Steady Japan Launch For PS Vita
The PS Vita launched in Japan last weekend and early sales figures suggest a healthy but not spectacular start for Sony’s new handheld.
The current two-day sales estimates over the 17th and 18th of December, published online by Japanese magazine Famitsu, are hovering around the region of 325,000 units, which lags a little behind the 370,000 mark posted by Nintendo’s 3DS during its February launch in Japan. Some media outlets have claimed that as many as 700,000 Vitas were shipped in preparation for launch and whilst Sony has only mentioned 500,000 3G models, it doesn’t look like consumers will face shortages any time soon.
Atsushi Hosokawa, head of sales tracking firm Media Create, pointed to a number of factors to explain the cautious start, including the Vita’s high price point (some 40,000 yen, or £328, when purchased with a game and required accessories like a memory card), the lack of key launch game and the continued success of the Playstation Portable in the Japanese market. Remarkably, the PSP sold 60,000 units in Japan this week.
Whilst some have categorised this as a slow start, comparing the Vita to the 3DS isn’t exactly fair given that Sony’s product clearly merits the higher price point and is aimed at a smaller audience. Nevertheless, the figures don’t yet point to either long-term success or failure for the Vita or indicate how the European launch, set for February 22, will go.
