For most of us, it wouldn’t come as any surprise to hear that Sony might not be expecting incredible sales of the PlayStation Vita for the holiday season. The portable system has failed to find its place and has seen a slower adoption rate that Sony hoped for, but there is a new bundle that could help spur sales for holiday season.
The “PS Plus Instant Game Collection PS Vita Bundle” is not only a mouthful, it’s also a good deal. At $300, it includes a downloadable code for the game Unit 13, a 4GB memory card, and — the coup the grace — a one-year membership to PlayStation Plus. That subscription alone is valued at $50. Combine it with the game and the memory card, and the bundle represents a savings of about $100.
Of course, this is as much an advertisement of PlayStation Plus as it is a sale on Vita. Plus is Sony’s version of Xbox Live Gold, but unlike Microsoft, Sony already allows all of its gamers to play online, stream videos, and video chat with friends all for free. What Plus offers is a premium set of features, including placing your save files on the cloud and being able to remotely download updates. Members also receive steep discounts on downloadable games and add-ons, and also occasionally receive “free” access to games.
It has been heavily touted as a beneficial service for PS3 owners, but the fact that Vita users also receive free and discounted content is often overlooked. One membership entitles a user to the benefits on both platforms.
What this really looks like is Sony trying to prove to its existing loyal PS3 base that there is value in having both a PS3 and a PlayStation Vita. There is much speculation that dedicated handheld consoles are on their way out, thanks to tablets and smartphones. The Vita has been and will continue to be a case study on how a game system can compete in this environment.
via PlayStation Blog
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