While the new Sony Mobile division is busy at the Mobile World Congress the company took the time to release sales figures for the new console. According to an article over at Forbes Sony has shifted 620,000 PS Vita units in the US, while in Australia and Europe a further 578, 812 PS Vita’s were sold by the company.

When these latest figures are added to the total units sold in Japan since the device was launched late last year, it means Sony has sold over 1.2 million units of the PS Vita so far. Andrew House of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said that the company is working with 3rd party developers and publishers to continue the momentum the console is seeing, and to provide “the best games and franchises” for the new handheld console.

Sony is promising that the rest of the year will see titles for everyone around the world on the PS Vita. The company has revealed that they have sold over two million games so far for the device, with 25 titles currently available. There are also around seventy new titles currently in development for the Vita to further widen the choice owners have.

But as we reported before some analysts feel if Sony were to cut the price of the device, it could generate estimated sales of 12.4 million around the world for 2012. Added to software sales it could generate around $2.2 billion for Sony from the PS Vita in 2012.

Meanwhile respected Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter doesn’t think Sony will be making any price cuts to the device in the near future. He is estimating that Sony will shift around 4.3 million units in 2012, with 1.5 million being sold in both the US and Japan, with a further 1.3 million being sold in Europe.

As with any new device early adopters will rush out to purchase the new hardware, but it’s the following weeks and months that tell the true success of any new device. Sony has undoubtedly developed a great new console, but mobile gaming has changed in recent years with increased competition to tempt gamers.

Have you got the PS Vita? What do you think of it?

Even though the PS Vita has only been available for a few days in most regions, certain analysts are comparing the sales of the device in Japan with those of the Nintendo 3DS according to a report on ZDnet. Jia Wu of Strategy Analytics is using the situation that Nintendo faced shortly after the launch of the 3DS.

It saw a successful launch but sales quickly fell away, which was put down to the weak lineup of launch titles and the high price. This led Nintendo to slash the price of the console and is now reaping the rewards with record sales of the 3DS.

When the PS Vita was launched in Japan it sold an impressive 300,000 units during the first week of availability, but this soon dropped to around 20,000 a week. Jia is blaming the high price for the console for the sluggish sales for the new console.

Since the 3DS saw a price cut it became the fastest console to achieve five million sales in Japan. Early sales of both systems were by early adopters who are fans of the platforms and would have purchased the device no matter what the price was.

Meanwhile Strategy Analytics are suggesting that if Sony were to reduce the price of the console it could achieve 12.4 million unit sales around the world this year. It is being suggested that after the first surge in sales in the US and Europe, these regions will follow the situation in Japan.

Understandably Sony has said there are no plans for a price cut and the company has obviously invested heavily into the PS Vita. Some gamers have commented about the high price of the 3G version of the device considering a monthly data charge is needed on top of the initial console price.

The cost of the PS Vita Memory Cards has also been a concern for some gamers, but some retailers have already offered the Wi-Fi version at a really competitive price. It will need a few months of sales before you could say the device needs a price cut, and some gamers could be waiting until then or for when more content is released.

Do you think the PS Vita will see a price cut this year?

Just over a week ago we rounded up some of the best bundle deals available for the PS Vita via some online retailers. But there are some great deals to be had if you want to pop down to your local supermarket. Just like big game releases the buying power of the big supermarkets is showing with some of the prices for the device.

First up what could be the cheapest price available is Asda, who have the Wi-Fi only version of the PS Vita listed for only £197. You only get the console and nothing else for that price except but it’s still pretty impressive. There will be stores open at midnight for you to pick up the device and at that price stock could run out pretty quickly.

Rival store Tesco have the same Wi-Fi version priced at £229.91 but are also listing a bundle deal for £249.80. In the bundle you will also get a 4GB PS Vita memory card along with a choice of a game from a selection that includes FIFA Football, Asphalt Injection, F1 2011, Virtual Tennis 4, and Rayman Origins.

Sainsbury’s have the PS Vita Wi-Fi version listed at £229.99 with no special incentives on offer like it does when launching new game titles. All the major branches of the supermarkets are open 24 hours so you should be able to pick one up tonight.

For memory cards Asda is listing the 16GB version at £37, while Tesco has it priced at £39.91. The 4GB versions are priced at £15 and £19.89 respectively. Many of you will have already preordered your PS Vita from an online retailer so can look forward to a delivery tomorrow, unless it came early and you are busy playing already.

Where will you be getting the PS Vita and what launch titles are you getting?

Over in the UK retailer GAME will be holding the official midnight launch at their flagship Oxford Street store in London. According to an article over at CVG.com Karl Jones and Ami Ledger developers of WipEout 2048 will be present to sign copies of the game.

The first person in the queue will be lucky enough to get a free supply of PS Vita games for a whole year. There will also be the Vita Mobile Team on hand allowing people in the queue to have a go of the PS Vita, as well as giving out goody bags that will contain a GAME PSN voucher and other merchandise.

