Sony seems to be going bundle crazy lately...so could someone please explain the value Sony gets with bundles?

For example, Sony is offering $99 worth of pack-ins along with the $299 3g WIfi PS Vita (PS+ Bundle)....but instead of offering a bundle with $99 worth of pack-ins along with the regular price $299 3G Wifi PS Vita, why not just offer the 3G Wifi PS Vita for $199 without the pack-ins? 

im not sure, but i think because they get more revenue this way it helps make better profit? im not really sure

They steal you more with games than with hardware. Thats why. :)

Once a game breaks even, they get the full price you payed for - the cost for the disc and box. If its a 60 dollar/euro game, they must make at least 55 euro profit.
Thats why you think they are getting the same, but in fact they are just giving up software profits (wich they cant make sure youd buy anyways) for hardware losses. They lose nothing, you pay the same and think you are getting the same value, when in fact you arent.

Its silly all around if you ask me. I'd rather the price cut on the console. That would garantee one more customer for multiple game sales.

Instead of losing money on a discount, they pack in a game that has already paid for itself and increase the value of the box. People are more likely to buy something if it appears to have more value.

The system costs them a huge amount of money to produce, but the extra stuff they are bundling probably is old stock that is costing them money in storage rather than making them money at retail. Pack it, clear it out, trick some people into paying full price for their system, profit achieved.

Simple.

Choice 1 - Take $100 off the console price.
This means that Sony loses 1:1 the exact $100 dollars per console and there is no perceived increase of value to the consumer, in fact its a direct loss of value as the price goes down.

Choice 2 - Add in $100 worth of software to make a bundle.
The software all has different true costs. In reality they are only losing say $40 or $50 as they only lose the "cost" part of the bundle and still have a potential margin of profit when its all bundled together. On top of that, the "value" of the console is increased greatly due to the added software.

In the end the company will have a lower risk and increases its value perception among its potential consumers. Bundles are a great opportunity for a company. Especially if its a digital bundle like Nintendo is doing with the 3DS. Then the cost of the software is FAR less and the company definitely still retains a margin of profitability while increasing the perceived value.

They should only cut the price when the consumers are one price point are considered to be gone. Then you lower price to attract an entirely new set of consumers and / or do it temporarily through sales to gain market share.

But in this case...the pack-ins are all software except for the 4 GB memory card. Which is likely not a retail 4GB memory card, but a specially packed card for this bundle. I say this from experince...the Assassins Creed PS VIta bundle memory card was not a retail memory card (it had its own packaging in just clear plastic).

To illustrate further.

Let's pretend the $250 PS3 has a $80 margin of profit. If you take $100 off the price, then Sony is losing $20 per console. Sure they'll gain sales, but they are doing so at a loss as well as lowering the perceived value to consumers.

Then let's consider that they instead add in two free $60 games. Those games have a real cost. That cost should be no more than $20 each. So now, they've increased the cost of the new bundle from (250-80) $170, to $210. They are still selling it for $250. With the two games the new margin is still a profit of $40 vs a loss of $20. Additionally, they have increased the perceived value of the console to consumers as well as increased sales.

Because does not know the correct path to printing money as Nintendo does.

But Choice 2 is limiting, inst it? Since only a subset of the consumers that actually want a PS VIta want those specific pack-ins. I guess that is why Sony is offereing so many different bundles...an effort to try to cover everyone?

The software costs Sony nothing and even if the 4GB memory card isn't a retail version it still costs Sony nothing. Sony over prices their memorys ticks at retail. The actual cost of a 4GB memory card is a few bucks. Sony probably has a warehouse full of them because nobody wants a measely 4GB when they can get a 64GB SD card for $40-$50.

Don't assume the cost to Sony for bundled items is the same as the cost at retail. They have overstock of stuff that is worthless to them and costing them money to store. Stores don't want the stuff so they pack it in to convince people to buy other stuff. It kills two birds with one stone. Get rid of old stock and help sell new stuff.