Sony: to launch PS Vita February 22 in Europe, U.S.

Sony Corp said on Wednesday it would launch its new handheld games device, the PlayStation Vita, on February 22 in the United States and Europe.

The new device, which hits stores in Japan on Dec 17, will be priced at $249.99 for the Wi-Fi version and $299.99 for the 3G/Wifi version in the U.S. market, way above rival Nintendo's 3DS, which now sells for $169.99 in the U.S.

But analysts note Sony's handheld games devices sell mostly to core gamers, who are more likely to accept higher prices. Domestic media reports said the start of advance orders for the PS Vita in Japan on October 15 had attracted large crowds.

(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo and Bangalore Newsroom; Editing by Joseph Radford)