SCEJ president Hiroshi Kawano has went on record to say that the company does not consider 3DS a competitor to Vita internally.

Kawano told Reuters Japan (via Andriasang) that the Vita’s look and price point significantly differentiate it from that of Nintendo’s offering. While he agrees there will be some overlap, he does not expect those buying both portables to compare the two.

Moreover, Kawano isn’t feeling threatened by smartphones either. His rationale is that gaming on smartphones is a “bonus,” not fully appreciated as a core value like it is on Vita.

SCEJ plans to ship 500,000 Vita units in Japan initially — and Kawano is expecting the shipment to sell out quickly, thanks in a part to a NTT Docomo prepaid plan offer for the first 500K 3G units.

Vita launches December 17 in the region. A North American and Europe release is slated for early next year.

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