I would also play at people's nostalgia. The Playstation brand has been around for almost 20 years. I'd make an ad that showed the evolution of Playstation from the PS1 days to the Vita games. I'd bombard the gamers with all of the great memories that the Playstation consoles have given them over the years and it would end with an announcer saying, "You loved us then. You love us now. Thanks for playing."

I'm curious as to what the ideal pricepoint would be. $200 would be significantly better and would boost sales to some extent, but that's still not a mainstream price for a handheld. $150 or less is the sweet spot, but it will take a lot of time for Sony to reach that without sacrificing profitability.

1) Price cut, especially on memory cards
2) Put some more emphasis on non-gaming features like watching movies, listening to music, internet access, and communication.
3) Get a big seller, that's the toughest one. You can try as hard as you might, but getting a big seller for Sony handhelds in any place other than Japan has become quite the obstacle. The bigger the seller, the more devs will come to your platform to try and cash in.
4) Cross compatibility focus. Major MP games should be able to work from Vita to PS3, make it possible/known that you can play these Vita games on a TV if it's connected to a PS3, and make sure that the interface experience is about the same on both console and handhelds. Make it seamless.
5) Big but affordable bundles. If that means a bunch of PS1 games on the hard drive and/or a couple of Vita retail games included, then it's worth it. You gotta reel in people however you can. Even offer some credit for buying stuff off of PSN on any platform, about $10-$20.

Games Sony should try and get on the Vita:
- Quake Live Arcade or Unreal Tournament
- Trials
- Minecraft
- a ultimate lego games collection on the Vita, for at least Lego Star Wars
- more ps1 games
- Not sure if possible, but how about a port of a Elder Scrolls game? Particularly Morrowind.

Big assed price cut would do the trick.

  Show it to your friends, co-workers, family and classmates.  Show Little Deviants and ModNation Racers to impress upon them what the back touch can do.  Allow your younger friends and family members to actually try the system if you own it.  If you want this to sell you will have to evangelize the product.  You can't just sit back and hope it sells.  Word of mouth is what sold Tetris and to some extent Angry Birds.  Even if they've never owned a PSP show them some of the better games from that system on your Vita to show there's a variety  of games available.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Aim for a variety of people even if they're not into handheld systems.  You would be suprised how many people will buy something just because they respect your opinion.  Use sites that inform of upcoming bargins to help yourself and others to get good deals on games and accessories.  Invite others to play games with you based on what appeals to them.  Maybe Zen Pinball for Dad and Unit 13 for your co-worker friend.   When some complain and compare it to an iphone gently remind them of the told cost of ownership for both products.  The iphone's cheapest 2 year plan is just under $1800 not counting the phone (your mileage may vary in many locations).  Your goal is not to anger your friends or strangers, but to encourage them to try the Vita out.  If they like it they could tell many other people about it and increase the userbase.                                                                                                                                                             The biggest hurdle is the precedent set by Nintendo with their price drop last year.  Many who are in the know will tell their friends and acquaintances to just wait for Sony to drop the price like Nintendo.  This I believe is the reason for Japanese sales being so low, as price has never really been an issue for many tech fans there.  There are in my opinion already many fun games for the system, but each of us must push it if we want it to thrive.   My comments could be applied to anything you enjoy in life, so it really is up to each of us if you want the Vita or your system of choice to succeed.   One last thought, don't do this for the sole purpose of defeating other people or companies.  Do it because Sony actually made the system you wanted and also that you really do enjoy it.  Don't force yourself or others to enjoy something that you have no passion for.                                       

But the PSP proved it's a winner takes all scenario. The PSP got beat by the DS, but still was a great success.

Word of Mouth

At EBGames here in Canada for the next two weeks you get a free game (Gravity Rush, Unit 13, Resistance or Hot Shots Golf) and the starter kit (that includes a 4gb card). In Canada that's an $80 price cut.

I wonder how much this will boost sale...

Ideally $149 but at least they should try the $179 that worked for the 3DS. These are desperate times, they need to turn around this momentum quickly.

I think these suggestions in the thread about cheaper memory cards, cheaper games, smoother services etc are fruitless. It's the introduction price that matters (there's a better term for it that I forgot.. no wait, entry price is the word).

If the entry price matters for a relatively high income guy like me, it has to matter for the mass market too. I decided to buy a 3DS because it was 150 Euros. I would not have bought it if it was more than 200 Euros, I just felt that so strongly inside me. It was a handheld after all.

Memory cards etc are actually I think a good way to get back that money Sony would lose upfront from the handheld itself. Once you have lured in the customers you can take back profits from them because they no longer have the choice (compare with the nice margins for home console periferals).

So my solution is easy: follow Nintendo and drop the Vita to $179 in late Summer.

1. Games. It needs a steady release of recognizable franchises.(built to make use of Vita's strengths)
2. Redesign. This thing needs to fit in my pocket.
3. Aim for the 3DS crowd. Kids. It's the obvious that the current strategy(aiming for PS3 owners) isn't working.
4. Launch Playstation Mobile. This will be a huge selling point for the Vita over the 3DS.