Vita slower to 500,000 sales than 3DS

By Tom Phillips Published 10 January, 2012

Sony's handheld jogs out of the Japanese blocks.

PlayStation Vita has sold over 500,000 units since launch, Sony has announced.

The milestone comes three weeks after Vita's 17th December arrival in Japan.

Sales for the device have been steady, but not spectacular. By the last count on New Year's Day, Vita had sold 439,986 units in Japan.

By comparison, 3DS hit 500,000 sales at the end of its second week on sale in Japan. Nintendo's console climbed to 584,387 sales after nine days in shops.

PlayStation Vita launches here in Europe on 22nd February.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Phillips

Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard. @TomPhillips151 on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Phillips archive page.

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Comments (71) Latest comment 4 months ago

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

  • djhsecondnature #1 5 months ago

    It was as of Jan 5, so it was a further 60k in four days rather than a week.

  • trugs26 #2 5 months ago

    @LaFlamaBlanca
    I don't think they could afford a price drop. The Vita looks like it would be expensive to make. Nintendo could afford to do so with the 3DS.

  • Street89 #3 5 months ago

    @LaFlamaBlanca I'm thinking the same thing, or just to wait for the inevitable slim & lite. I want one (pre ordered months ago at game) but I'm not sure I want one enough to spend £220+

  • Goonboy #4 5 months ago

    I think Sony are including Japan AND other Asian territories (i.e Hong Kong, Taiwan) in this number, otherwise if it was just Japan, it would still be under 500,000

  • crofty13 #5 5 months ago

    There COULD be a price drop in June when E3 starts but it would be a risky venture as it only worked for the 3DS when they dropped the price and brought out three AAA games for Christmas.

    Sony on the other hand don't have a set of finished AAA games ready to launch for the system so a price cut in itself will not do much.

  • Subdominator #6 5 months ago

    Sony is profitable with VIta and they want to stay that way (same as with PSP, the only reason why management approved the handheld market entry was because they did never lose money on it), so a price drop is out of the picture. If anything they will bundle the console with a game and a memory card for the same price. If the US/EU launch is just as bad as in Japan. They really can't cut the price, they're still losing $30 on every PS3 sold and having two loss bringers in the market would be crazy. Vita is all about long-term success. They don't care if they sell just 1 million now or 2 - Vita is a longrunner just like PSP. And it will take off with the right software.

    3DS would've taken off as well without the price cut but Nintendo was too scared. In the end it would have been just as successful at 249 with games like Super Mario, Mario Kart and Monster Hunter.

  • skowhegan Verified Staff Writer, Eurogamer Network #7 5 months ago

    @djhsecondnature The sales are for the period up to Jan 1st, they were just reported on Jan 5th.

  • flaming.carrot #8 5 months ago

    Well I've pre-ordered mine. If it's supported seven years or so like the PSP then I think £220 is worth a punt, if only to see how they integrate it with the PS3.

  • Daeltaja #9 5 months ago

    Who cares? Give it time.

  • mossychops001 #10 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 11:49:27 04-05-2012

  • Toothball #11 5 months ago

    I do want a Vita, but I've started experiencing this weird new sensation that I've been told is called "restraint". I might end up getting one in a couple of months when I can actually afford it, rather than throwing my wallet at Amazon or whoever and hoping for the best. Which is mostly what happened for my last few portable purchases and seems like a dangerous habit to keep up.

    Also it might give me time to source a 32GB memory card, which I'm still a little miffed that they're not releasing in Euroland.

  • kangarootoo #12 5 months ago

    @Subdominator

    "3DS would've taken off as well without the price cut but Nintendo was too scared"

    Ahh, thats what it came down to. They were scared. You should have called them up and told them to just not be scared. I'm sure they would have been glad of the insight.


    "Understanding business since 2013"

  • mastablasta #13 5 months ago

    I wonder how long till it drops to £179.

  • hedges1001 #14 5 months ago

    people are forgetting that only 1 of the three weeks of sales have been full business weeks. 17/12 - 23/12 then xmas week 24/12 - 30/12 then new years ( a 3 day festival in japan btw) 31/12 - 6/1

  • NotSoSlim #15 5 months ago

    I definately dont think Ninty would have dropped price if it was selling but thats there fault as they had no software.

