Attention all PS Vita owners now, as now is the period to start falling in love with your precious handheld again. After a period of drought, one of 2013′s big hitters is finally nearing a release. Soul Sacrifice is out at the end of the month, but we now have confirmation that an English demo will release on the PSN beforehand – essentially letting you try before you buy.

Soul Sacrifice has been pinpointed as one of the potential shining lights of a hopeful year for Sony’s troubled handheld. The system has received its fair share of criticism over the last year due to a lack of big game releases and seemingly a lack of interest from third-party developers as well.

Black Ops Declassified and Resistance Burning Skies were just examples of two games that had amazing potential – but failed to deliver on an epic scale. Soul Sacrifice is now seen as one game that can help to turn Sony’s fortunes around, with the likes of Killzone Mercenary, Final Fantasy X HD and Phantasy Star Online 2 providing reinforcements later in the year.

From April 16 and April 17 this week, you’ll be able to download a taster of Soul Sacrifice for yourself. US will get it first on Tuesday, while the demo should be available on the EU PS Vita store a day later on Wednesday. The full game is released on April 27 and April 30 depending on your region, so the demo should give you the perfect preview you need before deciding whether to drop your money on it or not.

Based on feedback from the Japanese demo, this game is one not to be missed so make sure you all give the demo a good run out before the game is out. For those of you who have already managed to play the JP version – does Soul Sacrifice deliver on all of the hype or not?

If you are feeling starved of any RPG action on the PS Vita, you’ll be very interested to check out some new gameplay clips that Sega has released, in preparation for the release of their epic Phantasy Star Online 2 game. It is due to go on sale in February in Japan and there is a feeling of anxiety in the air on how long Sega plans to take on getting a localized version out.

There’s no doubt that Phantasy Star Online 2 is going to be one of the standout Vita games of 2013. It is already the most anticipated RPG to come out so far on the portable handheld and serves as a lovely alternative in the aftermath of the Monster Hunter disappointment and also the somewhat surprising omission of a Final Fantasy game which has yet to appear on the Vita – with still no sign of progress on the Vita version of Final Fantasy X HD.

That means that Phantasy Star Online 2 takes on the added pressure of having to cater to frustrated RPG fans on the Vita, but the good news is that screenshots and gameplay released so far indicates that the game is going to be well worth waiting for. The graphics look very impressive indeed and the cutscenes in particular are something that Square-Enix would be proud of.

Capcom has released two videos for the game over Christmas, one showing the entire opening cinematic for the game and another showing actual gameplay featuring two bonus characters that you may be familiar with. Sony mascots Toro and Kuro have been popping up in games such as Street Fighter X Tekken and PlayStation All-Stars, but now we can confirm that they’ll appear in Phantasy Star Online 2 as well – you can see them joining the action in the second clip below.

There’s no denying that the game looks good and will be even better we expect when playing the PC version. Phantasy Star Online 2 also has cross platform features, meaning that you can play with PC players at the same time and this alone could be a factor which is taking Sega a long time to get right.

Take a look at the new footage below and let us know if this is the one Vita game that you are looking forward to the most. Are you still a bitter over the lack of Monster Hunter, or will Phantasy Star Online 2 be even better in your opinion?

If you aren’t aware by now, Skype is actually owned by Microsoft and although the application is now available for Windows Phone it appears that PS Vita owners have the best version hands down.

The app works in the way you would expect, allowing for calls to be made either through a WiFi or 3G connection. One Vita specific feature though that is very impressive is the ability to take calls whilst you are in the middle of a game. Simply open up Skype and minimize the app via the Home button and head into a game – if someone calls you whilst you’re playing, you’ll get a notification pop up and returning to the home screen will automatically bring up the incoming call. It works really well and it’s a feature that a lot of you will grow to love we expect.

Just like the desktop versions, you can pay for Skype credit to use your Vita to make calls to landlines and mobile numbers – dare we say it essentially turning the Vita into the highly sought after ”PSP Phone”? Another nice addition which you may have seen on tablet devices is the ability to use both cameras. Since the Vita has a rear and a front camera you can easily switch between the two during a call to show people your surroundings.

