For many gamers, the question isn’t “Will I buy a PlayStation Vita?”, but rather “Will I buy a 3G or Wi-Fi PlayStation Vita?” With 20MB data caps, the 3G Vita isn’t perfect, but it does give you more functionality, and allows you to take better advantage of location-based gaming. The lures of ‘Near’ and other location services seems to have been an important purchasing decision for Japanese gamers, with one retailer reporting that the 3G version is outselling the Wi-Fi only version.
According to a report from Japanese retailer Sinobi, 65% of Vita reservations on the first day were for the 3G model, while the Wi-Fi model made up the other 35%. In Japan, the 3G model is priced at ¥29,980 (about $390) and the WiFi version is ¥24,980 (around $325) respectively at current exchange rates.
Additionally, 82% of pre-orderers also bought a memory stick, with 72% of them choosing the 32GB storage option. Software, on the other hand, did not sell as well with only 0.57 games being purchased per Vita pre-ordered. Of course, it’s still very early on, so many gamers could be waiting for reviews or more information – or they simply plan on buying the games over the PlayStation Network.
The PS Vita releases on December 17th in Japan, with some Western gamers prepared to spend upwards of a thousand dollars to import the handheld.
