The Vita has an official launch date outside of Japan: February 22nd. On that date, portable gamers can select from the $249 and $299 models (w/ 3G) in the US, UK, Australia, Middle East, and Africa. In other words, that’s a lot of next-gen portables come February.
Plus, that’s in line with tax time in the States, so some refunds will be slipping out the door near that time frame. Sony may have strategically planted that one, except for those procrastinators who wait until the last minute. Pre-orders for the unit have been live at GameStop for some time, so if you’re interested, now is the time to put some money down.
