Sony launches PS Vita in Japan to respectable crowds
Solid start
Its most important launch since PlayStation 3 five years ago, Sony released its PS Vita portable console in Japan today.
It was supported with 24 launch titles including Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Ridge Racer and Dynasty Warriors NEXT
News agencies reported some long queues outside electronics shops in the Shibuya shopping district, but there was none of the enthusiasm used to characterise Japanese hardware launches, let alone the frenzy that's now a precursor to new Apple hardware.
Talking it upAccording to Andrew House, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, PS Vita pre-orders were sold out.
The company is yet to provide any sales figures for the device, however, which retails at ¥24,900 yen (around $320) for the wi-fi version, and ¥29,980 (around $385) for the 3G version.
The respective costs will be $249, €249 or £229 and $299, €299 or £279 when it launches in the US and Europe on 22 February.
Too expensive?Still, some analysts think Sony will have to cut PS Vita's price sooner rather than later in order to build its install base.
"The price point is the biggest obstacle," reckons Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter.
Similarly, squeezed by the rise of smartphones as a gaming platform, Nintendo recently cut the price of its 3DS hardware to increase sales.
It sold 795,000 units in Japan during November, with US sales jumping 325 percent week-on-week thanks to the release of Super Mario 3D Land.
[source: Business Week]
