The Playstation Vita is the latest handheld console announced by Sony at this week’s E3 convention. At first glance, it appears to be a revision of the classic PSP, as its design lines don’t fall far from the tree. A closer look reveals advances that Sony hopes will make it a forerunner in the handheld market.
While it still has the faithful dual analog stick control, D-Pad and action buttons, it now boasts gyroscopic Six Axis motion sensors, single front- and rear-facing cameras (for augmented reality games), a multi-touch front display, and intriguingly, a rear multi-touch interface (more on that in a bit).
I was taken through a series of five game demos over thirty minutes, the first of which was Little Big Planet. Gameplay was fairly conventional, using the analog sticks to move Sackboy around, but other environmental elements were touchscreen interactive, such as using the front screen touch surface to move blocks in place or spin wheels.
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