Sony unveils PlayStation Vita

Sony has unveiled its latest handheld console, the PlayStation Vita, as it bids to make up the handheld gaming ground it is losing to smartphones, tablets and Nintendo.

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The PlayStation Vita is the successor to the Sony PSP and comes with new features including a touchscreen, rear touchpad, WiFi and 3G connections and dual cameras for augmented reality gaming.

Sony has priced the new console at $249 (£150) for the WiFi only version in the US, the same price the Nintendo 3DS was launched at earlier this year.

Telecoms giant AT&T will be the exclusive carrier for the device in the US. UK details have yet to be confirmed.

Scott Steinberg, VP of product marketing at Sony, says on the company blog: “By blurring the lines between interactive entertainment and reality, our goal was to design a device that offered a revolutionary combination of rich gaming capabilities and social connectivity, bringing users closer to each other and closer to their gaming experiences wherever they are.”

Sony also used the announcement, at the E3 gaming show in Los Angeles, to apologise for the hacks on its PlayStation Network that led to tens of millions of customer details being compromised.

President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America said: “I want to apologise personally and on behalf of the company for any anxiety we have caused.”

He added that network activity has now been 90% restored.