Our First Look at Vita Game Pricing in Japan

The only game that I have any interest in so far is Uncharted.

Monster Hunter Portable 3rd never made it over here...

man if they would let met get a free digital copy of my UMD games I would definitely get one but they aren't so I won't besides the battery life is so bad...yeah

VITA cant launch outside of japan with its curent line up.

The future of handheld gaming rests in Pokemon3DS as far as any one can see i think if its very JPN deep handheld experience in 3D people will eather complain and want a WiiU port.. or the west will finaly imbrace the japanse hardcore portable scene. That could possible fix all thats wrong with gaming. This rift has been killing the platform holder gaming scene since the PS2. Things have been so stagnent since the year 2000.. its really messed up. its what happens when studios only play games that there nabours make. Every one got comfortable with it with the 360 beacuse oh all there friends are playing this same old stuff any way.. but now every ones so triped out on this stuff they dont realise how boring gaming really has become.. beacuse hey "every ones doing it it must be better now"! no... its just stayed the same for so long that every one can understand it.

Expensive, I think most will opt for PS3 versions of games when given the choice.

It's a shame game prices are increasing, while Apple is making them cheaper. Sony just doesn't learn, despite the 3DS being in front of their faces showing them what can go wrong with game pricing.

From what I know about Vita so far, I do not have a gut reaction balk to paying PS3 prices for its games.

@RagnarokRed said:

@afrofools said:

@devilgunman said:

My phone is for checking email, browsing the internet, listening to the music and, well, making a phone call and with all of that my phone can barely make it to the end of the day. I leave gaming for a dedicate gaming device. And don't forget that Vita might have cheap, disposable apps like Androids and ios do so casual user should be able to enjoy killing their time on Vita too.

Well a-holes look down on you if you're an adult and they find out you play games. They don't care as much if you do it on your phone though, probably because they're guilty of playing games(!). But yeah, gaming usually sucks on non-dedicated devices, the only game that worked okay for me with touch controls is Ilomilo, and that would be better with actual buttons (except the pinch zoom control was cool). It really depends on the phone in terms of battery life. When I had a low-end Android phone that almost nobody else bought it was a POS for gaming and phone tasks (except emulation - ironically - until Google pulled the app from the app store). Now I have a Windows Phone and the battery lasts ages with WiFi left on, every game is guaranteed to work, and the phone stuff is good. But there's still no damn buttons.

It's funny you say a-holes look down on gamers for using a dedicated portable gaming device. Sad how so many gamers look down on the ones who can derive fun from smartphone games.

I agree with you (& don't have anything against smartphone games, only casual game I look down on is FarmVille).

@afrofools said:

@devilgunman said:

My phone is for checking email, browsing the internet, listening to the music and, well, making a phone call and with all of that my phone can barely make it to the end of the day. I leave gaming for a dedicate gaming device. And don't forget that Vita might have cheap, disposable apps like Androids and ios do so casual user should be able to enjoy killing their time on Vita too.

Well a-holes look down on you if you're an adult and they find out you play games. They don't care as much if you do it on your phone though, probably because they're guilty of playing games(!). But yeah, gaming usually sucks on non-dedicated devices, the only game that worked okay for me with touch controls is Ilomilo, and that would be better with actual buttons (except the pinch zoom control was cool). It really depends on the phone in terms of battery life. When I had a low-end Android phone that almost nobody else bought it was a POS for gaming and phone tasks (except emulation - ironically - until Google pulled the app from the app store). Now I have a Windows Phone and the battery lasts ages with WiFi left on, every game is guaranteed to work, and the phone stuff is good. But there's still no damn buttons.

It's funny you say a-holes look down on gamers for using a dedicated portable gaming device. Sad how so many gamers look down on the ones who can derive fun from smartphone games. I'd figure that coming from an industry that has been kicked in the ribs by the masses for going on 3 decades now, gamers would be a little more open to other gamers' tastes and perspective.

I'll wait until the second or third model comes out then buy this one for cheap if I care for it.

Though the only use I have for my current PSP is MHFU and I still get good use from that.

Time will tell.

