14 DAY TRIAL // Video game hardware developer Sony has announced that the launch date for the PlayStation Vita handheld in the United States, Europe, Canada and Latin America has been set for February 22, 2012, with all major retailers ready to stock the new platform.
The announcement was made at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco and Sony has also announced that they will offer more than 100 video games on the American and European launch dates, including such titles as Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, EA Sports’ FIFA, Activision’s Call of Duty, Resistance: Burning Skies, Uncharted Golden Abyss and Capcom’s Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
The Wi-Fi version of the PlayStation Vita will cost 249 dollars in North America, 249 Euro in Europe and 349.95 Australian dollars, while the version of the device which offers 3G connections will cost 299 dollars in North America, 299.99 Euro in Europe and 449.95 in Australian currency.
When the announcement was made Sony also emphasized that the Vita will offer more than video games, with social features and access to applications like Skype, Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.
The February 22 launch date means that Japanese gamers will have the privilege of playing with the Vita for about two months before other players get the device.
Reports are saying that most Japanese retailers have already blocked pre-orders for the new Sony handheld, saying that all their current stock is tied up already, which is encouraging in terms of future sales.
This also means that it will be hard for gamers outside of Japan to order handhelds there and then ship them to the United States and to Europe.
The Vita is not region locked in any way.
Sony says that its new gaming platform will prove that players are still interested in playing on the move on a device that offers more power than the current generation of smartphones.