SONY PS VITA

GOES ON SALE

TODAY AT

BETHESDA GAMESTOP

The most anticipated game system release of 2012 is here: the Sony PS Vita went on sale at midnight, and is now available at GameStop in Westfield Montgomery Mall - while they last!

This system is a must-buy for die-hard gamers, with a huge set of launch titles, console-quality in a portable package, and innovative controls.

But for the casual gamer? You may want to test it out first, or wait until the inevitable price drop. The Vita has dropped like a rock in Japan so far, and there's not much reason to believe it will set sales records in the U.S., either. One advantage Sony has here is the lackluster performance of the competing portable, Nintendo's 3DS.

Sony has not made the mistake Nintendo did: leaving their big franchises out of the launch titles. In fact, they've brought their biggest and most popular franchise of all - Uncharted - to stores today.

If you are an Uncharted fan, then the Vita is probably a must-buy for you. If you are a die-hard Uncharted fan, in fact, your new Vita and Uncharted game are either within arm's length as you read this, or you are standing in a line to get them.

Casual gamers aren't likely to be buying today. The Vita is state-of-the-art as portables go, but a few years too late in market positioning. Back in the old days, if you wanted games on-the-go, you needed a Game Boy or PSP. Now you've likely got a smartphone that does everything, including games. A lot of those games are free, too.

"But the games aren't like the Vita's!," many would protest. True, and that's just the problem: only die-hard gamers care, and that is the audience Sony will have for now. Ironically, Sony does have market potential with female consumers: the Uncharted series appeals to women as much as men, there are many non-violent and clever games geared toward the same women who play casual iPhone games, and women have the advantage of carrying a purse - they can take a second device with them easily, unlike us guys with our pockets and wallets storage system.

The Wi-Fi+3G Vita seems like expensive overkill at $299.99 + data plan. There's that pesky smartphone issue again. Most will settle for the $249.99 Wi-Fi version.

No on-board memory is a cheap move at this price point, as well.

If you just have to be first with the latest gadget, are a die-hard gamer or Uncharted fan, or just want to tell friends that your Vita has double the processing power of their iPhone 4S, today is the day to pick up your new PS Vita.

It's also a day for casual gamers and the merely curious to stop by GameStop and try out this Ferrari of portable game systems, and guaranteed conversation piece.

Here are some of the launch titles to pick up:

UNCHARTED - An epic adventure movie and PS3 game shrunk down into a portable system.

WIPEOUT 2048 - Dust off that Prodigy CD; you'll be "Living in the '90s" with this futuristic, high-speed racer.

ULTIMATE MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 3 - Strider is in this game - what more do you need to know?

Uncharted is impressive, but I can't say the Vita is a must-buy today for the average person. More blockbuster games (Arkham City!) are needed, a price cut even more so, and a sense of what the long-term future of the Vita will be could eventually make this a blockbuster system.