Sony: 3DS won't force Vita price cut

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 24 August, 2011

"We are totally happy with the price."

Sony will not reduce the price of the PlayStation Vita - despite Nintendo's shock 3DS price cut.

Sony is yet to offer UK pricing for Vita, which goes on sale in Europe early next year.

It has announced Euro pricing, however: for the standard Wi-Fi you'll pay €249.99, and for the 3G plus Wi-Fi model you'll pay €299.99.

That hasn't stopped a number of UK shops slapping Vita with a price in pounds. It is expected to go for £230 and £280.

Nintendo slashed the 3DS price by around a third last month in response to disappointing sales. Some UK shops are selling it for as little as £115.

Some analysts have called on Sony to cut the price of the Vita in response - even before launch.

"Gamers are increasingly anticipating Sony to lower prices, especially after the 3DS cut," Ace Securities Co's Hideki Yasuda told Bloomberg earlier this month.

"Sony is under major pressure to cut the price of the Vita or risk a major failure."

But head of Sony worldwide studios Shuhei Yoshida ruled that out in a new interview with Eurogamer.

"We are totally happy with the price we put," he said.

"Personally, I was expecting Nintendo might move their price, but I wasn't expecting them to move at this time. We didn't price Vita relative to 3DS or those other devices. We plan the value we want to put in to the Vita and the price people would perceive the value would be. Nothing changed since the announcement. We are totally happy."

Backing Yoshida's comments are analysts who believe Vita and Nintendo 3DS are not competing products.

"The customers Sony is targeting with its Vita are those willing to spend a lot of money. That's a valid strategy even if the volume's low as long as it can sustain the higher price," Nomura Holdings Inc's Shiro Mikoshiba said.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (49) Latest comment 9 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • jellyBelly #1 9 months ago

    Shock price cut has been pretty much nullified at amazon. Blue 3sd has gone from 115 to 155. Pricing algorithms are overreacting to demand I think

  • slippysloppy #2 9 months ago

    Yet

  • NotSoSlim #3 9 months ago

    If 3DS had the games it would have sold at higher price. Sony sort that they will be fine

  • eviroboy #4 9 months ago

    Dead on arrival then?

  • HyperTails #5 9 months ago

    Vita is looking amazing so far, and Sony haven't actually made a mistake with it yet really I don't think. The tech and games are there for hardcore gamers to buy this reasonably priced handheld when it launches, but Sony's post support is what they need to focus on for this to have legs. So far its games look amazing, but those amazing games have to continue in a steady stream. Providing these 3DS rumours are false, Nintendo will fight back with Mario and such that will boost sales, and nobody can deny that two dedicated handhelds doing well is not good. Screw smartphones, real games are on dedicated handheld consoles.

  • rockavitch #6 9 months ago

    Why exactly should Sony have to cut their prices because the competitor (which is what they are regardless of how they spin it) has released a so far failure of a handheld (not my personal opinion but it's true that it has not come close to meeting expectations)?

    I can see them keeping prices the same and if the sales don't go according to plan they'll bundle in a game as well. I think the price is reasonable enough and I won't jump the gun with the "dead on arrival" comments that are sure to pop up.

  • Razz #7 9 months ago

    /throws wallet at screen

  • des #8 9 months ago

    Nintendo was also happy once upon a time.

    We'll see few months after the launch.
    Edited by des at 24/08/11 @ 12:36

  • roz123 #9 9 months ago

    They are already making a big loss on every unit sold, if they lower it anymore and it gets hacked they would get bum fucked. Absolutely raped.

  • MiniAmin #10 9 months ago

    "We are totally happy with the price."

    So am I. It feels quite strange to agree with a gaming executive. I think Vita's launch proposed launch price is fantastic, given all its features.

  • geox30 #11 9 months ago

    The 3DS is a very good gaming machine that has flaws and practically no games.If it had games it would be a different story.Don't be hasty to make conclusions yet the current portable gen hasn't even begun yet.It took several years for PS3 to become successful,didn't it?

