PlayStation Vita Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
PlayStation Vita


Manufacturer	Sony Computer Entertainment
Product family	PlayStation
Type	Handheld game console
Generation	Eighth generation
Release date	^JPN 20111217December 17, 2011 ^NA February 15, 2012 (first edition bundle only) February 22, 2012 (full release) ^EU 20120222February 22, 2012 ^RU 20120222February 22, 2012 ^AU 20120223February 23, 2012 ^CAN October 2, 2012 (3G version)
Discontinued	October 12, 2017 (Amazon)
Units sold	2.2 million (as of June 30, 2012)
Media	PS Vita Card
CPU	up to 2 GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore
Memory	512 MB RAM, 128 MB VRAM
Storage	PS Vita memory card (4, 8, 16 or 32 GB)
Display	5-inch (16:9) OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, approximately 17 million colors, 960 × 544 qHD @ 220 ppi
Graphics	Quad-core PowerVR SGX543MP4+
Sound	Stereo speakers, microphone
Input	Touchscreen Rear touchpad Sixaxis motion sensing Three-axis electronic compass D-pad 12 × Buttons (, , , , L, R, Start, Select, PS, Volume ±, Power) 2 × Analog sticks
Camera	Front and back 0.3MP cameras
Connectivity	IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Online services	PlayStation Network
Dimensions	83.55 mm (3.289 in) (h) 182 mm (7.2 in) (w) 18.6 mm (0.73 in) (d)
Weight	Wi-Fi: 260 grams (9.2 oz) 3G: 279 grams (9.8 oz)
Backward compatibility	PlayStation Portable (download only)
Predecessor	PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Vita (often called PS Vita) is a cool handheld game console made by Sony Computer Entertainment. It's like a small, powerful computer you can hold in your hands to play games. It came after the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

The PS Vita was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011. Then, it came out in Europe, North America, South America, and Singapore on February 22, 2012. It arrived in Australia on February 23, 2012. This console was a big part of the eighth generation of gaming. It competed with the Nintendo 3DS for players' attention. The PS Vita was eventually discontinued on Amazon on October 12, 2017.

What is the PlayStation Vita?
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What is the PlayStation Vita?

The PlayStation Vita is a portable gaming device. It lets you play video games wherever you go. It was designed to offer a gaming experience similar to home consoles, but in a compact size. This meant it had better graphics and more ways to play than many handhelds before it.

It was part of a new era of gaming consoles. These consoles aimed to bring powerful gaming to your pocket. The PS Vita had a special touchscreen and a touchpad on its back. It also had two mini-joysticks, which were great for many types of games.

How the PS Vita Was Made

Sony wanted to create a handheld console that felt like a home console. They aimed for amazing graphics and many ways to control games. The PS Vita was designed to be a big step up from the PSP. It offered new features like touch controls and motion sensing.

The console was first shown to the public in January 2011. It was known as the "Next Generation Portable" at that time. Later, in June 2011, Sony officially named it the PlayStation Vita. "Vita" means "life" in Latin. This name was chosen to show that the console would bring games to life and be part of your daily life.

Cool Features of the PS Vita

The PS Vita packed a lot of advanced technology into a small device. It had many features that made gaming fun and immersive.

Touchscreen and Controls

The PS Vita has a bright 5-inch (13 cm) OLED screen. This screen is also a multi-touch touchscreen. This means you can use your fingers to tap, swipe, and pinch to control games. It shows about 17 million colors, making games look vibrant.

But that's not all! The PS Vita also has a unique touchpad on its back. This lets you control games by touching the back of the device. It also has traditional buttons, a D-pad, and two Analog sticks. These sticks are perfect for action games. The console also has motion sensors, so you can tilt and move the device to play. It even has an electronic compass.

Power and Performance

Inside the PS Vita, there's a powerful quad-core processor (CPU). This is like the brain of the console. It helps games run smoothly. It also has a strong graphics chip (GPU). This makes sure games look amazing with detailed visuals. The console has 512 MB of RAM, which helps it run many tasks at once. It also has 128 MB of VRAM, which is special memory for graphics.

The PS Vita also comes with two cameras. There's one on the front and one on the back. Both are 0.3 megapixels. You can use them for games or video calls. It also has stereo speakers for sound and a microphone.

Games and Storage

Games for the PS Vita come on small cards called PS Vita Cards. These are tiny memory cards that hold the game data. You can also download games from the PlayStation Network online store.

To save your games and downloaded content, you need a PS Vita memory card. These cards come in different sizes, like 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB. The console also has Wi-Fi for connecting to the internet. Some models even had 3G connectivity, letting you connect almost anywhere.

Online Gaming and Services

The PS Vita connects to the PlayStation Network. This is Sony's online service for gaming. Through PlayStation Network, you can:

Download new games and apps.
Play online with your friends.
Chat with other players.
Access your PlayStation account.

The PS Vita also had a special user interface called LiveArea. This was a fun and interactive way to navigate your games and apps. It allowed you to see updates from your games and friends.

Legacy of the PS Vita

The PlayStation Vita was a powerful and innovative handheld console. It brought many features usually found on home consoles to a portable device. While it was discontinued, it remains an important part of PlayStation history. It showed what was possible for gaming on the go.