Ben-DutkaWith all the accumulated evidence over the past few months, this comes as no surprise. But US gamers are a little miffed that they're not included (yet).
Sony has announced that a slimmer, lighter PlayStation Vita will release in the UK next week, on February 7. The retail price is £180 (about $300).
The PCH-2000 model replaces the old PCH-1000 Vita, and the latest iteration is 15 percent lighter and 20 percent slimmer. The unit also boasts a 6-hour battery life for games and 1GB of storage is built into the device as well. The machine's design is mostly the same (albeit with slightly rounder edges) but the biggest change is, in our eyes, an unfortunate one: That brilliant OLED screen has been swapped out for an IPS LED one. Thankfully, though, games will run at the same resolution of 960 x 544.
The slimmer Vita debuted in Japan last year. As for the US, there's no word on when or if this region will get the revamped portable. However, it's not all roses for the UK, as Sony continues to think that Japan is the only country on earth that likes colors. Yep, the Vita 2000 model will only be available in black in England.
Will this help Vita sales? Eh, not without the software, I say.
The Vita has software, but just not what most people are wanting. The Indie Games are really fun and work well for the platform. People are just wanting more larger budget titles for it like the PSP had. If the more people start buying the Vita then more larger developers will surely make games for it.
The core of the problem was that Sony needed to set an example by supporting the device with AAA 1st & 2nd party games (not watered down versions of what you could experience on the PS3) and they barely did any of that. 3rd party devs went "well if Sony isn't supporting the device, why should we?".
However, I think Indie games are saving the day on Vita. While big 3rd party companies were afraid to take a risk, indies jumped right in. And they produced some really good and innovative software for Vita.
In Japan, the Vita is getting a lot of support as it becomes more popular. And by the looks of it, if anyone this gen is going to want to play quality JRPG's, they better get a Vita.
I'm sorry but no platform is worth buying for indie games. They are found at a dime a dozen on all platforms, including your mobile phone.
I like my big black monster. What I don't get is why this thing has such a good battery and the PS4 controller battery is so crappy.
That is a very good question, bro'. It must have everything to do with cost.
I don't agree with the "Vita has no games" mentality. Knowing what's available tells me otherwise. I think the difficulty of marketing a portable gaming device to an audience with access to mobile devices is the problem. The redesign itself isn't going to boost sales outside the first month it comes out. Sony just needs to do a real push in marketing. I would like to get one. But right now, for me, isn't the time.
I'll have to agree with a few. The Vita has games, lots of them. They're not halo or whatever, but it does cover a wide variety of genre and preference. I have a lot of backlog from PS Plus alone, and also yet to play Persona 5 and Tearaway.
If you're planning to eventually pick up a Vita, I would definitely advise getting the OLED version while it's still available. Say what you will about the Vita's software lineup, that screen is just beautiful. Games look like they were created with fresh paint on a canvas.
See, I knew it was going to be the Slim Vita and not the Vita TV or a new edition of the PS3.
That's because Sony has been having a lot of success with the Slim Vita in Japan. Users over there don't care about the OLED screen being miles better than an LCD screen. And Sony got the message and they're about to phase out the original Vita.
Anyone who is thinking about jumping into handheld gaming with Vita, you better buy an original Vita now before its too late and you only find OLED vita's on Ebay going for a lot of cash.
The Local stores around me have plenty of Vitas and most have been trying to sell them for as cheap as possible to get rid of them. So now is def a good time to buy a Vita.
Last edited by Shauneepeak on 1/30/2014 4:52:24 PM
Weak.
The build quality of the original Vita is top notch, and hot damn that OLED is stunning. I've never had a problem with the battery life, it lasts longer than my PSP ever did… So unless switching to LCD cuts the costs dramatically (which it doesn't appear to have done) I can't understand why this change was made.
Meh, I wouldn't want it. Glad I got the good one.
Technically, the LCD has better color along with adding an extra hour or so to the battery life.
And in other news 3 months ago I paid $170 for my new Vita at BestBuy…..
Really Sony $300!?
wish they would offer the redesigned model with a OLED display, that was the ONLY thing about the vita which was actually half decent!
wish they would go back to the old flat design of the old one too, it had a really nice look to it and did not look as cheap and flimsy as this does.
this is just stupid $onys cutting corners again trying to save themselves a little money, but theres no point bringing down the manufacturing costs of a system if your not going to enhance its value.
like ninty with the wiiu, i wish both would put up their hands, say mia copa, and give us a actual true next gen system!
and most importantly something that does not look like it was made out of those cheap plastics only american car manufactures manage to find.
turn a overpriced PoS, into a poorly built cheap PoS, yea that should help the sales!
sigh.
Never had a problem with my Vita. Not too heavy, well built, beautiful screen. Why change? Don't fix what ain't broke!
I love my Vita. Very happy with the purchase. Remote Play doesn't work out too well for me (I lose connection constantly, but that's probably more to do with my internet setup/router than the Vita itself) and even though I bought it primarily for the Vita/PS4 connectivity, I'm enjoying all the games I've played thus far.
I also love that I get that much more out of my PS+ subscription.