Asia Bizz: Japanese electronics manufacturer Sony recently revealed that it has sold 1.2 million PlayStation Vitas worldwide. The company added that the figure has exceeded its expectations despite stiff competition from mobile devices and Nintendo.

The hand held game system was launched in the month of December in Japan, as well as other parts of Asia. But it was launched only in February 2012 in North America, Europe and Latin America.

The company did not revealed the figures per region, so there is still no information about the sales post the launch last week. In the US, the Vita costs $250 or $300 depending on the type of wireless connection. The Vita also has touch controllers on the front as well as the back with two traditional analogue controllers to use for shooters and a number of other games.

The launch of the Vita has come at a difficult time for the dedicated hand held video game machines. In the age of smartphones and computers, people now play ‘Angry Birds’ and ‘Words With Friends’ on their tablets and smartphones. Not many people opt to spend more time on a system meant for just games which makes it a challenge for hand held gaming systems.