    This pointless point scoring article just shows how low some parts of industry has sunk. So many other potential vita and 3ds articles that could be written.

  • NotSoSlim #16 5 months ago

    @mastablasta Ages, Sony will create first party bundles before price drop

  • frunk #17 5 months ago

    @LaFlamaBlanca

    I am no expert, but this is Sony. Look to their form...

    Their strategy will be longer term. First price drop will probably be around Xmas and will not be huge - will slip below £200.

    Sony work with bundles rather than major price drops.

    So at E3 - expect a Vita at current prices with a bundled game or two.

    At Christmas expect a £200 Vita with Uncharted and LBP bundled.

    So... worth waiting till then?

  • DavidBoring #18 5 months ago

    i think nintendo handhelds will always sell better than sony's - does this make the vita a failure? certainley not
    Edited by DavidBoring at 10/01/12 @ 13:04

  • frunk #19 5 months ago

    And to EGs headline...
    "Sony's handheld jogs out of the Japanese blocks."

    If you are there for the long race you don't wanna be sprinting :)

    Vita has 5 years ahead of it, I doubt Sony are really bothered by the current sales... the current incarnation has a more Western focus anyway.

    I think Vita success judgements have to wait until closer to the end of the year - preferably after its first Xmas.

  • kangarootoo #20 5 months ago

    @NotSoSlim

    Whilst I tend to agree that articles like this are low on the scale of "news", EG are a business and have to report on current events and popular topics.

    Sales of any new console are always popular discussion topics among gamers, especially on the web. And directly comparing sales of one platform to another (unrealistic as that frequently is) is almost like a hobby to some people :) For EG to report on this is simply EG reporting on topics that are already being discussed amongst the gaming community, which is surely sensible and normal for any publication.


    I recall Tom mocking this exact discussion in a different article, but that article was editorial whereas this is news. Editorial is the place for feelings, news is the place for current information. I don't think we can assume that EG like oversimplified comparisons like this, just because they report on them.

  • Monkeyspoon #21 5 months ago

    A lot of the top games like wipeout and gravity rush are released at the feb western launch. I would expect the sales figures in Japan to rocket at that time. The 3ds didn't have many good launch games and had to wait about 8 months for decent games. The vita has loads at launch and loads shortly after.

  • Nico4 #22 5 months ago

    Hopefully it'll sell better over here

  • djhsecondnature #23 5 months ago

    @skowhegan The initial sales, as stated in the EG post (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-01-05-vita-beaten-by-psp-for-second-week-running) are for up to Jan 1 and state 440k sales. Then as of Jan 5, as said during the CES conference last night, its now at 500k, which is 60k in four days, not "just over a week".

  • wizlon #24 5 months ago

    Can we stop these fan boy baiting stories, saying how many it sold is fair enough but comparing it to another system is just flame-baiting.

    Anyway, I'm really not that bothered about figures, it's all about publisher support.

  • skowhegan Verified Staff Writer, Eurogamer Network #25 5 months ago

    @djhsecondnature Gotcha, thought you were referring to the numbers in our previous article.

  • NotSoSlim #26 5 months ago

    @kangarootoo Agree but look what was announced at CES Vita related:

    Music Unlimited, Netflix, Data plan prices while US only this article is about Japan.

    Unless i am blind thess have no article even though are relevant.

  • Subdominator #27 5 months ago

    @kangarootoo Today's business decisions are all about being scared. Every CEO is scared of not meeting the target sales cause it means angry shareholders. Not sure what the fuzz is you're making of that.

  • xavier_dragoon #28 5 months ago

    Throw in. Memory card and a PSN download as an proper retail SKU and I'll have one. Until then... Nah.

  • Zerobob #29 5 months ago

    The Vita is more expensive than the 3DS. Probably why it's sold fewer units.

  • FladgeMangle #30 5 months ago

    Isn't the sales slump largely to do with the fact that Sony greatly over estimated to appeal of the 3G version? Didn't the regular wi-fi models sell out really fast?

    I'm still going to get one, but not until August because my wife "doesn't believe in early birthday presents". Bah!

