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Q&A - PlayStation Vita

Sony's next play in the handheld space will be with the super-powerful PlayStation Vita. Here's everything you need to know.

What is PlayStation Vita?

Previously codenamed NGP (Next Generation Portable), Vita is a next-generation handheld from Sony. It will succeed PSP.

What does "Vita" actually stand for?

Vita means 'life' in Latin and Italian.

When was it announced?

Thursday, January 29, 2011, at a PlayStation business meeting in Tokyo. There's full coverage here.

When’s it coming out?

It releases in Japan on December 17. It'll launch in Europe and the US on February 22, 2012.

How much will is cost?

For Japan, the Wi-Fi version will set you back ¥24,980 and for the 3G flavour, it'll be ¥29,980. In the UK, it'll cost between £229 and £279. With the US, it'll be between $249 and $299. And in mainland Europe, it'll cost €249 and €299.

Which companies are working on Vita software?

Actvision, Konami, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, Ubisoft, Rockstar, 2K, Namco Bandai and Codemasters are some of the companies working on the handheld. There's a full list here.

Which games are confirmed for Vita?

First-party titles such as Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, WipEout 2048, Resistance: Burning Skies and Uncharted: Golden Abyss, as well as new IPs like Little Deviants and Gravity Rush, are all in development for the system.

FIFA, Assassin's Creed, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, BioShock, Dust 514, Rayman Origins, a HD re-release of Final Fantasy X, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Persona 4, Street Fighter x Tekken and more are coming from third-parties.

Hideo Kojima is releasing the MGS and Zone of the Enders HD Collections to the system, with his new Fox Engine also supportable, while Activision is also bringing Call of Duty.

What are Vita’s tech specs?

  • 5-inch OLED touch screen
  • 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity
  • SIXAXIS motion control
  • Front and rear touchpads
  • ARM CortexTM-A9 core (4-core) CPU

The full list's here.

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