Sony Unveils Next-Gen Portable Device 'Vita'

Sony unveils next-generationportable gaming device'PlayStation Vita' at E3 trade show ony Corp. on Monday took the wrapsoff its next generation portablegaming machine, PlayStation Vita, atouch-interface and motion-sensitivehandheld that outdoes its workhorsePlayStation Portable and will go on sale before the winter holidays.Company executives have called the device Sony's biggest productlaunch since the PlayStation 3 five years ago.The device will allow gamers to be connected with one anotherover cellphone networks and Wi-Fi hotspots, and use GPS location-tracking technology. In the U.S., Sony is partnering exclusively withAT&T Inc. for cellphone service.The device, available for $249 for its Wi-Fi-only version, wasunveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the video gameindustry's annual convention known as E3. A version that will alsohave cellphone service will retail for $299, and buyers will have tosubscribe to a cellular data plan.The handheld has front and back cameras, a touchscreen in front, atouch pad on the back and two knob-like joysticks. It will enablegamers to play against people using PlayStation 3 consoles overthe Internet-based PlayStation Network, a system that was recentlyrestored after being shut down due to a massive hacking attack.Sony apologized again for the outage and said since the networkwas restored, activity is back to 90 percent of the pre-attack level.The hardware comes with an accelerometer, which means it willalso react to being held at different angles and being movedthrough the air."PlayStation Vita will revolutionize the portable entertainmentexperience," Kazuo Hirai, group chief executive officer of SonyComputer Entertainment Inc., told a crowd of 6,000 at the LosAngeles Memorial Sports Arena. "The whole world is really inplay."The Vita is slightly bigger than the PlayStation Portable, which hassold more than 70 million units worldwide since its launch in 2004.The PSP will continue to be sold along with new games.But the Vita — code-named "NGP," or next generation portable,until Monday — will enable gamers to do more.A Sony staffer demonstrated a version of "Uncharted 3: Drake'sDeception," in which he used the familiar buttons and knobs butalso touched the screen to move the Drake avatar across ledgesand attack opponents in close combat.Another game called "Reality Fighters" will allow users to take apicture and have fighting characters battle each other using objectsfrom the real world.Along with social games and email, Sony also unveiled acommunication service it called "Party" that will enable voice andtext chat during games or when using the Web browser.Users will also be able to sense when other gamers are nearby,what games they have played recently, and enable in-game giftingof virtual items.Sony was the latest technology company to make a big bet onconnected-everywhere services, following Apple Inc.'s presentationMonday in San Francisco of its iCloud storage service, which willallow consumers to access their photos, music and documents ondistant servers."Cloud is where everything is headed," said Ricardo Torres, editor-in-chief of GameSpot.com. "This is certainly the attempt by Sony tomake sure they're not left behind."Sony also introduced a range of new 3-D games such as"Resistance 3," a traditional shooter game, in a big push to make ita leader in the format. It is bundling the PS3 game with a pair of 3-D glasses and a 24-inch 3-D monitor for $499, a price far lowerthan most 3-D displays on the market.Sony's array of new 3-D games and the Vita itself are directed atso-called core gamers, who are focused on serious action andeffects.But in a reflection of the growing popularity of games that makeuse of iPad and iPhone touch screens and Apple's iOS operatingsystem, like the addictive "Angry Birds," Sony also said Monday itwould put PlayStation games onto smartphones that run on GoogleInc.'s competing Android operating system.It called the service focused on such casual gamers "PlayStationSuite" and said further details would be announced in the comingmonths."Smartphones and tablets have really created a large market forcasual gaming," Hirai said in an interview after Sony's presentation."We want to make sure we're in both areas."Sony unveils next-generationportable gaming device'PlayStation Vita' at E3 trade show