Sony first revealed what it is now calling the PS Vita portable console last January and gave it its official name a few weeks ago at its E3 2011 press conference. At the time the company said that the PS Vita would ship out sometime during this coming holiday season. Now its possible that is indeed true but that the "holiday" might be closer to New Year"s Day 2012.
Destructoid reports that people who have pre-ordered the PS Vita via Amazon.com have now received notices that the console will be shipped out in the first week of January with an actual release date of December 31. It"s possible that date is just a placeholder set up by Amazon.com and that Sony has yet to set a date. However if it is true it means that lots of gamers will have to get some IOUs under the Christmas tree this year.
That is if that is indeed the release date. Yet another report from PSX Extreme gives some evidence that the PS Vita might actually be released well before Christmas. A UK based web retailer called Shopto.com seems to indicate that the PS Vita will be released on November 4 in that country.
Officially Sony has said that the PS Vita, with its 6 inch touch screen and a ton of game control options, will be sold for $249 with WiFi wireless connections and for $299 with both WiFi and 3G wireless features. The 3G features will have AT&T as a carrier but no pricing for that service has been revealed.
Image via Sony