Sony's plans to release a PS4/PS Vita hardware bundle have been "held up" by a problem with packaging design, according to SCEE president Jim Ryan.
Speaking to CVG at E3, Ryan confirmed that the platform holder intends to release the bundle - as suggested by retail listings this month - but said that the company is currently trying to finalise the design of the packaging it will ship in. "Being a hardware manufacturer can be a very tedious thing," he said. "it's being held up by trying to get the bundle packaged in a way where drop tests work properly. We're just about there now.
"When you develop a consumer electronics device you have to be able to drop it in a reasonable manner and it not break. Trying to find a configuration for a Vita and PS4 bundle that is not the size of a table has proved rather difficult. But I think we're there."
Asked when the proposed Vita/PS4 bundle will finally make it to retail, Ryan said: "I'm guessing it will release at some point this year. If we're close, there's no reason for it not to."
Last week a listing for the hardware bundle (pictured) appeared on Amazon France.
According to the retail listing, the "Ultimate Player Edition" bundle will include a 500gb PS4, a Wi-Fi PS Vita slim, and a DualShock 4 controller for €579.99 in Europe: the same price as buying the consoles individually.
Sony said in February that roughly one in three Vita owners also own a PS4, a figure which has likely only increased since PS4 sales surpassed 7 million in April.