https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TkOdFbj1Eo
Sony have just announced a new model of the PS Vita at their pre-TGS conference. While there’s no RAM changes as expected, the system has had a bit of a cosmetic makeover – it’s less shiny, with six new colours. It’ll be named the PCH-2000.
It’s also 20% thinner and 15% lighter, which is very impressive for what the system has achieved through Killzone: Mercenary recently. The new colours look good, too, with lime green, light blue, pink, white, beige and black all being available.
It’ll even have a longer battery life, allowing for around an hour more of gameplay, and it’ll charge via a standard micro USB port rather than the Vita’s strange connection. This will come at a cost, however, with Sony ditching the OLED screen in favour of LCD.
It comes with a 1GB memory card bundled in, but for those looking for much more space, Sony are introducing new 64GB memory cards along with the system on the 10th of October.
This is all just for Japan and Asia now, but we hope that they’ll come to the West soon. As for price, we’re talking 19,929 yen for the new Vita and 9,980 yen for the memory card.
freezebug2
Gah! I was nearly right with my prediction for a slim Vita in yesterdays article, but the big news (“we’ve all been waiting for”) from yesterday is obviously the larger 64 Gig memory card.
I think that people will appreciate the new sized memory card but in reality would have much rather seen a new Vita model re-designed to be able to take standard or common memory card media format which is very affordable. Let’s be honest a 64GB card of the current Sony Vita media format will cost wagonloads of your crisp British Sterling notes withdrawn from the local ATM.
Wardy-77-
Yeah a 64gb card as they stand could be a fair wedge,but it’s got to be better than having to get rid of your lovely OLED screened Vita,for a new model that with an LCD screen to be able to have the bigger memory,i recon I’d just keep buying 32gb cards if need be rather than switch to a cheaper screen and model.
CarBoyCam
I’ll have to wait and see the specs of this new LCD screen compared the old OLED one. Everything apart from the screen has me sold atm.
XisTG
An extra hour of battery (plus the microUSB cable) are welcome, but I can’t understand the screen change; the OLED is beautiful!
hazelam
i wonder if it has tv out, but i’d guess they’ve got the Vita TV for that now.
The Von Braun
Improved batt.life sounds great, as for the quality of the screen…that is yet to be seen (no pun intended).
Sony proclaimed the PSP-3000’s screen to be a brighter, better version, yet users soon found interlacing issues when running older PSP games.
Dtill if it improves Vita sales world wide, this redesign can only be seen as a good thing in the long run, right?.
Kennykazey
OLED trumps it. Wouldn’t it be even less comfortable if thinner?
Starman
A 1gb card? Totally pointless!
ProjectJAY
Not totally; it’s enough for save data if you’re playing from cartridges. I think it’s for the kid who gets a shiny new Vita for Christmas, whose parents didn’t realise you also need a memory card to go with it. Day no longer ruined :)
Avenger
Loving the new colours and the extra battery life, but no OLED??? Glad for the one I have.
Avenger
Does this mean the current model of Vita becomes obsolete in Japan? Or will there still be two choices?
plutoniumdragon
I suspect that a lot of people in the target market won’t even notice the difference. Unless Sony cheap out with a poor quality LCD panel…
Be interesting to read the inevitable side-by-side critiques though.
bunimomike
Agree completely. The OLED screen won’t be a terrible loss when you think about the majority of people buying this model. Sure, it would be nice to have it in there but if the screen (or technology) is holding back the rest of the Vita somewhat, then so be it.