Those of you who have wanted to buy a Sony PlayStation Vita but have been hesitant because of the high price ($250 for a Wi-Fi model and $300 for a Wi-Fi/3G model) should pay attention to this morning's news from Japan as Sony has announced that it will drop the price of the Vita to ¥19,980 at the end of the month. That works out to $214 at today's exchange rates and could signify a similar price cut coming to North America and beyond shortly. Joystiq has the news.
Sony announced a sizable price cut for the PlayStation Vita in Japan this morning, starting February 28. Via a special online broadcast, Sony detailed that both the 3G/Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi-only models are to cost ¥19,980 (around $215). That's roughly a 20 percent drop from the launch price of the Wi-Fi only model, and a chunky 34 percent off the 3G/Wi-Fi model. The price drop coincides with the release of Phantasy Star Online 2 for Vita in the country.
Cutting the Vita price abroad by a similar percentage to, say, $200 would be a nice way to jump start sales, although there is still that hidden memory card startup cost with which to contend. I think the bigger news here is that Sony is doing away with the premium upcharge to buy a 3G Vita. Both Vita models will be available at the same price, so with that in mind, why not buy a 3G unit? Nobody says you'd have to activate the 3G service and pay the fee during months that you don't intend to use it. I know that the inclusion of 3G was a way of future-proofing the device, but the way things have been going in the Vita market, I couldn't ever see a need to absolutely have the capability and it certainly wasn't worth the extra money. Now that both models will be the same price, however, why not take a chance? You might as well get as much product for your money as possible. Here's hoping a similar cut for other regions is only an announcement away.