  • gruntboy #12 9 months ago

    @EddieMink - "dumbfuck"? That's a bit strong isn't it, levelled at somebody who (I sincerely doubt) you never met.

    As to the point of Nintendo dropping the price because people weren't buying the 3DS. Well that's part of the picture, but probably (and who can say for sure?) down to the fact that there have been so few games of note since it launched.

    I think it's unfortunate that Nintendo felt the need to make such a drastic price drop, since it implies to the consumer that the value of a handheld is not that high, when in fact the issue more likely lay somewhere else. Why would Sony change their pricing plans because their nearest competitor screwed up their own launch?

    As ever, "the market will decide", but at least Vita seems to be going about it the right way (i.e. a good and varied line up of games at launch).

  • Donaldthescotishtwin #13 9 months ago

    It's actually a pretty fair price(pounds)

  • BonzoBanana #14 9 months ago

    The hardware is in a totally different class to 3DS so why should there be price parity. The 3DS is down at dreamcast level approx and the Vita is somewhere between original xbox and xbox 360 in power. Its like saying a 1100CC motorbike should sell at the same price as a 50CC moped. 3DS should be significantly cheaper as the Vita is a huge upgrade in performance. The 3DS is at about psp level in some ways better and in some ways worse so thats where its price should be close to perhaps a little bit more because of the 3D effect. I've bought a 3DS and will buy a Vita but for those who only have one portable at a time clearly the Vita offers many games the 3DS will not ever be capable of. The 3DS only beats the Vita in the 3D effect it can generate which is a very good feature and its greater portability.

  • Seoh #15 9 months ago

    If vita is released with pleanty of high quality games then i will happily pay £230 for one

  • chessboxer #16 9 months ago

    It just goes to show that the 3DS was vastly overpriced.
    Most of the gaming media and consumers were drooling over the 3DS and the RRP at E3 2009.

    When the specs of the NGP (PSV) were being shown, people were expecting it to cost a fortune. When the price point was revealed to be exactly the same as the 3DS, it was a huge wakeup call and people were questioning Nintendo's RRP.

    I would love Sony to drop the price but they don't need to as the PSV is so much more impressive than the 3DS and seems to be worth the asking price, especially with the announced 1st and 3rd party titles that I have an interest in like Uncharted, Lumines, Ridge Racer, Killzone, Resistance etc...

    edit

    Every PlayStation has been marketed to those who have money to burn. Going all the way back to 1994/5 when the PlayStation launched, it was geared towards the 20 & 30yr olds, not the younger population that Nintendo had always aimed at.
    Edited by chessboxer at 24/08/11 @ 12:26

  • gruntboy #17 9 months ago

    Do you live inside an episode of The Waltons or something?

    I don't even own a pair of dungarees. Is that how you would communicate with a total stranger if you met them face to face? Perhaps you are just a naturally rude person. It just surprises me when people throw out a "dumbfuck" or similar choice word at a total stranger from the safety of their keyboard when they probably wouldn't do the same in the flesh.

    At the end of the day, whether you're a Sony fanboy or not, you have to admit that Vita is now what you have to consider a niche product

    I'd agree that it's a product aimed at niche market, which could be said of any dedicated device. I tend to think that software is what defines a device and its audience and is, in my opinion, one of the key reasons that PSP did not succeed in the face of the DS (too many ports of PS2 console experiences in the early days). If Vita's games are compelling and different enough, it should do ok. Lots of other devices to take up people's time and attention though, I'll admit.

  • danhese007 #18 9 months ago

    @EddieMink

    You are actually a dumb fuck. He didn't say Nintendo wasn't happy with the price they sold 3DS at and neither did he say they cut the price because they weren't happy with it. He said;

    "We are totally happy with the price we put," Meaning Sony is happy at the price they are selling VITA at.

    According to you "Vita will sell moderately well. But it's going to mirror the PSP in every possible way"
    and
    "At the end of the day, whether you're a Sony fanboy or not, you have to admit that Vita is now what you have to consider a niche product"

    And you know that because you have some degree in business and are you a market analyst? A product is not out yet and you are calling it a Niche product. For someone talking like they know a lot you seem to know very little.

