Check out our written review of the Sony PlayStation Vita Slim.
Sony’s slimmer PlayStation Vita will be making its debut outside of Japan with a UK launch on February 7, according to the company’s PlayStation UK Twitter feed. The news was revealed in a morning press conference (via Engadget) where it was confirmed that the portable gaming device would retail for £180, which converts to roughly $300. That’s quite a bit more than the cost of the redesigned Vita in Japan; it currently sits at 18,980 yen, which is roughly $185.
The updated Vita ditches the original model’s OLED screen in favor on an HD LCD. There’s also a better battery, an overall weight reduction of around 15 percent, and a thinner form factor. Pre-orders are open now in the UK. Sony still hasn’t confirmed when the slimmer PS Vita will be launching in the US, nor was there any indication at the press conference of when it will be available elsewhere in Europe. The re-worked handheld was revealed last year alongside the PS Vita TV, which remains unreleased outside of Japan. The second-gen Vita first released there in October 2013.
You can currently get a first-gen PS Vita in the U.S. for right around $200. The handheld was heavily criticized after its initial launch in 2012 for its $300 price point, but interest in the device grew as the price came down. There’s no way to know what Sony’s plans are at this point for the release of the slim model in the US, but there could be similar outcry if it’s anything like what the UK price is.
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