There’s no point reiterating the fact that the PlayStation Vita has struggled out of the gate, failing to make any real impressions on the sales charts, other than when retailers heavily discounted the system during the holiday season. Again and again consumers and analysts have called for a price cut, citing the fact that the 3DS’ price cut gave it a huge sales boost (with the help of some huge games).
Now, Sony has finally listened… in Japan. The company announced that the Wi-Fi-only model and the 3G enabled model, will both be 19,980 yen (around $215 USD) from February 28th, down from a suggested retail price of 25,000 yen and 30,000 yen. The price drop coincides with Phantasy Star Online 2‘s release date, which should likely give the system an impressive sales boost.
SCEJ also announced ‘The Starter Pack’, a bundle which adds Hot Shots Golf 6 and a 4GB memory card for the same price as the standard unit. The ’32 GB bonus Pack’ will cost 24,980 yen, and brings a 32GB memory card, a cradle stand and a screen protector. Soul Sacrifice‘s already announced hardware bundle will get a price drop to 24,980 and includes a 4GB memory card, limited edition red Vita with character art, Soul Sacrifice cleaning cloth, a pair of red and gray earphones, and soft carrying pouch.
Sony said that the price cut was designed to “make the platform more accessible than ever and will appeal to wider audiences looking to buy the model best suitable for their own game play style”. Currently, the overpriced memory cards will stay overpriced.
The company remained quiet about whether the rest of the world will see a price cut, but with only two days to go until the big PlayStation Meeting in New York, it doesn’t seem to unlikely to expect some price changes at the event. If you’ve been thinking about buying a Vita, it’s probably best to hold off until Wednesday.
