If the new PS Vita wasn’t enough of a surprise for you, Sony has revealed a clever little set-top box which allows you to play PS Vita and even PS4 games on your HDTV, as well as stream Netflix.
The little white box is being called Sony’s take on Apple TV but is much more gaming-centric. Measuring just 65 x 105 x 13.6mm and weighing 110g it’s actually smaller than a PS Vita and can be paired up with a DualShock 3 controller to play PlayStation games on a big (or little) HD screen.
Inside the box is a quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor which powers the whole thing, with a HDMI port for connecting to a HDTV. Unfortunately the PS Vita TV can’t output Full HD, but can offer resolutions of 480i, 720p and 1080i through that HDMI socket. There’s also a USB 2.0 socket for controllers and USB sticks, a LAN port for connectivity to the internet via Ethernet and a slot for PS Vita game cards.
Playing PS Vita games simply by inserting a card into the slot is the simplest way to play games using the device and eliminates the need to use a TV out cable to connect your Vita to a bigger screen. The box can also play PS4 games via the Remote Play system on your PS Vita and also PS1 and PSP games just as a PSP can.
Of course, the device wouldn’t be any match for Apple TV if it didn’t also offer streaming and other media services. Sony confirmed that access to Hulu and Netflix will be available, and going by what the Vita and PS3 offer, we’d imagine other similar services to come along in the not too distant future.
Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi n and Bluetooth 2.1, with the latter being used primarily for wireless hook-ups to Sony DualShock controllers. On its own the PlayStation Vita TV will cost 9480 Yen (around £65) or a bundle can be purchased for 14994 Yen (around £96) which includes a DualShock 3 controller and an 8GB memory card. With the box only having 1GB of internal memory itself, this bundle definitely sounds like a good idea.
Unfortunately this clever little gadget will only be available in Sony’s homeland of Japan to begin with, going on sale from November 14th. We’ve got our fingers crossed tight for a worldwide release, have you?