New PlayStation Vita model coming to Japan in October

The PlayStation Vita is slimming down. During a press conference, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia today announced a new version of the handheld that has all the capabilities of the earlier model, but it’s 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter.

The new PS Vita 2000 Wi-Fi model should hit store shelves on Oct. 10 in Japan and cost 18,980 yen (about $190 U.S. dollars). It will come in six colors: white, blue, yellow, pink, gray, and black. Sony has ditched the old OLED screen for a 5-inch LCD display and extended the device’s battery life by one hour, for a total of six. It’s also added 1GB of onboard memory, which is something the previous model lacked.

Sony also announced a new 64GB memory card; currently, Vita owners can only buy up to 32GB of memory. There’s no word on how much the newer, bigger card will cost, but if past experience is any indication, you might want to get the loan application ready in advance.

Sony says the PS Vita 2000 is available for preorder now in Japan. There’s no word yet on whether or not the new model will make its way overseas.

Sony has been trying to make the Vita more competitive against the Nintendo 3DS, which has the larger market share both in Japan and in the U.S. Among the moves Sony made recently: cutting $50 off the price in the U.S.

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