The second generation of the PlayStation Vita – or PlayStation Vita 2000, as it’s officially referred to – will forgo the old proprietary charger in favour of a micro USB cable, Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed. The standardised cord will allow the new handheld to be charged by a variety of smartphone chargers, as opposed to being restricted to the company’s exclusive power lead. Here’s a close up of the new device, courtesy of Yoshida’s Twitter feed.
PS Vita 2000を使っていて何気に嬉しいのはMicro USBでスマホの充電器で充電出来ること。#充電ismylife pic.twitter.com/LvYhCbSKkB
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) October 13, 2013
The post, as translated by CVG, reads: “You’ll be glad: when using a PS Vita 2000, it can be charged [using a] smartphone Micro USB.” The PlayStation Vita 2.0, which has been on the market in Japan since October 10th, is only currently available in Sony’s native region. With that said, a Western release seems inevitable given the hardware revisions for both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable, which made their way to international markets eventually.
Weighing in 15% lighter and 20% thinner than the original model, the second-gen PlayStation Vita is available in six different shades and is designed with a 5” LED screen as opposed to the existing OLED display. The handheld is currently priced at ¥18,980 (approximately $190) and also features 1GB of built-in storage as well as an improved battery life; bettering the original model by one whole hour.
While the company still stands by the proprietary memory cards for the handheld, the ability to charge the new PlayStation Vita with a micro USB in lieu of the Sony-exclusive cable is a welcome change. After all, it will save any headaches about lost cables if you’re able to replenish the battery using a generic smartphone charger.
At this time, the second generation PlayStation Vita is only available in Japan. Still, does the alternative charging method for Sony’s new handheld sound appealing? Give us your thoughts below.