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New PS Vita announced for October 10 in Japan

Sony has announced a new version of the PS Vita that’s thinner, lighter and has a longer battery life than its predecessor.

Just weeks after Sony confirmed a PS Vita price cut during its Gamescom conference, the Japanese electronics manufacturer has revealed there’s a new design on its way, although it may only be in Japan for now.

Dubbed the PS Vita ‘2000’, the second-generation handheld console is 20 per cent lighter than the existing model and 15 per cent thinner. The new PS Vita also boasts an additional hour battery life, boosting the existing average of three and a half hours of gameplay.

Sony has added internal storage for the PS Vita, a new feature that means users won’t have to buy a memory card straight off if they don’t want to, but it is only a measly 1GB.

Chopping around $100 (£65) of the price of the existing model, the PS Vita 2000 will also come in an array of six new colours: white, black, pink, blue and olive green.

Unfortunately, Sony has swapped the OLED screen in the current PS Vita for an LCD panel. This will mean a reduction in display quality, which is one of the showcase features on the future PS4 companion, especially with games like Killzone: Mercenary.

Sony has yet to announce any PS Vita 2000 release date plans for anyone outside Japan, so it’s unsure if and when we’ll ever get to see the new handheld.

The PS Vita will get improved functionality with the launch of the PS4 console in November. Sony has already confirmed that all PS4 games are required to have PS Vita Remote Play compatibility, unless they require specific hardware like the PlayStation Camera.

This may give the some struggling handheld console a bit of a sales boost in the future, as gamers will benefit from the additional functionality between the two consoles.

Next, read our pick of the best games of 2013.

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