Hot on the heels of Nintendo's lighter and slimmer handheld, the 2DS, it seems as though Sony has plans for its own handheld, the PS Vita. The company has announced a smaller version of the Vita, set to go on sale in Japan this October. However, no plans for a stateside release has yet been mentioned.
"Thanks to the rapid progress of LCD technology in recent years, the new display provides users with the highest-level image quality, perfect for deep and immersive gaming experience that is at the core of PS Vita," Sony said.
Beyond the improved visuals, the new version of the Vita also boasts 1GB of memory, and if players manage to fill that up, a new 64GB memory card goes on sale in Japan the same day as the slimmer Vita.
The new Vita has been developed to be "more casual and friendly for a wider range of users," Sony said. Broadening the range are the numerous colors the Vita will come in: white (seen above), yellow, pink, light blue, and lime green.
The new model will be just 15 mm in width - 20 per cent smaller than the current model - and weighs in at 219g, making it 15 percent lighter than the current model of PS Vita. Sony recently released the new specs for the system, which you can check out below:
CPU - ARM Cortex-A( core (4 core)
GPU - SGX543MP4+
Main memory - 512 MB
VRAM - 128MB
External Dimensions - Approx. 183.6 x 85.1 x 15.0 mm
Weight - Approx. 219g
Screen - 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, LCD
(Touch screen) - Multi touch screen (capacitive type)
Rear touch pad - Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
Cameras - Front camera, Rear camera
Frame rate: 120fps@320x240(QVGA), 60fps@640x480(VGA)
Resolution: Up to 640x480(VGA)
Sound - Built-in stereo speakers, Built-in microphone
Motion sensors - Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass
Location - Wi-Fi location service support
Arriving the following month will be a device that lets gamers do more than just play games on their Vita, but watch television on their handhelds as well. The device will cost $100, and comes with a slot for memory cards, and can play PSP, PlayStation One, and Vita games. The only catch is that you'll need a DualShock 3 controller to operate the device. Unfortunately, like the new model Vita, a release for countries outside of Japan has not yet been given.
Check out some video of both new devices below.