If the recent success of Nintendo's 3DS serves to show anything, it's that a console can often get by on promise alone. In the PlayStation Vita's case, that promise turns out to be two-fold. Much like the 'Big 'N' before them, Sony recently admitted to an initial shortage of software, where the 2nd-gen handheld system was concerned. Having assured owners of an imminent influx of triple-A titles, the Vita team can now get around to fulfilling the handheld's second promise, that of unmatched cross-play connectivity.

PS3 to Vita play may have underwhelmed on the 7th-gen of home consoles, but Sony is determined to make the grade this time around — and what better way to do that than to package its two newest consoles together.

Revealed by Videogamer's David Scammell, via his Twitter account on Friday — this so-called Ultimate Edition bundle (pictured above) appears courtesy of a leaked PlayStation advertisement. Placed in the pages of MCV, (a British trade magazine) the ad clearly displays the pack, alongside a December release date. The boxed double-dip also displays the phrase "Start playing on PS4 and continue your adventures on PS Vita with Remote Play."

Sony has yet to make any formal comment regarding the discovery, though reports from earlier this year, indicating the existence of one such bundle placed the price at around $500. Given the recent Japanese release of the second-stage PCH-2000 model Vita, it makes plenty of sense for Sony to be bundling older PCH-1000s as part of a discount deal. Selling off old stock, while increasing the handheld's install-base is a wise move all round, particularly if the West is about to receive the slimmed-down re-design.

Vita as PS4 Controller

If the $500 price tag proves to be accurate then gamers could be in for a saving of  $200, when compared to the individual machine's R.R.P's, a great consolation prize for anyone who might've missed out on the first batch of PS4s this November. In other PS Vita news, it appears the console is set to receive a major boost by way of advertising , with MCV once again reporting that the handheld will be treated to a £2.5 million spending spree this Christmas. According to these early reports, the adverts, which haven't yet been confirmed for the US market will be named 'The Best Way to Play' and revolve around the PS Vita-to-PlayStation 4 relationship.

Can an expensive ad campaign and the promise of greater popularity convince you to pick up a PS Vita? Is console-to-handheld connectivity Sony's trump card or merely a nice addition? Have your say in the comments below, and be sure to check in with all of the latest PlayStation news, right here on Game Rant.

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The PlayStation 4 is now available throughout North America, with European gamers set to receive the machine on November 29, 2013.

The PlayStation Vita is also now available, with both systems — bundled together as the Ultimate Edition — releasing sometime in December.

Follow Sam on Twitter @GamingGoo.

Sources: VideogamerMCV