14 DAY TRIAL // Video game hardware maker Sony has refused to offer any hint as to the number of PlayStation Vita handhelds that it has managed to sell on the United States market during the month of March, opting instead to highlight that the new console has momentum and an important number of launches set for the new future.
Dan Race, who is the senior director of corporate communications at Sony Computer Entertainment of America, stated, “Nearly two months after hitting the North American market, the PS Vita ecosystem continues to grow with impressive hardware, software, and peripherals sales among big-box retailers, smaller retail shops and digital.”
He added, “We are seeing strong digital downloads across the board, including full digital-only purchases and extremely high conversion rates for digital demos to full game purchases with titles such as Unit 13, which showcases PS Vita's unique 3G and shooter capabilities. We look forward to furthering the PS Vita momentum with upcoming blockbuster titles like Mortal Kombat and Resistance: Burning Skies, and apps including Skype.”
The Xbox 360 from Microsoft has managed to top the United States hardware chart for March, selling 371,000 units and Sony has been unwilling to talk about sales numbers for its PlayStation 3 home console.
Soon after the global launch in late February Sony announced that 1.2 million Vita units were sold all over the world but since then the company has not updated its numbers, instead saying that it was confident in the platform’s future fortunes.
The public numbers coming out of the Japanese hardware market each week has shown the PlayStation Vita steadily declined steadily to go under the 10,000 units sold mark.
The Nintendo 3DS also had a hesitating start when it appeared in the United States but since then the handheld has received high profile games like Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land which have pushed its own numbers up.