On June 6 , 2011 , at E3 2011 , Sony announced that the device 's official name would be the PlayStation Vita , with the word " vita " being Latin for " life " . Despite reports of the 2011 earthquakes in Japan delaying the release of the device , Sony reconfirmed that it was on track for a late 2011 release in Japan and a February 2012 release date for other major regions of the world . The release date was later narrowed down to a December 17 , 2011 , release in Japan , and a February 22 , 2012 release date for America and Europe , although a limited edition was released a week earlier in North America on February 15 , 2012 , which included the 3G/WiFi model of the device , the game '' Little Deviants '' , a limited-edition carry case , and a 4 GB memory card . The Vita launched with 26 titles in Japan , with Sony announcing that there were over 100 titles in development prior to the system 's release overall . The Vita launched in the west with 25 titles , including original titles such as '' Uncharted : Golden Abyss '' and '' Wipeout 2048 '' , and ports of games such as '' FIFA 12 '' and '' Rayman Origins ''
2011 earthquakes in Japan
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
PlayStation Vita