PS Vita Not Coming This Year, Will Battle With iPad 3 in 2012

From the, “Hey, we don't know what the heck we're doing!” department. Sony SNE has reportedly confirmed that its next portable game system, PS Vita, will not be released in Europe or the United States in 2011. This follows a previous report claiming that the system would be released this year, which was preceded by a report stating that it would not arrive until 2012. The news comes from the Associated Press (via GameSpot), which confirmed that the PS Vita will still retail for the full announced price of $249 (for the Wi-Fi only version) and $299 (for the Wi-Fi/3G version) despite Nintendo's (NTDOY) recent price reduction. "We packed so much into the device and made it very affordable," Kazuo Hirai, Sony's Executive Vice President, told Reuters and other reporters during an event at the firm's Tokyo headquarters. "There is no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game business decided that they were going to lower their price." “Somebody else”!? Wow, that's a blatant way of avoiding the word “Nintendo.” In any case, Sony's pricing strategy isn't necessarily bad. But now that PS Vita is coming in 2012, it will be forced to go head-to-head with Apple's AAPL next tablet, a device that is sure to gain just as much media attention as the last one did. While I would love to reiterate the obvious (whereas the iPad 3 is more of a laptop replacement, PS Vita is a dedicated game machine), the reality is that Sony has yet to announce a stellar game lineup. The device is looking eerily similar to the Nintendo 3DS, which turned out to be a cool concept without any compelling content. The news media loves Apple right now, so if (when) Sony stumbles, tech reporters will eagerly chant, “Apple wins! Sony loses!” Like Nintendo, however, Sony has no one to blame for its downfall but itself. The company claims that this delay will allow it to prepare a better software lineup. But that's what game companies always say when a new system is delayed. Call me cynical, but I'm going to take an “I'll believe it when I see it” attitude toward the matter. And even if Sony did provide a ton of must-have games, PS Vita is still going to struggle. The original PlayStation Portable had a great launch, but it was overshadowed by the overbearing success of the Nintendo DS. Now the PS Vita, with its snazzy touch screen and 3G connectivity, will have to launch in the shadows of the Nintendo 3DS, the iPad 3, and the simple fact that consumers are sick and tired of getting burned on lame game devices that don't live up to the hype. Follow me @LouisBedigian