While the 
handheld gaming market has evolved dramatically in recent years, Sony’s betting there’s still money to be made there – and it’s betting a lot.
The PS Vita, the company’s next generation handheld gaming system, went on sale in the U.S. today. And though the electronics giant remains optimistic about the market, analysts are significantly less certain.
Usually, 
there aren’t a lot of deals to be found on a system’s launch day.
As early adopters and die-hard fans scramble to be the first on their block to have the latest gadget, companies capitalize on that fervor and have no trouble commanding full retail price, usually for several weeks or even months.
But the launch of the PlayStation Vita is a bit different than other devices.
Sony’s 
hoping for a big splash when the PlayStation Vita goes on sale in the U.S. next week, but the news from the company’s homeland is pretty discouraging.
Sales of the handheld gaming system in Japan for the week ending Feb. 12 hit an all-time low, with less than 14,000 Vitas being sold. That’s a drop of more than 3,000 from the previous week.
When Sony 
announced that customer data from its PlayStation Network was accessed by hackers, gamers and the media were furious. So why did Valve seem to get a pass under similar circumstances?
Like a lot of people in the gaming world, I got an interesting email from Gabe Newell last week.
The Steam hacking incident of last November, he said, was worse than they initially thought it was. And while there still was no direct evidence that credit card information had been accessed, a backup file containing that information (albeit encrypted) was obtained by the person or persons who had broken into the system.
The PlayStation 
Vita won’t hit store shelves for another month, but some critics are already declaring it a disaster, based on early sales returns.
That’s quite premature — not to mention a bit fatalistic — but you don’t get to become a multi-billion dollar, multinational company without making a few mistakes. For every Walkman and Playstation 2 there exists a handful of other Sony ideas that didn’t ring true with consumers.
Kids, 
take note: Your parents do have the right to discipline you.
One tyke in the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego decided to test this rule when he was upset with his mother’s decision to take away his PlayStation 3. So upset, in fact, that he called 911 to get it straightened out.
Sony has 
made it pretty clear: The PlayStation 4 will not be a topic of discussion at this year’s E3.
That’s taken the wind out of the sails of the rumor mill, but just because the system won’t be introduced at this point doesn’t mean work isn’t already underway. Whether it bows in 2013, 2014 or even later, Sony’s going to have to work hard to top the features of the PS3. As we did last month with the next generation Xbox, we’ve got a few humble suggestions about what Sony should – and shouldn’t – do with its next console.
Sony 
is bringing Music Unlimited to Apple’s devices.
The company will unveil an application for the streaming music service sometime in the first quarter of the year, officials revealed at a roundtable discussion with reporters at CES in Las Vegas.
If you’re 
planning to get a 3G-enabled PlayStation Vita when it launches next month, be prepared for monthly data fees that are on par with the iPad.
AT&T has revealed its pricing plans for the system, detailing a pair of options designed to accommodate light and heavy users of the network.
Kazuo Hirai, 
the one time leader of Sony’s PlayStation division and now Executive Deputy President, could have another promotion looming in the near future.
Japanese business paper Nikkei reports Hirai will be promoted to president as early as April. Sir Howard Stringer will remain chairman and CEO of the company.
Chris Morris: Journalist 