Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has finally announced the release dates for its next generation portable gaming device, the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita). The Japanese tech giant revealed that the handheld will be launched on the 22nd of February throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East as well as Australasia.

The recommended retail prices for Europe is €249 (approx. R2746) for the Wi-Fi-only version and €299 (around R3296) for the 3G and Wi-Fi model. No local pricing info is available yet.

Sony’s PS Vita (182 x 18.6 x 83.5 mm) boasts a 5” OLED ( 960 x 544) capacitive touch-screen, front and rear cameras, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, built-in GPS, dual analog sticks, motion sensors, as well as a capacitive rear touch pad. It is powered by a quad-core ARM Cortex  A9 processor, whilst the graphics are handled by a SGX543MP4+ GPU.

There are over 80 games currently in production for the console such as LittleBigPlanet, WipEout 2048, Resistance: Burning Skies and Uncharted Golden Abyss. Sony also stated that popular franchises the likes of Assassin’s Creed, FIFA as well as Call of Duty will also be coming to its handheld.  

"PlayStation Vita is an incredible device that offers the best possible portable gaming experiences, especially when combined with social connectivity to offer unique and exhilarating experiences, unparalleled in the portable entertainment market," said Jim Ryan, president and CEO, SCEE.

"We're very excited to launch a portable gaming device that goes beyond anything available on the market and delivers the uncompromised gaming experiences consumers have been asking for."

 

In related news Sony’s Entertainment Network and PlayStation Network was recently attacked by hackers and about 93 000 accounts may have been compromised.