Sony announces 25 Vita games for US launch

By Trevor Mogg December 22, 2011

With the US/Canada launch of Sony’s new PlayStation Vita handheld gaming system just a couple of months away, the company has announced details about what games buyers of the new device can look forward to.

In a post on the PlayStation blog on Thursday, director of hardware marketing John Koller said there would be 25 games available, with 100 more in development, when Vita launches on February 22.

“SCE Worldwide Studios, along with our publishing partners, have been working extremely hard to build games that provide you all with new ways to experience gaming on the go,” Koller wrote in the post.

The new games, which will cost from $9.99 to $49.99, will be available at retail stores and also from the online PlayStation store. Gamers will be able to purchase the software a week prior to the launch of the PlayStation Vita.

Games from Sony include Escape Plan, Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, Hustle Kings, Little Deviants, ModNation Racers: Road Trip, Super StarDust Delta, UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss, and wipEout 2048.

Others games in the launch day line-up will include EA Sports FIFA Soccer (Electronic Arts), Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Ubisoft), and Army Corps of Hell (Square Enix). For the full list, click here.

The blog post added that every purchase of the new gaming device will include “six AR Play Cards and one voucher to download a handful of augmented reality mini games called AR Play via the PlayStation Network.”

Koller also announced news of a $39.99 Starter Kit that includes a bunch of accessories such as a 4GB memory card, pocket pouch, protective film cover, card case, headphones and cleaning cloth.

The Vita launched in Japan last weekend, shifting more than 320,000 units in its first two days of sales. However, its call center was quickly inundated with calls from gamers complaining of Wi-Fi connectivity problems and screen freezes. With the US/Canada launch date still two months away, the Japanese company should have all of those issues sorted in good time.

Sony is banking on the Vita to help it maintain its position in the mobile gaming market in the face of tough competition from iOS and Android devices, as well as Nintendo’s 3DS system.

The PlayStation Vita will sell for $250 (Wi-Fi only) and $300 (Wi-Fi/3G).

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Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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