PSP2/NGP/PSV launches at $249 Wifi only and $299 3G/Wifi

[nation]

Before Kaz Hirai or any other Sony officials announced the actual price of the recently renamed PlayStation Vita, the company's PR wing tipped us off to the price and release date: PlayStation Vita will launch worldwide "by the end of 2011," and will arrive in two models starting at $249. SCE detailed the two separate PSV models as a 3G/Wi-Fi version running $299/€299/Â¥29,980, and a Wi-Fi-only model for $249/ €249/Â¥24,980.

Sony excuses the bizarre name by explaining its Latin roots, saying "Vita" was specifically chosen for its meaning of "life." Apparently Sony believes mobile gaming is life? We're trying here, but it's ... it's kind of a bizarre name.



Sony nailed the pricing. Some people were worried but like Sony themselves has said, they have learned a lesson from PS3 pricing. I'm amazing at how they are managing to sell this beast of a handheld machine at these prices. I can't imagine they taking any losses or at least heavy losses, rumors that they have cut things here and there so that should help.

The biggest news out of this is, it will tear Nintendo a new asshole if the 3DS Lite isn't out by the time it releases.

I've never had a PSP and I never will because I can buy the majority of good PSP games through PSN on the PSV and play with dual analog sticks. Buying this day one or week one.

 

[Kassidy]

to expensive imo, they should have gone under the 3ds price seeing as their games will end up more expensive then 3ds games and ppeople are going ape shit for 3d right now and it is not. 250 3ds or a 300 PSV? should be 200 wifi only and 250 3g; would be much more competitive and people would then notice it and then notice how much better the games are for it compared to the 3ds.

just my opinion though

 

[nation]

Go look at the specs and come back. The too expensive argument is invalid. Period.

 

[Kassidy]

lol what ever you say, I stand by my statement cuz guess what, people aren't going to give a shit about its specs, if they even look them up at all. they want to beat the 3ds needs to be competitive. If current gen consoles prove anything, the best hardware doesn't always win because its the best hardware so don't speak to me like I have no sense or don't know what I am talking about.

 

[nation]

You obviously don't, kid. Every hardcore player admires impressive specs and wants the best specs. Just about anyone video game hardware knowledge is aware of how powerful the PSV is and how much more technically impressive is it over the 3DS. It already is competitive, anyone with half a fucking brain will purchase it over the 3DS unless they are just Nintendo fanboys.

The best hardware at competitive pricing works out fairly good at least in the case for Sony. The PS3 is on track to beating the 360 worldwide after a later start and years of being over priced. The better hardware hasn't worked well at all for Nintendo or Microsoft but for Sony, it always ends up working.

 

[Kassidy]

yup thats why psp succeeded so well lol, you speak with pure ignorance so its pointless to speak to you at all.

 

[nation]

You literally don't understand anything, lmao. The PSP has terrible piracy which plagued the console. It is the most successful non Nintendo handheld, learn about what you're fucking talking about and if you don't know shit, don't say anything. Out of all the best hardware, the PSP has had the most issues compared to all of the other best hardware. If it didn't have piracy, had two dual analog sticks and great support for games at the start it would have done much better.

 

[Hometown Kid]

What was the price of the original PSP again that had this terrible pricing that is so much worse than Vita's pricing..? >_>

Anyway, I guaran-damn-tee this will have high sales for 4-6 months, then tailspin. And 3 years from now everyone who bought it will be pissed because Sony will totally forget about it and focus on what actually matters, PS4. And another stupid greedy manuever with the AT&T contract version, but whatever. They can't touch Nintendo in the handheld market no matter what graphics or features they have, this will be a flop in the end.

 

[nation]

I don't think it will get great support and it's obvious it will not get the same stellar treatment the Sony consoles do but it will get good support. You act like the PSP wasn't even supported, it should have had much better support but in the past few years there has been plenty of stellar titles. I'm fairly sure Sony has a lock in the piracy battle this time around so that's more than half of the battle. At least for the time being and awhile. Also, another huge deal is the controls. Now with dual analog sticks, it will really help and everyone will stop bitching. Another big part of it is the porting, the ability to develop on the PS3 and PSV simultaneously.

