PS Vita parts teardown- less than $160

[Foxi4]

It's not overpriced, it's priced accordingly to its specs. iPhones are overpriced, the 3DS at launch was overpriced - the Vita is priced perfectly fine.

Sony fanboy much?

The way I see it, the price people are prepared to pay is the 'right price' if nobody buys it because of the price tag, then it obviously isn't the right price.

On what grounds are you saying that I'm a Sony fanboy? I own a GBC, GBA, DS, GameCube and a Wii, all bought at a store rather then second-hand to support my beloved company.

I am objective though and fully aware that the guts the 3DS has jammed in it are SIGNIFICANTLY weaker in comparison to the Vita and hence the $60 of a price difference in the price of hardware alone.

If you're trying to say that the launch price of the 3DS was NOT a bit of a stretch then please, go for it.

EDIT: Just to elaborate on that point a bit...

3DS: $100 worth of hardware + aprox. $40-50 of misc. costs per unit = $140-150. Launch Price = $250
---> Consumer f*cked over by $100
VITA: $160 worth of hardware + aprox. $40-50 of misc. costs per unit = $200-210. Launch Price = $250, $299 for the 3G/GPS (Add more production costs).
---> $40 - $89 bucks.

See the difference? Now we're on the same page.

 

[mjax]

You really underestimate the costs of several years of development, testing and later distribution world-wide. They would not earn $20 - they would lose money. I'm pretty sure they're stretching it as it is at the moment.

First they have to make up for Dev costs, then they'll drop the price a bit.

No, but they could make up for the loss with the sale of PS Vita memory cards, no? And, then there are game sales, which has a better profit potential if we consider the production cost to sale price ratio. I think with a lower price, they could expand create a user base for PS Vita which will be beneficial in the longer term. So a price deduction must be one of Sony's prime agenda.

 

[Foxi4]

You really underestimate the costs of several years of development, testing and later distribution world-wide. They would not earn $20 - they would lose money. I'm pretty sure they're stretching it as it is at the moment.

First they have to make up for Dev costs, then they'll drop the price a bit.

No, but they could make up for the loss with the sale of PS Vita memory cards, no? And, then there are game sales, which has a better profit potential if we consider the production cost to sale price ratio. I think with a lower price, they could expand create a user base for PS Vita which will be beneficial in the longer term. So a price deduction must be one of Sony's primary agenda.

Actually, the memcards are the first thing they should discount. There is no excuse for such outrageous prices - it's not the cure for cancer, it's flash memory.

 

[mjax]

You really underestimate the costs of several years of development, testing and later distribution world-wide. They would not earn $20 - they would lose money. I'm pretty sure they're stretching it as it is at the moment.

First they have to make up for Dev costs, then they'll drop the price a bit.

No, but they could make up for the loss with the sale of PS Vita memory cards, no? And, then there are game sales, which has a better profit potential if we consider the production cost to sale price ratio. I think with a lower price, they could expand create a user base for PS Vita which will be beneficial in the longer term. So a price deduction must be one of Sony's primary agenda.

Actually, the memcards are the first thing they should discount. There is no excuse for such outrageous prices - it's not the cure for cancer, it's flash memory.

They could have done better, shipping a free 2GB card with each Vita. (Just enough to atleast allow us to play games out of the box, without worrying about shelling out any extra money)

 

[skawo96]

Hmm. I don't remember a such outbreak from fellow 'Tempers when the 3DS component price was announced. GBAtemp y u so hypocritical.

 

[skawo96]

Actually, I take that back, the 3DS thread was about the same.

I seem to recall that most of the internet seemed to take the 3DS 100$ price more seriously than they're taking the Vita one now, though.
As in, it seems like more people realise that Vita is not worth 150$ now, than people realised the 3DS was not worth 100.

May just be me, though.

 

[MasterPenguin]

The memory card is indeed overpriced - I never said it is not. What I said is that the unit itself is priced just fine.

I won't argue with the fact that an SD/MSPDuo derrivative is given the price of golden tears of dragons.

You're pretty much forced to buy a memory card, you might as well include it. It raises the price quite significantly... So it's overpriced.

 

[Foxi4]

The memory card is indeed overpriced - I never said it is not. What I said is that the unit itself is priced just fine.

I won't argue with the fact that an SD/MSPDuo derrivative is given the price of golden tears of dragons.

You're pretty much forced to buy a memory card, you might as well include it. It raises the price quite significantly... So it's overpriced.

> Memory Card is overpriced + Unit is not overpriced = Unit is overpriced

The Memory Card is required only for specific games, it is not 100% necessary to utilize the console, it's an add-on that you are not forced to buy.

 

[iluvfupaburgers]

many people say its overpriced. actually, i think the price is fair. 160 for only parts seems fine and 250 is also for other costs. manufacturing, marketing, transport, people's salaries, etc. many people forget there are so many other stuff that need to be covered with that pricing. the memory cards are expensive though, even other brands, but considering its kinda a new technology, smaller than memory card micro

 

[Majorami]

The Memory Card is required only for specific games, it is not 100% necessary to utilize the console, it's an add-on that you are not forced to buy.

