GameStop confirms will have PlayStation Vita midnight launch

If you absolutely have to be among the first to pick up Sony's newest game device, head to GameStop. The retailer will be offering midnight launch events at locations throughout the country. Select stores will open at 11:00 PM on Tuesday night, then as the clock strikes midnight will begin giving the Vitas to eager early adopters. Customers are encouraged to pre-order a unit on GameStop's website prior to arriving for the event, though it is not mandatory.

As has become standard with GameStop's midnight launch events, the time between 11 PM and midnight is when you'll actually pay for your Vita and finalize the transaction. Then, when the calendar turns to February 15, the store will begin handing out the units to expedite the process and get everyone out of the store as close to midnight as possible. It appears that most gamers will have a participating store within just a couple miles of their home, though we did a quick search and found no midnight launch stores in Manhattan.

The Vita, which was originally scheduled to launch in the US over the past holiday season but was pushed back to the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami, is Sony's first new gaming platform in more than five years. There's a lot of excitement surrounding it, but also questions from critics who wonder if there is still room for a dedicated portable game machine in a world of Android and iPhones. Sony is eager to prove that indeed there is.

[via PlayStation LifeStyle]