Free invitations will also be handed out to a special party at the PlayStation Vita Rooms at 80 Oxford Street. Gamers will be treated to sets by DJs such as Chris Moyels among others, and refreshments. GAME have been offering consumers the chance the experience the PS Vita in recent weeks after providing its 600 stores with a demo unit.

The retailer didn’t give out any details if its regional stores were opening at midnight for the PS Vita launch though. There have been rumors that stores that receive 50 or more preorders will open but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Many supermarkets are open 24 hours so you may be able to pick a unit up from there, otherwise unless you can get to London you will either have to wait until Wednesday or a parcel to be delivered. Meanwhile in the US many GameStop stores are set to open at midnight.

Is your local GAME or Gamestation store opening at midnight?

It is being reported in an article over at the Sixthaxis that it looks like three major retailers over in Australia won’t be stocking the PS Vita at launch. It is being claimed that the likes of Big W, Target, and Kmart will not be offering the device when it first becomes available, and maybe even longer than that,

Some are wondering if Sony are avoiding providing the device for big box stores, but that would be a strange decision by the company unless they want more stock available before launching in bigger stores.

But some are wondering if the refusal to stock the device may be down to the retailers not liking the high price for the unit. The Wi-Fi only version in the country is currently $348 AU, but specialist stores such as GAME and EB Games will be stocking it.

Meanwhile Gaming Bolt is reporting that a Neogaf member rang the stores to find out why the PS Vita wasn’t being stocked, and the high price was confirmed as the reason. Some of our readers have said they really want to get the PS Vita but will hold off until the price comes down and more games are released.

They may be hoping for something similar to what was seen with the Nintendo 3DS, which after a slow start received a price cut, and coupled with better titles being released saw sales take off.

Will you be getting the PS Vita at launch?

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the game, a key portion of the game is spent on collecting various treasures, such as rare artifacts or bounties collected from enemies. Treasures are put into different categories and the completion of a whole set will reward you with a trophy unlock to get you up and running on your overall Vita trophies.

However, the bounty treasures are harder to obtain as the chances of enemies dropping them are completely random. Sony understands this too and it’s why they have decided to introduce a new feature to Uncharted Golden Abyss called the Black Market. The Black Market will make use of the interesting Near feature on the Vita to allow Uncharted players to exchange treasures with one another.

You can put a request in on the app for a specific treasure or bounty and if other players have it they can pass it on to you, likewise if you have an item that someone else needs. It sounds like a very useful app indeed and also a great way for Sony to get Vita users to use the Near app more. We challenge anyone to find the 300 collectibles in the game on the first play through, as we initially had trouble just looking for a complete set during the first level.

Sony has stated on the official blog that some of the treasures in Uncharted are really rare, and some of which can only be obtained by using the Black Market. Sony has kicked started this interesting feature, and we’re guessing other developers will make use of the Near app in future games as well, which is great.

One feature that we haven’t had any updates on is multiplayer. Uncharted Golden Abyss offers a decent amount of content, but we’re still a bit disappointed that there isn’t any sort of local multiplayer option. If Uncharted on Vita had multiplayer then it would easily be value for money at the $44.99 price that Sony are asking for. Without it, we’re not so sure.

Are you missing a lot of treasures on Uncharted?

The PS Vita is not due to launch officially until February 22nd, but eager gamers have the opportunity to get their Vita on February 15th – ie today via the First Edition Bundle. To accommodate those early buyers, Sony has already posted a major update to the US Vita store, with a collection of digital titles to get everyone started.

Such titles that are now available to buy include the likes of Fifa Football, Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Michael Jackson: The Experience and Escape Plan. However, it is the demos which most of you will be after and we can tell you that there’s some great demos available. Pick of the bunch is easily Rayman Origins, as we had no idea that a demo would be available for this game, a game which is arguably the finest that the Vita has to offer at the moment.

Other demos now up on the store include Asphalt: Injection (765MB), Dungeon Hunter Alliance (1.03GB), Little Deviants (940MB), Lumines Electronic Symphony (722MB) and Michael Jackson (1.6GB) – not a bad list at all. We’ve already had a little play at the demo for Little Deviants and there’s two mini games on offer – one which utilizes the rear touchpad to guide a character through various obstacles and the other game uses augmented reality via the camera to shoot moving robots across the screen.

It’s all about that Rayman Origins demo though for us and we’re currently downloading it at the moment to test it out. The demo will come in at 932MB, which you may be interested to know is the size of the full game as well. Sony has done this so that it makes it easier for you to purchase the full game straight away after downloading the demo, which we have a feeling a lot of you may do. The game is priced at $35.99 on the store for those of you who are interested.

Do you have a Vita already? If so, tell us what games you are planning to buy for it? Will you jump straight into a few digital titles, or will you wait until February 22nd for the boxed versions?

Last week we spoke about how importers will not be getting those free AR cards unlike EU and US consumers who will get them included at no extra cost with both the WiFi or 3G version. Now Sony wants to make their 3G Vita more attractive to gamers, and what better way than to dish out more freebies.

