In a move that surprised almost no one, United States cell phone carrier AT&T Inc. has announced that the Playstation Vita 3G models that will soon be available in the US will be locked by carrier. The lock will be similar to the way that smartphones are often locked by the carrier they are purchased from. What does this mean for the Playstation Vita 3G?

SIM cards from other carriers will not be recognized

It means that only the correct SIM card can be inserted and recognized in a carrier-locked Vita. There are several consequences to the carrier lock, but the most relevant to gamers will be that certain games/apps will be restricted. Sony has worked closely with AT&T to ensure security via network SIM cards, and any programs or software deemed dangerous to the network will be immediately locked out. It is unclear if this means that the 3G version of the Vita will feature a slightly modified (as is normal with carrier-locked portable devices) Playstation Network, or if the Vita will block the applications once they have been transferred to the device itself. If the Playstation Network is to differ by carrier due to what each company deems is a security threat, the 3G Vita could quickly turn into a technical nightmare for Sony’s Playstation Network employees.

Equally unclear is how heavy-handed Sony will be in policing the PSN, if the AT&T 3G Vitas need to block out software deemed dangerous to the carrier network. It could well be that the agreement between Sony and AT&T refers to potentially harmful software installed on the device without the use of the PSN completely.

Security specifications kept confidential

The fact that Playstation Vita 3G models are carrier-locked in the United States seems to conflict slightly with the fact that the Vita is region-free. It was previously announced that the Vita would not be locked to specific regions, meaning that Vitas worldwide are one and the same, and will run software from other parts of the world without issues. In additional, international service provider cards would not function in a carrier-locked Vita. It is unlikely, but not impossible, that carrier-locked Vitas might one day come in conflict with software created for distribution in another region. It’s an unlikely scenario, but one that Americans should consider before they subscribe to the data plans offered by their local mobile service providers.

It is unlikely that the 3G Vitas will remain carrier-locked for long. As the smartphone industry has shown, it won’t be long before third parties begin offering “Vita unlocking” to gamers eager to shrug off the shackles of their service provider. In the case of the Vita, however, it may be wise just to purchase the WiFi version and endure those precious few moments without internet access.