the missing link is that answering a survey with "plan to buy" doesn't equate to actually paying $250 at launch.   I "plan to buy" but i'm going to hold out a couple a months just to make sure the thing doesn't flop in which can my "plan to buy" becomes a "do not buy".

.. so i'll just make a guess: 63% of those who "plan to buy" in the first 18 months will not buy in the first 18 months...

Actually even those that say they are buying, if I remember correctly nearly only half actually do it, based on some presentation in my school. Assuming a correct consumer survey was collected, and not a biased sample one. The people say likely to buy, get reduced further. 

Not to mention that 63% of the people who owned a PS3 on the survey said they were planning on buying one or pre-ordered one. We don't know how big the survey was, or if it was worldwide or in just one region. The article and topic title suggests that the 63% includes ALL PS3 owners, which I would think it clearly doesn't.

maybe it will have something like the rrod without warranty? this would sell many more haha.

hey op, can you add a poll for ps3 owners? like "will you buy a vita within 18 months" or so.

I am trying to find the original research Sony had for Move. I remember posting it years ago before Move launched which stated a very high percentage of PS3 owners were expected to buy Move. They had done survey's of PS3 owners and Wii owners and had also included pre-order numbers. Yet when the device actually launched it failed on a massive scale to deliver the sales Sony predicted.

Now lets look at what Sony directly says in this according to your OP! If Sony isn't stretching the truth and around 63% of PS3 owners have pre-ordered the Vita or plan to purchase it within 18-months. Then we will have the largest launch of any games console in history , pre-orders are generally picked up launch day or within the launch week or two. Using my rough Math skills I find that launch year sales if these pre-order numbers are true would exceed 31-million units making it the single largest console launch in history. Then if you consider the extra PSP owners they include you have a massive unprecedented launch something that has never been seen before.

Will Vita be the fastest selling game platform in history? No it won't these numbers are inconclusive and won't lead to anywhere near the results Sony is predicting. I wouldn't be surprised if PS Vita could break a couple million launch month then slow dramatically for the months prior rounding up the year with at the very best which would take a miracle around 10-million hardware units! The fastest selling game console in history was the Nintendo Wii with only 10.6 million units! For Vita to beat that would take a miracle to come close to it would be a miracle.

So no Sony is full of shit, this is yet another baseless publicity stunt meant to drum up hype and support for Vita. These findings will not result in sales. Also even Sony knows this is completely shit, if they really expected to sell 31-million units in 18-months they would be manufacturing shit loads more then they are. Sony's supply lines aren't even capable of producing 31-million units at their current capacity within 18-month at least I highly doubt they could!