PlayStation Vita sales top 1.8 million worldwide

[garyopa]

Plus: Sony reports net loss of $3.2 billion for Q4 2011



Sony hit hard in FY2012 financials as PS3 sales down and PS Vita has sold only 1.8 million units worldwide...

Sony reported that PlayStation Vita sales have topped 1.8 million worldwide as of March 2012... that, of course, according to Kaz Hirai.

“The last year, [we sold] 1.8 million units for US, Japan, Asia and Europe. And as a starting phase, I think it was a good start,” he said.

Hirai also said that software will lie at the heart of the handheld’s future success:

“A game platform, like Vita – the software is the key to success, how good the software is. We have to reinforce the software area in order to improve the business, that is the basic line,” said Hirai.

“And vis a vis Vita, at this moment, there is no decline or lack of motivation as a portable platform. And also, in order to connect with the Network, this is a very important product indeed for us, and therefore we still have a very high motivation to develop this further. There is no change,” he continued.

“And services and software must be strengthened. In other words, the collaborative approach is very important, so is third-party. And from first party studios, the titles will be presented one after the other, so please look at them and give your evaluation based on them.”

Sony describes the numbers as “a good start”, what do you think?

Regardless, the company also shared their FY2011 financial info, reporting a net loss of $3.2 billion for Q4 2011 and an annual loss of $5.7 billion.

Sony cites "unfavourable" foreign exchange rates, the impact of a Japanese earthquake and the floods in Thailand as reasons for its decreased year-on-year consolidated sales, but the company is hopeful for 2012 — predicting a profit amid restructuring. Sony plans to return to profitability with a consolidated income that should be ¥180 billion ($2.2b) in the black for 2012.

Apparently, global PS3 unit sales were down year-on-year, too, falling from 14.3m to 13.9m. PS3 software sales climbed slightly to 156.6m units.

You can check out the full report at the links below!

OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/fina.../11q4_sony.pdf

NEWS SOURCE: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-ps-vita-sales

Our thanks to 'Gauss' for this news story!

[billysastard]

The 3DS, which launched in Japan on Feb. 26, 2011 and in the U.S. and Europe in late March 2011, had sold 3.61 million units by the final week of April 2011

so basically the 3ds did double in less time than the vita whilst selling at the same price.

on another note

Sony’s says its PlayStation Vita gaming handheld topped 1.2 million units sold worldwide as of Feb. 26, following its U.S. launch on Feb. 22 and Dec. 17 in Japan

so they sold less than half the number of vitas worldwide since the end of feb than they sold in 2 months in japan and a few days in the usa alone.

[DEDDOA]

I think thats a good sign of, give customers wheta they want not what you think you can still tell them they want, and don't over charge for it. High quality low price, imagine if Sony started to compete with products like Supermarket own brand electrical products, I suspect their name alone would make them more attractive. If these supermarkets can afford to sell cheap with minimal profit and make up for it with high sales, then there is no reason why the likes of Sony can't do it, tho i think the problem is with a lot of these NAME brands, they think themselves above such low end market segments, even tho thas where the money is these days. The longer they stay out of those markets and price ranges the worse off they will be. lets face it amny still like to show off with named brands, and given a choice of sonthing like a same spec and price Sony TV for instance versus somthing like a Technika one, i suspect most would buy the Sony badge.

It's common sense, in a world where the majority of consumers are in the low end finacially, it makes sense to target your products to their wallet capacity, as opposed to wealthy minority (aye they can afford to buy the overpriced name badge, but their are fewer of them). Do the computer GFX card approach, keep the high end products but set the focus onthe cheap mid range and low end of the product range as thats where most of the sales are.

I'd be suprised if they did that tho, as the old feeling that they are above the likes of bargain brands and their misguided belief that it will harm their brand image, not to mention pure arrogance, will prevent them from doing it. Thats fine by me tho as these so called inferior brand will continue to offer us more for less so as to undercut the high and mighty named brands, especially when in terms of quality, 9/10 these days the old line that you get what you pay for seems to apply less and less.

[mattias800]

If these supermarkets can afford to sell cheap with minimal profit and make up for it with high sales, then there is no reason why the likes of Sony can't do it

There is NO reason. Is that your logic reasoning, if anyone can do something, everybody can do it.
There are no factors that can differ, no differences in the two markets that must be considered?

It's common sense, in a world where the majority of consumers are in the low end finacially, it makes sense to target your products to their wallet capacity, as opposed to wealthy minority (aye they can afford to buy the overpriced name badge, but their are fewer of them).

Apple?

Do the computer GFX card approach, keep the high end products but set the focus onthe cheap mid range and low end of the product range as thats where most of the sales are.

This thought kind of intrigues me though. They could release one with not as good build quality, lower quality screen, etc, and sell it for $99. It's hard to speculate how that would affect the market, but it sure would be interesting.

[Diztructor]

dude youll learn one thing here, when its sony its gona get the trolls crying making out its bad simply because they hate sony.

im sorry but i paid £300 for a vita with a 4gb memory card and uncharted plus a £10 psn voucher and to them this is too expensive.

youll also find this site loves posting "rumored" articles that suggest negitivity towards sony and microsoft, yet if ones posted on behalf of nintendo they deny it and send you a email saying its full of sh1t and is a rumor, nintendo have not commented blah blah.

i found the 3DS over priced for what it actually is, the fecking thing has real bad lag issues and is still lacking these so called "great" games nintendo "aparently" addmited to holding back on.

[msanchez]

BURN.... BURNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! (plays fiddle) MUAWHAHAHAHAHA!

