Actually, You Can't Easily Switch PSN Accounts on Vita

Having already contradicted itself once before, Sony now says it is not possible to switch between PlayStation Network accounts on a PlayStation Vita without a factory reset.

Catalogs handed out at a Vita event in Japan earlier this month contained an FAQ, and among the questions it answered was one regarding the ability to use more than one PSN account on the same system. It stated a factory reset was needed before another account could be logged into, thereby eliminating any convenient way of using multiple accounts on the same system. This is important not just to those who want to share the system with a fellow PSN account holder, but also those who wish to create a foreign PSN account for the purpose of accessing digital content not available in their region.

A Sony spokesperson then claimed this wasn't the case, and that buying multiple Vita memory cards would make it possible to juggle more than one account on a single system. A factory reset would, however, still be required for anyone wanting to log in to a different account with only one memory card.

At least until the next clarifying statement comes along, Sony says a factory reset is needed to switch PSN accounts, regardless of your memory card situation.

"[The] PSN account is tied to the hardware and the memory card, not just the card, which means that if a second person is using your Vita, it's not just a case of switching out memory cards, it's clearing out all of your saved data on the Vita itself when you do the factory reset," a Sony representative told Wired. "In other words, PlayStation Vita is intended to be played by only one user."

Although the multiple memory card solution wasn't exactly ideal, it was at least a method for sharing the system.

Vita is set to be released in just two days' time, on December 17, in Japan (where gamers seem eager to get their hands on it). It'll then be out in North America and Europe on February 22. Those who pre-order the First Edition bundle will get it a week early, on February 15. In the meantime, a handful of new Vita game trailers were just recently released -- check them out here.