In an effort to encourage gamers to go digital and ditch retailers, Playstation Vita titles will be cheaper for those who decide to download them.
Sony’s strategy with the Vita is for gamers to move on from the old-school mentality of going to the game store and picking up the latest title. Instead, it wants you to stay home, connect to your WiFi network, and have the game delivered directly to your device.
And as an added bonus, Sony has confirmed that buying a game through digital download will be cheaper than buying the packaged retail version at the local store.
This should help greatly accelerate the usage of digital downloads, especially after Sony bungled its last attempt in this market with the PSP Go. The Go had no capacity for external media and relied exclusively on downloads, but downloadable games were the same price as the packaged retail versions, leaving most gamers to shrug off the Go.
Of course, for Sony, or any publisher, having a consumer buy a game through digital download is extraordinarily cheaper than if they purchase it at Best Buy. There’s no manufacturing cost, no shipping cost, etc. But the idea of making downloadable versions cheaper has been pushed aside in the past, out of fear that companies might harm their relationships with retailers.
Nevertheless, Sony is breaking the mold and really pushing digital distribution with the Vita, which goes on sale in the US in just 20 days.
