PlayStation Vita arriving October 28 in UK?

What we heard: Sony has maintained since E3 2011 that it would begin its phased release of the PlayStation Vita beginning this fall. Last week, a press release from 505 Games seemingly confirmed that the portable would arrive in the US this year. Now, a new retailer advertisement from Blockbuster's UK arm indicates that Europe will get the PS Vita this year as well.

An advertisement obtained by IGN from the Dish Network-owned rental company Blockbuster says the Wi-Fi-only version of the PS Vita and the 3G-capable version will ship on October 28. Though the flier appears authentic, Blockbuster's official UK website does not have a release date pegged for the system.

When the PS Vita does launch, it will be released in a troubled time for portable gaming devices. Just last week Nintendo announced its plan to slash the 3DS's price by one-third from $250 to $170 beginning on August 12 following disappointing launch sales of the device.

Additionally, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli thinks the PS Vita perhaps will struggle when it does launch. Last month he said, "The Vita is an absolutely fantastic platform, but it will have a hard time, and it might be too late."

The official word: A Sony representative told GameSpot, "We don't comment on rumors or speculation."

Bogus or not bogus: Looking not bogus that the PS Vita will launch this fall. However, given the above speculation and that another European retailer says the PS Vita will ship in November, it's hard to say when exactly the system will arrive.