The impending release of PS Vita will continue the trend of import-friendly Sony gaming devices. Responding on Twitter, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that Vita is region free. This has been rumored for far too long, so it’s great to finally receive official word.

That means you’ll be able to import a Vita when it releases on December 17 in Japan and not be restricted to games or content localized for that particular region. This is in contrast to 3DS, which Nintendo decided to enforce a region lock on.

Pre-orders for Vita open October 15 in Japan.

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