Sony’s executive Vice President Kazuo Hirai clarified the release date for the PlayStation Vita, stating that it wouldn’t be launching in the US and Europe until 2012. This comes after Sony previously stated there would be a 2011 release for the handheld system, which they later explained by saying that it wasn’t an international release. Those present for the statement said that it was immediately followed by the sound of backpedaling.

The delay that isn’t really a delay because they never said it was coming out in 2012 is, according to Hirai, only occurring to ensure that Sony has a solid launch lineup. Their current list of games in development include a lot of high profile games that have yet to be named, with untitled Call of Duty, BioShock, and Resistance games all on deck.

Hirai also addressed the price point of the system, and it will not be lowered to compete with Nintendo’s 3DS price cut to $169.99. Sony doesn’t feel the need to compete on price point because, according to Hirai, they have “packed so much into the device and made it very affordable.” We’ll see if gamers bite on the $249.99 wi-fi or $299.99 3G models sometime in 2012. Probably. Maybe.

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