When Sony announced that their new game device - the Sony PlayStation Vita - with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, and a multi-core
PowerVR SGX543MP4 graphics chip that is four times faster than the PSP, the audience booed and laughed when told that AT&T would provide exclusive 3G access.
The PlayStation Vita system will come with Wi-Fi and 3G/Wi-Fi models in the U.S. and will sell for $249 and $299, respectively. There was no announcement for how much the 3G connectivity will cost.
The PlayStation Vita system offers gaming capabilities, social connectivity, dual analog sticks, front and rear cameras,
front multi-touch display, multi-touch rear pad, GPS, six-axis motion
sensors, and a three-axis electronic compass.
PlayStation Vita customers with an AT&T service plan will also have
free access to more than 24,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide.
Developed specifically for the PlayStation Vita, "near" will allow users to find out what
other PlayStation Vita users are nearby.
Users can meet with friends
and new players virtually - regardless of what games they are playing - by sharing their game information across the PlayStationNetwork.
"Near" also enables location-based gaming features such as
"gifting," in which a user can access virtual game-related items that
other users are sharing, through checking in at geographic locations
that others have also visited. The virtual items can include content
unlocked from games, such as character costumes, weapons and treasures.
Sharing these items between users adds a unique dimension to the
portable gaming experience.