Sony revises PS Vita, also announces PS Vita TV, a $95 set-top gaming box
PS Vita 2000
Much like the PSP’s first revision, the PSP-2000, the PS Vita 2000 won’t reinvent the wheel, but make it thinner, lighter, and cheaper. The new model, the PCH-2000, will keep the current Vita design, but will reduce the thickness by 20%, and the weight by 15%. The biggest change is that the PCH-2000 will replace the current five-inch 960×544 OLED screen with an LCD of the same size. Early reports suggest that this screen change lowers the quality a tiny bit, as colors are a little faded toward the edges.
While the original PS Vita did not have any on-board storage, the new model will feature 1GB — a meager amount considering the size of games and downloadable content, but better than nothing at all. Furthermore, the Vita will replace its proprietary connector with a regular micro USB (the same as your smartphone). The battery is also listed as gaining a one-hour bump in life, as well as some new color options. The new model is launching in Japan on October 10 at $190, so whenever it launches in North America, it should be around the same price as the current $199 model.
Much like the PSP’s first revision, the PSP-2000, the PS Vita 2000 won’t reinvent the wheel, but make it thinner, lighter, and cheaper. The new model, the PCH-2000, will keep the current Vita design, but will reduce the thickness by 20%, and the weight by 15%. The biggest change is that the PCH-2000 will replace the current five-inch 960×544 OLED screen with an LCD of the same size. Early reports suggest that this screen change lowers the quality a tiny bit, as colors are a little faded toward the edges.
While the original PS Vita did not have any on-board storage, the new model will feature 1GB — a meager amount considering the size of games and downloadable content, but better than nothing at all. Furthermore, the Vita will replace its proprietary connector with a regular micro USB (the same as your smartphone). The battery is also listed as gaining a one-hour bump in life, as well as some new color options. The new model is launching in Japan on October 10 at $190, so whenever it launches in North America, it should be around the same price as the current $199 model.
PS Vita TV
The bigger news is the PS Vita TV, a dramatic hardware revision of the Vita. It’s a cheaper, set-top box without a screen that works with the DualShock 3 (and appears to work with the PS4′s DualShock 4). Essentially, the PS Vita TV is a Vita for your TV, able to do everything a Vita can — right down to running game carts — with the same specs (minus the screen). The unit is tiny, measuring in at 6.5×10.5×1.3 centimeters, and features WiFi and Bluetooth, an HDMI out, a USB port, and Ethernet. The device supports 720p and 1080i, but not 1080p. It’s expected that the PS Vita TV will run games at a television-sized resolution, rather than the 960×544 size of a Vita’s screen.
Both the new PS Vita and the upcoming PS Vita TV will have PS4 Remote Play. Sony has not yet specifically mentioned what media services will be available on the PS Vita TV, but it would be strange for it to lack the usual suspects — especially considering this is a set-top box, and media services were shown in the above promo.
The PS Vita TV will launch in Japan on November 14 for $95. There will be a bundle for $150 that includes the Vita TV, a DualShock 3, and an 8GB memory card. Considering the PS4 is launching around the same time in North America as the Vita TV is launching in Japan, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sony hold off on a North American launch, as launching two consoles could get a little messy, confusing that grandparent-buying-a-holiday-present customer base.
The PS Vita 2000 is a standard move, and might infuse some new, much-needed life into the Vita if the handheld meshes well with the PS4. While the PS Vita TV might seem a tad confusing — a portable console stripped of its portability — that $95 price point and the emergence of cheap, set-top box consoles certainly proves the Vita TV to be a savvy move on Sony’s part. While the standard dig at the Vita is that it lacks games, it certainly has a higher-quality library than the Android gamingscape. Furthermore, consoles like the Ouya don’t have native media streaming yet, while the Vita TV certainly appears to. So, for a sub-$100 price, you get PS4 Remote Play, media services, and both retail and downloadable Vita games.
The PS Vita TV is definitely aimed at a somewhat niche market, but it’s a smart device and a savvy move by Sony. If you wanted a Netflix box for the den, you can grab a Roku, or grab a Vita TV and have a box that not only plays a dedicated gaming console’s games, but can play PS4 games from across the house as well. It would seem Sony is continuing its barrage of intelligent moves this generation.
The bigger news is the PS Vita TV, a dramatic hardware revision of the Vita. It’s a cheaper, set-top box without a screen that works with the DualShock 3 (and appears to work with the PS4′s DualShock 4). Essentially, the PS Vita TV is a Vita for your TV, able to do everything a Vita can — right down to running game carts — with the same specs (minus the screen). The unit is tiny, measuring in at 6.5×10.5×1.3 centimeters, and features WiFi and Bluetooth, an HDMI out, a USB port, and Ethernet. The device supports 720p and 1080i, but not 1080p. It’s expected that the PS Vita TV will run games at a television-sized resolution, rather than the 960×544 size of a Vita’s screen.
Both the new PS Vita and the upcoming PS Vita TV will have PS4 Remote Play. Sony has not yet specifically mentioned what media services will be available on the PS Vita TV, but it would be strange for it to lack the usual suspects — especially considering this is a set-top box, and media services were shown in the above promo.
The PS Vita TV will launch in Japan on November 14 for $95. There will be a bundle for $150 that includes the Vita TV, a DualShock 3, and an 8GB memory card. Considering the PS4 is launching around the same time in North America as the Vita TV is launching in Japan, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sony hold off on a North American launch, as launching two consoles could get a little messy, confusing that grandparent-buying-a-holiday-present customer base.
The PS Vita 2000 is a standard move, and might infuse some new, much-needed life into the Vita if the handheld meshes well with the PS4. While the PS Vita TV might seem a tad confusing — a portable console stripped of its portability — that $95 price point and the emergence of cheap, set-top box consoles certainly proves the Vita TV to be a savvy move on Sony’s part. While the standard dig at the Vita is that it lacks games, it certainly has a higher-quality library than the Android gamingscape. Furthermore, consoles like the Ouya don’t have native media streaming yet, while the Vita TV certainly appears to. So, for a sub-$100 price, you get PS4 Remote Play, media services, and both retail and downloadable Vita games.
The PS Vita TV is definitely aimed at a somewhat niche market, but it’s a smart device and a savvy move by Sony. If you wanted a Netflix box for the den, you can grab a Roku, or grab a Vita TV and have a box that not only plays a dedicated gaming console’s games, but can play PS4 games from across the house as well. It would seem Sony is continuing its barrage of intelligent moves this generation.
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