    The person you are calling a dumb fuck has been doing this for years and has been making millions doing it, you on the other hand are a nobody.
    Edited by danhese007 at 24/08/11 @ 13:31

  • madeinbeats #19 9 months ago

    The hardware is in a totally different class to 3DS so why should there be price parity. The 3DS is down at dreamcast level approx and the Vita is somewhere between original xbox and xbox 360 in power. Its like saying a 1100CC motorbike should sell at the same price as a 50CC moped. 3DS should be significantly cheaper as the Vita is a huge upgrade in performance. The 3DS is at about psp level in some ways better and in some ways worse so thats where its price should be close to perhaps a little bit more because of the 3D effect. I've bought a 3DS and will buy a Vita but for those who only have one portable at a time clearly the Vita offers many games the 3DS will not ever be capable of. The 3DS only beats the Vita in the 3D effect it can generate which is a very good feature and its greater portability.

    I don't know why you have to surmise everything up in terms of raw power and gigga farts. The bit-wars are long gone. The games market in the last 10 years has shown that it's not the power that sells systems, it's the overall experience.

    As said above, the Sony hand-helds are for a niche market; people who do focus on graphics/power more than anything else, and 'hardcore' gamers.

    Again, no one really knows what is inside the 3DS because they are custom chips, and Nintendo has never released any specs to the press about what's actually inside, what it's actually capable of, and how much it costs.

    One thing is for sure, I seriously doubt that the 3D screen comes cheep if the 3DS is the only thing in mass-production using it; over all hardware production value is at a high standard too; a touch screen, Wi-Fi, gyroscopes, etc, etc, it all adds up.

  • danhese007 #20 9 months ago

    @madeinbeats
    "I don't know why you have to surmise everything up in terms of raw power and gigga farts. The bit-wars are long gone. The games market in the last 10 years has shown that it's not the power that sells systems, it's the overall experience."

    The cost of creating 1 VITA is higher than the cost of creating 1 3DS so therefore there cannot be price parity between those 2 devices.

    "As said above, the Sony hand-helds are for a niche market; people who do focus on graphics/power more than anything else, and 'hardcore' gamers"

    Niche market people, really? People love gaming first and the genre of the game you like defines what kind of game you play. If the developers of that genre decide their game need better looking visuals then so be it. You the consumer dont decide how a game looks, the developer does and if you happen to like it then so be it. Wii games dont have better looking graphics because Wii does not offer that capability so the developers cannot do more. If Nintendo Wii were WiiU, you would see that every game that were developed for it would have better looking HD graphics as will WiiU. So no there's no body who buys a game based of its graphics alone. It all falls down to if you enjoy playing that game.

    "Again, no one really knows what is inside the 3DS because they are custom chips, and Nintendo has never released any specs to the press about what's actually inside, what it's actually capable of, and how much it costs"

    3DS uses a single core PICA200 GPU and dual ARM11 CPUs, both running at 266MHZ

    "One thing is for sure, I seriously doubt that the 3D screen comes cheep if the 3DS is the only thing in mass-production using it; over all hardware production value is at a high standard too; a touch screen, Wi-Fi, gyroscopes, etc, etc, it all adds up"

    There are 2 Sony camcorders that have glasses free 3D screens, several Phones that have glasses free 3D screens. There was a digital photo frame from Viewsonic in 2010 that has an 8 inch glasses free 3D screen, i almost bought it from woot once and several other manufacturers. People didn't care because it wasn't a gaming device and quiet frankly console fanboys can be quiet dramatic.
    Edited by danhese007 at 24/08/11 @ 13:29

  • Zackv4861 #21 9 months ago

    I am more than happy to pay £240 for the PS Vita from what i've seen so far and the games that have been announced. It's in a differnt class to the 3DS which i own. It's like comparing the Wii to the PS3 i'd never buy a wii even now for £200 but if my PS3 died tomorrow i'd be in the shops that very day parting with my hard earned cash once more.

