Japanese retailers have been slashing the price of Sony's new PlayStation Vita handheld in an attempt to boost sales that took a dive after its first weekend on sale, according to reports.
Second week sales of the Vita have, however, come in at a measly 72,479, dropping it to fifth place in Media Create's hardware charts for the week, way below 3DS (482,200) and even PSP (101,121).
In its respective second week, the 3DS managed 210,000 sales - a drop, yes, but not as drastic. Yet a decline in sales still lead Nintendo to cut the price of its handheld by almost a third in less than six months after launch. Could Sony be forced to do the same? Apparently, retailers aren't waiting to find out.
According to GamesRadar, sales of the 3G-capable model are particularly poor, prompting many Japanese retailers to enforce their own discounts on the hardware, with as much as 20 percent off Sony's original RRP.
Sony said before the Christmas holidays that retail software sales were "a figure in accordance with expectations", while sales of the PSN digital versions of games were "exceeding expectations". Software figures for the same week (December 19-25) however, only list four Vita titles in the top-50.
There has been much debate over Sony's pricing for Vita and its games, which are almost in line with full home console releases and way higher than that of smartphone offerings - the emergence of which threatens to dominate the handheld gaming market.
The platform holder recently confirmed charges for its device and accompanying peripherals for Europe.
Vita hits US and EU shelves on February 22.
Comments
49 comments so far...
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
OMFG! If some of you people just bothered to think about what you write before you typed it, you wouldn't look like complete fools. To be fair, Kotaku fell into this trap too, but that doesn't mean CVG is going to be let off.
Look, read this:
http://n4g.com/news/909500/new-reports-indicate-sony-shipped-only-500-000-playstation-vita-units/
Sony only shipped 500,000 Vita units anyway! So this means they almost sold every single one of them! In week one, they sold 375,000. In week two they sold 72,479. That's 447,479 units, so how on earth are the Vita sales 'Disappointing'?
This is worse than the Daily Mail, you take the facts - take them entirely out of context and put a negative spin on them.
Lastly, did I need to put this in such a huge font? No, but if you lot are going to act like a bunch of dicks, them so am I.
altitude2k on 3 Jan '12 said:
Yeah, I think it would be most wise not to be an early adopter on this one...
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
No, I think it would be better to check the facts of what you are being told. Not your fault altitude2k, just people that put spin on the news to get a reaction.
DAEDALUS79 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Hopefully this will result in a cheaper UK launch price or at least a quick price drop after the launch. Im willing to spend £250 for this handheld, but I at least want to get some value for money. If I could get the console, a decent sized memory card,and a game or two for around £250 id buy it day 1. My money is ready sony, make me want to give it to you!
flash501 on 3 Jan '12 said:
WHY DO YOU CARE SO MUCH???!!!!!!
AJDarkstar on 3 Jan '12 said:
777, you can't call CVG on it if you can't prove only 500, 000 were shipped. After all, why else would retailers be discounting it if they only had a few left? Hmm... that's the trouble with the media, you can never be sure of who's lying.
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Because some one has to point out the spin people put on the news, and I don't care about the back lash anymore. I'll get called a Sony Fanboy for this rant, but it's ok because next week I'll be called an X-bot when I post more videos about people hacking the Vita. Which if you missed was here:
http://forums.computerandvideogames.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=133562
chunkysatsuma on 3 Jan '12 said:
Your logic fails
Maybe sony only shipped 500,000 as they new they wouldnt sell that much in the first fortnight?
Also by your logic if Sony had shipped one unit and it had sold the vita would be a rip roaring success?
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Well I did post a link about the 500,000 shipped units, but I guess if you want more sources, then here you go:
The Actual Japanese Trade website "Nikkei.com" with the actual shipping report (In Japanese so use a translator site/Chrome): http://www.nikkei.com/tech/personal/article/g=96958A90889DE1E5E6E1E7E2EAE2E0E2E3E0E0E2E3E3E2E2E2E2E2E2;dg=1;p=9694E3EAE3E0E0E2E2EBE0E4E2E7
Andriasang.com translatered that report and posted it here: http://andriasang.com/comzfo/vita_shipment/
VGC24/7 reposted the same news: http://www.vg247.com/2011/12/21/report-sony-shipped-500000-vitas-for-japanese-launch/
Eurogamer had the same news here: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-12-20-playstation-vita-japan-launch-sales-revealed
As did gamespot: http://uk.gamespot.com/forums/topic/28978174/playstation-vita-shipped-500000----nikkei
So I think I've got my base pretty covered.
http://weitheblur.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/jackie-chan-meme.png
What?! You have the internet, look at previous Japanese launch figures first.....
