With the addition of 3G and Skype, the PS Vita – Sony’s portable gaming successor – could soon prove to be the true ‘Playstation Phone’. This has been suggested recently by a number of online sources and looking at the facts we’d find it hard to disagree.
The PS Vita gadget will cost £279.99 for a model which includes both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, with the onboard Skype offering video and voice calling, as well as chat and messaging. Pretty much what we use our phones for, right? Provided you and your pals all have Skype, Skype-to-Skype calling and messaging could essentially make your smartphone redundant.
However since Skype on the PS Vita isn’t (yet) set up to allow Skype-to-phone calling gaining access to a mobile network is thus far impossible and Sony has stated that they did not make the PS Vita into a phone because that would be aiming far beyond its purpose and “not absolutely necessary to realize our aims.” – At the end of the day, the PS Vita is still just a gaming toy.
The UK network Vodafone has announced a February 22nd date for its 3G enriched stock of the handheld PS Vita, but is yet to reveal how one might be purchasable and what kind of contracts would be on offer. A top-up pay-as-you-go data scheme is one idea being discussed ahead of the much-anticipated launch day. Another would be a fixed data contract, but would that stifle playtime for dedicated gamers?
We wouldn’t suggest you trade in your Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY just yet, but you may want to give away that PSPGo!
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