The folks at UBM TechInsights have gotten ahold of a 3G PlayStation Vita and ripped it apart, zombie style, in order to examine just what components make up the device, how it looks inside and all that. In the process, they and Eurogamer figured out just how much all those guts cost, to help you decide whether or not you’re getting a good value for your money, and whether or not Sony left any room for error (read: price chopping) if things get dicey post-launch.
After all, the Vita is floundering in its native Japan, and some commenters are already calling for a price reduction, much like the price cut the Nintendo 3DS underwent last year – and which is now doing rather well.
Sure enough, the total bill of materials for a top-of-the-line PlayStation Vita indicates that the handhelds are indeed (costing) more than the sum of its parts. Check it out:
- Display and touchscrens: $50
- Battery: $3.60
- Cameras: $3.50
- Wi-Fi/BT/GPS: $3.50
- NAND: $6.00
- SDRAM: $9.25
- Processor: $16.00
- BB+XCR: $16.25
- Non-electronic parts: $11.00
- Other: $30.00
- Supporting materials: $10.00
This all totals out to around $159.10, well below the retail price of $299.99. Of course, before you go out to Radio Shack and decide to build your own PSVita, don’t forget that loads of this stuff is custom manufactured, and bought in bulk. So y’know, your mileage may vary. For comparison’s sake, the raw material cost of a 3DS at launch was around $101 per unit, according to Eurogamer.
Working backward off the retail price and some conservative estimates on retailer margins, Eurogamer works out that the wholesale price for a new 3G Vita would be about $136, give or take depending on exchange rates. That means Sony pockets about $163 per unit, which isn’t too bad, and leaves a fairly reasonable profit to shave should they need to cut the price later.
Of course the question remains: Is it a good deal for you? That may only be a question you can answer. Check out our PlayStation Vita hands-on preview and see if that helps, and let us know what you think in the comments!
[source] Eurogamer
