PS VITA: RETAILERS’ VIEWS


Breathing new life into the High Street


2020


The UK’s biggest games retailers tell Christopher Dring about the importance of Sony’s new portable


Nick Sultanti, Games Buyer, Morrisons


“The Vita launch should bring a welcome cheer to a dour High Street. It’s an amazing bit


of kit born out of experience and something I am really looking forward to.


“The first week in Japan showed the demand for this product, it’s got some great launch titles and the console itself encourages experimentation, which will continue to drive demand for this product. The handheld market is getting tougher with smartphones eating into it, but with Vita, Sony is protecting its core market.”


Andrew


Thompson, Head of Games, Asda


“First-hand experience has proved positive – PS Vita is easily


the most powerful handheld ever made, and as such will offer gamers some incredible experiences. “As always, Asda will be open in over 200 stores for a midnight launch for PS Vita. We will be


The excitement around this launch shows that handheld gaming remains as popular as ever.


“ Anna-Marie Mason, GAME


Anna-Marie Mason,


Marketing Director,


GAME Group “The PlayStation Vita is a cutting edge piece of


video gaming kit set to change how gamers play and connect with each other.


“The excitement around this launch shows that handheld gaming remains as popular as ever. We are pleased to announce that GAME and Gamestation stores will be the only retailers to be able to give customers the chance to try out the console ahead of its launch in the UK.


“With Playstation Vita being so hotly anticipated, we’re telling customers to get in quick and pre- order in-store or online.”


20 February 3rd 2012


James Rowson, Purchasing Director, ShopTo


“The new Vita console is a


fantastic piece of kit which ticks all


the boxes for the serious gamer and will no doubt be a big success at launch with the ShopTo gaming community. It looks, from early pre-


giving over incremental space in- store and will have a strong range of software and accessories in store and online to support the launch of Vita.”


order feedback, that the Wi-Fi SKU is the most popular and that the price differential and monthly fee for 3G will remain the choice of only the most hardened ‘game anywhere’ customers.


“Pre-orders have been tracking very well for a February launch, with the Wi-Fi model being a 3:1 winner so far and Unchartedgetting a pre- order attach of almost 50 per cent. “With a wide range of software to cover all genres, it really does appear that there will be something to appeal to everyone, although for the ShopTo hardcore gamers it’s all about the action games. “Since we set up the console bundles online, we’ve seen a great uptake as we offer the customer a money saving option to get into Vita. Our Reward Points scheme has also benefitted greatly as this higher price purchase gets them some decent points in their account. For launch we have built a microsite within ShopTo.”


The Vita launch should bring a welcome cheer to a dour High Street.


“


Toby Burton, Senior Games Buyer,


Sainsbury’s “From a retail


perspective it’s great to have a new piece of hardware to sink


our teeth into. In a period of market decline, it’s a great opportunity to drive sales, and the excitement the launch generates is great for our customers and colleagues. From a personal perspective as a gamer – and a huge PSP Monster Hunterfan – I can’t wait to get my hands on one. I’m really impressed with the performance and power they’ve managed to squeeze into it, and the games look amazing. I’m


Gennaro Castaldo, Head of Press, HMV


“Having been lucky to try Vita out a little while back, it’s a wonderful piece of kit with lots of


exciting new features that really re-creates the console as a handheld experience that will help take gaming to its next level. With so many great titles on its slate, it stands an excellent chance of doing really well. We’re still in discussions about support activity, but we’re seeing some encouraging pre-orders.”


www.mcvuk.com Nick Sultanti, Morrisons


“We’re working really closely with Sony to make sure the launch in Sainsbury’s is a huge success. We will also be ensuring our colleagues are fully trained about everything it can do. Visibility and consistency is key, not just at launch, but throughout the year.”


excited to see what the developers can achieve with some of the major franchises over the coming years. “We’ve been taking pre-orders through Sainsbury’s Entertainment website for some time now and it’s tracking really well. The great thing is not all customers are pre-ordering the same game either, which goes to prove that the launch line-up is more appealing and diverse than your average hardware launch.


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