Sony Drops Price of PlayStation Vita to $199

Sony on Tuesday confirmed that it will drop the price of its PlayStation Vita handheld console to $199, effective tomorrow.

The Vita price will also drop to €199 in Europe, Sony said during a high-profile press event at the Gamescom gaming conference. Meanwhile, Sony promised a "significant reduction" in the price of PS Vita memory cards in both regions.

The PS Vita, which launched in North America last year, is currently listed for $249.99 (Wi-Fi) and $299 (3G) on the Sony website. Sony didn't specify if the new $199 price tag applies to the Wi-Fi and 3G versions of the handheld console.

On Feb. 28, Sony dropped the price of the Vita in Japan in an effort to boost sales of the struggling device. The 3G (previously 30,000 yen) and Wi-Fi (formerly 25,000 yen) versions were reduced to 19,980 yen ($214).

At the time, however, Sony said it had no plans to also drop the price of the device in the U.S. Part of the reason, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida said then, was a simple matter of economics. The current exchange rate left enough wiggle room to slash the price overseas, but wasn't fiscally responsible in the U.S.

That didn't stop a number of U.S. retailers from offering their own discounts, and now Sony has followed suit.

:story: PC Magazine