Former PlayStation CEO Reveals Reasons For PS Vita's Failure

JAKARTA - Jack Tretton certainly experienced ups and downs while at Sony. In a recent interview with Axios, the former PlayStation boss talked about the many missteps the company has taken with the PS Vita.

During the interview, Tretton also talked about how handheld devices are not receiving the love and support it deserves internally at the company. Tretton talks about the PS Vita being discontinued early and never receiving the support it deserves.

He explains how new technologies require large marketing budgets and developer support funds to entice consumers to buy them.

"There are definitely technologies that I think are good but don't have the level of support they need," he said, quoted from GamingBolt, Sunday, April 10.

In addition, he also talked about how the company had an internal belief that the PS Vita was a great product, but it was too late to hit the market. Coupled with the ever-increasing popularity of smartphones, Sony thinks that fans no longer want a dedicated gaming device.

The first reason the company made a mistake with the PS Vita was the price. The PS Vita was launched at a price of US$249 or Rp. 3.4 million. The price of the Vita is considered too expensive.

Its direct competitor, the 3DS, also launched at a price deemed expensive, but Nintendo will soon cut that price, which has an immediate and positive impact on its sales.

The way Sony chose to promote and market the handheld system was also not ideal as they didn't really market the Vita at all, when compared to the 3DS or even the PSP.

Tretton left Sony in 2014 and is now part of Interactive Gaming Ventures. While PlayStation has recently acquired Bethesda, Activision Blizzard, and Bungie.