I'm a pretty poor dude, but even I don't really care if the game prices do turn out to be a bit high...if the quality justifies it. I'd pay $59.99 for a portable Dark Souls more readily than I would $29.99 for Steel Diver or $1.99 for Flash Game Birds.

Gimme games I want to play and I'll skip buying groceries for a week to get them if I have to. If the games aren't there, then I'll tell Sony to lick my balls for pricing things too high. Until then, I remain optimistic; I'm ready for a good handheld :D

I'm interested in seeing how the Uncharted game gets reviewed on the Vita....but I don't really think I'm keen to buy one

@devilgunman said:

My phone is for checking email, browsing the internet, listening to the music and, well, making a phone call and with all of that my phone can barely make it to the end of the day. I leave gaming for a dedicate gaming device. And don't forget that Vita might have cheap, disposable apps like Androids and ios do so casual user should be able to enjoy killing their time on Vita too.

Well a-holes look down on you if you're an adult and they find out you play games. They don't care as much if you do it on your phone though, probably because they're guilty of playing games(!). But yeah, gaming usually sucks on non-dedicated devices, the only game that worked okay for me with touch controls is Ilomilo, and that would be better with actual buttons (except the pinch zoom control was cool). It really depends on the phone in terms of battery life. When I had a low-end Android phone that almost nobody else bought it was a POS for gaming and phone tasks (except emulation - ironically - until Google pulled the app from the app store). Now I have a Windows Phone and the battery lasts ages with WiFi left on, every game is guaranteed to work, and the phone stuff is good. But there's still no damn buttons.

I am still not so sure. maybe I will buy it

@jellotek: My main issue with smartphone gaming is the interface. Virtual controls suck horribly.

I'm not sure how things are going to be in the future. But recently there have been talks of Sony buying out Sony Ericsson (their joint venture with Ericsson). A PSV phone might not be far off. Of course, then we would have the issue of battery life to worry about.

@TheKbob: The cost of the medium hasn't really been a problem since the PS1 days when they started using CDs. Memory card prices aren't going to break your bank either - it's how they recover R&D cost; you either pay for it via a "tax" on accessories and games or you pay for it up front in the cost of the device (or in the case of smartphones in your contract to your carrier), there is no free lunch in this world.

Actually smartphones do have a surcharge per game, the AppStore and Market both take 30% of the sales price.

What I was talking about was game development cost in general. It takes millions to make a AAA game now, even <AAA games take shit load of money. Developers aren't going to sell at 99c, not if they want to recover their cost. The only ones that sell at 99c are the "cheap" ones like Cut the Rope.

Whether you play it on a smartphone or on a handheld console, AAA games are going to cost you.

Meh

My phone is for checking email, browsing the internet, listening to the music and, well, making a phone call and with all of that my phone can barely make it to the end of the day. I leave gaming for a dedicate gaming device. And don't forget that Vita might have cheap, disposable apps like Androids and ios do so casual user should be able to enjoy killing their time on Vita too.

@Levio said:

Trying use the exchange rate to guess the American prices based on the Japanese prices is a fool's errand.

Game prices don't fluctuate based on the exchange rate, so of course your guesses are going to be way off every time the exchange rate fluctuates.

This.

Just a few years go, we could have still used the simple method of taking 2 zeros away from yen and you get it in dollars. USD depreciated in comparison too much to make any good judgement by solely basing on just that.

@NaCl: I think the real issues isn't the $0.99 games, but a lot of us are getting quality fun with digital titles in the $10.00 or less category through XBLA, PSN, and more so Steam and other PC offerings. Fully featured games with sharp graphics and hours and hours upon fun.

Now tell me there is a $15~25 surcharge "mobile" tax on it for it to be on PS Vita or 3DS? Yeah, bullcrap and chips.

The limitations of "games need to cost so much because of hardware or carts" days are over. The days of proprietary memory cards should be over! I do not think the race to the bottom with $1 games is what I want on handhelds, but a realization that I am getting massively awesome gaming in the under $20 zone. Expecting me to pay $40 for a handheld game is getting steeper with this mindset.

