After month’s of dismal sales data, the PS Vita appears to be gaining traction in Japan. The combination of a significant price cut, and the introduction of system selling software has pushed the PS Vita ahead of the Nintendo 3DS, if only by a slight margin.
Soul Sacrifice, Keiji Inafune’s head-on assault on the Monster Hunter franchise, has debuted well in Japan. So well, that the PS Vita is actually bundled with the game in a themed hardware bundle. This combination is one that Sony executives and analysts have been calling for as necessary for the PS Vita to flourish in Japan. This success could push Sony towards a price cut in other markets as well, seeing as the hardware sales for the handheld have been floundering across the globe.
Executives at GameStop have been urging Sony to slash the price of the PS Vita ahead of the launch of the PlayStation 4, in hopes of capitalizing on the cross play features that Sony announced when they revealed the new console. Whether or not they have any intention of doing so is unknown at this time. While Sony attributed the price cut in Japan to currency concerns, there’s no doubt that its having a lasting effect on consumers that are making purchasing decisions.
