PlayStation Vita sales drop, Hot Shots Golf 6 requires Online Pass
Sony will be disappointed with the sudden drop in sales figures of their portable gaming device the PlayStation Vita and Hot Shots Golf 6 has the Online Pass feature
After a positive start in its first two days of sales, during which Sony’s second generation of portable gaming devices, namely the PlayStation Vita, the second week of sales showed a huge drop in sales.
The Vita managed to sell an impressive 321,407 units within 48 hours of releasing and almost matched its only competitor, the Nintendo 3DS’s, entire weeks sales figures. Many expected that the Japanese market would open up to the Vita after the initial rush.
That turned out to not be the case, as the slump is quite alarming for Sony. The 3DS continued to dominate the charts by claiming 57.2% of the total sales in the past seven days. Nintendo will be more than pleased as their own handheld console sold almost
half-a-million units (482,200 units) in the previous week.
What should be slightly concerning for Sony is how a number of other platforms managed to outsell the Vita including the PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation Portable.
The PlayStation 3 sold an improved 75,943 units as compared to its previous week’s figure, the Nintendo Wii also sold 81,179 units but in what has to be the most ironic figure is that of the PSP, which sold 101,121 units.
How the PSP, a outdated piece of technology, sold more units than its new, improved more powerful younger brother, the PlayStation Vita is what has everyone guessing.
Sony will be looking into the matter in order to try and ensure that the same thing does not happen come the Vita’s European release, however the variations in sales figures for a new product in the market is not uncommon.
It would give everyone a better picture of whether or not the Vita did well after taking a look at the sales figures after a few weeks. As it stands Sony’s console is off to a similar start as the 3DS and with the latter selling like hot cakes these days
there is plenty to remain hopeful for in the future.
One minor blow for the Vita comes in the form of one of its best selling games to date, Hot Shots Golf 6, having the Online Pass requirement slapped onto it. This means that gamers who buy a second hand copy of the game will have to pay a little extra in
order to access the online modes.
The Online Pass feature is already being implemented on all first-party Sony titles on the PlayStation 3 and other third-party developers are also following suit.
Whether or not this feature will be implemented on other Vita titles remains to be seen.
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