Gametech Creates DekaVita Monstruosity

Gametech, a peripheral maker based in Japan, has recently shown off their newest creation, a DekaVita (officially termed DekaVita 7). The DekaVita is not a PlayStation Vita peripheral but instead a PlayStation Vita TV device. It will be available in Japan starting in Spring of 2015, and those who pre-order the device before November 30th will receive a 3200 yen discount. The PlayStation Vita TV, simply called PlayStation TV outside of Japan, is a very small console that plays PlayStation Vita games on your HDTV.

Now they’ve taken the PlayStation TV and turned it into a portable console that you can attach to a device modeled after the PlayStation Vita. It is a small black device where you insert the PlayStation TV into the back and can carry it around instead of using a PlayStation Vita. The DekaVita is also more expensive than a PlayStation TV, which is not included, being listed at  23,000 yen. The PlayStation TV costs about 10,000 yen.

The DekaVita has a 7 inch screen, compared to the 5 inch PlayStation Vita, and the battery life is listed as five hours of playtime. Why anyone would want to play a PlayStation TV instead of a regular Vita is anyone’s guess. Especially since the combined cost of a PlayStation TV and DekaVita is more expensive than just getting a PlayStation Vita by itself. The PlayStation TV launched in the US on October 14, 2014 and costs $99. The PlayStation Vita received a redesign earlier this year, called the PlayStation Vita 2000 (or slim), the new handheld ditches the OLED screen for an LCD screen and also has an improved battery life.

Neither the PlayStation Vita nor PlayStation TV have been very successful commercially. In both Japan and the United States the PlayStation TV sales are generally bundled together when sales numbers are announced. Meanwhile the New Nintendo 3DS outsold the PlayStation TV during the latter’s first week of release.