PlayStation Vita won’t be available in Europe until next year

Sony will only release the PlayStation Vita in Europe and the United States in 2012, PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai has announced. Sony’s new handheld will only be available for purchase in Japan before the turn of the year.

the AP reports Sony Computer Entertainment’s Kaz Hirai has announced that the PlayStation Vita will be available for purchase in Europe and the United States early next year. The new handheld will be released in Japan in 2011, although Hirai did not mention a concrete date. It was previously rumored that the Vita would be in European stores at the end of October.

Sony has so far said that the PlayStation Vita will be released worldwide in phases before the holidays. The manufacturer will give a press conference on Tuesday, August 16, prior to Gamescom, where it may be announced in detail when the Vita will be in stores.

Hirai says Sony doesn’t plan to lower the prices of the handheld like Nintendo did with the 3DS when sales fell. According to Hirai, the Vita offers sufficient value for money. Sony has announced at the E3 games fair that the WiFi version of the Vita will cost 249.99 euros, while a copy with WiFi and 3G support will be sold for 299.99 euros.