    Hopefully there will be some kind of a bundle announced by then and hopefully some good news about MH at E3 too. (Looks over longingly at the 3DS and it's monster hunting ways...)

  • kangarootoo #31 5 months ago

    @NotSoSlim

    I read a Netflix article yesterday. Not sure about the others.

    I'm not saying EG are spotless on this, I'm just drawing attention to the shades of grey. EG are bound to focus at least some of their reporting on the most current and discussed topics. Now some of us may not like the fact that direct sales comparisons are a hot topic, and EG may not like it either for that matter (some of their writers may love it of course), but that is perhaps just the lie of the land for the majority.

    In summary, I would expect EG to report on the hottest topics, even if some of them are shite :)

  • roz123 #32 5 months ago

    3DS sold better at the same price as the Vita Wifi model during a slower time of year. It had games like Layton and Nintendogs which appeal more to the japanese market then Uncharted and Lets Golf but the real reason Vita is not doing so well right now is its going up against the cut price 3DS, Mario Kart, Mario 3d Land and Monster Hunter 3ds. 3 of the biggest games in Japan.

  • sfp_noodle #33 5 months ago

    I'm lucky enough to be getting this for my birthday but have still agreed to pay half as it is an expensive piece of kit. I was late to the PSP party as I bought it in early 2008 but I don't want to miss out by waiting this time. Sold my PSP and games recently so most of the costs have already been covered. Don't want to have have 2 handhelds in the house at the same time, one would just be neglected.

    I don't really care about sales so much as I do about support from devs. This looks like it has devs on board from day 1 with some amazing titles due to be released on the system. The Vita line-up arguably trumps the PS3s this year, which whilst still strong seems to be slowing down after a blockbuster 2011. I'm not too keen on the memory cards and was only going to buy a 4GB one but considering they cost £20 and Asda are selling the 16GB one for £35 I've decided to just go with the high end one as I likely won't ever need to upgrade.

    The most important issue for me right now is regarding PS1 title compatibility. Sony said that the Vita wouldn't support it out of the box but that a software update would be in place for the UK launch that allows compatibility. So far nothing has been announced but I hope it's soon as I have a massive collection of PS1 classics and would want them on my system, especially the likes of Resident Evil, Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid. I also hope that it is 100% compatibility and not some borked emulation type crap that would only include the popular titles on PSN and avoid the not so popular ones.

    I'm excited for the Vita. It's been nearly 5 years since I brought home a new console and if the Vita has a lifespan of at least 7 years like its older brother then it's an investment worth making. Plus I can't see the Vita getting too many revisions since it seems to have everything nailed down day 1. The only things I can see being improved are perhaps the battery life and maybe a slight trimming down of the console but nothing else. Even if they do find something to improve, I think the Vita right now is so good that early adopters won't really feel the need to upgrade should a new model come along within the next few years.
    Edited by sfp_noodle at 10/01/12 @ 14:05

  • matty_matt_mattmatt #34 5 months ago

    a slow start means a long career. My father taught me this as his father did him

  • NorfolkNClue #35 5 months ago

    I'm going to Japan in 6 days, back before 22nd feb. Worth getting a few to flog?

  • kangarootoo #36 5 months ago

    @Subdominator

    Scared is utterly the wrong word. Businesses are sometimes cautious, and sometimes they take risks, but all of those things have at their heart Buisness with a capital B. Nintendo don't go for a price drop because they are "scared" just like companies that avoid price drops do so becauyse they are feeling "brave". They do so purely because thet think the numbers will play out more favourably one way or the other.


    And equally, "angry shareholder" aren't what CEOs care about.

    Lower than expected profits, loss of market share, shareholder dropping stock causing a resulting decline in the value of stock. These are the things that concern CEOs and the like.


    You seem very focussed in on emotions, and more specifically emotions being given some kind of value in a business context. No business worth its salt (and clearly Nintendo have a pretty salty record of success over the years) makes decisions based on fear, or to avoid making shareholder "angry". They base their decisions on pure good old fashioned business sense.


