SCEE has confirmed Vodafone will serve as the "preferred provider" for the 3G equipped PS Vita in Europe.

A deal between the two parties will see a Vodafone SIM card packaged with units sold across the UK, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands

Consumers connecting with Vodafone will also received a free code to download WipEout 2048.

Phone on the range

"With social gaming and connectivity at the heart of PlayStation Vita it is important that we partner with a market leading network provider, to ensure users have a high quality 3G experience," stated SCEE's president and CEO Jim Ryan.

"Partnering with Vodafone will enable PS Vita users in the selected countries to always be connected with their PlayStation life, friends and games, wherever they are."

The deal could be potentially significant for Sony's efforts to make up ground against iPhone and Android, with any in-store push by Vodafone targeting the consumers currently being drawn away from handhelds to smartphones.

Any game, any time

For its part, Vodafone claims PS Vita's focus on digital downloads is likely to prove popular with customers.

"We know from our application downloads that games are hugely popular with our customers, so we're delighted to be SCEE's preferred connectivity partner for 3G Vita devices sold across Europe and other selected regional markets," added terminals director Patrick Chomet.

"Using the device over Vodafone's high-performance network with extensive 3G reach and market leading download speeds brings a reliable 'anywhere anytime' dimension to gaming."

[source: PlayStation blog]