PS Vita: No Japanese Style Price Cuts Planned for U.S.

There are lots of people predicting negative things about the PlayStation Vita. Well, you cannot really blame them because the new Sony portable has pretty much had a weak launch to say the least. The device was launch in Japan before Christmas 2011. People should have been in the holiday shopping mood but somehow they did not really pick up the Vita.

The portable sold only 392,000 units on its first two weeks of being sold in Japan. Despite all this, Wedbus Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter still believes that the Vita can still recover. This means that the device is not yet over. Gaming sites have been predicting here and there that the Vita will soon undergo a price slash in Japan and possibly even a price cut even before being released in the US this coming February 22, 2012. CNET predicted that Sony would actually cancel the US launch. Then again, Sony had to answer to shareholders as well as to the multi million dollar marketing budgets that have already been committed to promoting the Vita. Pachter says, “There’s no chance for a price cut. The price points for software are what I expected, and highlight the disparity between casual smartphone games and premium console-quality handheld games.”

Even though Pachter seems confident about the price cut not happening, things could still go rough for the Vita in its upcoming US launch. Sony had already made the US press preview the handheld. A lot of the device’s success will be dependent on the gaming press.

The PS VITA (Credit: Sony)

“I think PS Vita is a hardcore product, and it may have difficulty finding a mainstream audience, especially as smartphones penetrate the mainstream,” Pachter adds.

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