Here are some:
3DS - 371,326
PSP - 166,074
chunkysatsuma on 3 Jan '12 said:
.
MD1500 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Sorry, but if you visit the Japanese version of Amazon via Google Translate, it lists the Vita as "In Stock".
http://bit.ly/w0wt9p
As there's no "Hurry! Limited Stock!" notices on that page, it suggests there's plenty of them available.
condemmedman on 3 Jan '12 said:
Wow someone needs their dummy
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Yes, because the Japanese version of Amazon via Google Translate is so much better than actual NDP trade figures.
Richyrich316 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Maybe they did ship only 500K units in week 1 but they have probably shipped more since then & if so they are obviously not selling well hence the discounting to push units into the hands of gamers
chunkysatsuma on 3 Jan '12 said:
So its first week sales were less then the 3ds first week sales
Its second week sales are much less then the 3ds second week sales
How is this a success?
chunkysatsuma on 3 Jan '12 said:
In its first 2 weeks it has sold 50% less then the 3ds did in its first 2 weeks
Mmmmgrolsch on 3 Jan '12 said:
If they had really sold all but 70,000 odd thousand units then surely retailers wouldn't reduce price to shift them as there is a lack of supply?
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
*Bangs head against wall*
Because there was no stock to sell!
Sentinator on 3 Jan '12 said:
I was aware Sony refused to comment on their sales. I would have thought it would have gotten off to a strong start. Still its early days.
Mmmmgrolsch on 3 Jan '12 said:
I have exactly £250 saved up ready for it as well. I want a 16GB memory card and one game with the unit so I'll have to wait till the inevitable price drop very shortly after launch when it flops.
It won't flop overall, just at launch imo like the 3DS.
chunkysatsuma on 3 Jan '12 said:
Not a single Japanese supplier has reported running out of stock.
Plus Sony shipped 500,000 in week one, would have shipped another 500,000 in week 2 (following the pattern Nintendo did with the 3DS)
I think your desperate attempts to defend low sales figures is odd.
Either it didnt sell well or Sony were moronic and didnt supply shops with enough units and then somehow managed to persuade the shops not to report this.
Price cuts are not introduced to products that are selling out
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
There we go! I knew someone would get it!
Of all the stories of this 'Disappointing Vita sales' not one of them says which shop has cut the price. Is this a story made up by flame bait media?
Yes it is!
Because you have all the numbers right there.
Shipped units - 500,000
Sold units - 447,479
this is what amazes me with people today. They will believe anything they read, despite having all the fact laid out in front of them. I don't think i could provide any more source's to back up what I'm saying.
MD1500 on 3 Jan '12 said:
If the console is so hard to find, why does that Amazon.co.jp page say that if you order today, they'll deliver the Vita on Wednesday 4th January?! (Tomorrow!)
http://bit.ly/w0wt9p
Conclusion: It isn't hard to find at all.
TheLastDodo on 3 Jan '12 said:
In week one, the Vita sold 375,000/500,000.
(For those not good at maths, thats 3/4's of the entire stock of Vita's sold in a week)
In week two, there was 1/4 of Vita's entire stock left (125,000) and it only sold 72,479.
Now figures can be twisted, and who knows maybe stores hiked Vita prices up in the second week knowing they couldn't restock, leading to people not willing to spend extra money on a Vita, but thats just a theory, not fact, other factors could play into it also.
The figures you provided say that the Vita sales dropped dramatically, IF it had sold the remaining 125,000 in the second week it would still have seen a 66% drop in sales, a 66% drop in sales was the best case scenario following the first week sales and Sony's strategy of only supplying 500,000 Vita's.
Unless my above theory is correct and people were put off by suddenly increased prices due to lack of stock, going by these numbers, the demand for the Vita has fallen dramatically, hence the price cuts.
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Why would they have done what Nintendo did? They didn't sell anything close to what Nintendo ever did with PSP vs the DS, so why would they ship the same amount of them?
It's sold almost three times as much as the PSP, it was an unexpected success! This is what I mean, some how the media have managed to change a story of the Vita selling well into a disappointing sales story. And people believe it!
That's what gets on my nerve, I don't care if it MS, Sony or who ever. I'm sick of the lies, the flame bait. But f**k me, I've just made it worse.
The comments have poured in, I call foul - people don't understand that media sites spin stories to make you read them and comment wildly on how I must be wrong, even with solid facts on why I'm not.
