The PlayStation Vita (プレイステーション.ヴィータ, Pureisuteshon Vita, also known as "PSVita" or "PSV") is an upcoming handheld game console under development by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the successor to the PlayStation Portable as part of the PlayStation brand of gaming devices. It is set to be released in Japan and parts of Asia on December 17, 2011 and in Europe, Australia and North America on February 22, 2012.

The handheld includes two analog sticks, a 5-inch (130 mm) OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, and supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and optional 3G. Internally, the Vita features a 4 core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore processor and a 4 core SGX543MP4+ graphics processing unit, as well as LiveArea software as its main user interface, which succeeds the XrossMediaBar.

The device is fully backwards-compatible with PlayStation Portable games digitally released on the PlayStation Network via the PlayStation Store. However, PS One Classics/TurboGrafx-16 titles will not be compatible at (Japanese) launch.The Vita's dual analog sticks will be supported on selected PSP games. The graphics for PSP releases will be up-scaled, with a smoothing filter to reduce pixelation.

Product Features

Revolutionary gaming experiences with dual analog sticks, front and rear cameras, front multi-touch display, multi-touch rear pad, GPS and new unit specific media flash-based storage
Stunning multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display (OLED)
The richest, deepest and most engaging handheld gaming lineup - including Nathan Drake's epic adventure in Uncharted Golden Abyss
Network connectivity via improved Wi-Fi capabilities (Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity available in an additional Vita model)
Location based gaming allowing players to find and meet friends virtually for brand new experiences