Vita’s Launch Bundle Makes the 3G System Much More Attractive

PlayStation Vita’s 3G model may not be for everyone, but thanks to a limited-time bundle Sony announced today it may have just become the best available option for those purchasing the system at launch.

Vita comes in two flavors: Wi-Fi-only and 3G. Priced at $ 250 and $ 300 respectively, there isn’t much sense in paying an extra $ 50 for the 3G system unless you have some intention of also paying for 3G service at some point in time. The one exception to this before now was the First Edition bundle which includes the 3G system, some extra goodies, and most importantly, a week’s head start for $ 350.

But now even those who were intent on saving some money by opting for the Wi-Fi model are going to be tempted to upgrade thanks to the 3G Launch Bundle. In addition to getting the 3G system you’ll also get “over $ 55 in bonus content.” More specifically, you get an 8GB memory card, an AT&T DataConnect Session Pass providing 250MB of 3G access (presumably good for only one month), and an unnamed PlayStation Network game. This all comes at no additional cost — you’re still playing only $ 300.

“Only $ 300″ may still sound like too much for some, but if you’re planning on getting a Wi-Fi system, you’ll pay nearly that much anyway. As we already know, certain games — including retail games — require you to have a memory card as the system has no internal storage. And even with the memory cards set to be sold for less than initially believed, they’re still quite pricey. That 8GB memory card alone has an MSRP of $ 30, meaning you get the 3G system and the other bonuses for only $ 20 more than the cost of a Wi-Fi system and 8GB memory card.

It remains questionable if the 3G model is actually needed. If you’re on the go a lot and want to play something with asynchronous multiplayer it could make sense, but it’s not as if 3G is a complete replacement for a Wi-Fi connection — only certain features will work over 3G, and a mobile hotspot will arguably do a much better job for the money. And while the pricing is comparable with other 3G service offerings, $ 15-$ 30 per month for what could easily turn out to be lackluster 3G support isn’t my idea of money well-spent.

There’s also a question of what the unspecified PSN game you’re getting will be. We know all of Vita’s retail games will be also sold through the PlayStation Store, but I wouldn’t expect to get a free Uncharted download or anything even approaching that. A free game is not an exclusive to this bundle; activating an AT&T data plan on the standalone 3G system will also get you an unspecified free game. It’s unclear if this bundle’s bonus game will be the same one, nor do we know if we’ll get to choose a game as we did with the PSN Welcome Back games last year. Escape Plan seems like a possibility, and it’s one I’d be perfectly fine with based on what we’ve seen of it.

The catch with this bundle, which appears to have no downside aside from the fact that you can’t choose between the Wi-Fi and 3G models, is it will only be “an extremely limited edition,” according to the PlayStation Blog. Very often publishers will say this about the collector’s editions of their games, only for those same CEs to be stacked up to the ceiling in stores months after release.

That seems less likely in the case of a hardware bundle of this sort. Even if I’m wrong, Sony’s ploy managed to convince me to pre-order the bundle on Amazon this afternoon for fear of missing out on this deal, and I suspect I’m not the only this is true of.