PS Vita software will not be region-locked

Sony devoted nearly all of its Tokyo Game Show press conference to the PlayStation Vita, but one omitted bit of news concerning the device was revealed today in 140 characters or less. In a post to his Twitter feed, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that the PS Vita will not be region locked.

After a Twitter user asked Yoshida whether it had been confirmed that the PS Vita would be region free, the Sony executive replied with a simple, "Yes, it is." Yoshida did not indicate whether the PS Vita will be open through just physical media, or also digital content. Sony had not responded to GameSpot's request for clarification as of press time.

Currently, with the PlayStation 3 and PSP, physical media is released region-free, allowing games published in one country to be played without hassle in another. However, Sony's digital strategy restricts content to the region in which it is released, with access being determined by the region of a user's PlayStation Network profile.

As announced earlier this week, the PS Vita will launch alongside 26 games in Japan on December 17. Sony expects to release its newest gaming hardware in Europe and North America sometime in early 2012. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of the PS Vita.