pch-2000
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Vita 2000 lands in Oz next month
The Vita 2000's journey around the world takes it to Australia on June 4, Sony announced today. It's taken it a little longer than 80 days to make it from Japan to Australia, with stop-offs as North America and Europe along the way, but it'll finally head downunder in three weeks' time with a price tag AUD$270. The new model is 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the original, and it has a LCD screen. The battery life is upped to 4 to 6 hours for gaming and 7 hours for video, and there's also a new micro USB Slot and a 1GB internal memory card. After launching in Japan back in October 2013, the slim Vita finally hit American shelves earlier this month, and you can pick it up now with a copy of Borderlands 2 for $200.
There's a new PlayStation Vita available in the US today: what you need to know
Look, we're not gonna review the PlayStation Vita again. Promise. Three times is enough, no? We think so too. But we do want to tell you that the second version of the PlayStation Vita is finally available in North America today -- it even comes in a bundle with Borderlands 2 for $200 -- and we want you to feel safe and secure in your purchase, should you choose to make one. So, is it worth it? In short: yes, yes it is. It's thinner; it's got rounded edges; and Sony's cut a ton of fat from the price as well. Head below for our full video review of the Japanese model, then jump into the Engadget database for specs, reviews from other publications and to discuss which games you're most excited about. It's Luftrausers, right? Come on, admit it.
Slimmer, lighter, juicier: Sony's revamped PS Vita hits the US on May 6th
Sony's slimmer, brighter PlayStation Vita has been making the rounds in Japanese and European game stores for months now while we in the States had to make do with the original. Well, the wait is nearly over: Sony today confirmed that antsy Americans can lay claim to the rejiggered portable on May 6th in a bundle that includes a digital copy of Borderlands 2 and an 8GB memory card. If the lure of a lighter handheld with a more robust battery (our review unit hung in there for about 8 hours, compared to the original's 5) wasn't enough, you can rub that copy of Borderlands in your friends' faces -- it won't be available to the masses until May 13. Just be warned: This redesigned model uses an LCD screen instead of the original's OLED panel, which makes for some less vivid colors on-screen. The other potential bummer? It looks like the black model is the one getting bundled, so those of you hoping to sear some eyeballs with a jauntily colored Vita (like the one above) will just have to keep the faith for now.
Should you buy the new, slimmer and pricier PlayStation Vita?
Decisions, decisions, decisions. Saying it three times won't make things any easier, but that's where we come in. Sony's latest iteration of the PlayStation Vita handheld, which we're going to call the Vita Slim from now on (as seems to be the fashion), is coming to the UK, having previously only been available in Asia. It's up for pre-order right now and will launch a week from today -- so, do you want one? The choice is ultimately yours, of course, and it's a delicate one, but if the pressure is too much to bear, then head past the break where we explore how the Slim stacks up against the Vita of old, and whether it's really worth the extra £50 (or roughly $80, in US terms) for a console that delivers essentially the same experience.
Sony defends Vita OLED to LCD switch: differences are 'relatively imperceptible'
Though the screen in the Vita Slim is LCD, it will not feature a drastic decline in picture quality from the undeniably rich and vibrant OLED screen found in the original Vita, according to Sony UK managing director Fergal Gara. "When we introduced Vita with the OLED screen that was considered - and it was - the pinnacle of screen technology," Gara told VG247. "It was a beautiful screen and LCD at the time would have felt like a compromise." "What's happened in the interim is LCD screen technology has improved significantly," he added. "Whilst some think there's a subtle difference between the two, we think it's relatively imperceptible." Gara then goes on to explain that the new LCD screen allows Sony to build a smaller, lighter Vita while maintaining its processing power and battery life - a feat not possible with the attractive, but more power-hungry OLED display. Gara echoed these sentiments in an interview with Eurogamer. "[The LCD screen is] giving bigger advantages than disadvantages - it's helping with the battery life, with the thickness. We think they are bigger wins than any subtle - if any - reduction in visual quality." As we reported earlier today, the Vita Slim is slated for release in the UK on February 7. The updated handheld has been available in Japan since October, but there is no word yet on when or if it will make its way to North America.
