The Playstation Vita

Sony is releasing a new handheld system sometime later this year, and this time its actually reasonably priced. This system builds on everything good about their past handheld, the PSP, and takes into account the qualms that people had with it. Here's everything you need to know about the new system, now go out and pre-order one!

The Playstation Vita, originally known as the NGP or Next-Generation Portable, looks to be just what it describes. The choice of Vita is in the Latin meaning of the word - Life. The name is quite honestly going to take a bit of getting used to, but I think it really isn't horrible. Playstation Vita sounds good, but PS Vita not so much, nor does PSV. Aside from the name though, there are a ton of new features to talk about, which I'll describe here.


New Features


Touchscreens

The PS Vita features two touchscreens. "How is this possible," you may ask. The front touch screen the 5 inch OLED screen itself, works like any other bit of technology so far. This system also has a rear touchpad, which allows users to press up into the world and affect the game without obstructing the vision. These two touch screens allow for multiple ways to interact with the games, and introduce new ways to play.

5 Inch OLED Screen

This screen will allow for high definition displays in watching movies and playing games. The screen itself will be rather large in comparison to the PSP screen, and will appear much brighter and more vivid.

Dual Analog Sticks

The biggest gripe about the original PSP is that it only included one analog stick. This made it difficult to play shooters and many of the other titles that are available on consoles, so many users preferred the consoles over the handhelds. With two analog sticks, a wider variety of games will be available.

PS3 Integration

There will finally be a reason to own both systems at the same time. The PSP and PS3 had a few features that worked together, such as remote play. Many users didn't know about these features, and even those who did didn't use them. This time around, you'll be able to log on to your PSN account, and play online and earn trophies. Also, certain games will be able to be played on both the PS3 and PSV with the same save file.

There are many other features that I won't focus on here, but be certain that this isn't just a new model PSP. It has so much more capability in terms of gaming that could never be achieved with the old system. There will be backwards compatibility, but in terms of download only. The media that the PS Vita will play will be flash based cards, so there will be a physical copy of games, but it will not have a UMD slot.

Games

I'll probably delve into these titles eventually in the future, but here's a few screenshots to whet your appetite for the beauty that can be achieved with the PS Vita

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Little Big Planet

Ruin

Wipeout

These are just some of the games scheduled for an early release for the system. The system will cost $249.99 for the Wi-fi only model, and $299.99 for the 3G capable model, which will run through AT&T. There is no confirmed release date as of yet, but Sony has said it will be out somewhere by the end of the year.