[billysastard]

was talking about this in my local grainger games this morning, they are now paying £85 for a wifi vita and £115 for a 3g one pre owned, more than they pay for a 3ds but its still a huge loss for anyone wanting to abandon their vita, the thing is they have stocs of preowned vitas so some people are accepting that loss.

[billysastard]

is still lacking these so called "great" games nintendo "aparently" addmited to holding back on.

really? when you consider that even nintendogs and cats has outsold anything on the vita and games like oot 3d, mario 3d land and mario kart 7 have all sold more copies than the vita has sold consoles let along games i'd say they were some prettty great games and the sales would suggest that so does most of the public.

[Mr.Do!]

really? when you consider that even nintendogs and cats has outsold anything on the vita and games like oot 3d, mario 3d land and mario kart 7 have all sold more copies than the vita has sold consoles let along games i'd say they were some prettty great games and the sales would suggest that so does most of the public.

I dont think he realizes that "great games" is a matter of opinion.. and it seems most peoples opinions are different than his.

[garyopa]

I dont think he realizes that "great games" is a matter of opinion.. and it seems most peoples opinions are different than his.

Yeah, 'great' can be many different forms, can be 'great' to play but bad in sales.

Or my saying as long as you can make 'sh*t that sells on stick' it must be 'great sh*t on a nice looking stick' as it is selling!!!

[DEDDOA]

There is NO reason. Is that your logic reasoning, if anyone can do something, everybody can do it.
There are no factors that can differ, no differences in the two markets that must be considered?



Apple?



This thought kind of intrigues me though. They could release one with not as good build quality, lower quality screen, etc, and sell it for $99. It's hard to speculate how that would affect the market, but it sure would be interesting.

I probably should have started stating that I was refering to Sony products in general considering their massive posted losses but it was early and I was trying to wake myself up to take the dogs for their morning walk, but yes there is no reason, only excuses. Sony use the old line that to sell in a real budget market deminishes their corporate image, when that in it's self is just an excuse not a reason especially when much of their mid range products are little better if at all than many much cheaper products so they damage their own brand image by trying to sell low end products to people at mid range prices (this is the common complaint I hear form people who moan about sony products).

I didn't mention apple as unlike mr fanboy Diztructor, I had no intention to single out one company, but if you are going to mention apple you also have to factor in phone contracts and the like which play a massive part in their high price strategy, so goes unnoticed by many as it's not a big one off payment but a 12-24 month drip drip payment. But then even eith apple it's their lower price products that make the bulk of their sales, and that market share is being eroded by cheaper products, not to mention their products are pretty much a niche line when it comes to their success, the lieks of their computer range is a pale shadow compared to the PC and Windows market. Apple is essentially the iPod now not the multiple products that Sony needs to sell to to stay in business, the iPod is a success one of the rarities apples other products aren't.

The PS2 was their last major success story, and why was that, it was properly marketed and by the time it had to compete with other consoles (forget about the dreamcast, Sega killed that all by thmselves), they had given it a major price drop and that wasn't even during a period when everyone was strapped for cash like they are now. The PS2 for much of it's life span was a bargain bin console it was very much a supermarket own brand league machine. The Vita on the other hand is more at home in those high end electricals shops, the ones that are going under on a daily basis, yes it's nice much like all the stuff in shops like that, but most of us can't afford to shop in places like that and go get the bargain bin electricals, or in this case the 3DS.

Sony just don't learn form their success stories like the PS2 and just keep on with their flops like the launch PS3 and PSP priced way above the competition strategy.

[DEDDOA]

dude youll learn one thing here, when its sony its gona get the trolls crying making out its bad simply because they hate sony.

im sorry but i paid £300 for a vita with a 4gb memory card and uncharted plus a £10 psn voucher and to them this is too expensive.

youll also find this site loves posting "rumored" articles that suggest negitivity towards sony and microsoft, yet if ones posted on behalf of nintendo they deny it and send you a email saying its full of sh1t and is a rumor, nintendo have not commented blah blah.

i found the 3DS over priced for what it actually is, the fecking thing has real bad lag issues and is still lacking these so called "great" games nintendo "aparently" addmited to holding back on.

While I am laother to reply to you, as usuall you miss 2 vitally important areas that nintendo succeed on, they sell at a reasonable price (they soon relaised their mistake when they released the 3DS at a high price and got poor by their standard sales) and games that maybe you don't like, but the majority of Gameboy users do like, as they are aimed at mobile play and not just gimped home console ports at home console prices.

And no, unless you don't read any other game news on other sites, you will find that this the same on every game site except for the intentional fanboy sites who still post the negative news but try to downplay it for people like you. If you are so sure that nintendo is having as many negative news stories that are getting missed then submit them, tho I am suspecting you will have a hard time as at the mo they are still riding high, wheras Sony is in a bad place at the mo, and as usuall MS are in some legal battle with someone, usually over patents or for allegedly forcing out some other company by giving away as apart of windows, some product.

[msanchez]

Yeah, 'great' can be many different forms, can be 'great' to play but bad in sales.

Or my saying as long as you can make 'sh*t that sells on stick' it must be 'great sh*t on a nice looking stick' as it is selling!!!

We all need to realize this, there's very few nintendo games that interest me on each of their platforms, and sure some might seem childish, simple, etc, but the fact remains that they sell bucket loads. This is the reason I will openly say I don't like most nintendo games, but I won't say they are bad, because it sure seems that most gamers would disagree with me. Not that I'm against being the minority, or having an unpopular view in any argument if that is how I feel, but when it comes to video games, I'm not about to berate anybody for liking a certain game I don't like... can't say the same for somebody that likes a game because of the console it's released for though, idiots like that are just scourges of society.