The electronics giant's latest foray into the handheld console market promises much - not least a five-inch OLED HD touch screen, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity and improved controls. But given the relative failure of the PSP Go,could Sony be flogging a dead horse or will the PS Vita become the handheld gamers' favourite?
More than just another handheld
While the PSP, in all its incarnations, was essentially nothing more than a handheld PS2, Sony is aiming the PS Vita at demographics other than the 20-something males that currently make up its core market.
Sony hopes that the Vita's 3G and Wi-Fi capabilities, as well as its compatibility with apps such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype and foursquare, will open it up to fans of social network sites and the female audience it has so far found elusive.
The Vita salso feature a GPS-based mapping system that can locate other users in the local area and enable them to take part in location-based gaming and it is also possible to share gaming information across the PlayStation Network (PSN).
Although the PS Vita does not have phone capabilities it will inevitably draw comparisons with the crop of smartphones and tablets currently on offer, and users who want to take full advantage of its 3G capabilities will have to sign up with a network provider.
However, Sony has also released a cheaper, Wi-Fi only version that does not need a mobile subscription.
What about improved hardware?
In addition to its five-inch HD screen and built-in Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, the PS Vita runs on its own specifically designed operating system, and also features front and rear cameras. Strangely, however, it has no video output capabilities.
For a much-improved gaming experience the Vita also has dual analogue sticks, a six-axis motion control, directional, action and shoulder buttons, as well as a revolutionary rear touchpad.
The system's in-built battery offers an estimated three to five hours of gameplay, five hours of video and up to nine hours of music playback.
As far as memory is concerned, the PS Vita comes with a storage media slot to allow users to choose the memory capacity they want. Memory cards will come in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities.
Is it compatible with PSP or older PlayStation games?
As the Vita is an entirely digital platform there is no capability to play UMD games on it and, unfortunately, Sony are not offering the UMD Passport program to users in Europe and the Americas.
Japanese gamers can use the UMD Passport program to download cut-price digital versions of any UMD games that they already own, but anyone outside of this market will have to pay full price for these older titles.
On the plus side, the PS Vita has a PSOne and PS2 emulator so users will be able to play old games from these platforms and, although there is no PS3 emulator, users are able to access their PS3 via remote play as long as they sign up their Vita to the same PSN account.
Where can I pick up a PS Vita?
Both the Sony PS Vita 3G and the PS Vita Wi-Fi models are available now from MoneySupermarket's shopping channel.
Please note: Any rates or deals mentioned in this article were available at the time of writing. Click on a highlighted product and apply direct.
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