Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) yesterday announced the PlayStation Vita, the company's next-generation portable entertainment system. The company will sell two models in the United States, a Wi-Fi model for $249 and a 3G/Wi-Fi model, available exclusively at AT&T, which will be available for $299.
The NGP will be available in the U.S. and Europe and successively launch in global markets starting at the end of 2011.
The Vita, which means "life" in Latin, will provide users with a portable and fully social gaming experience on Sony's PlayStation network.
The Vita, which is powered by a Quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, incorporates a 5-inch multi-touch organic light emitting diode (OLED) as the front display and a multi-touch pad on the rear. It features a digital D-pad and six control buttons, Six-axis motion sensing technology, stereo speakers and built-in microphone and front and rear cameras.
The device will come pre-installed with a newly developed application called "Party," which enables users to voice chat or text chat during online gaming, as well as when users are playing different games or using different applications such as the Internet browser. Users can also share their game information with other users.
AT&T says additional details about data plans and pricing for the device will be announced later.
The Vita comes on the heels of a major security breach of Sony's PlayStation network that exposed millions of users' credit card and personal information to hackers.
In the wake of the breach, Sony Corporation CEO Howard Stringer told The Wall Street Journal that he couldn't guarantee the security of any Web-based system in what he called the "bad new world" of cybercrime.
Check out the video below for an up close look at the Vita: