Saturday, 17 September 2011
Sony will release its next-generation PlayStation Vita games console in Japan on December 17, it said on Wednesday, as it looks to mount a fresh challenge to rivals including struggling Nintendo. Sony had previously said the highly anticipated portable console will hit Japanese stores by the end of the year but will miss the key Christmas holiday shopping season in North America and Europe.
The new device is the latest step in Sony's drive to push its content through its game consoles, smartphones and tablet computers amid competition from Apple's iTunes and App store and hardware rivals such as Nintendo.
Its launch comes as both Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's gaming models are under increasing pressure from products such as Apple's iPhone and iPad, onto which cheap or even free games can be quickly downloaded and played.
In Japan, the PlayStation Vita will sell for 24,980 yen ($325) for the Wi-Fi version and 29,980 for the 3G model, which will be available in partnership with Japan's biggest mobile operator NTTDoCoMo.
In the United States, A PS Vita that connects to the Internet only using Wi-Fi will be priced at $249, while a version featuring 3G connectivity will be priced at $299 once available.
On Tuesday it announced some upgrades to the device, a new pink version targeted at women and 30 new game titles to help drive hardware sales.Sony on Wednesday said it had 100 new titles in the pipeline and will have 26 games available for the Vita on its Japan launch. The device and some games will be previewed at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show.
The PS Vita features a five-inch (12.7 cm) multi-touch OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen with a pad on the back for "touch, grab, trace, push and pull" finger motions. The handset also has front and rear facing cameras. Users will be able to use the device to watch videos, listen to music, connect to internet sites and social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
