Sony Staying Focused with Australia's PS Vita Launch

In a move that probably makes business sense – but will surely play into the hands of the PS Vita’s doom patrons – Sony’s announced that it’s keeping the PS Vita’s Australian launch fairly focused, opting to stick with niche retailers rather than going for the jugular out of the gate.

The company’s Aussie branch told Kotaku:

For the launch of PlayStation Vita in Australia, with the specific target market being the active gamer we have chosen to launch the console with a focussed retail channel strategy across national specialist game and specialist technology retailers.

There is a long term vision for our revolutionary new hand-held platform, in the same way we had a long term vision for PS3, and anticipate that in line with this we will broaden channel distribution in the future.

Expect to find the hardware stocked at stores such as EB Games, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Dick Smith.

The thing that people keep forgetting about the PlayStation Vita – or any new platform for that matter – is that it doesn’t need to appeal to a mainstream audience from day-one. Yes, it needs to build a decent install base to encourage post-launch development, but these systems are designed with long-term business plans in mind.

We’re sure this makes sense for Sony’s strategy in Australia. Just don't expect to see the system popping up in an episode of Home & Away any time soon.