Sony revealed a surprising new piece of hardware Sept. 9 in Tokyo, where the company introduced the PS Vita TV. It works essentially like Apple TV, connecting to your HDTV to stream Hulu, Netflix and other media services.
There is a minor difference, though. You can also stream PlayStation Portable and PlayStation One games to your HDTV and play them through the PlayStation 3’s DualShock 3 controller. There’s also a slot where you can insert physical or digital PS Vita games, so instead of just being able to play it on the portable device, you can play it on the big screen with the PS3’s controller.
Some PS Vita games won’t be available through the micro-console since the DualShock 3 doesn’t have every feature of the portable gaming device like the touchscreen and the rear touchpad.
Sony also revealed that the PS Vita TV has a Remote Play feature that allows you to play your Playstation 4 in any room with an HDTV without moving the console itself. Instead, you would just need to bring the micro-console and the DualShock 4 controller with you, quickly connect the device to your TV and wirelessly connect to your PS4, allowing complete access to its capabilities as if the console was actually there.
Unfortunately, that function won’t be available at launch but will be added later through a system update. But with so many features packed in, the PS Vita TV still manages a small design measuring at no larger than 6 centimeters by 10 centimeters, making it about the size of a smartphone.
This is bad news for competitors such as the Roku, Apple TV and especially the Ouya as it was mainly made to be able to play indie games that weren’t readily available on big name consoles. Having PS Vita TV in the picture completely changes the game in an unexpected but logical move by Sony.
It is unclear whether this will affect the PS Vita itself positively or negatively, but it seems like it will be a necessary crutch since it has proved a less successful handheld system than the Nintendo 3DS.
Sony also announced a redesign for the PS Vita including a 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter model available in different colors. Replacing the Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) screen with a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen shows Sony made a definite sacrifice to make the Vita cheaper to manufacture. The new Vita will go on sale exclusively in Japan on Oct. 10 for $200 and it’s unclear when it will be available internationally.
The PS Vita TV will launch in Japan for about $100 on Nov. 14, with an unannounced international release date. A bundle will be sold as well for about $150 with a DualShock 3 controller included with the PS Vita TV.
