Back in September last year we heard that Sony were releasing a slimmer version of the PS Vita. Initially the PS Vita Slim was released in Japan but, the slimmer handheld console is now set to release in the UK come February 7th. While available in several colours in Japan, the UK will only have the option of the black model.

The Slimmer Vita is 20% slimmer than the first generation Vita and 15% lighter. The new model no longer features an OLED display but, instead Sony have opted for an LED display. Other changes include bettery battery life and 1GB of inbuilt storage. The suggested retail price for the new Vita is £180 for the Wifi model. The current ‘phat’ model in comparison can be bought for £169 with the Mega Pack of 10 games and a 16GB memory card.

A new megapack featuring Indie games is also soon to be released, which will feature 10 games from independent developers, such as Hotline Miami as well as coming with a 4GB memory card and is slated to be released priced at £20.

Just a few weeks ago, Sony announced a price drop for their Sony PS Vita handheld gaming system and now we know why. Today Sony have announced a new PS Vita. For the most part it’s pretty much the same as the original PS Vita but, Sony have made it thinner and lighter. The new Sony PS Vita is 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the previous model. The battery now lasts an hour longer as well. Most likely in part to the screen change. The newest PS Vita, PCH-2000 features an LCD display rather than an OLED display. Other changes include 1GB of inbuilt memory so you don’t need a PS Vita memory card straight away – although still highly recommended, especially if you’re a PS Plus subscriber. The best change they’ve made though, in my opinion is the Vita now no longer requires a propitiatory charger. Instead the latest Vita features a microUSB charging port.

The new PS Vita will also be available in a variety of colors: black, blue, yellow, grey, lime green and pink. There are also three special edition models planned which will feature additional colors, God Eater (camouflage), Otomate and Gundam Breaker. Sony have announced that the new Vita will go on sale October 10th in Japan priced at 18,980 yen (approx $190). The original PS Vita launched for 24,980 yen and got a price drop in Japan to 19,980 yen back in February so it looks like this new Vita will be cheaper than the original model, even after the price cut. Unfortunately Sony haven’t revealed information about the release of the latest Vita outside of Japan yet but, they did announce it at the Tokyo game show, so we expect international information about it soon and hopefully it won’t be a Japan exclusive.