Sony PlayStation Vita officially announced for the holidays: $249 for Wi-Fi model, $299 for AT&T-exclusive 3G model

No surprises here, but Sony just announced that the NGP portable will be officially named the “PlayStation Vita” -- pronounced “Vee-ta,” by the way -- when it’s released. Of course we already know the lion’s share of the specs: front and rear cams, Wi-Fi with optional 3G, a 5-inch AMOLED display, and touchpads on both sides. The surprise comes in, though, when you find out that the 3G model will be an AT&T exclusive in the US.

It’s not clear how Sony and AT&T plan to offer the device -- we don’t know if there’ll be a subsidy and a plan contract or what types of data tiers the carrier plans on offering to subscribers -- though Sony points out that buyers will have access to AT&T’s network of well over 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots around the country as a part of the package (par for the course with their existing data plans, but good to know nonetheless). As for pricing and availability, you’re looking at $249 for the Wi-Fi-only version -- same as the Nintendo 3DS -- while the 3G version goes up $50 to $299. Look for it in time for the holiday season, though Sony doesn’t have an exact date just yet.