During their E3 press conference yesterday Sony announced the name for their new handheld previously known as the NGP (Next Generation Portable) – PS Vita (pronounced vee-tah). Although there was already some information from their original announcement (here and here), when they called it the NGP, there is a load more available now so I’ve compiled it all here for you, our loyal viewers.

“Vita”, which means “Life” in Latin, was chosen as the most appropriate name for the next generation portable entertainment system as it enables a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context as SCE aims to transform every aspect of a user’s daily life into an entertainment experience and an opportunity to play. – from Sony’s Vita press release

Specs Summary

State of the art CPU and GPU – The most powerful ever used in a handheld gaming system.

Dual analog sticks

5-inch OLED capacitive multi-touch screen on the front and a capacitive multi-touch pad on the rear

Front and rear facing cameras capable of recording video at 320×240 resolution at 120 frames per second, or 640×480 at 60 fps. Max resolution: 640×480

Six-axis motion sensing using a 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer, as well as a 3-axis electronic compass.

Built-in GPS on the 3G model, and WiFi location support.

Built-in lithium-ion battery – No details have been released about the battery life, but they’ve confirmed that the battery will not be accessible.

Memory and game mediums
Sony have stated that they are working on a proprietary memory stick for the Vita which could mean something new instead of the Memory Stick Pro DUO used in the PSP. Hopefully this means they will have a larger memory capability which will most likely be required considering the focus on digital distribution. Games will also be available on a physical medium – flash based memory cards which will have extra space to allow for save data and downloadable content. No further details have been released about the memory sticks or game medium.

Backwards compatibility
It has been confirmed that PSP and PSone games, as well as minis, purchased on the PSN will all work on the Vita. This means that any PSP owners with digitally downloaded games, including the two free games from the welcome back package, will immediately be able to download and play them on their Vita. Content developed for PlayStation Suite on Android smart phones will also be compatible with the Vita.

Now onto the software side of things. Go to the next page for more information about the pre-installed applications, a list of games that are currently in development for the Vita, and pricing information.