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Sony PS Vita on sale in December, 26 launch titles

Sony's PS Vita will hit Japan on 17 December, with no fewer than 26 titles at launch. Check them out right here.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
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Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Sometimes it really sucks living in the UK. Crappy weather, buses that don't run on time, and now we'll have to put up with Japan getting the PS Vita way before us.

The Sony handheld will be reaching Japan on 17 December, Sony announced, and will come with no fewer with 26 launch titles. Though we'll still have to wait until 2012 to get our hands on it. Drat.

The launch line-up includes Power Smash 4, Unchartered: Golden Abyss, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ridge Racer, and Michael Jackson Experience HD. You can see the full list here.

Speaking at the press conference, Sony Computer Entertainment president Hiroshi Kawano said, "This new device is packed with every possible function, and that's why we confidently call it the ultimate entertainment system." What's not so ultimate is the battery life, which stands at just between three and five hours of gaming or video action. Blame that 5-inch display. Music only ups it to nine hours, but still, who's going to use it just to listen to songs?

Back in August, Sony announced the console wouldn't reach the UK this year as previously promised, but that seems less of a big deal now the Nintendo 3DS isn't selling nearly as well as hoped. Last week Nintendo announced a second analogue stick for the handheld — a bizarre add-on that we can only assume is to counter disappointing sales.

The PS Vita also faces stiff competition from the iPhone, the fifth incarnation of which should be on sale next month, way before the Vita's 2012 UK release. More people are getting their gaming kicks on their phone, so traditional gaming consoles have their work cut out.

Can the Vita compete with the iPhone 5 and Android phones? Let us know on our Facebook page.