PlayStation Vita release dates confirmed for Europe, Australia and Japan
Sony have confirmed the release dates for their latest handheld portable gaming console, the PlayStation Vita, for the European and Australian regions, after originally only confirming a release date for Japan.
There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the Sony’s PlayStation Vita since it was officially revealed during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), after initially being dubbed the Next Generation Portable or NGP, as to when the console would be hitting shelves.
Sony have remained tight lipped on the subject, giving away very little until recently, initially only announcing a release date in Japan.
It seems that Sony look to make the most of the Holiday season as the Vita is scheduled for a release in the land of the rising sun on the 17th of December, exactly one week before Christmas.
The rest of the world was wondering when their turn would come, with rumours circulating in the industry that the portable gaming device would not hit markets in other territories this year and placed the product in a 2012 release window.
It seems that whoever was behind the rumours knew what they were talking about as Sony have confirmed that the PlayStation Vita will hit shelves in Europe and Australia on the 22nd of February, 2012.
Boasting a vast array of features such as front and rear facing camera, a touch sensitive backside (no pun intended), an OLED touch screen, two analogue sticks and a processor that can render PlayStation 3 quality graphics, the PlayStation Vita is a true successor to the PlayStation Portable, unlike the PlayStation Portable Go.
Seemingly learning from its PSP mistakes, Sony have also announced a massive launch line-up of release titles for the portable gaming device, with 26 confirmed as of this point in time, but the total number rumoured to be around the 100 games mark.
With titles such as Resistance: Burning Skies, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and LittleBigPlanet among others, the PlayStation Vita is looking to cement itself as THE portable gaming console of choice.
It also has a host of Social Networking Features unique to the Vita as Sony look to cut themselves a bigger slice of the market-share pie.
The remote play feature will also allow gamers to access content on their PlayStation 3s anywhere in the worldwide, provided there is Wi-Fi or 3G availability and access.
The list of features seems never ending, but the true test will come when it actually releases and consumers get it in their hands. Will the Vita sell well enough or will there be enough support for the console in the long run? These are the type of questions everyone seems to be asking if they look past the excitement.
At least, now gamers know when they will get the answers to those questions.
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