The only downside to the app that we can see is that the background calling function won’t work if you play games that disable the Vita’s network connection. Uncharted Golden Abyss is one of these games sadly, but let’s hope that future updates will see some sort of workaround to the problem. Another minor grunt is that you can’t use the Vita’s camera to take a new profile picture to update your Skype account directly on the app.

Overall though we’re really impressed with the time we’ve spent on Skype so far. The call quality isn’t HD or anything like that but it is definitely good enough for solid video chat with a loved one or friend. Skype has done a really good job with the contact interface on the Vita, while the touch sub menus on the right-hand side are nice little additions as well.

Have you spent some time with Skype on the Vita already? If so, give us your initial impressions of the app so far. This just goes to show the potential of the Vita as a true multimedia device aside from gaming. Now let’s see a Spotify app please Sony!

We recently told you about the issue surrounding the PS Vita and the blue light that appears as the system apparently locks up. Now in only two days time Sony will be rolling out the 1.6 firmware update for users to download, and according to a report on Andriasang it will be available on Wednesday February 8th.

It will bring with it two major features that include a new Map app available on the Home screen. Opening this application up users will be able to see their positional information via a map, and can be viewed with satellite imagery either on or off. Users also have the option of walking or driving directions and see details about the current location they are in.

The PS Vita photo app is also being update with users getting the ability to take videos, as currently they are restricted to taking static images. The Home button will now flash blue when the console is connected to a power supply.

Sony are also set to release a Mac OS version of its Content Management Assistant for PlayStation program, which currently only supports Windows since it was launched. This allows users to transfer content between their PC and the Vita.

As we reported recently the update will also take in the rebranding of the PlayStation Network to the new name of Sony Entertainment Network. If you already have one what do you think of the PS Vita?

We recently told you that branches of GAME and Gamestation now have demo PS Vita models for excited gamers to give a try in the stores. Now the same retailer has released some details regarding how much consumers can get hold of the PS Vita by trading in some other hardware according to Pocket Gamer.

If you are growing bored of your Nintendo 3DS and if you part exchange it you can pick up the Wi-Fi only version for £99, or alternatively the 3G model will cost you £149.99. If you have a spare 250GB Xbox 360 or a 320GB PS3 the Wi-Fi Vita will set you back £79.99 or £129.99 for the 3G version.

Trading in your old PSP Slim & Lite will get you the PS Vita for £179.99 or £229.99 for the 3G. If you have an old Nintendo Wii gathering dust not doing anything then the PS Vita is priced at £189.99/£239.99. Some will see the offers as being pretty poor considering the console at the retailer starts at £229.99 for the Wi-Fi version.

Do you think the trade in deals offer value for money?

The designer of the Sony Walkman and the PS Vita, Takashi Sogabe, has spoken to CVG.com and stated he would like future versions of the PS Vita to be slimmer than the launch model. He was talking in an interview at the Sony Computer Entertainment’s Japanese HQ recently.

Sogabe is also in charge of the Corporate Design Centre, and mentioned that in the future he would like to use metal for the system instead of the current plastic materials currently used as the Vita is developed.

He said that there is a constant battle between designers and engineers, and revealed that the original design of the PS Vita was a lot slimmer than the launch model. Sogabe added that “thinner is better-looking, but the engineers wanted to put all the features in”.

There is a chance that it may happen in the future but depends on the engineers coming up with a solution for it to happen. He feels that the both the analogue sticks and buttons were maybe not in the ideal position, but it was possibly “the best solution from a publisher’s point of view”.

Metal couldn’t currently be used for the Vita because of the antennae inside the body, so plastic had to be used. Many devices are getting slimmer now as the technology for internal components is improving all the time, so there is no reason why it couldn’t eventually happen to the PS Vita as it did with the PS3.

Are you planning on picking up the PS Vita? Which version will you be getting?

Sales of the device are continuing to struggle, and according to a report on Pocket Gamer sold only 18,361 units during the Vita’s fifth week of being available. During the first week of being available the device managed to shift around 320,000 units, but during the second week this dropped almost 78 percent to around 72,000.

