Sony plans to release a smaller, thinner PlayStation Vita along with a games-dedicated Apple TV-like Vita TV in Japan, a morning press conference confirms. The new Vita, model number PCH-2000, is 20-percent thinner and 15-percent lighter than the current handheld, and it sports an improved battery as well as a new HD LCD screen to replace the OLED. The press release notes that the revamped PS Vita will be “available first” in Japan on October 10, 2013.
Then there’s the PlayStation Vita TV, which bears a striking resemblance in both form and function to Apple TV. The pint-sized white box plugs directly into your television, allowing you to play PS Vita games on a larger screen using both game cards and memory cards. Vita TV also offers streaming video, the ability to plug in up to two DualShock 3 controllers, support for various legacy games available in the PS Store (PSP and PSOne), and, via a future patch, PlayStation 4 remote play. The PS Vita TV is also coming to Japan first, on November 14, for the currency-converted equivalent of $100. Sony will also sell a bundle that includes both the Vita TV and a DualShock 3.
