When the PS Vita was officially detailed and priced at this past E3, many gamers hoped that Sony would have the handheld ready to ship by the end of the year — with any month before Christmas being the most opportune time. Unfortunately, it looks like all the hopeful boys and girls are going to have to transition their PS Vita Christmas list into something like a Vita Valentine’s or Easter List.

According to Sony Executive VP Kazuo Hirai, the high-powered Vita will not make a 2011 debut in the US or Europe, but there are still plans to release it by then in Japan. Furthermore, Hirai didn’t even point to any specific quarters or months for Japan or the US, leaving the company plenty of room to adjust if the market dictates it.

Citing worthwhile content as a major reason behind this “delay” Hirai feels that it wouldn’t be right to release the Vita without some solid games to incite sales. After witnessing Nintendo scramble to retake ground with their 3DS price drop, Sony is well aware of what is needed to have a successful handheld launch.

And Hirai wasn’t afraid to say that, despite Nintendo clearly making a drastic price cut in order to remain competitive, Sony feels that their $249/$299 pricing scheme is not going to change. Sony is no stranger to revealing slimmer or more fully featured versions of their consoles, like the PSPGo, but they tend to roll those out after their G1 console iterations have had some time in the wild.

So, we might not be seeing the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss under our Christmas’ trees this year — unless you live in Japan. But we have a promise from Sony that the launch will be accompanied by some tasty titles for gamers of all shapes and sizes.

When do you think would be the right time for Sony to release the PS Vita in the U.S.? Is missing the profitable winter season going to hurt or help sales in the long run?

Source: MSN