The PS Vita’s price reduction in Japan is having a big affect on sales of the console. Speaking during a presentation in Japan, Hiroshi Kawano, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, stated that Playstation Vita sales had increased almost four times compared with unit sales two weeks ago. The PS Vita recently sold 40,000 units based on recent Media Create figures, compared to just 11,000 units a few weeks ago.
Not a lot of new content is available on the PS Vita PlayStation Store this week in Europe. You’ve be able to find a playable demo of Knytt Underground, and some new DLC for various titles, including a second batch of DLC for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
New PS Vita game and playable demos are available to download this week on the North America PlayStation Store. Plants Vs. Zombies has been added to the Instant Game Collection for PlayStation Plus subscribers, and a number of discounts are available as part of the PS Vita’s first anniversary sale. You can also find new DLC, including a second batch of content for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
The PS Vita is now officially a year old in North America and Europe, and a lot has changed over the past 12 months. The PS Vita is a powerful portable console but has had trouble gaining market share in the competitive mobile gaming space. The console is expensive for a start, but hopefully the console will get a price cut in North America and Europe, like it received in Japan recently.
PS Vita owners with a PlayStation Plus subscription in Europe will be getting two new games as part of the Instant Game Collection in March. Wipeout 2048 and Lumines Electronic Symphony will be leaving the Instant Game Collection, but will be replaced by the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Puddle.
The PS4 was announced late last night at the PlayStation Meeting in New York. Though the console wasn’t actually revealed, the specs, features and line-up of games were all revealed. Sony will be doing things right with the PS4 this time, and it will be more integrated with the PS Vita than the PS3 has been. One of the key features is Remote Play of PS4 titles on the portable console.
Yesterday, Sony Japan reduced the price of the PS Vita in Japan, while also introducing a new colour. But it doesn’t look like the price cut will take affect in the West. Sony Europe told VideoGamer that the new PS Vita pricing “is for the SCE Japan region only” and it has “nothing to announce at this time regarding pricing within [Europe]”. The price in Japan was dropped to approximately £140.
Having already covered the PSOne, PS2 and PS3, Sony’s latest PlayStation Evolution video focuses on Portable Gaming, taking a look at the PSP and the PS Vita. The sub-2-minute video looks at how Sony bought console quality games to a portable console. With Sony’s PlayStation Meeting just a day away now, we’re eagerly awaiting to see what surprises Sony have in store for the fans.
In a Japanese PS Vita Showcase this morning, Sony Japan announced a considerable price cut for the PS Vita, reducing the console to ¥19,980 (approximately £140) effective next week. In addition, a new color, Ice Silver, was also revealed and will be released on February 28th 2013. Both the Wi-fi and 3G versions are now the game price in Japan, but it’s unclear if the price will also be reduced in the West.
The PlayStation Store update for Europe this week adds new games, including Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken and the Special Edition of When Vikings Attack. You can also find the first set of DLC for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, which includes two free additional characters for a limited time.
