PS Vita price drop puts portable in your hands for €199, $199

Sony announced a PS Vita price drop at its Gamescom press conference in Germany today, reducing the cost to €199 in Europe and $199 in North America (that's about £170/AU$219).

Before the drop, the Vita cost $249 in the U.S.

The company was previously rumored to be announcing a cheap bundle for its portable system and PS4 for around $500 (about £325 / AU$557). But it looks like that tie-in won't happen right now.

Sony also announced that the price of its PlayStation Vita memory cards will be reduced "significantly," though it didn't specify how much they will cost in the future.

Still, it sounds like Sony is once again putting its ear to the ground and listening to gamers' complaints that its pretty-much-required PS Vita memory cards are too expensive.

Price minded

We've know the PS4 would cost $399/£349/€399 since E3, but Sony stayed focused on value propositions during its Gamescom presentation.

For one, the company plans to offer "significantly discounted" upgrades for players who buy certain PS3 titles then decide to upgrade to a PS4 digital version. What's more, Sony confirmed that the 12GB PS3 Super Slim now costs $199 and €199.

Last but not least (and not really price related) Sony announced it will offer a red and blue version of its DualShock 4 controller. It's always good to add a little color to one's life, right?

• Check out more Sony PlayStation announcements at Gamescom.