While most of the mystery surrounding the PlayStation Vita including release window and pricing categories has been lifted, there is still one nagging issue: games pricing. As perhaps the most controversial issue for game publishers, a lot is riding on what pricing scheme Sony employs with their new handheld.
Some are thinking that the Vita will follow the suit of the Nintendo 3DS, going for the traditional handheld pricing, while others are thinking that since this is, essentially, a next-gen console that the pricing should follow suit. Though we still don’t know exactly what prices gamers are looking at for Vita games, the Japanese pricing of games might give us a better idea.
Since the Vita in Japan already has a hard release date, gamers have already began browsing the pricing for many of the most anticipated titles for Vita, or at least those that Americans are eagerly anticipating getting their hands on. A title like Hot Shots Golf 6 for example will retail for ¥4,980 ($65) with a digital download option being provided for ¥3,900 ($51). To help spur on sales many retailers and publishers are also offering select Vita titles at a discount, offering them for around ¥3,980 ($52).
So essentially, applying a little bit of estimation and currency conversion, it can be assumed that the more popular Vita titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, will most likely set gamers back the traditional next gen price of $60 for the physical media version and $50 for the digital download. Less popular games, or discount titles, will probably come in at under $40 for both versions.
This news begs the question of whether or not a Vita title should be considered in the same pricing category as a next-gen console’s games? Though the handheld does retail for around the same price as a next-gen console, dependent on the SKU, many consider it to be a member of a completely different category. Most 3DS games for example come in at under $40 brand new and without a digital download option.
For now, gamers will just have to wait and see – with a better indication of game pricing expected to be unveiled once a firmer North American release date is. But, with so many details regarding Vita popping up in the “right” category, one had to anticipate something was going to be less than perfect.
What do you think the pricing will look like for hard copy and digital versions of the Vita launch titles? How do you feel about a retail handheld title costing $60?
Source: Kotaku
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$60 is a lot. I’m hoping they do $50 AT MOST, but I definitely want them $40 or less.
Well, my Best Buy pre-order has LBP and Uncharted listed at $39.99 so I’m hoping the price doesn’t suddenly increase
“So many details about the Vita coming up in the ‘right’ category”
…Really? Maybe we need a recap.
The Vita’s Battery: 3-5 hours…if the sound is mute, brightness is on the lowest settings, the wireless functions are off, and you’re not doing anything…and it takes 2 hours and 40 minutes to charge by USB…which brings me to my next point.
The lack of an included wall charger is fixed by a $40 charging cradle, when it should be included for free.
The Vita has no internal memory, which requires you to pay a minimum of $30 for a 4 gig memory card.
A great deal of the games worth getting (Uncharted, LBP as two examples) are going to be $60 each…which is hardly worth it imo, unless the cartridges hold the same amount of space as a blu-ray disc (not likely due to costs of doing that)
Then there’s the issue of no backwards compatibility with UMDs unless you pay a fee…which in itself is retarded. If I’ve fully paid for games, I don’t want to pay an extra fee on top of the games just so I could play them…I’d just go get a original PSP for that. o_o
Sony is planning to sell the Vita at a loss for 3 years…the PS3 was sold at a loss for two years…at the cost of almost 2 billion dollars per year…how is the Vita going to handle that? :S
Now, in my honest opinion, this is a cool console, but it simply has too much going against it. It has all these ‘great launch titles’ but most of those titles are ports of PS3 games, and I don’t see many titles for after the launch window. (I could be wrong about the titles after the launch window, feel free to correct me.)
As much as I like my PS2 and PS3…I probably won’t be buying a PSV until the prices drop by a good margin.
Someone’s being a Negative Nancy…
Not being a negative nancy, just stating the facts.
The system is 5 years ahead of its time…and that isn’t a good thing.
Why is it when the prices in Japan are known people simply convert yen to dollar and think that will be the price of the game/system here. If history has taught us ANY THING it is that when games or systems come out over here they are not the same price as they are in Japan in fact they are pretty much ALWAYS cheaper. So keep this in mind before you go with the numbers that are quoted here. After all the system is cheaper here than in Japan so why would the game be any different. Before you listed to article such as this first think about what it says and then also think about what has happened in the past, if they both match then there you go other wise just move on.
