During a press event in Japan, Sony revealed that its anticipated PlayStation Vita handheld will launch in Japan on December 17th.
In addition to confirming the previously announced price of ¥29,980 ($389.80) for the 3G PlayStation Vita model and ¥24,980 ($324.79) for wifi only, Sony also revealed first details about the cost of using the handheld's 3G capability.
Sony has partnered with Japanese mobile operator NTT Docomo to offer prepaid data plans that start at ¥980 ($12.74) for 20 hours of useage, and ¥4,980 ($64.75) for 100 hours. New PlayStation Vita units will come with 100 free hours of the service already packed in.
As a final surprise, Sony also revealed that PlayStation Vita will be able to communicate and interact with mobile phones and tablets, although no solid details were given about the particular functionality involved.
"Smartphones and tablets aren't competing against us - we're actually collaborating," Sony Japan president Hiroshi Kawano said.