It’s certainly a decent freebie as well, as the company has revealed that you’ll get a free copy of Super Stardust Delta free when you purchase a 3G Vita for $299, £279 or 200 euros. That’s not all either as you will also get a piece of Super Stardust DLC called the ‘Blast Pack’ as well, which is usually priced at $8 when sold separately. If you’re getting the WiFi Vita and want Super Stardust Delta, you’ll have to pay $9.99 for it, so it’s not a bad little gift for 3G buyers.

This is on top of the 8GB memory card and discounted games that you’re also likely to get when buying the system from a retailer using one of their various Vita bundles that are available. If you’re on the lookout for a good deal, you may want to check out our article from earlier this week which rounded up some of the best deals available.

As for the game itself, you should be very familiar with Super Stardust by now after its previous outings on the PlayStation 3 and PSP. This new Delta version will add brand new gameplay modes for you to try out, and of course all new features which utilize the Vita’s touchscreen controls. The Blast Pack DLC will add further life to the game, and judging by early feedback on the title – it’s looking like one of the games which you may want to spend that PSN discount voucher on, which you’ll get if the Vita pre-order pack comes included with your bundle.

Does this make the 3G Vita a lot more attractive in your eyes, or are you still picking up the WiFi version regardless?

For starters, we’re pleased to say that there are a wide variety of offers already in place from retailers who are desperate to secure your pre-order and are willing to part with some extra goodies on top of your WiFi or 3G model.

GAME

We thought we would start with GAME, as it’s worth pointing out that the UK-based retailer has now changed their stance on initial Vita bundles, obviously due to the fierce competition they are facing with other retailers such as Amazon. After originally offering a 4GB memory card with their Vita bundles, GAME has now taken the decision to upgrade all offers with an 8GB memory card instead. You can head to their page here and view deals such as a WiFi Vita, an 8GB memory card and a copy of FIFA Football for £270.

Amazon

We’d say that Amazon are the primary reason why GAME has upgraded their deals, as we have a feeling many of you have already cancelled your GAME pre-orders in favor of Amazon’s offers instead. Amazon have put a great deal on the table, in which they’ll be offering a free 8GB memory card, as well as a selected game for £15 when you pre-order either a WiFi or 3G console. One example of this is a 3G Vita, an 8GB memory card and Rayman Origins for £280, which is a very good deal you’ll agree.

Morrisons

As we’ve seen with big name software launches such as as FIFA 12 and Modern Warfare 3, independent game retailers are getting battered by supermarkets who offer the best deals which consumers cannot turn down. You’ll be pleased to hear that Morrisons will be getting in on the Vita bundles as well, as they’ll be offering their own unique bundle for £250. For this you’ll get a WiFi Vita console, an official accessory pack, a copy of FIFA Football, a 4GB memory card and wait for it, £25 of in-store Morrisons credit. That means that if you want to, you can just use that £25 towards another PS Vita, so you can effectively pick up a second Vita game for free, making this a very good deal as well.

PLAY

Play are one of our favorite retailers when it comes to pick up games and for good reason. They always seem to be right up there when it comes to offering value for money, and their Vita bundle definitely rivals Amazon for the best one. For £232 with free delivery, you’ll be able to pick up a WiFi Vita, a copy of Rayman Origins or Virtua Tennis 4, an 8GB memory card and the pre-order pack which includes items such as a pair of blue Vita headphones and a £5 PSN discount for a selected Vita title.

Those are just a few of the Vita bundles we have spotted over in the UK. For those of you that are interested in picking up a Vita from GameStation, you’ll be pleased to hear that their deals fall in line with those listed at GAME. You can check out GameStation’s Vita page here and see the related products at the bottom for evidence of this. If you have spotted any better deals, both in the UK or US be sure to add yours below.

Where are you buying your Vita? Less than 10 days to go folks!

You’ll probably already be aware that the PS Vita will have a vast list of Vita titles available at launch, with Sony confirming that number to be 26 games, some of which includes the likes of Uncharted Golden Abyss, FIFA Football 12, Rayman Origins and the newest title to join the launch party, Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus.

However, Sony has already made plans to accomodate those who still want to play PSP games on the Vita and they have announced on their Blog this week that there will be no fewer than 275 PSP games that will be available to download and transfer direct to the Vita. What’s good about this, is the Vita will automatically create a custom control scheme for some games, allowing for the use of a second analogue stick which the original PSP obviously didn’t have.

The list that they have offered is a decent one, although you may be disappointed to see that some titles are missing, Monster Hunter 3, Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops to name a few. Sony has already clarified though that this is just a launch list and more PSP games will be added after the system is out. One of our personal favorites DJ Max Portable 3 is included on the list though, so if you haven’t checked out the DJ Max series yet you should, arguably one of the best PSP games that the system has to offer in my opinion.

Seeing this long list of titles also makes us a bit sad that there’s no support for PSP1 classics. We may be moving on with bigger and better things, but we would still love to at least have the option of playing Final Fantasy VII on our Vita if we wanted to – hopefully this can be fixed with a simple firmware update in the months to come.

What are your thoughts on the list? Are you planning to download some PSP games to play straight away on your Vita, or are you unhappy about Sony’s dodgy pricing about some titles? Check out the list here.