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Kaz Hirai recently confirmed that the US and European markets would not see the release of the PlayStation Vita in 2011. Anthony Severino and Daniel Bischoff have laid out why they think it is a good idea (Anthony) and a bad idea (Daniel). Whose side are you on? Lend your voice to the discussion in the comments and we'll feature one of you in The People Speak with double entries into our quarterly drawing.
Daniel: I’ve already written that Sony’s PS Vita price point was an artillery shot at Nintendo’s current handheld. At $250, there was no doubt that the Vita was more technology per dollar when compared with the 3DS. Nintendo’s unprecedented price-drop was a signal of weakness, a signal of submission to the pure gadget sex of the PSV. Even the rushed feeling we got from Nintendo’s press release, revealing Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, seemed a little desperate.

So why’d you pull your punches, Sony? Make consumers choose between the Vita and the 3DS! Your PS3 business is growing month over month while the Wii is throwing a Wii-mote and critically injuring its sales figures. Why not face off with Nintendo in the Western markets this holiday?

Anthony: I bet this was Sony’s plan all along. They made Nintendo drop their price early by announced the Vita pricing at E3, but had no intention on launching until 2012. They’ve made the 3DS look like an inferior product from specs alone, then to have it at the same price point? It made the 3DS look like a rip-off compared to what the Vita offers.

Nintendo is now in a poor position with the 3DS: sell it for much less than planned, alienate early adopters, and let the world know that it was struggling. This hurt Nintendo, and I’m not sure that they can get out of it.

I do almost agree that Sony should have struck when their competition was at their weakest, but if they follow in Nintendo’s footsteps, they could make the same missteps.

Anthony: I think more than anything, Sony is learning from past mistakes. Not just their own, but with the competition too. The most recent example would be the 3DS. It launched without that killer app, and the overall launch lineup wasn’t compelling enough to warrant the price tag. Due to this, Nintendo had to lower the price point on the 3DS. Sony is packing a lot of value into the Vita, so I don’t think there’s room for a price drop, or really any stumbling out of the gate.

Then there’s the PS3, which launched at this astronomical price point (the Vita is affordable and a value), and didn’t have the software to make buying a PS3 worth the price of admission. Granted the Vita is more appropriately priced, but the economy is also in a very different place now. I think Sony has learned from that. They don’t want two launch disasters in a row. Oh, and the PlayStation Move launch was shit too, if you want to count that.

Not having the software library at launch could kill a system off before it ever really gets going.

Daniel: If Sony learned anything from the 3DS, it’s that you can sell over 3 million units WITHOUT a killer app. The PlayStation Vita already has one! I think you’ll agree that Sound Shapes is already shaping up to be worth the cost of entry on the PSV. A killer app is just that: one piece of software that everyone wants to play. Coming from someone who hates creating my own levels and thinks the music genre should die a fiery death, Sound Shapes is good enough to buy sight-unseen.

As long as the PlayStation Vita doesn’t count a Haze port in its launch window and focuses on core, console-quality titles like Call of Duty, there’s nothing keeping its launch software library down. And who could ask for a better launch (window) franchise when you’ve got Uncharted: Golden Abyss in the wings?

Anthony: I agree about Sound Shapes. I'd have bought a Vita just to play that game. It's that good.

Daniel: The electronics giant is absolutely missing a huge sales opportunity by stepping out of Western markets in the holiday season. From October through December, consumers will be lining up in droves to buy the latest technology, and the PlayStation Vita epitomizes that market. It could be the latest, greatest gadget, with tons of news coverage in addition to the typical holiday marketing campaigns. Sony commercials should be displaying the complete home entertainment package with the PS3 and PSV lined up side by side. You can bet that the PSP won’t see very strong sales this Winter, so where’s the new hardware for everyone to drool over?

With strong support across PSN, Android, and retail games, the PlayStation Vita could rake in tons of holiday-cash. Even accessories, one of the most profitable attachables with new hardware, would do better during the holiday season than they would at any other time of the year.

Anthony: True. They’re missing out on potential sales from people scrambling to buy their loved ones gifts. There’s not doubt about that. But, it’s expensive for a gift. And with competition so stiff at this time of the year, it’s still a risk.

Five years ago, nearly 80% of all major game releases were from September to December, but because of competition this time of the year, that has changed, and more and more publishers are holding titles until Q1 of the following year to let their titles shine. The fact of the matter is, Call of Duty sells. And a few other key annual franchises like Assassin’s Creed sell well, too.

The average gamer has at least five games in mind that they want this holiday season (I know I can think of five without digging too deep). Those five games right there cover the cost of the Vita, so people may not have the expendable income for both. Then... you have to buy games for the Vita, too. I mean, you’re not just going to give that fancy rear touchscreen a rub-down, are you? Well, maybe I would too. It is sexy.

