Vita Won't Hit North America & Europe Until 2012

[DoctorFinger]

Those of you hoping to get a Playstation Vita under the tree this holiday season are out of luck. Mostly. Sony has announced that while the Vita will launch in Japan before Christmas, the new handheld won't make it to market in North America or Europe until 2012.

Sony's Kaz Harai stressed that this isn't a delay. The company had promised that the system's rollout would begin by the end of 2011, and it will launch in Japan this year. Reasons for the later North American and European launches was not given, but earlier in the year Sony said the devastation earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan could impact the system's release. Sony also assured everyone that no price drop is in the cards, a clear reference to Nintendo's recently announced price cut on the 3DS.

The Playstation Vita will launch with two versions, a Wi-Fi only unit for $249 and a 3G/Wi-Fi enabled version for $299.

Source - Wall Street Journal

Thanks to Brian for the tip!

[Widgetcraft]

Well, that's pretty fucking shitty. Glad we're not a priority or anything.

[Zecon]

Is it still coming out in Q4?
If not, then its going to be another rough year for Sony.

[DoctorFinger]

Early 2012 is still Q4 of the fiscal year, so they shouldn't take too much of a hit on the (non)delay.

[Blue]

This is actually a blessing for me - more time to save and I won't feel quite as guilty about buying what I want this fall.

[Gorvi]

This is disappointing, but not at all surprising. It makes sense for them to have it out in Japan first. This still sucks, though.

It still goes along with what they've been saying since it was announced, it really shouldn't surprise anyone.

[Yeti2005]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

Early 2012 is still Q4 of the fiscal year, so they shouldn't take too much of a hit on the (non)delay.

The tech looks amazing and I want one from a gadget perspective but the Vita is going to be a failure when it comes to sales. This PA comic applies equally to the Vita.

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by Yeti2005

The tech looks amazing and I want one from a gadget perspective but the Vita is going to be a failure when it comes to sales. This PA comic applies equally to the Vita.

Do we really need to start that debate again?

[Suave Peanut]

So March 2012 would put it seven years since the original PSP. That's a pretty good lifespan for a device.

[Shieldmaiden]

Originally Posted by Suave Peanut

So March 2012 would put it seven years since the original PSP. That's a pretty good lifespan for a device.

Has it really been that long? Mind = blown.

[Suave Peanut]

Originally Posted by BigJonno

Has it really been that long? Mind = blown.

I remember it well. I would put the DS in one pocket, PSP in the other, and strut all over campus.

[Bone]

Originally Posted by Gorvi

Do we really need to start that debate again?

In every handheld thread, apparently.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by Heretic Machine

Well, that's pretty fucking shitty. Glad we're not a priority or anything.

Wasn't the PSP a much bigger success in Japan than it was here?

[Tayaya]

I'm actually happy about this news also. This year's not been very kind to me financially.... keep feeling like I'm spinning my wheels and not making any forward progress on my debt.

I still have to buy tires before winter hits, which will dent my wallet by at least $1000, so if I can wait until next year AND still be part of the launch, that fits my personal agenda well!

[DoctorFinger]

Unless they start giving out 3DS' for free, it's price won't impact sales of the Vita too much. They're just too different; the 3DS is a game system only, while Sony is trying to position the Vita as an iOS competitor.

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by Zero

Wasn't the PSP a much bigger success in Japan than it was here?

It was the top selling console in Japan for the past two years, I believe. It was at least one of the last two years, and very close to it the other.

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

Unless they start giving out 3DS' for free, it's price won't impact sales of the Vita too much. They're just too different; the 3DS is a game system only, while Sony is trying to position the Vita as an iOS competitor.

I'm not so sure I agree. They've been positioning it as an all around games machine. If they were trying to make it an iOS competitor you'd see at the very least some kind of productivity features being touted. They've spoken very little, if at all, about anything involving the Vita that isn't directly related to games.

I think what separates the Vita is that out of the gate they've been courting smaller, bite sized downloadable games in addition to the more traditional full featured retail games. They're trying to get the best of both worlds, and I think that's its biggest strength.

[CES]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

Unless they start giving out 3DS' for free, it's price won't impact sales of the Vita too much. They're just too different; the 3DS is a game system only, while Sony is trying to position the Vita as an iOS competitor.

That worries me, Sony aren't going to knock iOS off its pedestal until the Vita technology makes it into a phone. What is interesting is (in the UK at least), the launch price is dead on what the Xbox 360 was at launch (£280) and the iPod Touch 32gb is only £30 cheaper.

Edit: And the 64gb version of the Touch is about £10 more.

[JayVe]

Well, this is shitty news. Missing the holiday season has got to suck for the number-crunching people.

Also, as sweet as Vita is, it isn't any real kind of threat to iOS as a platform, and isn't being touted as an iOS competitor. The first PSP was hailed as a multimedia powerhouse, the walkman of the 21st century and an iPod killer. It was none of those things.

[RandoM51]

People paying attention at E3 knew this was coming, not sure why gamers are acting surprised.

When Sony announced the PS Vita, they were very specific about their wording, "The PS Vita will be released in at least one region this year." That is marketspeak for "We're only going to get it out in one region."

Which region do you think they'd choose?

1. The region where handheld gaming has replaced console gaming, and the PSP was an unqualified success.

2. The region where the PSP was little more than a plaything for pirates.

3. The region where they have to localize every game to at least 5 languages?

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to pick the most likely region from that list.