    I can't wait for the Vita launch personally.

  • Biker_Bob_1971 #22 9 months ago

    Post deleted at 16:59:10 06-02-2012

  • makeamazing #23 9 months ago

    I am looking forward to the product and I've never purchased a handheld for myself before.

    As for the siggestion that its a niche product, if it sells anything like the PSP then its a success surely? Let's be honest the 3DS was a slightly modified DS, and people generally knew that and wouldnt upgrade, the PSP to Vita is a big step and people understand that.;

  • chaywa #24 9 months ago

    The sensible thing for Nintendo to do now would be to release a Pokemon 3DS game the week before the Vita is out

  • madeinbeats #25 9 months ago

    3DS uses a single core PICA200 GPU and dual ARM11 CPUs, both running at 266MHZ

    Show me an official statement. Nintendo uses custom chips; the 3DS has never been benchmarked afaik; you're just repeating stuff off the net which is 'best guess', not official fact.

  • Cjail #26 9 months ago

    Given the prices of new models of smartphones nowadays I think that the real shame would be not buy a PSVita for 300£.

  • danhese007 #27 9 months ago

    @EddieMink

    You have not read the interview and you jump to a conclusion. Even if you haven't read the interview, the comment Yoshida made does not come off as flamebait.

    Eurogamer asked Yoshida

    "Eurogamer: When the price was announced it surprised many because it was a bit lower than we were expecting. Now Nintendo has announced a price cut for the 3DS, does that put pressure on Sony to reduce the price of Vita?"

    And he replied

    "We are totally happy with the price we put out. Personally, I was expecting Nintendo might move their price, but I wasn't expecting them to move at this time. We didn't price Vita relative to 3DS or those other devices. We plan the value we want to put in to the Vita and the price people would perceive the value would be. Nothing changed since the announcement. We are totally happy"

    My understanding of this statement is, we are pleased with the price that we set for Vita and being someone who is in the same industry and knows a thing or two say he expected Nintendo to reduce the price of 3DS but he wasn't expecting it this early as did many people, nobody saw the price cut coming but were expecting it later. Many analysts said the same thing. He further clarifies that The VITA price wasn't set as a reaction to the 3DS but was the price they planned and thought would best fit what they are selling.

    How you got all that conspiracy stuff is beyond me, only a fanboy would dream up such stupidity. I called you a dumb fuck because only a dumb fuck aka fanboy would make such a stupid comment without having any clue to the context in which he made that comment.

  • Geowolf #28 9 months ago

    I think we've all learned, after the 3DS price cut, that the financial markets are under such pressure that as long as people are prepared to resist buying it for a couple of months then a massive price drop is extremely likely.

  • riseer #29 9 months ago

    Eddiemink,evroboy,Both of your are wrong..the diffrence with Vita and 3ds their will be actual games to buy at launch.Uncharted Golden abyss looks ace as well as resistance,Vita is a beast period Eddie your butthurt just as bad as your nintendo fanboy bf eviroboy..

  • danhese007 #30 9 months ago

    @madeinbeats
    Here is a link to the tear down of the 3DS showing the parts that are inside.

    [link url=http://new.eetimes.com/General/DisplayPrintViewContent?contentItemId=4214597
    ]http://new.eetimes.com/General/DisplayPr...[/link]

    and another

    [link url=http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20110301/189976/
    ]http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEW...[/link]

    The clock speeds are gotten from the base clock speeds from ARM website of that particular variant of CPU and from Digital Media Professionals for the GPU

    The SoC is Nintendo's choosing and design but the parts are from already available CPU and GPU.
    Edited by danhese007 at 24/08/11 @ 14:12

  • Serk101 #31 9 months ago

    Considering the tech behind the PS Vita I think its worth every penny!

  • RobTheBuilder #32 9 months ago

    If the UK were charged the true equivalent rather than just £ switching then Vita looks powerful, good value, and (hopefully) has a great line up of games (Wipeout at launch would be awesome thank you).

