Gamers rejoice! Sony latest handheld gaming beast, the PlayStation Vita (originally called the NGP), will launch in India simultaneously with its UK release on the 22nd of February 2012. The Wi-Fi model is priced at Rs. 19,990 and the WiFi + 3G model is priced at Rs. 24,990.
In terms of the raw power under the hood, the device has an ARM Cortex A9 core (4 core) processor, SGX543MP4+ GPU, 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED Multi touch screen (capacitive type), a rear Multi touch pad (capacitive type), Front and Rear camera, Built-in stereo speakers Built-in microphone,Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass, Built-in GPS and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)
In the world of gaming, the hardware is only as good as its software and Sony has brought out the big guns with its launch lineup of games. The launch titles Include, Uncharted Golden Abyss, WipeOut2048, Reality Fighters (an augmented reality fighting game), Little Deviants, ModNation Racers: Road Trip and Everybody's Golf to name a few.
The launch lineup of games is diverse enough to appeal to the hardcore as well as the casual audience with the only drawback being the price. The cost of the game ranges from Rs. 2,199 to Rs. 2,799, which is really steep considering the price of a AAA PS3 game is Rs. 2,499. Also, the console itself isn't cheap costing more than a PS3. As of writing this article, Sony hasn't announced the price of the memory cards that will be used in the Vita. The Vita memory card comes in 4, 8, 16 and 32GB variants. The price of these memory cards in the US is $19,99, $29,99, $59,99 and $99,99, which translates to Rs. 986, Rs. 1480, Rs 2690 and Rs. 4935 respectively.
With what we've heard and seen so far, the device does look promising. But is it value for money at such a high price tag or is it just another toy to show off? Stay tuned, as we will answer all these questions in our forthcoming review.