In Japan, downloadable versions of games for the PlayStation Vita will be cheaper; approximately $10 cheaper by US monetary standards.

But will gamers in other regions get the same discount? Well, according to Game Informer citing the NeoGAF forums, the answer is yes.

We're not sure how much cheaper the digital versions will be, but they will indeed cost less than their physical media counterparts. Here's a statement from Sony concerning the subject at hand:

"There will be a discount. Exact details will be revealed in the very near future."

In the forums, you can see a screenshot of Best Buy's release list for the Vita, and it lists downloadable games as being $5 less than the regular retail copies. That isn't official but it sounds about right. It's also a big deal because it's another step in the digital direction; if a game is actually cheaper in digital format (which it usually isn't currently), more people will be likely to pass on the physical version. And maybe that's not an altogether bad thing for portable gaming.

Still would hate to see physical media disappear entirely, though.