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #33 9 months ago

    Why do people think PSP was niche, it has sold nearly 70m units and was vastly unsupported during its first 2-3 years even Sony admits that, think of what it could of done with the support that it looks like Vita is getting.

    Also anyone thinking PSP is Niche for selling 70m, that would also make 360 and PS3 Niche products as well as there selling at very similar rates over there life times.
    Edited by GamesProgrammer at 24/08/11 @ 14:24

  • danhese007 #34 9 months ago

    @EddieMink
    Owned enough for 1 day?

    1st i wasn't arguing with you, i was simply pointing out how wrong and stupid your comment was. You simply admit it and move on or dont as simple as that. Only fools cant admit when they are wrong.
    Edited by danhese007 at 24/08/11 @ 14:31

  • outy #35 9 months ago

    "Backing Yoshida's comments are analysts who believe Vita and Nintendo 3DS are not competing products"

    Useless idiots.

  • madeinbeats #36 9 months ago

    the base clock speeds from ARM website of that particular variant of CPU

    That's what I've been trying to tell you mate.

  • alcides #37 9 months ago

    The price is right. It's actually a steal.

  • alcides #38 9 months ago

    "One thing is for sure, I seriously doubt that the 3D screen comes cheep if the 3DS is the only thing in mass-production using it"

    phones. cameras.

    edit : some phones and cameras do have 3D screens now. negging morons.
    Edited by alcides at 26/08/11 @ 13:12

  • Thunderbolt #39 9 months ago

    Worth getting a 2nd job for?

  • CallousB #40 9 months ago

    I'm sure it will sell it's first 5 million fairly easily to the core of the core...but after that the price may be more of an issue.

    I think they'll be fine in Japan..but they are really dicing with death in the western markets. The delay to March/April could cause them a heap of problems when it comes to establishing the system.

  • miiiguel #41 9 months ago

    I think it should be more expensive, it's totally a beast and the best portable device ever. Not to mention a great opurtunity to give Sony something back for their effort, they had a tough year, it's only fair that we contribute a bit. Come on, we're ready to show our suppport.

  • man.the.king #42 9 months ago

    @eviroboy

    "Dead on arrival then?"

    You wish.

  • FortysixterUK #43 9 months ago

    Then Vita is screwed. £200.00 plus for a handheld is a joke, an xbox or ps3 cost less.

  • TheBusterMan #44 9 months ago

    They had GTA and an Elder Scrolls for this,I'd be in.Uncharted looks great,but is that it?

  • captainCandy #45 9 months ago

    Because 3DS is very old hardware hidden inside 2011 plastic.

  • Mister-Wario #46 9 months ago

    Sexy as the PSV is, £280 for a handheld is wicked pricey. I'm probably going to wait for a price cut and a decent selection of games to come out, although there looks to be some good stuff planned already. Little Deviants and Sound Shapes look like pretty fresh new ideas, and Tag looks delightfully mischevious.

    I agree with the comment that the UK price should reflect the US one. If the PSV is being sold for $250 in the US then I would hope the price is similiar in the UK, i.e. around £150-60.
    Edited by Mister-Wario at 24/08/11 @ 20:32

  • FenderMaster #47 9 months ago

    My only concern with the Vita is that all it's major franchises are coming, but the studios behind them aren't making the games. Media Molecule aren't making LBP, Naughty Dog aren't making Uncharted, Guerilla aren't making Killzone and Insomniac aren't making Resistance.

  • chessboxer #48 9 months ago

    @Mister-Wario

    Unfortunately the US Dollar is irrelevant for pricing. These electronic goods are shipped to the UK over EU land and waters which is why UK prices are derived from a direct conversion of the Euro.

    If these goods were manufactured and transported directly from the US, then a valid case could be made about the pricing structure.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #49 9 months ago

    PSVita will be worth the money. Don't forget, Sony were smart enough to offer different two version of Vita, making it cheaper if you want an wifi one.

    Can't wait to see its launch line up on shelves. It'll make 3DS owners weep, I'm sure. I just hope they price their games reasonably. £20-25 is the sweet spot. Beyond that is madness, but I'll shop around as usual.