PS Vita only available from 'specialist retailers' at Australian launch

A number of major retailers in Australia will not be stocking Sony's upcoming PlayStation Vita at launch, with one retailer stating that it is only looking to stock products at lower prices. The PS Vita is due to launch in Australia on February 23 -- however, consumers will not be able to pick up the console at Big W, Target or K-Mart on launch day. In a statement to Kotaku, a spokesperson for Big W and Target explained, "At this stage we are not stocking the PlayStation Vita, however it may be something that we stock at a later date." K-Mart went further with its explanation, noting that it is leaning towards products with lower prices, reports Kotaku. However, Sony responded to the news, stating that it is purposely launching the device in specialist video game and technology retailers only. "For the launch of PlayStation Vita in Australia, with the specific target market being the active gamer we have chosen to launch the console with a focussed retail channel strategy across national specialist game and specialist technology retailers," it said in a statement. "There is a long term vision for our revolutionary new hand-held platform, in the same way we had a long term vision for PS3, and anticipate that in line with this we will broaden channel distribution in the future."