Sony not planning to release PlayStation Vita TV in US or Europe ‘at this point’

Sony not planning to release PlayStation Vita TV in US or Europe ‘at this point’
David Scammell Updated on by

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Sony is not planning on releasing its game-streaming device PlayStation Vita TV in the US or Europe “at this point”, instead choosing to focus on the Asian market, SCE president Andrew House has confirmed.

In an interview with techon.com, House explained that he has “high hopes” for the device in China, where the sale of standard video game consoles is currently prohibited.

“SCE will release the PS Vita TV in Japan Nov 14, 2013, and in other countries after that,” House said.

“The reason why it will be launched in Japan earlier than in other countries is that there is no leading company in Japan’s video streaming market. The company is planning to sell the PS Vita TV in China, South Korea, etc, but not in the US and European market at this point.

“In the Asian market, SCE has high hopes for the Chinese market. This is not limited to the PS Vita TV. This applies to all of SCE’s products. At this point, the Chinese government prohibits the sales of home-use game consoles, but we expects [sic] that the prohibition will be dropped.”

“So, if the sales of home-use game consoles is permitted in, for example, the free trade zone of Shanghai, it will create a big business opportunity. We have high expectations for that.”

PS Vita TV lets users stream PlayStation Vita, PSP and PSOne titles, and play PS4 titles via Remote Play. Sony is also “considering providing PS3 games” to the service in future, House says.

“At this point, more than 1,300 titles of games in various categories can be played,” he adds. “They have a wide price range, making it easy for users to buy them. With the lineup and prices, we can reasonably expect that the PS Vita TV will gain in popularity.

“The PS Vita TV was developed mainly for those who have fun with contents with family members in a living room. The concept of the PS Vita TV was created in about August 2011, four months before the release of the PS Vita. After that, SCE discussed it many times and started the development of the PS Vita TV in earnest about a year ago.”

PlayStation Vita TV was revealed earlier this week alongside a new slimmer and lighter PlayStation Vita. The new Vita has yet to be confirmed for release in the UK.

Source: techon.nikkeibp.co.jp