Yesterday, NPD Group revealed January 2012's gaming sales numbers, showing a lackluster month to say the least. Despite hardware sales dropping from $324 million to $199.5, Sony continues to remain optimistic.
Always ones to point out the positive, Sony released a statement on the NPD sales report, calling it a month of "solid results for the PlayStation 3".
“Following a strong December at retail, PlayStation continued the momentum in January through multi-retailer promotions such as 'Play Days' where we saw a 2x lift over forecast in peripheral sales and solid results for the PlayStation 3,” said Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications at SCEA.
Despite another week of dismal PS Vita sales in Japan, Sony continued to express optimism that the handheld will sell well in western markets like the U.S. and Europe when it finally releases February 22nd.
Commenting on the Vita's upcoming launch, Sony emphasized the main focus for February would be the PS Vita.
“February will be a landmark month for PlayStation and the gaming industry with the launch of PlayStation Vita on February 22," Sony added. "Pre-order sales for PS Vita and the launch lineup of 25 titles continue to accelerate as more consumers seek the ultimate in handheld gameplay.”
Sony's PlayStation Vita has not sold particularly well in Japan – at least when compared to early predictions and estimates. But despite sales not hitting the company's "highest expectations", President of Sony's Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, reiterated that in terms of sales, "it's still within our expectation." And with that, he added, "With the numbers we have seen in terms of sell–through, I am very happy."
Although the Vita technically releases worldwide on February 22nd, many gamers who have already purchased the handheld will have theirs sometime next week. And to top it off, Sony revealed a list of over 270 PSP and PlayStation Mini games that will also be available via the PlayStation Store to enjoy on the Vita.
