Instead of giving us any more concrete details on when the Playstation Vita will see the light of day, Sony announced the availability of a new PSP model called the E-1000 at their Gamescom press conference today.
With it’s €99 price tag, Sony’s clearly gunning for the budget gamers, albeit only ones that live in Europe: while the E-1000 is poised to launch this fall in the EU, there’s no word that the bargain-priced portable will make its way anywhere else.
The E-1000 takes most of its design cues from older model PSPs, and with that comes the inclusion of a UMD drive. The design is actually pretty dang slick, with its matte black finish, but Sony had to cut corners somewhere. First thing on Sony’s chopping block is the WiFI radio; impulse Playstation Store downloaders will have to resort to transferring purchases from a PC using Sony’s Media Go software.
For those without an old PSP game library to fall back on, Sony has also announced the launch of a discounted line of UMD-based games. Games like Invizimals: The Lost Tribe, EyePet Adventures, and FIFA 12 are expected to launch along side the E-1000, but hopefully some… better… titles get the UMD treatment soon. Titles are priced to move at €9.99 a piece, but methinks cheapskate gamers may have better luck digging for games in the bargain bin.
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