I'll stick to my DSi XL and PSP. A lot of games are now falling into the "what they should cost" category. Remember, Steam is proving the industry wrong with the notion "games cost more to make, therefor they should cost more." Lower prices exponentially increase sales, meaning higher returns. Having carts limits this... both systems have expandable storage and digital markets. Why should we have carts and high costs associated with them? Make the games $30 for carts and $20 or less digitally for the PSV (ALL games, including first party) and watch interest soar.

I understand that over time stuff becomes less expensive to produce, but I don't see how games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss can be that much less than $60. All the assets that make these new Vita games look like PS3 titles aren't going to be that cheap to develop, right?

20 bucks for a good portable game would be nice, but they'll probably go for 40.

@NaCl: The problem with that theory is... only Japan's adopted that high a ratio of portables, often for just a handful of games (Monster Hunter, I'm looking at you). And really, it's falsely inflated because of their willingness to buy multiple systems for different colors. It's really not a great model for basing predictions for other markets. There are just too many cultural differences in regards to video games on this side of the pond.

Although I might not like it, I definitely think portable gaming's moving to phones. There's more profit to be made because the audience is so much wider. A gamer will probably buy a phone, but your regular dude with a phone may not buy a dedicated gaming platform.

I still have my hopes up for PSV. I like what I see on both hardware and software. If games are priced at $40, I can deal with that. And guys, keep in mind Japan doesn't have MSRPs! They price whatever they want! FFXIII was like... $90 in Japan when it came out.

So it seems $39 for a game? Cant tell prices are sorta... everywhere...

@Alex_S: Indeed. I get that using the exchange rate makes it easier to understand the prices in terms of local currencies, but it otherwise doesn't reflect the reality of pricing relative to the market and actual currency here in Japan. If I were actually working here and receiving my wages in yen, you can be certain that I'd be happy to know that the prices of most Vita games right now aren't out to rob me. People here are paying for Japanese games with Japanese yen and not the dollar and that's an important distinction to make. If people here actually lived in some bizarre world where they paid for games priced in yen with dollars, then there'd be a legitimate reason, but as it is, most of these prices are really rational when you limit the terms and scope to just the Japanese market, as well it should be.

Pass.

Trying use the exchange rate to guess the American prices based on the Japanese prices is a fool's errand.

Game prices don't fluctuate based on the exchange rate, so of course your guesses are going to be way off every time the exchange rate fluctuates.

For people who think the PSV is doomed in a world with iPhones and Android phones, they sure post a lot in PSV related threads.

You people can keep dreaming of cheaper games. Games cost money to make, a lot of money. If you want games with high production values, you are going to have to pay for it.

The only thing 99c will get you are the causal "cheapo" games you see in the AppStore/Market. If you are happy with those ... well knock yourself out.

PS: Personally, I believe it's not the handhelds like PSV that are doomed, but the home consoles like the 360 and PS3. We are already see signs of it in Japan where handhelds outsell home systems by quite a large margin.

Laptops have been slowly displacing desktops for years now - and ultra portables (e.g. MacBook Air) and handheld tablets will likely displace laptops in turn. It will be no surprise if powerful handhelds like the PSV replace home systems as the "center" of gaming. Their portability and convenience, the ability to play anywhere, is too good to pass up - no need to fight over the TV, you can play in bed with headphones without bother anyone, play it on your daily commute, ... etc.

PPS: Gaming on touchscreen only smartphones sucks ass. The lack of "physical feedback" (where I can't tell if I have properly hit a button or even feel where the buttons are) and my fingers covering most of the screen, is really killing it for me. While some games work OK, but there is only so much Plants vs Zombies and Bejewel one can play.

@NewDust said:

Although it may seem pricey, remember that the Yen to Dollar rate currently so high that pricing on this scale is not a valid way to estimate pricing. My guess: Sony games $60 retail, $50 digital and $45 dollar for promotions. For third party there will probably be a $10 deduction. When there is no difference between retail and digital, prices will probably be $50 for Sony games and $40 for third parties.

Reading everyone's comments on this issue just shows how international gaming news (especially when it comes to pricing) isn't always a good thing. I didn't know so many people were unaware of the differences in Yen, Pounds, and Euros in comparison to the weak U.S. dollar.

