PS Vita relaunches Facebook app with solid usage numbers

Sony has re-listed the Facebook application for its new PS Vita handheld, allowing users to once again download and sign into the popular social networking service — minus the spotty performance and annoying error codes which plagued the initial version’s launch.

“Facebook service for the PS Vita has been completely restored, and the Facebook app is now available for (free) download on the PS Store,” announced Sony on its PlayStation Twitter feed.

Sony pulled the Facebook app shortly after it debuted in the handheld’s online shop, pointing the finger of blame at Facebook itself.

“The Vita Facebook application has been removed from the store,” a Sony spokesperson said last week. “It will be republished once the difficulties Facebook have experienced have been resolved.”

Exactly what those “difficulties” were remains unclear; neither Sony nor Facebook has come forward with an explanation for what caused early downloaded versions of the social networking app to display the error code NP-13144-3 and prevent users from logging into their accounts.

Sony revealed last week that 1.2 million Vitas had been sold globally, placing early numbers in North America and the UK at a combined 600,000. The system launched in the west on February 22, and in the span of a few days matched two months of sales in Japan.

Putting its own spin on the sales figures, Japanese stat tracker Media Create compiled a chart which measures the new handheld’s early performance against its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable (PSP). According to the firm, the Vita is tracking behind the PSP by approximately 250,000 units in the country.

The Vita saw a similar rough start in the U.S., failing to top first-week sales for both its own PSP and rival Nintendo’s 3DS. Europe was a bright spot for Sony, with early sales of the device beating out both other regions. (via Computerandvideogames)