    Your suggestion was that Nintendo not only made the wrong business decision in making a price cut, but also that they made this wrong business decision because they were quite simply "scared". The fuzz as you put it, is that your suggestion is complete nonsense.

  • Kilroy #37 5 months ago

    I wonder how big a factor the lack of Wifi-only units is. Where the 3G units should be well stocked, there aren't that many Wifi-units, which are the most popular.
    The sales might have been better if there had been enough on the shelves.

  • UkHardcore23 #38 5 months ago

    No wonder at the price its at, Sony fleeced their customers with the price of the PS3 when first out and they are doing the same with Vita!

  • Feanor #39 5 months ago

    It's priced reasonably in Japan given the tech. Comparing it to the PS3 which cost more than twice as much at launch is ridiculous.

  • Snake_2011 #40 5 months ago

    half a mill seems a good start to me for just Japan the games are more for UK US gamers at the moment still a day one for me.

  • onezeonx #41 5 months ago

    @UkHardcore23 go play your xbox before its totally worthless...

  • TheEarlOfZinger #42 5 months ago

    My launch 40gb ps3 just YLOD 10 mins ago. *large sigh*

    Now I'm in two minds about what to do. Try and fix it I guess.

  • Raptaur #43 5 months ago

    Could just be me, but all this talk about its the 'long term' and '5 years plan'only makes me wonder how well that poor battery will be holding power a year after playing the thing

  • retr0gamer #44 5 months ago

    Still not exactly doing terribly?

  • Obli #45 5 months ago

    I'm getting annoyed by the repetitive doom-and-gloom Vita articles, regarding a new system that hasn't even released in the rest-of-the-world. Give the damn thing a chance and wait for world-wide sales figures! If I were Sony, I'd be annoyed at how damaging these articles could be.

    As soon as a game releases on Vita that is popular with the Japanese, the system will sell better. As it is, it's not doing too bad.
    Edited by Obli at 10/01/12 @ 15:07

  • George-Roper #46 5 months ago

    @kangarootoo

    But didn't Nintendos stock drop rather sharply after the 3DS sales performance was released?

    In that context, they absolutely had to respond to curb any further drops so they were reacting to 'angry shareholders' weren't they?

  • Rufus #47 5 months ago

    Forget about the 3DS comparisons, 500,000 units of ANYTHING in 3 weeks is very impressive.

  • Snake_2011 #48 5 months ago

    Subdominator the PS3 has not been losing money for a long time now.

  • Raptaur #49 5 months ago

    @Obli I don't agree with you're opinion Tom Phillips so you're not allowed to share it with anyone.

  • RandomTerrain #50 5 months ago

    Seems pretty impressive numbers to me considering it's the hand-held that doesn't have Monster Hunter, possibly Japan's biggest hand-held game.

  • Raptaur #51 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 15:16:49 10-01-2012

  • d3v1g0d #52 5 months ago

    I want the slim, light and tight model, and maybe a Vita too :)

  • Raptaur #53 5 months ago

    @Subdominator You've been misinformed. Sony has been making money on the PS3 since the slim in 2010

  • vizzini #54 5 months ago

    More importantly, has anyone heard anything on whether the likes of Sainsburys, shopto and Amazon are altering their pre-order prices to match gamestop.co.uk's seemingly unbelievable prices for Vita Wifi & 3G?

    I'm happy to pay a fraction more to buy from a reseller I trust(in the small event of early adopter teething hardware issues) and to get it on the day, but the difference of £20 and £35 respectively per SKU is enough to make me change my pre-order.

  • Brownstudy #55 5 months ago

    @Snake_2011

    Here, have some punctuation:,.?'!:

  • MikeRox #56 5 months ago

    @Subdominator - "3DS would've taken off as well without the price cut but Nintendo was too scared. In the end it would have been just as successful at 249 with games like Super Mario, Mario Kart and Monster Hunter."

    Nintendo were suffering bad news left right and centre, without their price cut changing their momentum, they might have really struggled even with Super Mario/Mario Kart. Remember 3rd parties were beginning to axe 3DS titles left right and centre with rumours that even the big name stuff wasn't going to be released.

    It still looks like Assassin's Creed and Saints Row etc are all long gone now.

