14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo has announced that it is cutting the price of its 3DS handheld by between 30 and 40 percent depending on the market in order to make its device more attractive and a number of analysts believe that Sony should do the same for the upcoming PlayStation Vita and cut its price even before launch.
At the moment Sony plans to launch the device in Japan before the end of 2011 and in the first months of 2012 in North America and Europe for a price of 250 dollars.
Hideki Yasuda, who is an analyst working for Ace Securities Co, has said, “Gamers are increasingly anticipating Sony to lower prices, especially after the 3DS cut. Sony is under major pressure to cut the price of the Vita or risk a major failure.”
Kazuharu Miura from SMBC Nikko Securities believes that a price cut for Vita would be a good idea and added, “If strong titles aren’t there for Vita, there is a risk I might have to cut my estimates”, which currently stand at 2.5 million units sold before March 2012.
Nomura Holdings Inc. analyst Shiro Mikoshiba believes that the customers that Sony is targeting with the Vita are hardcore gamers who are ready to pay to get a better gaming console.
It seems that Sony is currently standing by the price it has announced at the E3 2011 event and says that the Vita can stand on its own and does not need to be constantly compared with the Nintendo 3DS.
The Vita will include an OLED screen, traditional controls and touch screen capabilities and Sony has announced that it plans to create versions of its biggest franchises for the new handheld.
It remains to be seen whether the market for handhelds is still solid and can make the Vita a success or whether the rise of smartphones will make the launch a disaster similar to the Nintendo 3DS.