Sony Slashes PlayStation Vita Price To $199, Memory Cards Will Also Get “Significant Reductions”

Following recent reductions at retail outlets such as Best Buy and Target, Sony have confirmed that the PlayStation Vita will be reduced to $199/€199 effective tomorrow. Taking to the stage at their conference at Gamescom, the company’s European CEO Jim Ryan also announced that the system’s proprietary memory cards will see a “significant reduction” in the near future, too.

Having first rolled out the reduction in Japan back in February, the initial price cut witnessed a groundswell of support for the Vita in this particular market; one which even saw it outselling Nintendo’s 3DS in March, 2013. However, it’s unclear at this time whether the aforementioned price drop will apply to both the Wi-Fi and 3G versions of the PlayStation Vita in North America and Europe; though the sale at Best Buy had both models locked at $199. Nonetheless, in reducing the handheld from its previous RRP of $249, Sony will hope to entice a new portion of the gaming community towards the portable system ahead of the launch of the PlayStation 4.

Coupled with the system’s cut, the company also confirmed that they will be revising the asking price for the Vita’s memory cards. Considering that the 32GB card currently retails in North America and Europe for $100 and €90, respectively, this price drop has been a long time coming. This revision will mean that the aforementioned 32GB will now be priced at $80, the 16GB models will retail at $40, and the 8GB and 4GB cards will retail at $20 and $15, respectively. In doing so, Sony will hope to garner some momentum for the PlayStation Vita in western markets, with sales figures being somewhat lacklustre hitherto.

The Japanese giant closed their press conference by stating that they “see a new and bright chapter in the life of the PlayStation Vita,” one which has certainly by given more potential in the wake of today’s price reduction.

What do you think, though? Is $199 a fair price point for the PlayStation Vita? Or are you disappointed that the rumoured bundle with the PS4 wasn’t announced? Let us know below.