Playstation Vita, the new generation of handheld console of the Japanese manufacturer Sony, will not be available for sale in Europe or the United States for the holidays season. Kazuo Hirai, the vice president of Sony, announced that the console, much anticipated, would be put on sale in Japan at the end of the year, before a deployment to European and U.S. markets in early 2012.
For console manufacturers as for video game publishers, the holidays season is crucial, because most of console sales happen on the last two months of the year. Missing this window of sales slows significantly the adoption of a machine by the players; Nintendo has experimented with his 3DS, launched off holiday periods, and whose sales were more labored.
While Sony faces significant problems related to the strong yen, the consequences of the tsunami and a general slowdown in the market for high technology products, the late start would complicate the position of Sony in the handheld market, dominated by Nintendo with its DS and 3DS. Playstation Vita, announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, will replace the PSP, with a much higher power and greater interaction of online services.
The announcement by Nintendo, also faces significant challenges, a fall in the price of its console 3DS also complicates the task of Sony. Provided for 249 euros in Europe, the PlayStation Vita would be, except lower prices, in competition with a 3DS sold 170 euros.
