14 DAY TRIAL // Video game publisher and hardware developer Sony has launched a small firmware update for the PlayStation Vita handheld device in Japan, bringing it up to version 1.52.
The company seems to have been forced to launch the small update in order to fix a problem which was introduced via firmware patch 1.51 which made handhelds that used the 3G feature unable to recognize their own SIM cards.
The update will be downloaded automatically when the user turns his device on and chooses a way to connect to the Sony servers and it’s not clear whether there are any other bug fixes or new features included.
The upgraded firmware will presumably be included on the PlayStation Vita when it launches in the United States and in Europe on February 22.
Sony will probably launch many more firmware updates in the coming months in order to introduce new features to the handheld and make it more attractive to potential buyers.
The PlayStation Vita has performed worse than expected in Japan, where it was introduced in late 2011, and the device needed more than two months to sell the 500,000 units which were shipped by Sony for launch date.
The Nintendo 3DS has managed to beat the PlayStation Vita during its launch week and it seems that the Sony handheld is set to stay under 50,000 units sold per month for the foreseeable future.
The 3DS also underperformed soon after launch and Nintendo needed to cut the price of the device and launch high profile titles like Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 to push sales up.
It’s not clear what Sony plans to do if the Vita fails to perform significantly better on Western markets.
The company recently said that initial sales numbers for its new handheld are not a good indicator of its long term prospects.