The hidden costs of PlayStation Vita: 3DS-esque battery life and mandatory memory cards

When Sony announced the price of the PlayStation Vita at E3 this year, there was an audible gasp followed by a round of vigorous applause. Sony's $250 asking price matched that of Nintendo's now admittedly overpriced 3DS ... but that was before Nintendo's aggressive price drop. It turns out you should also consider the cost of some unnecessary, but recommended, accessories.

A press release detailing much of Sony's initial Japanese PlayStation Vita offerings quantifies the portable's battery life: approximately "3~5 hours" for games, approximately "5 hours" for video, and approximately 9 hours for music "in stand-by mode." That's with Bluetooth turned off, headphones used instead of speakers, the "default setting" on screen brightness, and no "network" use in games, meaning ixnay on 3G or Wi-Fi. With some or all of those modifiers activated, it's anyone's guess how long the Vita will last.