PlayStation Vita launching 2012 in US, Europe

Sony's PlayStation Vita won't be launching in the US and Europe this year, company executive VP Kazuo Hirai has confirmed. Sony had previously said that the snazzy handheld would launch in 2011, but insists that it never said this would be a worldwide launch.

The PlayStation Vita, formerly codenamed the NGP (Next Generation Portable), will launch in Japan by the end of this year, then come to the US and Europe in early 2012.

According to Hirai, this is less of a delay and more Sony wanting to have a solid software lineup in place. Here's (most of) the Vita games known to be in development so far.

The Vita was originally on track to cost the same as Nintendo's new handheld, the 3DS, but Nintendo is unexpectedly and drastically cutting the price by $80 to $169.99 next week. However, Sony has no intention to follow Nintendo's lead, and is sticking at $249.99 for the Wi-Fi-only model and $299.99 for the flashy 3G-enabled system.

"We packed so much into the device and made it very affordable," Hirai said according to an AP report. "There is no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game business decided that they were going to lower their price."