While some have said the future looked bleak for Sony's portable gaming device, as of late, it seems Sony have decided to refocus their efforts on their often overlooked handheld and ensure its future. Just a few weeks ago, we had news of a price cut that drastically altered the handheld's prospects - and this morning at a press conference in Japan, Sony lifted the lid on not one, but two new devices they're hoping will silence the naysayers for good.
First up is a new, slimmer, redesigned Playstation Vita, which although it doesn't have an official name as of yet, will come sporting a number of additional colours. The PS Vita PCH-2000, to give it its model name will be available in a pretty wide range of six colours from launch: reddish-pink, white, grey, baby blue, yellowy-green, or black, and comes sporting an array of improvements and upgrades.
Oddly, some of the Vitas come with a black front and a coloured back.
Coming complete with a built in gigabyte of storage, which should hopefully nullify the need to go out and buy a memory card in order to save, or download certain PS Vita games, the new machine is some 20% thinner, and 15% lighter than the original console, yet arguably comes with more features. Cramming in an extra hour of battery life, the PS Vita 2000 will play all your PS Vita games and downloadable PSP/PS One titles as always, with around the only concession that's been made being that of the screen, with the Vita's fancy (but blemish prone) OLED screen switched out for a fairly standard hi-res LCD. Perhaps the best news is that the new Vita will weigh in at substantially less than the current console, with a price that works out at roughly £120. Although we'd expect it to cost more like £150 over here taking tax into account, there's as yet no word on when the device might appear on these shores - although Japan can look forward to getting their hands on it on the 10th of October.
The second new piece of equipment, meanwhile, was a tad more unexpected. Called the PS Vita TV, the unit itself is a tiny (and we mean dinky - this thing is 10 x 6cm, which makes it pretty minute) home console that is essentially a Playstation Vita without a screen. Plugging into a TV, the box itself comes complete with a PS Vita cartridge slot that will let you play all your PS Vita, PSP, and PS One games on the big screen in the living room using a standard PS3 controller.
Talk about pocket sized.
Allowing access to all the usual PS Vita apps for Facebook, Twitter, and the rest, the PS Vita TV will also be a great way to watch HD films on the big screen, and can sync with the upcoming PS4, as you'll be able to use the PS Vita TV to stream gameplay from a PS4 to another TV in the house. If you have a PS4 in the living room, but someone else needs to use the TV, all you'll have to do is head upstairs to your PS Vita TV, where you'll be able to carry on playing as before, as the PS Vita TV streams what's happening on the PS4 upstairs. Sounds complicated - but also very cool. As an added bonus, the console will also support PS Vita memory cards, and can also have up to two controllers synced to it, letting you play multiplayer on PS One games.
Available on the 14th November, the unit will be available either on its own for 9,480 Yen (£60!), or in a bundle with a controller for 14,280 - that's just under £90. As a budget choice for those who want to play Vita games but don't want to pay the Vita's price tag, this could be a very appealing choice when it eventually makes its way to these shores. For more on how the new console will work, check out the handy video below:
