PlayStation Vita Dev Kits Priced Under 2,000 Euros

Sony has revealed that development kits for the upcoming PlayStation Vita will be initially priced at €1,900 ($2,742), a level much lower than the launch prices for dev kits on other recent Sony systems. Speaking at a GDC Europe presentation (as reported by Develop), SCEE developer relations manager George Bain said the price, which does not include VAT, should be "very affordable" for potential developers. Indeed, European development kits for the PlayStation Portable started at €15,000 ($21,654) just before that system's 2005 release, and kits for the PS2 and PS3 initially cost €20,000 ($28,872), with similar prices in other regions. Those prices were later reduced significantly. Bain added that there would be no additional cost to join the "Vita Develop Program," aside from the development kit purchase. "If you're a small developer, we happy to talk to you about this," he said. "It will help if you have a games portfolio. There's no reason we won't speak with smaller studios about joining up." He also reconfirmed Sony's plans to make free development kits available to independent developers, adding that the company is seeing as many as 15 weekly pitches for its indie Pub Fund program. While the system will include some non-gaming apps at launch, and more in the future, Bain said Sony is currently not looking to give development kits for non-gaming applications. Unlike the retail system, Vita development kits will include HDMI output, Bain said.