Sony ‘upbeat’ on early Vita sales data

Sony is upbeat on early sales data for its handheld PS Vita, the console giant’s SCEA boss has said.

Jack Tretton told IGN that he was “very, very positive” about the sales of the portable hardware and its peripherals and software.

“Memory is going out the door very aggressively despite the fact that memory is in a lot of the presale bundles,” said Tretton.

“The software appears to be selling quite well top to bottom."

The Sony boss also claimed that he would be pleased if Vita sold as well in the US as it had done in Japan, which he said had sold 500,000 units in three weeks after its launch in December.

“Quite frankly, it scares me if people think that the Japanese launch is struggling. The fact is they sold 500,000 units in three weeks,” he said.

“I would be pleased if we did 500,000 units in the first three weeks here in the United States. I think that’s a real healthy number for a new platform launch."

Tretton went as far as to claim that the console giant was better positioned for the Vita launch than any of its previous platform releases, and said it had been Sony’s most successful build up to a new console.

“I think this is probably our most successful lead up to a launch platform… Now that the holidays are behind us and the marketing campaign is kicking in and the merchandising is appearing at retail and we’ve got our promotional campaign kicking in,” he said.

“I feel great about the velocity that we have going into Vita, and I’d say that we’re best positioned of any platform launch that I’ve been a part of in terms of positive momentum and positive feedback relative to it."

Tretton also echoed Sony’s SVP of brand marketing Guy Langworth’s senitments made earlier this week that the company would be supporting Vita for the long-term.

“Our definition of success is a ten-year product lifecycle, relevant on a worldwide basis with a very dedicated, happy consumer base that is loyal to the brand," asserted Tretton.