The first glimpses of Sony's next generation portable gaming device surfaced months ago, but now the E3 press conference has revealed an official title for the project as well as a price. The once dubbed “NGP” is now the PlayStation “Vita” which means “Life” in Latin. This name was chosen because the Vita allows for a “revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context.” The goal of the project is to bring together users and provide a rich gaming and social networking experience wherever they are, with connectivity being the key. Sony claims that it was vital to design the new portable device so that users could connect to their entertainment world regardless of location. The PS Vita will enable infinite possibilities for friends to encounter, connect, share and play no matter where you are.
Like the
PlayStation Portable (PSP), the PS Vita will feature Wi-Fi
connectivity while other models will sport 3G networking capabilities
in addition to Wi-Fi. Sony has announced the new partnership with
AT&T, the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, who will
serve as the service provider for the PS Vita's 3G functionality.
Both models will feature the same 5” organic light emitting diode
(OLED) multi-touch display, a unique multi-touch pad at the rear, and
two analog joysticks which allow for a wider range of game genres.
These new features will enable Vita users to enjoy whole new game
experiences and functionality. It is confirmed that units with Wi-Fi
only will start at $249 while Wi-Fi/3G models will run around $300. Amazon.com and other retail sites are now accepting preorders for both models, but no US or other release dates have been confirmed.
Of course no new console, portable or not, would not be complete without the unveiling of a few new software titles; the PS Vita is already promising some great games. A new Uncharted title, “Golden Abyss” is in the works as well as another LittleBigPlanet and the all-new game Ruin (working title). Other titles have also been planned for the Vita, which include Street Fighter, Hot Shots Golf, ModNation Racers, and Super Stardust. It has also been rumored that God of War, Metal Gear Solid and Bioshock may see titles on the PS Vita as well. Along with the announcement of new games, an interactive space dubbed “LiveArea” has been detailed. This new feature will come pre-installed on the Vita and will allow users to view the latest game information via PlayStation Network and will also enable you to voice or text chat while playing games or using the internet browser. There is also a tutorial feature that will guide users through the new features and interface of the console in order to make the portable gaming experience even easier to adopt by anyone.
A lot has been planned for the PS Vita, and Sony has explained that the portable's new feature set will enable third-party developers and publishers to create all sorts of new original content. For more information on the Vita, please visit www.us.playstation.com/ngp