the gaming portable is having a rough time. But does this mean it’s time for the price of the Vita to get slashed? Not necessarily.

Over at Gamasutra, writer Chris Morris weighs the pros and cons of a price cut, saying that it would reflect poorly on newly appointed Sony CEO Kaz Hirai:

While a price cut seems logical to consumers at this point, it’s a little more complicated for Sony. Kaz Hirai is still largely known as a PlayStation guy — and a price cut just two months after the system’s U.S. launch would be viewed as a failure of that division. (Just look at the heat Nintendo president Satoru Iwata took when Nintendo slashed the 3DS’s price.)

Having that public stumble less than a month into the job wouldn’t help Hirai — and it wouldn’t help Sony. That makes it a little less likely that we’ll see an immediate official price cut for the Vita. Add in Sony’s long history of putting off price cuts, even when sales are sub-optimal, and it’s an even bigger longshot.

The article also speculates on when a lower price point may happen. Are you waiting for a cheaper cost to pick up a Vita? Or is there a particular game that will make you take the plunge?

Opinion: It’s time for Sony to consider a Vita price cut [Gamasutra]


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