PlayStation Vita gets a release date, can emulate Nintendo’s Wii U controller
Sony seem to have waited all this time to make a flurry of announcements regarding the eagerly anticipated, next generation handheld gaming device, the PlayStation Vita.
Since its reveal at the Tokyo Game Show last year, where it was shown as the Next Gen Portable, or NGP, the portable gaming device was the talked about gadget. When the official name and price points were revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3),
in Los Angeles earlier this year, the crowd’s response was enthusiastic to say the least.
Yet, there was one little piece of information which was being kept from the gaming population and that was the release date. However, it seems that, like with so many stories in the gaming industry, the cat is out the bag well before the owner noticed.
Rental chain Blockbuster could very well have unintentionally leaked the release date for the PlayStation Vita, after it appeared on one of their flyers. According to the flyer, the Vita is set to hit shelves on the 28th of October later this
year.
A previous slip of tongue by 505 Studios also indicated that the portable gaming device would hit stores ‘this fall’.
What adds credibility to the news is the fact that it is just in time for the holiday season, where sales should be at their highest. It all seems to add up at the moment and it seems only a matter of time before Sony themselves confirm it as the official
release date.
However, there is a catch as it seems the Vita will be released in phases across different regions, similar to the way the PlayStation Network was restored; region by region.
On the other hand, there is some eyebrow-raisingly good news as it seems that the Nintendo Wii U may have competition even before the PlayStation 4 or the next Xbox console launches.
According to Sony, the PlayStation Vita can be used as a controller for the PlayStation 3. Meaning gamers can make use of all the additional features of the Vita in addition to the standard PS 3 controller.
The touch screen, cameras, touch sensitive rear pads and all the other features will be able to have cross functionality with the PlayStation 3, much like the Wii U’s controller.
According to Phil Rogers from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, “Here’s a few boring technical ideas: you could drive a display from a PS3 game, for example. PS3 can send data down to Vita and Vita can display it. You could use the unique features (of
Vita) – gyroscope, touch front and back – as a control device for a PS3 game.”
All in all just keeps getting better for the PlayStation Vita.
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