This is it isn't it? Media spin in search of website hits to gain money from adverts. Who cares if the story is misleading/down right wrong? people will come, comment and we'll get paid all the same no matter what we print.
http://d37nnnqwv9amwr.cloudfront.net/photos/images/original/000/126/314/3cd8a33a.png?1306264975
voodoo341 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Jesus dude take your medication!
sevvybgoode on 3 Jan '12 said:
Sony would have shipped more than the initial batch of 500k units to stores by now. The figures of 72k sold are for week commencing 19/12/11 so with wc 26/12/11 now finished by your reckoning the final 101k units are all the stock that remains.
The simple fact is psvita is not selling as expected for a single week in japan after a decent weeks sales at launch. When we get the figures for last week they may have picked up but we will find out in due course when they are announced.
Please don't use pre launch stories about sonys preparation for the vita launch as total stock counts as they are bound to be wide of the mark. If Sony have only shipped their initial batch of units to the stores and not followed up with extra shipments I'll eat my e-hat!
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
I would read my comments again, I'm pretty sure you have the wrong numbers from somewhere.
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
At the very least, I do add an air of entertainment to the forum!
If I didn't lose my rag on a bi-daily basis, it would be a lot more boring here!
MD1500 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Calm down, everyone.
me4pd on 3 Jan '12 said:
You should read them all again yourself, mate. You're inviting more questions than you answer. Just leave it.
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Thanks for the link, no one said that Japan had ran out, 40,000+ units (maybe 2000 units are in Amazons stock, but that's a guess) doesn't mean sold out.
But I don't see this 'Price slash', do you?
sevvybgoode on 3 Jan '12 said:
Good point, my figures are a tad wrong as during the initial 2 days vita sold 325k with wc 19/12/11 bringing a further 72k units sold. That makes a grand total barring wc 26/12/11 of 397k units sold.
If Sony have only shipped their initial 500k units with no further shipments it would leave 103k units give or take a k here or there available for sale during the last week. If Sony have sold more than that figure when the sales numbers are announced for wc 26/12/11 then it shows that further shipments to stores have been made no?
Personally I can't imagine that they haven't released at least another 250k units since launch week to bring the possible units available at well over the 750k mark by now. Sony would have released these shipped figures though if vita had sold out which it is quite easy to presume it hasn't with those poor sales for wc 19/12/11.
Edited due to iPads spellcheck!
Sentinator on 3 Jan '12 said:
Come on guys its still way too early to say if its selling or not. The fact is clicking the link you can't see the source saying the price is being dropped. How old is it about 2 weeks? I doubt there are price cuts that early.
Agent75 on 3 Jan '12 said:
Live in the real world, the Vita will drop in price. Trust me. Wait just like with the 3DS. Simple.
only_777 on 3 Jan '12 said:
You get one point for using the figures in the story and not the figures I posted. To sorta prove a point that people will follow stuff that they read without question.
Look at my first post, I swapped the 3DS and Vita first week sales figures around to see if anyone picked up on it. They did not, many people quoted my figures even though the story was different to what I posted! It's was only about 50k, is it doesn't really affect the main point.
I'll take that point away because the rest of your post is guess work with no actual facts. Your guessing that Sony shipped even more units than everyone has said. You can't say that something is a success or not on what you just made up! You are adding 250k to the amount shipped with no proof!
Shipped figures can found found in the figures from the links here:
http://forums.computerandvideogames.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=133595#p2050967
----------
So just before anyone goes nuts, Sony sold 80% of the Shipped Vita's. How can this be called a disappointment? Who is slashing prices? It sure as hell is not Amazon Japan! Don't believe what you read, people put spin on stuff to get hit and make flame bait.
Hell, I changed the figures in the OP and no one noticed! (I'm telling the truth now though!).
cult on 3 Jan '12 said:
We need more than 2wks sales to slag the vita off.
The fact the psp outsold it is more worrysome for Sony.
Week on week psp figures were up 45,000 from an average of 50-60,000 weekly.
101,000 customers said a big NO to vita.
Fr33Kye on 3 Jan '12 said:
Rawwwwrrr vita's sales are disappointing. Wouldn't expect a pricedrop anytime soon, they dont have the same room nintendo did for it. Sony will likely just double down on marketing rather than cutting the price. I actually doubt price is it's problem. It's problem is likely marketing(like always) and the strength of the 3ds. Sony lack the brand names that rule japan.
Nod Nolan on 3 Jan '12 said:
I think we can spot the people in this thread who love Minidisc's and UMD's.
