Sony: PlayStation Vita will break UK launch record

By Johnny Minkley Published 30 November, 2011

Euro boss Ryan "pretty certain" of a sell-out.

It's six years old and still the UK's fastest-selling games console at launch - but Sony is betting big on PSP's successor, telling Eurogamer: "We will beat that with Vita."

"We're planning for a condition of success," PlayStation Europe boss Jim Ryan told us last week in London. "Launch quantities will sell out - I think that's looking pretty certain".

Pressed on whether he believed that meant Vita would beat PSP's figure, Ryan said: "Subject to supply, yes, it is our belief that we will beat that with Vita."

PSP, which launched in the UK in September 2005, sold over 185,000 units at launch. This number was expected to be toppled earlier this year by Nintendo's 3DS, with the company predicting only the week before launch it would sell "comfortably over 150,000, if not more like 200,000".

In the event, the system sold 113,000, according to Nintendo's own internal figures. One reason cited for 3DS' relatively sluggish performance since has been a lack of must-buy games - a situation Sony is keen to avoid.

"Looking at the competition, perhaps the launch line-up was not as strong as they'd have liked it to be," said Ryan. "We have always had in our minds that we needed to have a great line-up at launch and we're very pleased with how that's panning out.

"I think it's comfortably the strongest line-up we've had for any platform launch and I've been around since the year dot."

Sony confirmed it's first-party Vita launch line-up for Europe last week.

Asked if the system had a 'killer app' for day one, Ryan highlighted Uncharted: Golden Abyss as "looking very much in that category".

Meanwhile, Ryan also revealed that, while he expected Vita initially to appeal "to our typical core gaming market", the company would "take it younger rather more quickly and perhaps deliberately than we did with PSP".

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Johnny Minkley is a veteran games writer and broadcaster, former editor of Eurogamer TV, VP of gaming charity SpecialEffect, and hopeless social media addict.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

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Comments (28) Latest comment 6 months ago

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

  • Yeoung #1 6 months ago

    "take it younger rather more quickly and perhaps deliberately than we did with PSP"

    Is this a google translate thing or am I not reading this right?

  • orangpelupa #2 6 months ago

    i just need to Know whetehr Vita is running android OS and can access android market.

    i think it was romored to use android?

    if it is Android and can access market, then AWESOME PIECE OF INSIGHT sony! wohooo

  • homerramone #3 6 months ago

    "Launch quantities will sell out - I think that's looking pretty certain".

    Oh - so theyre only gonna supply 10 units to each shop then ;-)

  • Flying_Pig #4 6 months ago

    @orangpelupa - 99% sure it's not

  • Flying_Pig #5 6 months ago

    Well, I'll be there on day 1 - that's for certain

  • karooo #6 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:50:50 12-12-2011

  • Innes #7 6 months ago

    fuck off phony

  • neilka #8 6 months ago

    This will come true the day dragons fly backwards.

  • Biker_Bob_1971 #9 6 months ago

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

  • Snake_2011 #10 6 months ago

    this site has a lot of negative members. will be my first handheld in a long time it looks sounds great.

  • Innes #11 6 months ago

    @Snake_2011 you obviously have more money than brain cells.

  • Snake_2011 #12 6 months ago

    Innes if im not mistaken for what you get it is a great price.

  • Innes #13 6 months ago

    @Snake_2011 no launch console is worth getting until at LEAST. LEAST. AT THE VERY MINIMUM. 6 months. Launch lineups always suck hard. you know it bro.

  • Snake_2011 #14 6 months ago

    Innes have you looked at the launch line up? it is one of the best I have seen for a new machine launch.

  • coolbritannia #15 6 months ago

    Halo and Project Gotham say hi.

  • lcmnick #16 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 12:48:44 14-04-2012

  • PaulieWaulie #17 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 14:23:40 06-01-2012

  • gamefan #18 6 months ago

    I will pick on launch day in New Yrok for about £170 so I am happy!

  • Feanor #19 6 months ago

    All about Wipeout 2048.

  • Dizzy #20 6 months ago

    You can prove anything with statistics anyway.

  • RandomTerrain #21 6 months ago

    Bring it on, sounds amazing, I love the sound of everything about the Vita. Only thing that worries me is it could make me so very anti- social as I'll never put it down. Great that it has those addictive trophies too.

  • peterfll #22 6 months ago

    I'm not planning on buying one launch day.... but I'm a sucker for new hardware and have folded before on the launch day of a new console.

    And I *love* Uncharted.

  • JamieR #23 6 months ago

    In the video drake has the ring round his neck so i assume this is set before 3.

  • Ajent #24 6 months ago

    @JamieR If memory serves, the story is set before the events of Uncharted 1. So no Elena either. Hopefully Sully will make an appearance though.

  • PlugMonkey #25 6 months ago

    Since I got a smartphone, neither of my handhelds have seen light of day.

    I suspect this situation is not unique, and may impact on his record-breaking hopes.

  • JahB #26 6 months ago

    @PlugMonkey
    I don't think so, there are simply no quality games on phones. There are some great 5 minute timewasters, but nothing that even comes close to a proper game.

    I'll happily pick up a vita to replace my PSP.

  • monsieur-goggyturk #27 6 months ago

    @orangpelupa - It can access Playstation Suite, which is intended to run on high-end Android phones. Hopefully Sony will keep the barriers for entry nice and low for indie developers... hopefully... :0

  • Arwin #28 6 months ago

    Definitely excited about a portable Uncharted, but I also really look forward to playing Rayman Origins on this. I'm even thinking about waiting with that game until Vita comes out (therewith also immediately covering at least 20% of the unit's price ;) ). My son is just about 6 months too young still to play Origins anyway.

    Was a big fan of the PSP, and never regretted the purchase, as it turned out such a versatile device, and has remained the best portable platform for some of my favorite genres for a long, long time. Now my 3yo son watches some of his shows on it, and he's even starting to play some games now. Fortunately, dying and losing in games still makes him laugh ... that will soon change, I fear. :p (and yes, no doubt iOS games are easier for him, and there are more suitable ones)

    I really hope Playstation Suite takes off and that the device gets a lot of cool Apps. But as long as the browser and the media playback are good, the big games and combination of dual touch screens and dual analog stick controls should keep me happy again for a long time.

    @neilka: I just had to come back here to +1 your backward flying dragon's comment, as I only got it after reading ... something. ^_^
    Edited by Arwin at 02/12/11 @ 00:47