Vita has a minimal amount of memory installed by Sony

Sep 20, 2011 07:33 GMT  ·  By

Video game hardware maker Sony has confirmed at the Tokyo Games Show that the Japanese launch date for the PlayStation Vita handheld is set for December 17 an that the device will start selling with 24,980 Yen when it is out.

And now the company has also begun talking about the memory cards that interested gamers will be able to get in order to extend the capacity of the device.

The 4 GB memory card model will be priced at 2,200 Yen, which is the equivalent of about 30 dollars at the current exchange rate, while a 8 GB model will set players back 3,200 yen.

Those who want more memory space can also choose to get 16 GB memory card for 5,500 Yen and, the biggest one of the line, a 32 GB card for 9,500 Yen, which is about 124 dollars.

It seems that Sony will also allow third party manufacturers to create memory cards that work with the PlayStation Vita but the company is also saying that all unofficial cards are not guaranteed to work with the handheld and that all those who want security for their save games and their content need to get them from Sony.

Of course the price might change significantly before the early 2012 Western launch for the Vita based on sales and on the Sony's production capacities.

It seems that Sony chose to keep the on board Vita memory capacity low in order to make sure that it can make the hardware very powerful when it comes to actually playing games.

Since the TGS announcement of full hardware specifications and Japanese launch date gamers have also been talking about the limited battery life of the Vita but since then Sony has announced an extension for those who spend long periods of time on the move.