One new app that could potentially be a game-changer is the new Skype app that is heading to the mobile gaming unit. Using the power of 3G or Wi-Fi, you can make and receive phone calls, making this device even more like a cellphone than ever before. For those with the 3G model, this pretty much means you can make and take calls anywhere, which is very good news for fans of the platform. Will the PS Vita be a success or will it have more modest results in the market, like the PSP? It’s hard to call at this point, but the hardware and potential capabilities are certainly impressive in the Vita, to say the least.

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The folks in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other select markets in Asia already have their hands on Sony’s newest handheld gaming machine, but us here in North America still have to wait until February 22 of next year. Even so, Sony has at least been kind enough to provide us with all the launch details for the upcoming PlayStation Vita, including a list of launch titles.

Pricing, as you know, is going to be $249 and $299, depending if you want to make do with just Wi-Fi or if you want the 3G capable version. Pricing for the games will range considerably from as low as $9.99 to as high as $49.99. You can imagine smaller, “app-like” games (like Plants vs. Zombies) to sell at the lower end, while the bigger marquee games (like Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3) to sell at the higher end.

So, what titles should you expect on launch day? There will be 25 games in all: Escape Plan (PSN Only), Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, Hustle Kings (PSN Only), Little Deviants, ModNation Racers: Road Trip, Super StarDust Delta (PSN Only), UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss, wipEout 2048, Army Corps of Hell, Asphalt Injection, BEN10 GALACTIC RACING, Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND, Dungeon Hunter Alliance, Dynasty Warriors Next, F1 2011, EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Michael Jackson The Experience, Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only), Rayman Origins, Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen, Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only), Touch My Katamari, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition.

While they won’t be available on launch day, 10 more titles are being expected for release with the launch window: Gravity Rush, MLB 12 The Show, Reality Fighters, Unit 13, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention, NINJA GAIDEN ∑ PLUS, Ridge Racer, Silent Hill Book of Memories, and Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted.

Naturally, there are all kinds of accessories to go along with the new system too, like memory cards ranging from 4GB ($19.99) to 32GB ($99.99), headsets ($19.99), travel pouches ($19.99), and car adapters ($14.99).

Do think the PlayStation Vita launch titles are worthy? Any games stick out in your mind as the “must have” that’ll help solidify Vita’s place in your gaming life? Or is it still missing that killer game for you?

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Sony this week officially announced that the next generation of their portable console, the PlayStation Vita, will only hit stores in the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe on February 22nd of next year, remaining a Japan exclusive gadget until then.

Sony promises the PlayStation Vita will have a “vast library of titles that deliver unique gameplay experiences that go beyond any handheld or mobile device on the market.”

I guess if you’re desperate you can import the thing from Japan, there a good chance you’ll get it before the end of February. But where are you going to get the games for it then? Have you looked at all the awesome games on Android? Perhaps the Xperia Play will appeal to you if the Vita is too far away.

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Well, that was unexpected. We all know that the PlayStation Vita, previously known as the Next-Gen PSP (NGP), is almost ready for public consumption, but not everyone is prepared to fork out the $249 starting price for the hot new handheld. So, Sony has just announced a cheaper version called the PSP E-1000.

Maybe this is in response to the recent price drop on the Nintendo 3DS. In any case, the cheaper PSP E-1000 has received a retail price of just 99 Euros, which works out to be just under $150 US. Not surprisingly, some features get stripped away at this lower price point. There’s a UMD drive compatible with legacy PSP titles, but they’ve done away with the Wi-Fi.

Gamers can still get their downloads, but they have to do so by physically connecting the PSP E-1000 to a web-connected computer, and utilizing Sony’s Media Go service. We’re hearing it gets a matte black finish and will hit shelves this fall. It’s unclear whether the cheaper model will be compatible with higher-end titles to be released on the PS Vita, but I imagine that it must. After all, you’d otherwise be stuck with just old PSP games and, in that case, you’re probably better off just buying an old PSP.

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I wandered my way into a Costco yesterday and emerged with a $170 Nintendo 3DS. They did the price drop early and I couldn’t help myself. Maybe that’s a good thing, because I’d be left waiting all the way until some time next year if I wanted to get the Sony PlayStation Vita instead.

Sony has revealed that its next generation PSP won’t be heading to the North American and European markets until some time in 2012. That doesn’t mean they’re not launching it yet; Japan will start receiving its first shipments of the PS Vita later this year, making it on to the Christmas wish lists of the gamers in Tokyo, but not the ones in Toronto.

Kazuo Hirai, Sony’s Executive Deputy President, said that it’s unfortunate they’ll miss the holiday rush on our side of the planet, since “that’s when you do half your year’s sales.” As expected, the WiFi version of the PS Vita will retail for $249, whereas the 3G equipped version will list at $299. How that will fly in an age of gaming on smartphones remains to be seen. After all, Nintendo wasn’t exactly all that successful at the $249 price point for the 3DS.

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