One of our sources in Japan tells us that Sony is ignoring the calls from a number of areas to slash the price of the PlayStation Vita handheld prior to its release as a way to prevent slow sales. As some expected, the Nintendo deep price cut on the 3DS seems to be playing a role in the insistence of many that they will wait till Sony drops the price.

An analyst that we spoke with told us that, “Sony is really going to have to be careful here, because the calls to cut the price of the Vita are not coming from just one direction, but a number of different areas. If they choose not to lower the price before release, it could really impact the platform getting off to a solid start.”

While Sony obviously believes that the price is affordable and makes the Vita a good deal, many just don’t see it. The impact of the iPhone and other smartphone devices has made the handheld market much more difficult; and with Nintendo’s recent price cut on the 3DS it could prove next to impossible to sell Vita units at a $249 and $299 price. Sony still has a lot of time to decide their final marketing strategy, so let’s hope they make the best of it.