Sony Reveals Thinner, Lighter Playstation Vita

Briefly: During a Japan-centric press conference earlier today, Sony surprised everyone with the reveal of a new model of the struggling PS Vita.

The new unit seems to change much of what people complained about with the first-generation console: the new Vita is 20% thinner and 15% lighter than the old unit, and also features 1gb of built in storage (which isn’t really enough to do anything but save games with). The new console also boasts a six-hour battery, up from the previous generation’s five. Strangely, Sony has also changed the Vita’s display type. The first-generation console was lauded for its beautiful, crisp, and bright OLED screen, while the new version uses a standard LCD panel instead.

Six colours were revealed for the new Vita: black, white, pink, blue, yellow, and green. The console hits Japan on October 10th, while no other territories were announced.

Honestly, it sounds like a much better unit than the first generation console. It’s not all good, however, as there’s no way that the new LCD panel will be able to stand up against the OLED display of the older unit. I’m still wary about the Vita, as mine has been collecting dust for the better part of a year now. Sure, it’ll make a great streaming device for the Playstation 4, but come this time next year, will it be anything more than that?

Will you be picking up a new Vita when (and if) it hits your country? Let us know!