If like us, you were looking forward to the imminent launch of Sony’s next generation portable console, the PlayStation Vita later this year, then you will no doubt be disappointed to hear that it will only be launched next year.

The company announced this week that the handheld would only be available by the end of the year in Japan. Other markets will have to wait until next year to get their hands on Sony’s newest addition to the portable console space.

This is in contradiction to the announcement by Sony’s executive vice president Kazuo Hirai at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, that the Vita would be available starting from the holiday season this year, and that it would be launching with a number of exclusive titles for the new platform, including a Vita version of Uncharted.

The news comes hot on the heels of another unexpected announcement, that for the first time in its history, Nintendo will be slashing the price of its 3DS console less than a year after its release, in a global trade price reduction initiative.

In South Africa, the Nintendo 3DS will be reduced to a RRP of R1900 – almost one thousand rand less than its launch price of R2800 – from this Friday (August 12^th). According to the Core Group, the official distributor of the 3DS and Nintendo locally, this price could vary from one retailer to the next.  

While the 3DS has not received the adoption the company hoped for, Nintendo has promised that more games for its beleaguered console will be released in the upcoming months, including Starfox 64 on September 16th, and new Super Mario and Mario Kart titles before the end of the year.

In recent news, Qualcomm has asserted that it expects mobile gaming to surpass console gaming in the future.

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