Sony has insisted there is no need to re-evaluate its strategy for PlayStation Vita despite lagging sales.
The handheld launched in Japan in December 2011 and despite positive first-week sales has struggled to maintain momentum. Western numbers are largely being kept under wraps, though U.K. sales are believed to be pretty underwhelming at 100,000 units.
However, speaking to MCV, Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), said a re-think isn’t on the cards. Rather, the platform holder instead needs to place more emphasis on PS Vita’s defining features.
“I don’t think there has been a need for a re-look," he said. "We are in what is a very competitive space. I think we need to put more emphasis on the kinds of experiences that define and differentiate Vita. That is always going to be one of its objectives. But there needs to be a reinforcement on that."
"But also, because it is for us the first truly networked portable device in our proprietary gaming space, there is a need to think more broadly about the implications of that for our business model, and to think about how the consumer wants to acquire content.”
House also observed that digital sales of PS Vita software have been rather impressive.
"20 per cent of Vita content is being downloaded. That tells you that the consumer has an appetite in this space. It just creates a need for us to think through our business model in a broader way than before,” he added.
Many industry commentators have called for Sony to drop the price of PS Vita to boost sales, echoing a similar move to Nintendo with the 3DS last year.