Sony Announces New Version Of PlayStation Vita

Despite some impressive specs and cool features, the PlayStation Vita hasn’t exactly been a smash hit in handheld land, where Nintendo’s various DS iterations still reign supreme. But even though Sony’s support for the Vita has been through some ups and downs since its release in 2011, the company isn’t giving up on it yet.

That was made clear earlier today, when Sony announced a new version of the PlayStation Vita that will go on sale in Japan on October 10. As reported by Engadget, the Vita will now be lighter and thinner while having better battery life as well. It will also come in a rainbow of colors and sport more internal memory. In other words, it’ll be better in almost every way.

There’s no word yet on how much it’s going to cost, though it’s Japanese price is pretty close to the recent price drop that brought current Vitas down to $199 in North America. If the new version is the same, it seems like a pretty good value.

But will that be enough to get more people to actually buy it? People who have a Vita usually seem to love it, but with gamers’ dollars getting saved up for the full-sized consoles on the way in November, it could still be a tough road for the powerful yet often overlooked handheld.