Vodafone NZ, Sony partner on Vita
3G gadget blurs line between console and smartphone.
Sony has named Vodafone its “preferred partner” for the 3G version of its coming PlayStation Vita, which blurs the lines between smartphone and hand-held gaming console.
The alliance covers seven European countries, plus Australia and New Zealand.
“Preferred partner” means the 3G version of the Vita will be available from Vodafone’s site and stores, and ship with a Vodafone SIM card.
In the Vita’s official tech specs page, Sony has yet to detail what frequencies the Vita supports. But given 2degrees shares the same 900MHz frequency as Vodafone NZ, and Vodafone Australia uses 850MHz for its 3G network in Australia – the same band used for Telecom’s XT on the same side of the Tasman – it seems likely the Vita will be compatible with all NZ phone networks.
Despite its 3G cellular support, the 5-inch screen Vita doesn’t support voice calls or txt (the 3G is for multiplayer, location-based gaming and web browsing).
However, there has been widespread speculation that Sony (which recently bought Sony Ericsson’s share of their joint venture) will either add full phone features, or add support for Microsoft Skype or Google Talk.
Sony NZ recently opened pre-orders for the Vita, which will be released in New Zealand February 23.
The wi-fi version of the Vita will cost $449, the wi-fi + 3G version $549.
On Monday, Sony said it had sold 200,000 of its PlayStation Portable (PSP) in New Zealand. The company says the PSP, which will be superceded by the Vita, is the country's best selling console.
Chris Keall
Wed, 23 Nov 2011
Wed, 23 Nov 2011
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Vodafone NZ, Sony partner on Vita
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