Anyway.... Sony have priced the Vita a in range that will only suit people with more money than sense. In the current worldwide economic climate, that's not many people.
Without a quick pricing overhaul, one that's probably needed before the remainder of the Worldwide launch, Vita will very quickly join the Sony Failure museum.
sevvybgoode on 3 Jan '12 said:
I googles my figures from quite a few sites with the magic box being my true port of call for all new japanese ( as it has been for nearly 10 years).
According to some reports the actual sales figures so far up to wc 26/12/11 are 397,338 which is comprised of Initial sales of 324,859 followed by week 2 sales of 72,479. These figures are pretty close to those bandied around by most sites including kotaku etc.
I stated in my post that my belief that Sony would have released more stock was a guess based around typical supply techniques. And as I also posted if Sony have sold more than 103k units last week than it is proof that more stock was released to Japanese retail. However with their poor 2nd week sales I may not be proved correct regardless...
Anyway I'm off to watch Scott pilgrim, enjoy yourself...
JBoo on 3 Jan '12 said:
Why oh why SONY never tried to get a Monster Hunter game come out on day 1 of PSVita coming out in Japan i will never know :-/ But saying that a price cut should boost sales(it did for the 3DS)
KippDynamite on 3 Jan '12 said:
I agree with pretty much everything 777 has said. The constant, baseless slagging off of the Vita - clearly just to get site hits - has really made me wonder why I even bother coming to this site anymore. Perhaps this will be my last day here.
El Mag on 3 Jan '12 said:
Well I still want one.
And a Vita as well.
Troo Gamer on 3 Jan '12 said:
People forgetting the main thing. Sony launched on same week as Monster Hunter came out in Japan for 3DS. Plus on the back of Mario and Mario Kart.
Also its the 3g model in Japan only that is reduced which is locked to one network unlike Asian model with is network free and hard to find. Those are facts not spin.
Lastly Sony shipped around 500k and sold 80% of stock, not company restocks over Xmas period you basically deliver what you think will sell and if it sells out you wait until new year.
Wifi model is hard to come by and just because amazon have them that means nothing as maybe the stores are doing bundles as you can get a value pack with a game and memory card in shops. First it was spinning the software sales when the games ar cheaper on PSN which is not tracked now this.
Just like 3DS you cannot judge until at at least 6 months. Sony need to increase Value of machime by doing he bundle the have in US. Sell alot more if over here you have a game plaus console and game for say £250. You get hardcore fans first then go after mainstream.
In US they will spam TV as it launches near SupeBowl.
I have my Vita and love it, great bit of kit
@ Nod Nolan - failure museum? People say PS fail but still sold 70m units, It failed software wise and thats clearly Sony's focus. If people want to wait that fine but does not mean they have more money than sense as these same people queue up for the next minor revision of a Apple product quite happily.
TheLastDodo on 3 Jan '12 said:
Week one = 375,000
Week two = 72,479
Honestly, if people can't see why the second weeks sales are considered disappointing, regardless of how many were shipped, then you need to go back to school.
EDIT: For the record, I'm comparing week one sales to week two sales, PSP/3DS sales are irrelevant.
jeffery6803 on 4 Jan '12 said:
Fanboys are harmless ,but you strike me as a a shill for sony
Megatrons_Fury on 4 Jan '12 said:
Happy talking talking happy talk.....
Talk about things you'd like to do....
Wow, bet CVG are well happy they started back at work today, all the little bees buzzing around again and today we are even getting told we hate things when we give praise, i've seen some basic math lessons and learned about subtraction and today i have learned the japanese for IN STOCK..... Christmas just keeps on giving eh?
So many angry people on here today, you can so tell exactly who on here has pre-ordered a VITA, who will never want one and those like me who will get one, just not day one..... I have to say though i loved the comment from _777 though when he mentioned banging his head against a wall, i laughed so hard i nearly cried, i feel your pain dude, the internet gave us so many awesome things, it also gave everyone the option to speak...... Was the payoff worth it???
Everyone however is missing the real point............. Ummm where the hell is WRECKED???
Keep on trucking people and remember.
With over 100 reasons to be mega and only 6 to feel super the choice is obvious
(if you don't know what im talking about you deserve a punch in the throat)
TheLastDodo on 4 Jan '12 said:
You buy a Vita and you'll be moaning about it within an hour like everything else you buy these days.
Save yourself the hassle and buy Disgaea 4 again
Izo on 4 Jan '12 said:
Okay I think we've seen enough from this article.