Sony and Vodafone announce Preferred Partnership

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Vodafone announce Preferred Partnership for 3G provider PlayStation®Vita

Connect to the ultimate handheld gaming experience anywhere, anytime, with PlayStation®Vita

Auckland, 22nd November: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and Vodafone have today announced a partnership that will see Vodafone as the preferred provider of 3G connectivity for PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita), initially in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and The Netherlands, and with Vodafone’s Partners in France (SFR).

The high speed and extensive coverage of Vodafone’s market leading network will ensure that PS Vita users will have a great connected experience wherever they are. The PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi model sold in selected countries through SCEE retail channels will come with a Vodafone SIM card so that users can immediately enjoy social gaming experiences on the go.

Vodafone’s high-quality network will assist in enhancing the portable gaming experience and allow PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi users to unite with their friends and the world around them. With 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity users can stay constantly connected to their PlayStation world and their gaming friends using PS Vita’s native gaming and social network applications.

The “near” application on PS Vita allows users to discover the games other PS Vita users are playing in their surrounding area. ”near” will also enable location-based gaming features such as ‘gifting’, where users can share and leave virtual items, such as costumes and treasures, at the various locations they have visited.

Users can also stay in touch wherever they are via “Party” a pre-installed application on PS Vita – which enables users to enjoy communication features during online gaming or internet browsing. Users will also be able to keep in touch and update their gaming status via the dedicated applications for Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare.

“With social gaming and connectivity at the heart of PlayStation Vita it is important that we partner with a market leading network provider, to ensure users have a high quality 3G experience” said Jim Ryan, President & CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. “Partnering with Vodafone will enable PS Vita users in the selected countries to always be connected with their PlayStation life, friends and games, wherever they are”

“We want our customers to have the best choice of devices and PlayStation Vita is a great addition to our range,” said Patrick Chomet, Vodafone’s Group Terminals Director. “We know from our application downloads that games are hugely popular with our customers, so we’re delighted to be SCEE’s preferred connectivity partner for 3G Vita devices sold across Europe and other selected regional markets. Using the device over Vodafone’s high-performance network with extensive 3G reach and market leading download speeds brings a reliable ‘anywhere anytime’ dimension to gaming, which customers in our initial ten launch markets will be the first to experience”.

PS Vita 3G+Wi-Fi models will be sold through SCEE’s normal retail channels. The 3G/Wi-Fi model of the PS Vita will be available for RRP€299 (NZD$549.95 incl. GST), Wi-Fi only model available for RRP€249 (NZD$449.95 incl. GST). Data plans will be flexible meeting the needs of all users. Additional details about Vodafone data plans and pricing will be announced by Vodafone at a later date.

PS Vita will be launching in New Zealand on the 23rd February 2012. For more information visit playstation.co.nz/psvita

ENDS

About Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand:
Based in Auckland, Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand (SCENZ) is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PLAYSTATION®3, PlayStation®2 and PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) software and hardware in New Zealand.

Since the PLAYSTATION 3 launch on 23 March 2007 in New Zealand, over 175,000 consoles have been shipped and after many years as New Zealand's favourite game console, over 530,000 PlayStation 2 consoles have been shipped. PlayStation Portable has also enjoyed strong results in New Zealand with shipments now exceeding 200,000 units making it the number one console for portable gaming in New Zealand. For global figures, please refer to the Sony Computer Entertainment Europe information below.

For more information on PlayStation products visit www.playstation.co.nz.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PlayStation 3 in November 2006, 55.5 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 153.6 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 73 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, more than 90 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 1.91 billion items have been downloaded.

More information about PlayStation products can be found at www.playstation.com.

© Scoop Media