Sony aims for Vita to be life of 3D console party

SONY has introduced its new-generation PlayStation Vita gaming handset and blockbuster 3D console titles as it bids to shake off the stigma of cyberattacks on its system.

The Vita will go on sale in Europe for between €249 and €299 by the end of the year, said deputy president Kazuo Hirai.

Company executives have called the device Sony’s biggest product launch since the PlayStation 3 (PS3) five years ago.

At the launch, Sony’s America chief executive Jack Tretton apologised to people who use the PlayStation Network (PSN) to connect to games, films, and music online through PS3 consoles.

In April, hackers accessed personal information on 77 million PSN and Qriocity accounts, 90% of which are registered in North America and Europe.

Tretton thanked PS3 fans for their loyalty, saying the level of online traffic at PSN was already more than 90% of its pre-disruption levels and that console sales rose last week.

Sony executives got apologies out of the way early to focus on a roster of games packed with vivid 3D titles, such as the third installment of the popular Uncharted franchise, Drake’s Deception, which is due to be released in November.

Mr Hirai introduced the PlayStation Vita, successor to the PlayStation Portable handheld device. The name Vita was chosen because it is Latin for life, Hirai said, explaining the gadgets are designed to “blur the line” between game life and real life with augmented reality and other features.

A PS Vita that connects to the internet only using wi-fi will be priced at €249, while a version of the gadget featuring 3G connectivity will be priced at €299.

PS Vita is to launch in Japan, Europe and the US by the end of the year. PS Vita featured a five-inch multi-touch OLED screen with a touch control pad on the back for “touch, grab, trace, push and pull” finger motions. The handset also had front and rear-facing cameras.

PS Vita also had a pair of console-like toggles for playing fighter, shooter, and action games. The demonstrations included the rich graphics and dramatic play of Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

Pre-installed software will tell PS Vita users when others with the gadget are in the vicinity for “location-based” gaming.

The global games market is expected to grow to €45 billion this year, up from €42bn in 2010, although signs of weakness in the US economy have sparked concern about prospects for the sector.