Japan will see Vita hit shelves Dec. 17
TOKYO — Sony's upgraded portable video game machine PlayStation Vita is going on sale in Japan on Dec. 17 with 26-game software going on sale on the same date, but it's still not available overseas until next year.
The competition in portable gaming is almost certain to intensify in Japan, ahead of the rest of the world, during the year-end shopping season.
The launch of the PlayStation Vita coincides with Japanese rival Nintendo going on the offensive with new game titles for its portable 3DS, which did not go on sale in time for last year's holidays.
Sony has already said the Vita won't be ready in the U.S. or Europe until next year. The company did not give overseas sales dates, and said such details were undecided.
Hiroshi Kawano, head of Sony's gaming unit, Sony Computer Entertainment, announced a Japan tie-up with major mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo for the PlayStation Vita, including a prepaid data reception plan of 100 hours at $65.
In an effort to woo buyers, Kawano said 100 hours of free playing on the 3G mobile network will be offered with the first 500,000 purchases.
During his nearly two hour presentation at a Tokyo event hall, Kawano repeatedly stressed Sony was serious about pushing the Vita, which he said was targeting casual gamers playing on cell phones as well as fans who own PlayStation 3 home consoles.
He acknowledged a view in the gaming industry that energy was running low, but he said he was determined to make Vita a chance for growth.
“I believe the gaming industry can help bring a revival,” he said, referring to the lagging Japanese economy.
In the past, Nintendo, which makes Super Mario and Pokemon games, has beaten Sony offerings in portables.
Nintendo has sold nearly 150 million DS hand-held machines, outpacing the Sony PlayStation Portable at 71 million. Both machines went on sale in 2004.
But Nintendo's latest offering, the 3DS, which features glasses-free 3-D imagery, has gotten off to a relatively slow start, at 4.32 million sold so far around the world.
Appearing at a presentation Tuesday for the 3DS, the usually boastful Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the company needs to do more to attract women to the 3DS, as that hasn't happened as it has with the DS and Wii home console.
Nintendo has already slashed the price of its 3DS. In the U.S., the price dropped to $169.99 from $249.99.
The PlayStation Vita will cost $249 in the U.S.
