If all you wanted for Christmas was a PlayStation Vita, prepare for a letdown

By the time Sony officially announced the next-gen PlayStation Vita handheld, everyone expected them to release it in time for the holidays. If you’re part of the gaming population who expected to own a PS Vita by year’s end, we’ve got some bad news for you. According to Sony deputy Kaz Hirai, the PlayStation Vita won’t be out in the US and European markets until early 2012.

The interview posted on Bloomberg didn’t really specify why it won’t make it in time for the holidays, only mentioning that they were planning a phased global rollout. Japan will still get the device first by year’s end though, so if you really have to have it before 2012, you know where to go.

It looks like pricing for the PlayStation Vita won’t be changed since the launch: they’re going to stick with the original $250 starting price for this device.