14 DAY TRIAL // Despite less than impressive sales for the PlayStation Vita handheld, Sony believes that the device has the potential to become a hit and would get a solid boost during the coming Christmas shopping season, sustained by some of the games that various publishers are preparing.
Fergal Gara, who is the leader of the United Kingdom division of Sony Computer Entertainment, stated, “We would love it to be selling more and we intend to make it sell more and help it sell a lot more. The feedback from many consumers who’ve got their hands on it is positive – so that’s a very good start.”
He believes, “The key thing for the rest of the year is the key software drive for the console so as we look towards September, LittleBigPlanet, that really is taking the concept on another level because of the Vita functionality. And of course the other key big third party IPs – Call of Duty, FIFA, Assassin’s Creed – will do tremendous things for the Vita.”
The Sony executive understands that his own company needs to promote the video games that can drive sales and will do so by better promoting the experiences that Vita offered and no other device can match.
The PlayStation Vita was introduced during the early months of the year and has failed to make the impact that the rival Nintendo 3DS is having, even before the introduction of the new bigger XL version.
Analysts said that Sony needs to cut the price of the device in order to make it more attractive, which might happen during the coming Gamescom event in Germany.
Sony might also need to shift resources away from the Vita in the coming months in order to announce the first official details of its next home console, which might launch as soon as 2013.