Sony: Vita's 2012 Launch Timed To Help Satisfy 'Substantial' Demand

Sony said the post-holiday launch of the PlayStation Vita in North America and Europe is timed partly to help the company satisfy what it terms 'substantial' pre-order demand for the system. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal's AllThingsD blog, Sony's PlayStation director of hardware marketing John Koller said the company had to change its plans as the system has drawn increased attention following its initial announcement. "We've increased production materially since E3," he said. "We learned our lesson to make sure you have enough product." Sony originally promised that the Vita would launch in at least one region before the end of the year, and the system will indeed be available in Japan December 17. Just yesterday, Sony announced that North American customers who pre-order a Vita bundle with Little Deviants would be able to play the system a week before the official February 22 launch date. Elsewhere in the interview, Koller said he wasn't worried about competing directly with the increasing popularity of games on smartphones and tablets. "This is a larger game experience. We think we are insulated from the competition," Koller said. "We love mobile games. Mobile and tablets games are additive."