Daniel: While it’s true that the 3G model will find a much more welcoming market in Japan than it will in the United States, other gadgets like the Kindle and iPad 2 have shown that American consumers with holiday-shopping-rage in their blood will spring for the most capable version of a device. Launching simultaneously across Eastern and Western markets might seem like a daunting task, but taking that leap means that Sony will turn the PSV launch into a worldwide event.

Midnight launches every hour starting in Japan and ending in the United States would be a huge media frenzy. Kaz Hirai handing out the first unit in Japan and the first unit in California would be huge. Having the earliest adopters evangelizing the Vita to local TV news crews while waiting in line would also mean free marketing.

And c’mon, if you’re going to leave a territory out at launch, you know Europe is the middle child here. Give us Americans something to play with this holiday.

Anthony: Europe may not be the middle child anymore, Daniel. Their currency is worth more than ours (fuck you, dollar). And they are a much larger territory. What am I saying? U... S... A!!!! USA! Oh say can you see...... Where was I?

Anyway, I think their best bet is to release in Japan first. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pissed that it’s not coming to US at the same time. I’ll probably even look into importing one as long as I can switch the X and O functions (they’re swapped in Japan). But portables sell much, much better in Japan than in the rest of the world. They live in these tiny apartments and are always on the go. It makes sense to test the waters there.

From what I’ve seen, there’s also a lot more support from Japan-based third-party publishers, which is where Sony’s headquarters also reside. Ridge Racer, Street Fighter X Tekken, that crappy Gravity game—these are from Japanese publishers, and there’s plenty more where that came from.

Anthony: There was a huge problem at the PS3’s launch with initial supply, but this was due to the Blu-ray format and Sony struggling to get the Blu-ray laser diodes created fast enough. It really hurt launch sales. Pre-order lines were out the door, then you couldn’t find a console on store shelves until late in January, the whole point of a holiday sales rush was basically ruined due to supply not meeting demand. Then for said reasons about lack of software, demand soon fell off, and Sony missed the optimal timing for market penetration.

I don’t see the Vita having any components that are too revolutionary where they couldn’t be produced at a fast rate. So I think it’s more a strategic planning to meet demand in each territory than it is a production issue.

Daniel: I think we both agree that the PSV’s innards aren’t made out of the rarest metals, only found in conflict mining towns in Africa, so why the delay? Reports of the PSP2 popped up well over a year ago, and despite hardware specs finalized well after the fact, the PlayStation Vita’s most expensive component is probably the large touchscreen.

But with touchscreens becoming a part of everyday life on our phones, on our video game handhelds, and in our fast food restaurants (seriously, Jack in the Box order-by-robot), I don’t see how that could possibly hold up manufacturing. So on that we agree, but Sony’s strategy should involve quietly handing out PlayStation Vitas as they become available.

It should be a shotgun blast to the face of every consumer everywhere. I want to see PlayStation Vita signage in every GameStop, Best Buy, and Target. I want to see Wal-Mart employees confused about what I’m talking about despite the demo station being three feet from where they’re standing. I don’t want a quiet, organized buffet where territories are assigned a number for when they can go get their food. I want a console launch with shoving and kicking and punching and trampling.

I’ll be preordering on Amazon with the safety of the Internet though.

Anthony: Amazon for me too. That seems to be the only way I shop now.

Anthony: This may be the biggest reason yet for why Sony decided to hold off in US and Europe. If there’s ever a system seller for the PlayStation 3, it’s Uncharted 3. I mean, that game is fucking awesome. Then they still need to move... well... the Move. They’ve got Twisted Metal and Resistance 3. Other games too. Why compete with yourself on that level?

This is an important holiday battle for Sony in this crazy console war. Especially in the US. The Xbox brand is growing at an incredible rate thanks to Kinect. With all of these Kinect titles coming this year, Sony needs to focus on putting the PS3 up against the 360 and winning that fight. The Vita will only complicate things there. It’s like going to a fist fight with the neighborhood bully, but having your little bro tag along. It's only going to distract you, and you never take your eye off the prize.

Daniel: On this point, I’d say we agree the most. As badly as I want the Vita to release this holiday in Western markets, I know I’m in a minority that buys as many video games as I do. I’ll probably already be spending upwards of $500 on video games this year, with titles across the Xbox 360, PS3, and 3DS. Throwing a PlayStation Vita on top of that will only raise the dollar amount or take money away from a platform.

Sony doesn’t want that money taken out of my PS3 software budget. They’re driving hard to hold exclusive content like the bonus mission for L.A. Noire, the playable Joker challenge maps in Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Kratos in Mortal Kombat. All of those things may appear small, but for someone who owns more than one console, it means the difference between which system I own a game for.

In truth, I would rather see software sales make up for the struggle Sony had in their PS3 launch. If anything, Sony is really poised to walk away with the best sales figures this holiday season than any other before it in the PS3’s lifecycle. I can only imagine the Vita would work to trip up the PS3 and hurt Sony over all.

But... but... I WANT IT NOW!

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