Slimmer Vita remodel announced for UK, arriving February 7
We've had liftoff for Sony's slimmer Vita breaching the west, after Sony UK announced the thinner, lighter PCH-2000 is coming to the isle on February 7. As revealed at a conference attended by UK press this morning, it'll be priced around £180 in the country (that converts to just under $300) and will replace the older model there. The price is a big markdown on the launch figures we saw for the original handheld: around £230 for the Wi-Fi only model, and £280 for the 3G+ models. That said, it's a big markup on the PCH-2000's price in Japan of 19,929 yen, which converts to around $195. The remodel, which was introduced to Japan in October 2013, is 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the original Vita, and replaces the OLED screen with a LCD offering. There's also a new micro USB slot for data backup and charging, a 1GB internal memory card, six hours battery life, and new power and notification indicators on the top. There's no news yet about the slimmer iteration coming to other countries in Europe, let alone North America and beyond. Sony UK's other announcement this morning was a 10-game indie pack for the whole of Europe, featuring Alien Breed, Thomas Was Alone, Velocity Ultra, Men's Room Mayhem, Coconut Dodge Revitalized, Limbo, Hotline Miami, Total Recoil, Superfrog HD, and Floating Cloud God Saves the Pilgrims in HD. It'll be priced €25, or in a Vita bundle that also includes a 4GB memory card for €200 - no word yet if the Vita in this bundle is the original or new model.
Sony's slimmer PlayStation Vita coming to the UK for around £180, pre-orders start today
Alright, so perhaps we took Sony's invite to its London PlayStation event a little too seriously when we speculated Vita TV news was on the agenda. Although it's not technically the "slimmest" PS device, Sony's brought us here to welcome the late-2013 PlayStation Vita iteration (aka the PCH-2000) to UK shores. Thinner, lighter and with better battery life than its predecessor (partly due to the use of a new LCD panel instead of the older OLED one), this is the first trip for the new Vita outside of Asia. That plane ride ain't free, though, as the £180 price tag (around $300) is a significant mark-up on the cost of the handheld in its homeland (18,980 yen; around $185), and it's also a tenner more than the original Vita model currently being sold by Amazon UK. Pre-orders for the device start today, with the proper launch penned in for February 7th.
PlayStation Vita review (2013)
It's about time Sony's next-generation handheld got a redesign. Not that the new PS Vita is so different from the original models. The screen's no bigger, and it hasn't lost any backward compatibility either. In fact, nearly everything that Sony's changed here is for the better (and that includes the fizzy new array of colors too). Perhaps the biggest negative, however, is that the new Vita is a Japan-only device, at least for now. But importers delight: our non-Japanese PSN account worked fine (as did our game cards), and with 1GB of built-in memory, there's the possibility that you won't need to pony up more money for Sony's pricey Vita memory cards. But how does that cheaper screen fare against its predecessor's sparkling OLED? And can you play it for more than five hours? Keep reading, folks: we've got some good news and some bad news.
Hands-on with the new PlayStation Vita (update: video!)
Just like the PlayStation Portable before it, the PlayStation Vita comes in iterations. There's the standard, original Vita, and then there's the new, even nicer version. Sony unveiled that new iteration recently at a Japanese event, and we got our first hands-on with it today at Tokyo Game Show 2013. So, what's different? Not too much. As it turns out, it's still a Vita. The good news is that it's a far lighter, more comfy version of the Vita you already know and (maybe) love. Rounded edges make holding the Vita distinctly less abrasive -- the sharper angles on the original Vita were pretty from a design perspective, but not so much from an ergonomic standpoint. The buttons have been rejiggered as well, with a solid click for each (the start / select / PS Home buttons are also all now circles instead of ovals). And hey, the micro-USB port for charging is an unbelievably welcome addition. Gone are the days of your proprietary Vita charging cable (though there's still a port for it as well, should you refuse to change). And that's not the only ergonomic improvement: the new Vita is dramatically lighter than its predecessor, making it all the easier to take on-the-go. We're told that its battery life is also much improved, but we've yet to see that play out in real life, so we'll reserve judgment for now. Update: We've added video just below walking through the new Vita -- please excuse us, as we called the new Vita's LCD screen an LED in the video. Chock it up to jet lag! Check out all our Tokyo Game Show 2013 coverage right here at our hub!
New PlayStation Vita coming October 10th: lighter, thinner, more battery life
If the news is big enough for a Sony livestream (and with an English translation, no less), then it's going to be good, right? Sony has announced a new version of its PS Vita, just weeks after announcing a price-drop across both the US and Europe. (Japan was treated to the discount back in February.) The Vita PCH-2000 is 15 percent lighter and 20 percent thinner than the original model and will add an additional hour of life to the battery. The new (WiFi-only) Vita will land in Japan first, on October 10th priced at 18,980 yen (about $190), and Sony isn't yet ready to reveal (or even confirm) availability in other parts of the world. But remember, that price tag is still cheaper than when the original Vita launched, priced at 24,980 yen. Further hardware improvements (alongside pink, black, blue, grey, lime green, and yellow color options) include a micro-USB charger -- like your smartphone -- and 1GB of onboard storage. Interestingly, the screen tech has been changed to LCD from OLED, but we'll have to see it in the flesh before we jump to any conclusions on performance -- that's what is likely responsible for the drop in price. Alongside those colors, Sony's already planned for three special edition models: Gundam Breaker, God Eater (camouflage!) and Otomate. Check out the gallery below and read on past the break for more.
