While exact figures for
Vita aren't available, combined sales of Vita and PSP were just 1.4 million in quarter two of 2012, down from the 1.8 million PSP's which were sold in the same period of 2011. Sony has been steadfast in its refusal to admit how many of the 1.4 million units were Vita.
Speaking to
http://www.gamesindustry.biz, Tretton says he's not getting too worked up over the figures:
"In this industry, you can't get too high or too low, because it moves very quickly," said Tretton.
"I think there's an acceptable number - and (the number) we've sold: That's acceptable. If it was triple that, I'd be happier. If it was one-third, I'd be disappointed."
Sony have been in this position before, with the launch of their now successful
Playstation 3 console facing similar teething problems, something which has likely steeled the company to stay the course.
"Anything with great rewards is going to come with great challenges," Tretton continued.
"We felt if the tech was there, and the game support was there, then the audience would be there. … I feel much better about it now than I did four months ago."
It's been a rough time for Sony as a whole with the Japanese giants posting a whopping 24.6 billion yen ($315 million) loss in the last few months. Still, Tretton remains positive, and he sees opportunity ahead rather than stormy seas:
"I think the opportunity to be in the console business is greater than ever before," he said.
"(Social and free-to-play) is a business I think a lot of companies are learning is difficult to sustain for the long term. It's an adjunct or it's an add-on, but it's not where gaming is headed. It's an additive diversion. There's a place for social and freemium, but it's not going to replace the business models that are out there."