Aussie retailer JB HiFi will not be selling 3G PS Vita’s; cancels pre-orders

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Bad news for those of you who had placed their 3G PS Vita pre-order with JB HiFi – the Aussie company will not be stocking the 3G versions of the handheld. The 3G version of the PS Vita comes with a Vodaphone SIM and since JB HiFi has an exclusive contract with Telstra to only sell their products, this means they cannot stock nor sell the 3G PS Vita. Looks like it’s only the Wi-Fi version that can be stocked by the retailer.

Because of this exclusive deal with Telstra, JB HiFi has had to cancel any pre-orders of the 3G PS Vita, sending an email to all customers who ordered this version explaining the reason for the cancellation and that the PS Vita 3G will not be stocked at the retailer.

And how exactly do phone companies tie in to video games consoles? Seems Sony decided to partner with Vodaphone to supply their 3G services in Australia and as a result of this, the handheld will come equipped with a Vodaphone SIM. Given their exclusivity deal with Telstra to only stock and sell Telstra products – this leaves JB HiFi unable to offer the Vodaphone powered 3G PS Vita to customers.

Whilst the PS Vita does not explicity stop those purchasing the handheld from choosing another carrier for their 3G capabilities, JB HiFi has decided to err on the side of caution and not stock any 3G PS Vita’s. When contacted by kotaku au for comment, a JB HiFi rep seemed confident that their decision not to stock the $100 more expensive 3G version of the Vita wouldn’t “make too much of an impact.”

An interesting situation for JB HiFi to be placed in. Do we have any readers affected by this decision? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source: Kotaku Au (via CVG)


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Tash is a self-diagnosed gaming fanatic with a doctorate in Psychology. She's also a self-confessed Mass Effect fangirl and will likely talk your ears off if you ever get her started on the subject. A lover of all things RPG and adventure, she has more gamer related action figures and memorabilia than any 30 something year old professional has a right to own, and has spent more time than she’d like to admit to daydreaming about exactly what she would do should the Zombie Apocalypse actually happen.

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