  • Dewin #57 5 months ago

    The 3DS launched in a market with no direct competitor. The Vita launches with a 3DS that has just released 2 Mario games and the japanese obsession, Monster Hunter. i think 500k is VERY impressive considering this fact.

  • dadrester #58 5 months ago

    To all the "in it for the long run", "slow start is a good thing" posters, and I say this as someone who will be getting one as close to launch as I can afford, it is is NOT the case that a slow start is positive. Sony need to get as big a market as soon as possible, for a few reasons. a) They make their money on licensing not hardware (Vita will most likely be making a loss for at lease the first year - build cost regardless, the R&D on it will have been significant) b) for the Vita to be a real success it needs developer support, and a small installed base means risk aversive publishers are less likely to do much with it.

    That said, if it's as straightforward to do cross platform releases as Kojima, Epic and Sony reckon, then I can't see it being left behind as much as the PSP was in its early years.

    There's also the small point of "casual mobile games", which for once isn't a thorn in Vita's side. It's capable of running the same content that enjoys a massive market on iOS/Android, and Sony seem to be intent on creating a pipeline to allow that stuff to be delivered on Vita easily, so I don't see there being a lack of releases.

  • kangarootoo #59 5 months ago

    @George-Roper

    Well again there seems to be this idea that emotions count for anything. Analysts may have lost confidence, and some shareholders may have re-evaluated their portfolios, but who is to say they were angry?

    They were responding to a drop in share price, which was probably in response to lower than predicted sales on launch. The emotional state of the shareholders themselves is incidental.

    I think all this stems from this idea that people in business work on the same knee jerk emotional triggers that internet gamer commentators do (such as fear, but most commonly anger). Its simply not the case.

  • DurzoBlint #60 5 months ago

    What, not a single assertion that this is obviously due to mobile platforms? You're letting me down, here.

  • Snake_2011 #61 5 months ago

    Brownstudy get a life mate.

  • rockin_rob_1 #62 5 months ago

    I could just about justify one of these at £220 and a game, but having for fork out another £40 for a 16GB memory card pushed it over the edge and I cancelled my preorder. Don't get me wrong, I really want one, and will buy one when price drops but Sony need to sort out the prices quick, I just hope they're faster to react than they were with the PS3. Take a leaf out of Nintendos book on this one Sony.

  • SYGUY7 #63 5 months ago

    In two minds weather to get one: on one hand it would be great to play on my night shifts to pass the time and for flights and holidays. On the other hand the expense why would i need the 3G version if i already have an Android phone or iPhone i just use a wifi hotspot/tethering app on those phones and connect the Vita that way. What is with the Sony brand. memory cards it wont be long before Sandisk produce a better cheaper product

  • Lucodeath #64 5 months ago

    @LaFlamaBlanca
    I had trouble connecting aswell, make sure your router is broadcasting on the B aswell as G and N.
    Took me ages to work that out.

  • Jay1983 #65 5 months ago

    @Zerobob
    Vita sold less than 3DS did when it was released at the same price point during a normal week.

    Vita was released in a holiday period when electronics are normally expected to sell more.

    lol @ the negs
    Edited by Jay1983 at 10/01/12 @ 20:25

  • Jay1983 #66 5 months ago

    @Dewin
    3DS had to comperte with PSP that had multiple Final Fantasy games AND Monster Hunter.

  • electrolite #67 5 months ago

    Big fuss over nothing. I'm not interested in one myself, but it'll do fine

  • super_monty #68 5 months ago

    Always was going to be a slow burner but I think it will do well in the end.

  • espibara #69 5 months ago

    Problem is I'm gonna end up using it in the house anyway. So why bother when I can pay on my PS3 and xbox on a 42inch screen?

  • matseffect #70 5 months ago

    Does the market in Japan really say much about a platforms overall success any more? Not nearly as much as it use to I would guess. Hope this generation of handhelds can prove there is still more than enough room for them in the market.

  • kangarootoo #71 4 months ago

    @espibara

    "Problem is I'm gonna end up using it in the house anyway. So why bother when I can pay on my PS3 and xbox on a 42inch screen?"


    Stealth "I've got a big TV and 2 consoles" post.