Sony: No price cut for PlayStation Vita in U.S. -- report
Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida says the Japanese version's price was cut because of exchange rates, and therefore, doesn't impact the U.S. or Europe.
Sony's portable PlayStation Vita will not get a price cut in the U.S., despite hopes for such a move.
Speaking to reporters today, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida said that no price drop is coming for the Vita in the U.S., according to Polygon, which was in attendance at that discussion. Yoshida reportedly told those at the interview that Sony's recently announced decision to cut the price of the Vita in Japan had nothing to do with sales and everything to do with exchange rates.
Sony announced recently that it was cutting the price of its Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi-and-3G Vita models to 19,980 yen ($212). The company previously split the price of the two devices, selling the Wi-Fi-only version for 24,980 yen and the 3G-equipped model for 29,980 yen.
At the time of the announcement, speculation was running rampant that the cut was due to Vita's lackluster sales. Since its launch in early 2012, the Vita's sales have been disappointing. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kawano said recently in an interview with Famitsu Magazine that the portable was "a little behind the numbers we originally pictured."
Still, the Vita could see sales boosted by the PlayStation 4. At Sony's special PlayStation event yesterday, the company said that users could start playing a game on its upcoming console and then continue playing on the Vita as long as they're both on the same Wi-Fi network.
Sony's PlayStation 4 is scheduled to launch this holiday season. We still don't know what the console looks like.