We all know by now that the PlayStation Vita, Sony’s latest offering in the handheld gaming arena, will be available in Japan by December 17, 2011, barely making it for the holiday sale.  The sad part about this is that for months, we had to settle with the information that we’d eventually get it by 2012.

Now, Sony finally announced that on February 22, 2012, the PS Vita will be available in most parts of Europe and North America.  The announcement was made by Sony Computer Entertainment of America chief executive Jack Treton during his speech at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco.  The PS Vita will sell for ¥24,980/$250/£229.99/€249 for the Wi-Fi only model and ¥29,980/$300/£279.99/€299 for the 3G/Wi-Fi model.  And rumor has it, AT&T will be the carrier for the 3G PS Vita in the US.

The PlayStation Vita ha come to us via a somewhat rocky road since its initial announcement at E3 2011, revealing the NGP (Next Generation Portable) would be the Vita. At the time, Sony promised a phased roll-out at the end of 2011–and that’s what it looks like we’re getting–even after they withdrew that promise for manufacturing fears during August.

It’s good to be back on track.

The Japan launch will be accompanied by 26 game titles including the “Uncharted: Golden Abyss”, developed by Sony’s Bend studio which takes place before “Drake’s Fortune”, the first game in the hit “Uncharted” franchise.  If you want to know more about the PS Vita and see an actual demo of the device, click here.