JAPAN: Sony's latest offering in handheld gaming, the PlayStation Vita, goes on sale in time for the pre-Christmas sales rush

Record ID: 451680

  • Title: JAPAN: Sony's latest offering in handheld gaming, the PlayStation Vita, goes on sale in time for the pre-Christmas sales rush
  • Date: 18th December 2011
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (DECEMBER 17, 2011) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 21-YEAR-OLD COLLEGE STUDENT YU KATO SAYING: "I think there is some overlap with smartphones. However, I think that if you want to truly enjoy games you need game consoles. I bought the WiFi version, but I am also interested in the 3G function provided with mobile phone carrier DoCoMo."
  • Embargoed: 2nd January 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan, Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Business,Industry,Science / Technology,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVADAO1P90CMFG0KCH1I84I05GSN
  • Story Text: Sony Corp's new PlayStation Vita handheld games device went on sale throughout Japan on Saturday (December 17), a week before Christmas.
    Hundreds of game fanatics lined up at the crack of dawn in the hope of being the first to get their hands on the latest console.
    Sony hopes a package of 24 software titles at launch will help the gadget avoid the fate of rival Nintendo's 3DS, which flopped shortly after launch.
    Sony also needs the Vita to be a hit to ease the pain from its TV business, which is set for an annual loss of $2.2 billion, an eighth straight year of losses.
    The Vita, featuring a 5-inch OLED display and 3G connectivity, sold out in advance bookings in Japan, where buyers have rushed to upgrade from the PSP.
    The United States and Europe may pose a tougher challenge, as a February 22 launch date for the Vita comes well after the crucial year-end holiday sales season.
    The challenge from smartphones and tablets comes on top of competition from long-standing domestic rival Nintendo, but customers who bought the PS Vita told Reuters that there was still enough to differentiate smartphones from game consoles such as the Vita.
    "I just wouldn't care that much about playing games on a smartphone, because they have functions that are more Internet-oriented or telephone-based," said 21-year old college student Yuichi Yamada.
    "I think there is some overlap with smartphones. However I think that if you want to truly enjoy games you need game consoles. I bought the WiFi version, but I am also interested in the 3G function provided with mobile phone carrier DoCoMo," added another college student Yu Kato.
    The games industry has shrugged off the broader economic gloom and is forecast to top $81 billion by 2016, according to research firm DFC Intelligence, up 23 percent from this year and more than three times the size of the recorded music industry.
    Much of that growth is likely to be in online, social and casual games, rather than the traditional hardware model that has been Sony's staple.
    Japan's software houses are pouring resources into mobile social gaming, and industry executives have expressed some concern over the future for dedicated handheld gaming devices.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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