Sony Spins Sales... Again
Sony's new CEO, Kaz Hirai, says that the PlayStation Vita is selling according to Sony's expectations, although it's lagging behind in "certain territories." This comment made to Reuters during a European trade show this week is typical of Sony's response to concerns about low sales for one of its consoles. Hirai would not disclose which territories were "lagging behind," but recent numbers show rather underwhelming numbers in the all-important Japanese and North American markets.
Look, Sony. The Vita's sales aren't very good. You know it. We know it. You know we know you know it. Instead of trying to spin that you expected things to be this way, why not tell us what you're going to do to turn things around? A few bundles for the holiday season probably aren't going to cut it, especially against the less-expensive 3DS and its now-strong library of games. A price drop, included memory cards across the board, a much stronger promotional campaign—any of those things could be helpful to the console, but none of them seem to be planned. I think strong competition in the handheld gaming arena is good for all of us, but Sony's current Vita strategy is threatening to make a quality portable device irrelevant. It's really a shame.
Xbox LIVE Gets First Free-To-Play Game
Xbox LIVE Arcade is joining the free-to-play universe this fall with the release of Happy Wars, sort of a Medieval-themed, cutesy answer to Team Fortress 2. The game focuses on team-versus-team scenarios, but players can also play cooperatively against bots. The game will require an Xbox LIVE Gold membership to download and play, but will otherwise be free. Of course, there will be hats and other outfit bits to purchase in its cash shop. Will it catch on? There are certainly plenty of Xbox LIVE Gold members, but we'll have to see if they're attracted to the "cute" setting.
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By Becky Cunnigham Contributing Writer Date: August 31, 2012 |
*The views expressed within this article are solely the opinion of the author and do not express the views held by Cheat Code Central. This week's is also purely a work of fiction*
