Sony is trying to give its Vita handheld a shot in the arm with a new Slim version. The fresh, slender games machine is already out in Japan, but is making its way to the UK on 7 February. Available to pre-order from today, the Vita Slim is -- as the name suggests -- smaller than its chunky forebear. That's not where the changes stop, however, as Sony has swapped out the Vita's OLED screen for an LCD panel. It'll be interesting to see how that changes image quality, so stay tuned for a side-by-side comparison. Sony says the Vita Slim is 20 per cent slimmer and 15 per cent lighter. It's going to be a bit cheaper than the original Vita was when it launched -- Sony says it expects the Slim model to sell at about £180. In Japan the Slim is available in a range of colours, but Sony tells me that in the UK it will only be sold in black. A roomier 1GB of internal storage is also on board, and a microUSB charging port, which thankfully replaces Sony's proprietary option. Better battery life is also promised -- up to six hours of gameplay, to be specific. No US release date yet Sony showed off the Vita Slim at an event in London, but remained cagey when asked about plans for a US release. If plans for a stateside release are imminent, I imagine we'll know soon. Sony's handheld hasn't fared especially well thus far, so it'll be interesting to see whether the slim edition can turn things around. Would you buy one? Let me know in the comments. source (cnet.com)