Yeah it’s usually cheaper, but not by much
wrong! the new sly game is listed as 80 bucks in japan
I think any handheld game higher than $45 is way to expensive. With the cost of games now it’s already hard to buy the games you want and making a $60 game for a handheld is like competing with one of the consoles. This will hurt Sony with sales if they raise the handheld games pricing
While I am at it GameCollector44 do I need to point out that the battery life for the 3DS is the same as that for the PS Vita. Also some of the games will have built in memory for game saves. So you want them to include this and that with the system for free. You don’t Sony to put out a new system you want God’s gift to gamers in handheld form. As for backwards compatibility Sony mostly moved away from UMDs to DL games any way. Also sounds like some one is forgetting that Sony has their arms DEEP in the media market so they aren’t going to hurt that much if they sale the Vita at a loss (all in the name of getting the market started). In closing I want to point out AGAIN that the numbers that they quoted in this article was a direct yen to dollar conversion, IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY IT NEVER HAS!!! The price is always less here than there.
Did you even read my post?
Yeah, the battery life is the same as the 3DS…so long as the Vita’s sound is mute, brightness is on the lowest setting, wireless functions are off, and you’re not doing anything on top of that.
The prices of games are less here then they are in Japan, but normally by a very small amount.
I could care less about God’s gift to gamers in handheld form, if you make a portable system, you DON’T charge an extra $40 for the wall charger…that’s just wrong.
Backwards compatibility would be as simple as putting in a UMD drive, which in the end run would probably be cheaper than paying to have them import the games.
I don’t want alot of included memory, but they should at least have a 2 gig memory card/internal memory included with the system.
And if you’ve noticed, all PS3 games require some amount of hard drive/memory space, so yes, a memory card is necessary.
I also didn’t say Sony as a whole is going to go down, I just said the gaming/portable gaming division. If a certain division is getting way too much loss, they cut it off…like cancer.
I don’t don’t know why I poked back around here but I did. You do realize GameCollector44 that the 3DS that you seem to love so much has a battery life of of 3 to 5 which is the SAME batter life that Sony has reported. So now that, that is out of my system and I have responded to your Nintendo fan boy self. Good night
Not only did you re-bring up a point that I’ve already put down, but now you’re throwing names? Since you can read so well, I’ll restate it again, for your benefit.
The 3DS has a 3-5 hour battery life, but that’s actually PLAYING A GAME.
The Vita has a 3-5 hour battery life, but only if the SOUND IS ON MUTE, the BRIGHTNESS IS ON THE LOWEST SETTING, WIRELESS FUNCTIONS ARE OFF, and you CAN’T BE PLAYING A GAME, or the battery runs out faster.
For gameplay, the Vita will have 30 minutes to 2 hours of gameplay (depending on settings) which is nowhere near the 3DS’s battery life for gameplay.
So, I guess you’re right on one point…the Vita does have the same battery life as the 3DS…just so long as you’re not doing anything on your Vita.
I’m glad it’s out of your system, I grow tired of repeating myself.
You know what to heck with this I just popped on here when searching for information about the launch date and saw this article. With the way that the article reads the author is basically saying see I told you there would be a catch with this system I told you didn’t I tell you. With that kind of a message behind the article (after re-reading it I saw it) and the kind of people that are posting on here and not taking note of the fact that all he did was convert yen to dollar and say see here are what the prices are going to be…. I officially say that this site has no credibility and that you all can have it. I’m going to get my information from a real site that isn’t just throwing crap around with out any thing to back it up.
Dude why you gotta get so mad for lol just chill. Gamerant is a really good site with a lot of extra info on games. I just really wanna hold a PSV already after watching video after video I just wanna feel it in person aha
WTF…. really.. thats a kilelr for me. i stopped playing console once it hit 60… ITS OFFICIAL PC IS BETTER!… <3 Steam