Then some resellers of the device dropped the asking price for the 3G version of the Vita, but it doesn’t seem to have been enough to cause a spike in sales. These latest sales figures represent around a 95 percent drop in sales from the first week, and may cause some concern at Sony headquarters.

Compare these figures of only 18,361 for the Vita to the Nintendo 3DS that managed to shift an impressive 100, 668 units. Even the old PSP achieved to shift 22,538 units during the same week, beating the PS Vita by 4,177 units.

It is only a few weeks now until the console launches in the US and Europe, and only then will we really be able to see how successful the PS Vita will become. We believe it will do really well and feel that many consumers may sit tight and wait a while before taking the plunge with the Vita.

Do you plan to purchase the PS Vita?

The highly anticipated handheld is launching in Europe and the US on February 22nd, with Vodafone and AT&T signed up as the preferred partners of Sony for Europe and US respectively, for the 3G version of the device.

One aspect that hasn’t been disclosed for both carriers though, is the official data price plans that will be associated with both carriers. However, new information this week has revealed that AT&T may not be making any big changes to their current 3G data plans, that they also offer for a range of smartphones and tablet devices.

An report published over at GameZone appears to confirm that AT&T will offer two data plans for the 3G Vita, plans which will give owners the choice of either a 250MB or 2GB package. If true, the 250MB data bundle will be priced at $14.99 per month, while 2GB will be available for $25 a month. Many 3G Vita owners will obviously opt for the biggest data plan available which is 2GB, and it will mean paying $300 a year to keep your Vita connected to the internet and Sony’s PlayStation Network when away from home.

The prices do not seem too unreasonable to us, and we’re sure many of you wouldn’t mind forking out an extra $25 per month for the 2GB. It does however add to the cost of an overall package which isn’t getting cheaper by the day – $299 for the 3G console and $20 minimum for a 4GB memory card which is mandatory. Then of course you have to consider buying games for the system which have already been given a maximum price of $50, for titles like Uncharted: Golden Abyss.

This hasn’t been made official by AT&T yet, so you should still take this information with a pinch of salt. If these are confirmed to be the 3G data prices for the Vita in the US, do you think $25 for 2GB is reasonable, or did you expect bigger allowance like 4GB?

According to an article on The Guardian Sony acknowledge that there may have been some users experiencing some minor issues with the PS Vita. David Wilson of Sony Computer Entertainment stated that the company is “annoyed with these stories, because we can’t find any evidence of widespread glitches”.

Some of the reports have claimed that Sony had apologized about the PS Vita issues, but Wilson added that “there’s an apology on our Japanese website for people who are having trouble getting through to our technical help line, but that’s it”. There is also a page that shows some procedures for turning the device on and off, which Wilson said had been on the Sony site before the device was even launched.

It looks as if certain comments have been lost in translation from Sony’s Japanese website, although the company has already released a firmware update. This can be expected with any new device shortly after being released though.

There may be individuals who are not fans of Sony and could be trying to smear the launch of its new product. If there are any widespread problems with the Vita at least Sony has a couple of months to correct them before it launches to other parts of the world.

Do you think Sony has been the victim of a smear campaign?

Back in the summer Sony announced that in the US it would partner with mobile carrier AT&T, and have now taken to its official PlayStation Blog to announce the latest news. Vodafone will be the preferred partner for the consoles 3G connectivity at launch with the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Australia and New Zealand, and Vodafone’s Partner in France.

The new handheld console with the 3G and Wi-Fi compatibility will be sold in selected countries and come with a Vodafone SIM card. This will allow new owners to start enjoying social gaming experiences straight away out of the box. Consumers will also be able to pick up the console from various Vodafone retail outlets and online.

Customers will also get a PlayStaion Network voucher to download WipEout 2048 from the PlayStation Store. Gamers who purchase the PS Vita can also use another network provider though to connect to the internet, which is good for consumers who would like to use an alternative to Vodafone.

President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Jim Ryan, said “Partnering with Vodafone will enable PS Vita users in the selected countries to always be connected with their PlayStation life, friends and games, wherever they are.” The device will be available in the region from February 22nd.