PS Vita Due October 28 Tips Blockbuster Flyer

An "upcoming releases" flyer for the UK arm of retailer Blockbuster has seemingly confirmed the release date of the PlayStation Vita, Sony's upcoming replacement to the PSP. The document, forwarded to IGN by an anonymous UK gamer, suggests that the Vita will drop on October 28 2011, in the UK at least, in both WiFi-only and 3G + WiFi forms.

All Sony will say is that the Vita is on course for a "phased global release" this holiday season, though has declined to be any more specific than that. It's also unclear whether that means all regions will see the PS Vita on shelves in time for Christmas 2011, or if some will have to wait until early in the new year. The latter seemed to be indicated by some Amazon pre-order reports back in June.

Sony officially confirmed the PlayStation Vita back at E3 2011 in June. The handheld – which until then had been known by its internal codename, the Sony NGP - has a 5-inch OLED touchscreen, a touchpad-style controller surface on the back panel, and various new social gaming features including proximity-based collaborative games. Pricing in the US is confirmed at $249 for the WiFi-only Vita, while the 3G/WiFi model will retail for $299.

[Thanks Barry!]