Well, Japan loves their handheld gaming.

As reported by The Washington Post , the PlayStation Vita launched today in Japan, and thousands of anticipatory gamers were standing in line to nab the fancy new portable.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has predicted "brisk sales," which they could really use, as Sony expects a loss of over $1 billion for the fiscal year through March 2012. But the Vita may do very well at the start; in Tokyo's Ikebukuro shopping district, around 300 buyers lined up outside a major electronics chain before the store opened. Television footage showed happy new owners unboxing the Vita and playing it right in the store.

Said SCEJ President Hiroshi Kono on his blog:

"I’m so happy to see so many people lining up for PS Vita so early in the morning. I can tell they had anxiously waited for today’s launch."

The first hardware launch for Sony since the PlayStation 3 back in 2006, the Vita also has the benefit of two dozen launch titles, the biggest launch lineup of any PlayStation device in history. Featuring dual analog sticks, front and back cameras, front and rear touchpads, and the option of 3G, Sony's new portable is definitely an attractive, highly advanced little unit.

But will it release to throngs of excited fans here in North America as well? We'll have to wait and see; February 22 isn't too far off.