The “majority” of Sony stores in the US have reportedly dropped the price of the 3G PS Vita console, according to a Joystiq report late Monday.

Besides the console, the $199.97 bundle includes an 8GB memory card and a voucher for a free PlayStation Network game, which you can claim if you sign up for data coverage. The image above, snapped at a Century City store in LA, indicates you’ll save $100, but the bundle is available from Sony’s online store for $249, leaving you with a still-reasonable $50 saving.

However, Joystiq noted that not all the Sony stores it contacted were offering the lower price, and as far as we know, Sony HQ certainly hasn’t (yet) made any official announcement about any PS Vita discount in the US.

Sony outlets contacted by Joystiq late Monday gave conflicting reasons as to why it was on sale, with some calling it a permanent move and others saying the offer would end Sunday. A small number of Sony stores, on the other hand, even claimed not to know anything about the lower price.

So if you’re interested in picking up a cheap PS Vita from your local Sony store, the advice is to phone ahead first to see if the staff actually know what’s going on.

Japan

At the start of this month, Sony cut the price of the PS Vita in Japan by 33 percent, leaving many would-be buyers of the machine in the US expecting similar news in the days that followed. And then there was a long…drawn…out…silence. Until now, that is.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan president Hiroshi Kawano talked recently about the price cut for the Japanese market with Famitsu magazine (via Polygon).

“Based on our research, there are two broad reasons why people who may want to try the Vita aren’t purchasing it,” Kawano said. “One, they want to wait until there’s a game they want to play on it. Two, the price is a little out of reach for them.” Indeed, the price cut led to sales of the device quadrupling in the country.

If there is a memo flying about from Sony HQ ordering stores in the US to discount the PS Vita, hopefully all of them will have received it by Tuesday lunchtime at the very latest.

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