PS4 & PS Vita bundle rumours: we ask the retailers

PS4 and PS Vita bundle rumours dropped last week, so VG247's Dave Cook and Steph Nunneley have called their local retailers to see if there's any truth to the matter.

If you missed the initial rumour you can play catch-up here.

Basically, an anonymous source of Machinima said that Sony is bundling both consoles together for around $500, and that the package will launch by the end of the year.

We decided to ask our local game shops to see if they had heard anything regarding the bundle, just to see if there was any truth to what we'd heard.

Over in the States, Steph contacted her local GameStop first and asked them if a PS4 and PS Vita bundle was on the cards.

A sales rep replied, "Oh no. That is two completely different systems. That would be getting about $700.00 worth of stuff. So for $700.00 to be knocked down to $400.00 I don't think that's going to happen.

"If they are going to bundle it, it won't be for $400.00. I have not heard anything about that, I know there will be a lot of cross-play between the Vita and the PS4 and I know that you will be able to use your Vita as a second controller for the PlayStation 4 [if game is programmed for it according to Sony - SNN].

"So while it's not entirely unfathomable that it would happen we just havn't been given anything on it. If they definitely did that, like I said the price would be around the $600-700 area.

"However if [you are] wanting to get a PS4 I recommend getting into a Gamestop as soon as possible to pre-order because we don't know when they are going to be shutting off this SKU again.

"They have shut off reservations of PS4 twice now and they re-opened it last Saturday which was when I finally got the chance to pre-order my own. They are saying that it could be any day now that they shut if off again."

Steph then tried another GameStop store nearby and was told by an employee that there was no PS4/PS Vita bundle on their system and, "as far as I have heard from corporate," there is to be no new PS4 bundles until after the current packages have launched.

Meanwhile here in Scotland, I called my local branch of HMV and was told by an employee, "We don't have any information on that yet. It probably won't be until a lot closer to the time until a price has been released and stuff."

I then asked if the bundle was actually a thing and he replied, "I've not heard anything, I've probably heard as much as you - that there probably will be a bundle but as far as us having it in the show I haven't heard anything."

Defeated, I called my local GAME store and asked the same question. Their staffer told me, "Not that I'm aware of. The only bundle we've been told about is the one exclusive to us that comes with the PS4 itself, Killzone special edition and Driveclub special edition. It also comes with PlayStation Plus. That's the only one I've heard of, I've not heard anything being bundled with a Vita."

I then asked if this was something I should keep an eye on the GAME website for, and he replied, "I'd keep an eye on it but I'll be perfectly honest; with the amount of solus Vitas that Sony has still got - and the fact that you can already buy it solus - I don't know why they would bundle [PS4] with a Vita.

"If anything it would be re-bundled again with a PlayStation Eye - and that's me just giving pure guesswork. If I were Sony I'd bundle it with the PlayStation Eye instead of Vita. Maybe it's something they've still to announce as they've still to announce a release date."

Together we also tried Best Buy, ASDA, Tesco and Toys 'R Us. I largely got kind old ladies who sounded lovely but couldn't tell me what was going on, while Steph hit a brick wall over the pond. In most cases however, stores had either stopped PS4 pre-orders or were close to pulling the plug on them.

Either way, it seems like retailers at shop level haven't heard of this fabled bundle. We're since taken this higher and are still waiting on a response, although in my experience it's unlikely that chains will disclose anything they're not supposed to.

We'll let you know if they do however, but for now, what do you make of the bundle rumour? Let us know below.