PS Vita UK Trailer Launched

Sony have launched the official European PS Vita trailer. The trailer features the brand new slogan: 'The World is in Play,' and features people in almost every walk of life (from beauticians to train commuters etc,) taking part in movie-style scenes that seem to show them in a variety of videogame genres, all claiming to be part of a world which merges the boundaries of gaming and real-life.

The expensive one-minute trailer shows a definite move towards a more cinematic form of videogames marketing, as first seen in the early nineties, and also shows Sony's commitment to advertising their latest handheld.

The trailer is part of a multi-million pound advertising campaign, which Sony hopes will help to promote the PS Vita throughout Europe. In America, Sony is reportedly spending over $50 million to promote the console.

The PS Vita is focused not only on ordinary videogaming, but on Social Networking and social gaming, which is very strongly implied in the trailer. It is only a few days before the PS Vita's release in Europe on the 22nd of February, but it is already shaping up to be an interesting gaming device, even though there is no way of knowing whether the handheld device will be successful in the current gaming market. Only time will tell...

Don't forget to check in with Mini Gamers after the 22nd of February for our full hands-on review of the PS Vita!

PS Vita Price Cut in Japan...

Sony has reportedly been forced to slash the price of its latest handheld console, the PS Vita, after just under four weeks since its initial launch date.

The console debuted in Japan on the 17th of December 2011, but despite its heavy pre-release promotion, the device only managed to reach number four in the Japanese gaming charts, before slipping to number five last week, which has placed it not only behind its main competitor - the Nintendo 3DS, but also behind its predecessor the Sony PSP.

Now Japanese retailers have been forced to lower the price of the PS Vita in order to entice more potential buyers. According to the GamesRader website, the price of more expensive 3G wireless model of the console has been slashed by almost twenty percent in some cases.

With the PS Vita still expected to reach its European launch date on the 22nd of February 2012, it shouldn't be too long before UK fans start to get their first taste of the handheld, which promises a lot of new features and hardware improvements, including dual analog sticks and a five-inch OLED touch-screen amongst others.

Nevertheless, with such poor sales figures in its native country, is the PS Vita just doomed to be a massive flop, or will it really shape up to be the next generation console Sony claims that it will be? Only time will tell...

HAVE YOUR SAY...

Will you be buying a Sony PS Vita when it launches in February?

Have you already pre-ordered the PS Vita? How does this news make you feel about the handheld?

How do you think the recent price slash will affect future sales of the device?

If you have something to say about the latest PS Vita developments and you wish to share it with us, please leave a comment in the comments box below. Mini Gamers would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.