The Vita in Japan is going to be released at around 25,000 yen which translates to about $360+ give or take. Here in the U.S. the Vita is being released at $250 for the wifi only version and $300 for the wifi+3G version. Big difference in price. I'm willing to bet Vita games will be no more than $40 at retail. And with the game market the way it is today, I expect game prices to drop a month or so upon initial release. That's a win for American consumers if you ask me.

Exactly. The yen is really strong right now. The US$ prices listed are very misleading.

@Pepsiman said:

Keep in mind that these prices are only seemingly high with some games right now because of the terrible dollar-yen exchange rate going on.

Keep in mind that these prices are only seemingly high with some games right now because of the terrible dollar-yen exchange rate going on. Save for Uncharted, which is relatively competitive with current PSP pricing schemes over here in Japan, most of those prices are actually somewhat significantly lower than what you see, given the typical laissez faire nature of Japanese video game MSRPs. Even under a more ideal exchange rate of around 100 yen or more to the dollar, the games would still be somewhat expensive, but nevertheless, I've seen way worse on both the portable and console front. Hopefully this launch sets a future precedent, but I'm personally not counting on it.

@Commisar123 said:

Man I was thinking of getting one, but if those prices don't come down I don't think I can.

I wouldn't base US prices off of how Japan prices thing. They follow like two totally different pricing schemes. In the US, boxed retail games pretty much have a standard price with little variation. In Japan, a game is sold at the maximum price that will have the least impact on initial sales.

I live in Japan, I kinda want to buy these games, ughhh, but they're so expensive. Auughh.

From my very limited experience at buying Japanese games, the hard copy games are about what a PS3/Xbox 360 game would cost and the download copy is about what you would pay for a DS game. I am sure the prices will come down following the release of the system in the U.S. Games for a new system tend to have inflated prices around the time of launch. It remains to be seen if the prices will be attractive for a U.S. audience though.

Too much money for a dying market. Pass.

This looks like the pricing I saw for PSP games while in Japan earlier this year. New games, like God Eater: Burst, frequently went for just under ¥6000.

@avidwriter said:

What I wonder is, now that the Vita is not the same price as the 3DS will that factor in hurt sales or will Sony try and drop their price a little?

Price isn't the only issue. The 3DS has very few games, and Nintendo hasn't really inspired confidence that there'll be much in the future. Sony simply needs a good launch and to show a commitment to games on the damned thing, and they'll be OK.

I can easily deal with 39.99, after that, I start thinking what I'm spending my money on. That's when I may not just "buy" your game.

Well hopefully they aren't too expensive. Catridges aren't cheap. Especially cartridges with lots of storage space for those PS3 quality graphics.

I really hope those prices come down. I think in the 20-30$ range would be perfect, but I highly doubt it will happen.

What I wonder is, now that the Vita is not the same price as the 3DS will that factor in hurt sales or will Sony try and drop their price a little?

$40 doesn't sound too bad.
 
I just hope the Vita gets good games.

Who has time to play with a handheld console anymore?

I can't wait for this. I have such a backlog of PSP games even, I'm not even worried if there is literally no Vita games I want at launch. I play my PSP a lot in bed though, so having a bigger brighter screen is welcome regardless. :)

What they should do is make arcade titles playable on Vita.  Immediately, you've given yourself a huge market of great games at launch.  If Vita launches and they can say on day one "you can play Limbo, Braid, and Resident Evil 4!" they have themselves a huge advantage.

I think Sony should just roll out cheap games mobile games along side the regular priced 30 dollar games.

@Beanpants said:

Everyone needs to chill on the pricing for these games. Japanese games are always more expensive, and rarely have a standard pricing structure. For example, Final Fantasy XIII launched in Japan at about $100 USD. They'll charge what they think they can get people to pay. There isn't a chance in hell Vita games will be anywhere close to the exchange rates displayed above. Until actual North American prices are revealed, you guys are freaking out over a non-issue.

Is so true. People freaked out the same way when they saw Japanese 3DS prices.

What is the price of the PSP unit itself?

Who has time to play with a handheld console anymore?

That seems rather high...to be honest, i rather just watch movies and play games on my mobile device...