Its pretty much a given that a memory card is required, nessessary, essential. No one wants to buy a $250-$300 system only to have the option to play a limited amount of games.

 

[DiscostewSM]

It's much like with the 3DS. Approx $101 for the parts, but the actual cost to make a complete unit is roughly around the $170-180 range.

 

[iluvfupaburgers]

and many people forget, its a lucrative company, they need to make some profit aswell, they cant do stuff for charity

 

[Valwin]

The memory card is indeed overpriced - I never said it is not. What I said is that the unit itself is priced just fine.

I won't argue with the fact that an SD/MSPDuo derrivative is given the price of golden tears of dragons.

You're pretty much forced to buy a memory card, you might as well include it. It raises the price quite significantly... So it's overpriced.

> Memory Card is overpriced + Unit is not overpriced = Unit is overpriced

The Memory Card is required only for specific games, it is not 100% necessary to utilize the console, it's an add-on that you are not forced to buy.

your are in noway force to buy but will end up having to to buy anyway seem that you need them for the GOOD stuff

 

[Foxi4]

your are in noway force to buy but will end up having to to buy anyway seem that you need them for the GOOD stuff

The 3DS doesn't have any on-board memory either, the SD's are just cheaper because they're not proprietary.

Sure, Sony could've used a pre-existing storage medium, but they planned to cut down piracy-related issues by using obscure memory storage.

 

[mjax]

your are in noway force to buy but will end up having to to buy anyway seem that you need them for the GOOD stuff

The 3DS doesn't have any on-board memory either, the SD's are just cheaper because they're not proprietary.

Sure, Sony could've used a pre-existing storage medium, but they planned to cut down piracy-related issues by using obscure memory storage.

...And why was M2 used on PSP Go. It could have been Micro SD, no? Please don't say it was to cut down piracy.

 

[Foxi4]

your are in noway force to buy but will end up having to to buy anyway seem that you need them for the GOOD stuff

The 3DS doesn't have any on-board memory either, the SD's are just cheaper because they're not proprietary.

Sure, Sony could've used a pre-existing storage medium, but they planned to cut down piracy-related issues by using obscure memory storage.

...And why was M2 used on PSP Go. It could have been Micro SD, no? Please don't say it was to cut down piracy.

Sony console ---> Sony memory card.

 

[DiscostewSM]

your are in noway force to buy but will end up having to to buy anyway seem that you need them for the GOOD stuff

The 3DS doesn't have any on-board memory either, the SD's are just cheaper because they're not proprietary.

Sure, Sony could've used a pre-existing storage medium, but they planned to cut down piracy-related issues by using obscure memory storage.

Actually, the 3DS does have on-board memory. Approx 1.5GB worth, but, it is limited in use for things like DSi apps, pictures, updates, etc. Not for 3DS apps (except for those that are part of the OS), music, videos, etc.

 

[Foxi4]

your are in noway force to buy but will end up having to to buy anyway seem that you need them for the GOOD stuff

The 3DS doesn't have any on-board memory either, the SD's are just cheaper because they're not proprietary.

Sure, Sony could've used a pre-existing storage medium, but they planned to cut down piracy-related issues by using obscure memory storage.

Actually, the 3DS does have on-board memory. Approx 1.5GB worth, but, it is limited in use for things like DSi apps, pictures, updates, etc. Not for 3DS apps (except for those that are part of the OS), music, videos, etc.

Well, you could argue that just about any device has onboard memory then because the OS has to be written "somewhere". If it's inaccessible to the user then it's pretty much "not there" for standard use.

 

[Majorami]

your are in noway force to buy but will end up having to to buy anyway seem that you need them for the GOOD stuff

The 3DS doesn't have any on-board memory either, the SD's are just cheaper because they're not proprietary.

Sure, Sony could've used a pre-existing storage medium, but they planned to cut down piracy-related issues by using obscure memory storage.

...And why was M2 used on PSP Go. It could have been Micro SD, no? Please don't say it was to cut down piracy.

Piracy or no reasons or no, its to make money. Making memory cards for a single device is effective in monopolizing transflash storage. Sony must know that MicroSD to MSProDuo adapters exist, which gives that form of medium competition with MicroSD that can be found as cheap as 1-2GB to the $1, While the MSProDuo medium is still up in the 2GB to $3 range.

By making a new memory card that is difficult to make MicroSD adapters for, they can still monopolize the transflash situation on the PSVita.While SD are cheap and plentiful with competition for the lowest prices, PSVita's memory can be as much as Sony wants it to be. So why not charge $4-$5 per Gigabyte? Its not like anyone has the option yet to get cheaper compatible storage elseware.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Seems reasonable. The 3DS totaled like what, $100 in parts? Nintendo has always been for profiting on consoles so their price tag was to ensure good profit from the console, not just software. The Vita, between parts, production costs, and marketing, probably isn't scoring them a big profit per machine (they did, however, say they're not selling it at a loss at its current price point). They're just not making huge numbers.

Still, if anything, it shows a price cut may be possible.