PS Vita failing in Japan?
The Sony PS Vita's sales in Japan are at their lowest since launch. The company's response? It's a "good start". Wake up and smell the coffee, Sony.
Now, let's start by getting things very clear: I really like the Sony PS Vita. In my recent review of the launch hardware and gaming offering, I gave it a (high for me) 8/10. It is an absolutely spectacular and unrivalled system in terms of bringing console-level power to a handheld form. The two analogue sticks, in particular, make other handheld control schemes look rubbish. That said, it's fairly obvious there are some issues with the PS Vita - most notably, its price. In a smartphone world, it's too much. And it looks increasingly like the Japanese, the only people to be able to buy one quite yet, agree.
I'm pretty sure the PSP retailed for roughly the same price & that faired quite well. I just think there isn't the spare cash lying around like there was when the PSP got released. I've been keeping an eye out on the next gen consoles & there's a rumour that the next Xbox will be a cheaper consoles with a GPU that would struggle to run BF3 at top spec & that's a console that's a year away at the earliest & it might be delivered under spec. I'm hoping that it's just one of those fake rumours that can float around, but it certainly is in line with people's finances at the moment. People just might not have the money to afford 'Avatar' style graphics (as reported last year) capable machines. Maybe even £230 might be a bit much. I want a VITA, but I can't justify the expence.
SIMON MUNK
Simon Munk has been playing videogames since 1976. He has written on games and technology for over fifteen years for titles including MSN, The Times and FHM. He has won the GamesMediaAwards for Consumer Magazine Writer twice. Simon's favourite game ever is Gauntlet.