The PSV is everything the PSP could have been so this time around things will be different. Sony also has a few portable only developer studios. Like Sony Bend. Don't know if you mean paying for 3G is greedy, only having the option of A&T or both. I'm not going to say Sony will dethrone Nintendo because I really don't think they ever will besides Apple but that's different. This time around though, they will take a huge market share from Nintendo and for once give them some real competition besides non game handhelds. Are you aware that currently Nintendo is facing a crisis with the 3DS? For it's price tag it's doing well but it's no where near flying off the charts. Not even close and it might be awhile before Nintendo builds any momentum. Nintendo is facing a huge crisis period and has a huge battle ahead between attempting to make the 3DS a massive success, keeping the Wii alive and marketing their next console with it's impressive expensive hardware.

 

[Kassidy]

just going to place this here lmao:

Forbes on PlayStation Vita: 'Sony in Big Trouble'
Is a price drop imminent?
December 30, 2011
User icon for Moriarty-IGNLevel 10
by Colin Moriarty

It's old news now that PlayStation Vita isn't selling very well in its native Japan. As we already reported, Vita is off to a rocky start, only selling 72,479 in its first week on the market after pushing about 325,000 in its first 48 hours.

This precipitous decline hasn't gone unnoticed in circles outside of the gaming realm. In fact, Forbes tech contributor Tero Kuittinen has written a scathing article titled "Sony in Big Trouble with PS Vita," outlining the problems the company is currently facing with Vita.

Kuittinen notes that Vita's "second week brought devastation," especially when compared to Nintendo 3DS' second week on the market. Nintendo 3DS was widely believed to have had a terrible start, only more recently pushing bigger numbers now that games players want have finally starting arriving. Yet, 3DS sold 370,000 units in Japan in its first week, and 210,000 units in its second. In other words, it beat PlayStation Vita by 45,000 units in its first week, and a massive 137,500 units in its second week.

"That drop off led to steep further sales erosion," the Forbes article notes, "which forced Nintendo to implement an unusually early and steep price cut." This, of course, begs the question if Sony will do the same. Tero Kuittinen thinks that it will. "Sony will likely be forced to cut the price of the PS Vita from 24,000 Yen (~$311) to well below 20,000 Yen (~$259) very soon."

But the problems don't stop there. Kuittinen continues, "The upcoming US launch could be a true debacle for several reasons. Sony has decided to price Vita at $250, higher than the Amazon Kindle Fire. The hottest games like the latest Uncharted are priced at $50, while many other major titles are $40. The pricing seems delusional in light of the Japanese response to the PS Vita."

However, Kuittinen saves perhaps his harshest words for later in his article. "The 3DS should have been a surefire blockbuster in its domestic market -- the summer softness in Japan may have been an early warning sign of the coming global portable market malaise. The disastrous second week of the PS Vita is the second sign." The reason? The Forbes author argues that the rise of the smart phone and tablet markets are much to blame.

But he also argues that Sony should be concerned, as it seems to be on recent word that Sony had no comment when asked about Vita's sluggish sales. "…the portable console market may now have entered an age of permanent, slowly accelerating decline," Kuittinen concludes. "The true test of the industry is the United States, where consumers are embracing games designed for smartphones and tablets. The possible shrinking of the portable game consumer base would hit the runner-up Sony before Nintendo really gets mauled. The rot sets in first at the periphery."

I told you so........

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

Wow, when did near half a million units in one week warrant total melt down mentality. Everyone said 3DS sales were fairly crappy, so this isn't nothing to panic about too much when you consider how long for the PSP to become a competent, competitive handheld. Nintendo has been the handheld king ever since the Gameboy, this almost seems like non-news and panic propaganda.