While the PlayStation Vita has started to gain traction after a somewhat bumpy launch window, many gamers hypothesized the handheld would do even better with a price drop. However, several major press events came and went, and despite strong evidence to the contrary, Sony decided the Vita would remain a $250 proposition - at least, outside of Japan.
Then, at their Gamescom 2013 press conference, Sony finally did it: they announced a price drop for the PS Vita and for the device's proprietary SD cards. From that point forward the handheld would retail for $199 (199 Euros) at global retailers.
Unfortunately, while the Vita now carries a much more attractive $199 price tag (more on that in a bit), the handheld's SD cards — even with a price drop — are still pretty expensive. The 16GB card, for example, which is the average amount of storage a Vita user will need without having to constantly delete and swap files, is $39.99.
Granted, that's down from the $59.99 it was yesterday, but $39.99 for a proprietary storage card might be the handheld's next big hurdle. The 4GB card now retails for $14.99, the 8GB for $19.99, and the 32GB for $79.99.
Nevertheless, lowering the Vita price tag was a smart move on Sony's part, as it will presumably help sales of the handheld. Moreover, Sony is betting big on Remote Play, so what better way to make the handheld more attractive to consumers than with a price drop?
Speaking of Remote Play, Sony promised that "almost all PS4 games" will be playable via Wi-Fi through the service. They wouldn't say which games specifically will or won't, but they did show off the feature during their Gamescom presentation. Check out the demo below:
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Unfortunately, the Remote Play demo was more of a conceptual presentation than a technical demo. Yes, the Assassin's Creed 4 experience jumps from the PS4 to the Vita, but we didn't see how exactly a player activates the Remote Play feature or how seamless switching from console to handheld will be. With the Wii U, for example, players can switch almost instantaneously, but we're unsure if the PS4/Vita combination will be able to match that ease of use.
It's also worth mentioning that Sony announced a price drop for the PS3 at their Gamescom presser. The current-gen console will now retail for $199, the same price as the Vita.
Will you be buying a Vita now that Sony lowered the price? Do you think that Remote Play will help increase interest in the handheld?
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Source: Games HQ Media