More bad news for Vita advocates, but it's hardly shocking at this point. Sony is lowering its sales forecast for their still relatively fresh-faced portable, due it's inability to achieve "market penetration." The worst part is how this is hardly the first time.
Destructoid reports that in May of 2012, Sony expected the combined sales of PlayStation Vita and it's predecessor, the PlayStation Portable, to be 16 millions units.
That projection was lowered to 12 million a few months later, in August. Then in November, it was lowered yet again, to 10 million units. Sony's latest revised total is 7 million unites, hopefully by the end of March.
The Vita actually sold more units that usual during the holidays. But if they hadn't, during a period in which everyone finally purchases the things they've long held off on, it would have been a total disaster.
Meanwhile, Sony has much faith in its home console market, even though numbers on that end are slipping as well. The PS3 and PS2 combined sold 6.8 million units last quarter, which is down 7.4 million the year before.
Sony had this to say about the less than stellar performances:
"In the digital imaging and the game businesses, which are positioned as core areas of the electronics businesses along with the mobile businesses, the shrinking market for compact digital cameras, due to the expansion of the smartphone market, and the slow penetration of the PlayStation Vita portable entertainment platform are recognized as particularly important issues."
As one can see, Sony has again failed to outline any real strategy to counteract the dwindling interest in the Vita. The most obvious answer remains the same, and that is to lower the price.
It's extremely frustrating for owners to see so little effort being put in the part of the machine's creator to advocate what is easily the best bar none portable gaming system out there. Just as much as its becoming tiresome to advocate it as well, since that is honestly Sony's job in the first place.
