| JayWood2010 said: What I'm saying is relevant and I'm not even going to make comparisons, but if you think selling less than 3 million with almost a year on the market is a good thing? Mistake 1: High Price point. Mistake 2: Console games will stay on home consoles. 3: Memory Cards. |
I'm not saying the Vita isn't having problems or that it has been selling well. I anticipated at least 8 millions sales by 2013 and it is well below that. The mistakes of the Vita are not the same as mistakes of the past. The environment is different. My list of mistakes is different than yours:
Mistake 1: Launch timing. This has more to do with their decisions after unpredictable market circumstances. The flooding, tsunami, and nuclear disaster put a huge strain on Japan and important manufacturing efforts for Sony. Their world wide December launch was now impossible but instead of refocusing they opted to stagger the launch by launching in Japan first, the country where their launch line up was the weakest, leaving them wide open to public backlash as sales plumetted in that region. While in February system fans provided a strong opening week world wide, the system entered straight into the down season and hit a second wave of low sales publicty. The way we communicate has dramatically changed over the last decade. The internet is the main medium, especially among the dominant age group of gamers. Rumor, negative recommendation, perception, are all far more effective than in any period of human history. It can make or break, mostly break, and Vita took a hit during this vital time.
Mistake 2: Still launching after 3DS repricing. Given they had very good reason to delay their launch already, continuing further after their direct competitor slashed their price far below the Vita's and witnessed a huge sales boost, it is a wonder why the continued to push their original launch window. The dedicated handheld market has two major players and it is not good to be the one $70 more than the other. To the average consumer, say someone purchasing a gift, the decision is heavily geared towards the lower price point. Especially true if the consumer knows very little of the system they are purchasing, namely the difficult concept of future potential. By delaying their launch they could have broke into the market after the 3DS upswing and as sales fell off. That mixed with the strength of a world wide release would have helped prevent the sales slump it created for itself.
Mistake 3: Future potential. There is just way too much of it. At launch the system only had so much going for it. A variety of features at launch would have helped the system, like PSone support and PS Mobile. These things would be more identifiable with the Vita had they been there in the first discussions of the system and helped pushed along its ability like a large collection of classics and a iOS/Android market store with apps and games. An instant talking point. Now, it is after the fact and will take recouping loss public perception. A missed opportunity.
As for addressing your idea of mistakes:
1. High price. no one is going to argue game consoles aren't expensive, Vita is no exception, but had the price not been undercut by the 3DS months before its perceived expense wouldn't be such a disparancy. A high price wouldn't be seen as a negative if the sales of the system were higher and while price is undoubtably part of the consumer decision process it is flexable and influenced heavily by perceived value and alternative option.
2. Games are games. Whether we are talking about bite sized ones to long epics the deciding factor is the consumer not the hardware. There is nothing about games that must be played on a large screen while sitting on a couch or a small screen in your hands sitting anywhere. A handheld system can be played at home and any game can be paused immediately, whether to stop gaming or to multi tasks with apps. Games "fit" for handhelds are on home consoles, games fit for "home consoles" are on handhelds. Home console franchises are among the biggest sellers on handheld systems and mobile games like Angry Birds sell pretty damn well on home consoles. The ability for a handheld to do what a home console can is a great thing. Not being able to do those things in the bad thing. Vita provides great ability, not just in graphics, or in engines, or in AI, but also in online functionality. Online multiplayer has distinquished this generation and the Vita can provide that seminal function. That is good. Plenty of home console franchises have already made it on Vita, Uncharted, Call of Duty, Assassins Creed. They did it last gen too, except this time the tech is better able to cater to the demands these games bring. A more accurate statement than yours would be "console games will move to handhelds and this time be better".
3. Memory cards. No doubt the cards are expensive. A cheaper SD option would have been nicer on the pockets, but Sony was worried about preventing piracy and increasing profit margins. Not all of it is profit gouging though, the new cards mean higher production costs. Anyway, having memory cards as compared to internal storage provides the consumer with more options and an ability to upgrade easily. People who don't buy the system complain about memory cards. This entire year it would be hard not to find a Vita with a memory card bundled in. From launch till now there has always been available bundles, the best being now since they contain games. Despite the small size of a 4gb it is entirely capable of handling the physical gamers needs and PSN allows you to redownload anything you purchase. A memory card is an afterthought to the initial purchase. If it prevents anyone from buying a Vita, they never planned on buying it in the first place. Either you get one in a bundle or you want a bigger card and therefore you want a Vita. So I find the memory card arguement not to hodl much weight to why the system isn't selling.
Before the PS3 everyone was nice to me :(
