The Sony PlayStation Vita has finally arrived in the UK. And it’s an amazing piece of gaming technology. A quad-core processor and quad-core graphics chip give this handheld graphics comparable with the current generation of home consoles. However, look beyond impressive tech specs and its future isn’t so rosy.

The hardware: history repeating itself

Sony calls the Vita a “handheld gaming revolution”, but it’s more accurate to call it an evolution of the original PSP. The Vita’s approach is fundamentally very similar. It outclasses all portable rivals technologically, capable of greater graphical feats than the iPhone 4S and Nintendo 3DS. As its look, specs, ~£40 games and launch line-up suggest, it’s for the hardcore gamer.