PlayStation Vita launching this fall in US?

Source: A press release from 505 Games touting a fall 2011 release date for MMA: Supremacy on the PlayStation Vita.

What we heard: At this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony announced that the PS Vita would "successively launch in [the] global market starting [at] the end of 2011." While the electronics giant didn't specify which territories would be receiving the handheld first, that plan sounded a lot like the one used for the original PSP, which debuted in Japan in December of 2004 and found its way to North America the following March.

However, there are indications that Sony might handle the PS Vita launch differently. Last month, European retailer ShopTo posted a November 4 release date for the handheld, a date that still appears on the system's product page. Now a different Sony partner is pegging the system for a 2011 launch.

505 Games' press release to announce the portable edition of Supremacy MMA is headlined, "Supremacy MMA Takes the Fight to the Streets with PlayStation Vita This Fall." The release--which bears a California dateline--repeats the 2011 window several times to emphasize that it is the only mixed martial arts fighter hitting shelves this year, and it closes by rephrasing the Vita version's release as "Holiday 2011."

There's no mistaking 505 Games' PR. The publisher clearly states that its MMA game is hitting the Vita this year. When asked for comment, an external 505 Games representative told GameSpot, "All of the information that we currently have available is in the press release." However, European trade site MCV received its own comment from 505 Games saying the Vita date is "only speculative."

The official word: Sony had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: A very tentative not bogus. There's enough buzz about a 2011 release for eager fans to be optimistic, but Sony might not have even finalized its release schedule yet.