Sony unveils new PS Vita 2000 at Tokyo Game Show

Console will go on sale in Japan on 10 October

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia President Hiroshi Kawano with the new PlayStation Vita (Reuters)

Sony has unveiled its latest in the PS Vita line, a trimmed-down console available in six different colours.

Given its bow at the Tokyo Game show, the PS Vita 2000 is 20 per cent thinner and 15 per cent lighter than previous incarnations.

It will go on sale for 41,979 yen (£270) in Japan on 10 October. It has 1GB internal memory, and the Japan-based company will release 64GB memory cards for it.

Sony also unveiled their new PS Vita TV, a set-top box which can connect to a television, putting the game on a bigger screen. It can also be used to stream a selection of 1,300 Playstation games.

Neither product has a UK or US release date yet.

Meanwhile, Sony announced that the Japanese release of the much-anticipated PlayStation 4 will be three months after it hits UK shops.

The £349 console will be available in the UK in November but Japanese gamers will have to wait until 22 February to get their hands on one.

The company said it staggered the release date to ensure it has enough time to tailor software to the region.

But Stuart Miles, founder of the gadget website Pocket Lint, cast doubt on this explanation and suggested the delay was arranged to give Sony time to produce more consoles.

"It looks like demand is so high that they can't make enough of them to service the home market," he said.

"It's a good problem to have but if you are a Japanese gamer and Sony, a Japanese company, tells you they are going to service the rest of the world first, it's a bit annoying."