nuuuuu nevah D:

How anyone could use a a)firesale b)offered only at local stores c)for a limited time/stock d)before the release of another model, as an indication of a console's success is beyond me. Is it doing terribly in America? Absolutely. Does your comment make any sense? I don't see how.

Also, it  would have made sense to say that it's an accessory for the ps4 if it was bundled a lot (which is not) or was doing better after the release of the ps4 (which is not). If you wanna attack Sony or psvita at least use some facts, e.g. terrible hardware and sofware sales in the west.

Do you really, honestly not know what a dead platform is?

That was very YMMV as I tried multiple Best Buys in the area and still $199.  Much like the $99 Wii U at certain Sam's was recently.

On the Vita my guess is best case can be a niche platform and ride PS4 success a bit. It really feels like Sony's last go in that sphere of gaming.

I am not attacking Sony here, but when a console / handheld drops from $249 to $99 in less than 2 years, it speaks volumes.
Do you think there will be deals for the PS4 in 2016 that come close to this? It needs to hit $149 by then to match these price cuts. I doubt even one single retailer would do this.

The new Vita slim may help a bit, being cheaper and all, they just need to lower the price of the memory card and make the size bigger.

I agree with you that that won't happen for the ps4 in 2016 (not even $149 as you said). The point is that $99 is not it's official price at the moment. It's like using the wiiu's firesale that happened in one store in Europe as it's current price. Currently the psvita doesn't cost $99. Simple as that.

Edit: I remember quite a few huge ps3 firesales before the release of a new model/sku. 

Yes, it turned the Japanes corner and ended up in America, where it got mugged and beaten... Sorry, couldn't resist.

More OT: The Vita is having serious problems in the West, managing a slight hold in the handheld crazed Japanese market doesn't really help much globally, especially with software, since there's quite a difference in what kind of games we play, developers are currently in a spin cycle and don't know which direction to take and which market to aim for; the Japanese segment may well collapse entirely this year due to smartphones and tablets and the Vita is competing more directly with these than the 3DS and there is little to no sense in launching games for the American market which seems to uninterested overall and the European market is fragmented and volatile as well.

I guess what I'm trying to say is; no, it has not turned a corner, it has found another pocket of air in the deep sea.

It depends on where in the world you're talking about.

In the USA, the Vita is simply failing. It is being outsold by the 3DS by about 9 to 1, and is selling worse than every other console VGChartz is tracking other than the PSP. Considering how I think the PSP might never receive a retail game again in the USA, that's a small victory. And not a single Vita game is in the Top 75: Wii Sports is selling better than any Vita game in the USA.

In Europe, the Vita is doing better, but is far from ideal. It is outselling Nintendo consoles, sure, but is about on par with the ancient PSP. Tearaway charting in the 60's is the best-selling Vita game in the region, but it alone is not a sign of software success.

Japan is where half of the world's Vitas are being sold at the moment, and the handheld actually is doing decently there. Final Fantasy X HD boosted sales a fair amount, and will probably ensure future Square Enix support for the system. Still, in the top 75, only 4 games were Vita games, and three of these were not exclusive.

The big question about the Vita "turning around" though is "with what games?" And in the near future, I can't see much happening outside of Japan. Sure, Final Fantasy X HD will be a "hit," but considering how Metal Gear Solid HD sold meh under similar conditions, why would FFXHD be a turning point? Europe is about as bad. Japan will receive more notable games, but nothing huge.

As much as I am reluctant to do this, I have to compare the Vita to the 3DS. In America, the 3DS is soon set to get Bravely Default, Professor Layton, and Yoshi's Island titles as exclusives in the next two months alone. In Europe, the 3DS is getting Inazuma Eleven, Yoshi's Island, and Layton vs. Ace Attorney in the same timeframe. In Japan, the 3DS is getting Dragon Quest, Mario Party, and New Love Plus. And yet, 3DS owners are complaining of a drought.

So, in short, the Vita is not turning around. It might be getting better, but "turning around" suggests future success.

If you call being outsold 3 to 1 by it's main competitor, and 10-1 in the US turning the corner...