PlayStation Vita release date in North America, Europe, Australia announced

Sony announced at, of all places, the Web 2.0 conference today that their latest handheld, the PlayStation Vita, is due out in North America, Canada, Europe and Australia on February 22.

As reported back at E3, the PlayStation Vita will come in two flavors: a less expensive, Wi-Fi-only $249.99 model and the 3G model for $299.99.

The PlayStation Vita may look similar to its predecessor, but it’s a significantly different beast. For starters, it has a touch screen on the front and a touch-sensitive panel on the back, as well as Sixaxis-like motion controls.

That’s not all you get out of it, though. The PlayStation Vita also includes Bluetooth 2.1+EDR connectivity, two cameras that can track head and face movement (or, you know, take pictures), and a number of technical improvements, including an ARM A9 4-core processor, a beefed up GPU and built-in GPS support for the 3G model.

Last month, Sony confirmed a long-running rumor that the PlayStation Vita would be region-free, so those of you who do a lot of importing will be able to play to your heart’s content, all without having to do any modding.

The PlayStation Vita will launch ahead of, well, everyone else on December 17.

Source: Destructoid