Many asked for the possibility to connect their PS Vita to their TV, and that possibility almost became a reality but was ultimately discarded, as explained by Sony Director of the Second Division of Software Development Muneki Shimada and Hardware Planning Division Manager Kiyoto Shibuya in an interview on the Japanese tech website AV Watch.
The question was prompted by the revelation by Shimada-san that the upscaler used by the PS Vita TV to adapt games to 1080i resolution for display on a TV screen is already included in the current model of the PS Vita. At that, the interviewer asked if the original PS Vita was supposed to feature TV connectivity:
Shimada-san confirmed, and Shibuya-san clarified further.

With the PSP, connection with a TV was available since the PSP-2000. At that time there was a discussion on whether it was good to have a cable attached to the back of the console going to the TV with motion controls.
At the end of that internal debate, we decided that splitting between the “portable Vita 2000″ and the “PS Vita TV” was the ideal solution.

Personally, I would have preferred the option to attach a cable to my Vita, with no real care for motion controls, But I guess I’ll take the Vita TV. It’s much better than nothing.