Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) launched its next-generation handheld gaming device, the PlayStation Vita, in the United States last November, and to say that it has been a modest success may be a stretch. Now the consumer electronics giant is planning to launch a new TV version of the PS Vita that will enable users to stream PlayStation 4 games and other content to a WiFi-connected TV. A November launch is set for Japan, but the company has not announced any plans to release the device in the U.S.
A report at CNET says the PS Vita TV will sell for the equivalent of about $95 in Japan. The PS Vita handheld itself now costs $199 in the U.S., after a price cut from its original price of $249.
Sony also is scheduled to launch its PlayStation 4 console in the U.S. in November and expects to sell 5 million units by the end of the 2013 fiscal year, which ends in March 2014. The PS 4 will be sold for $399 in the U.S. and includes WiFi connectivity and cloud-based gaming.
According to gaming tracker VGChartz, sales of the PS Vita are down 23% year-over-year in September. No gaming platform, handheld or console is up for the past 12 months. Worldwide sales of all platforms are down 22% year-over-year.
Will the PS Vita TV be a success? Given that its controller has been no more than a modest success, an even more modest success is about all the device can look forward to.
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