While PS4 continues to outstrip its rival Xbox One, the same certainly can’t be said of Vita and its contemporary, 3DS.

PlayStation Vita is loved by many, but owned by relatively few. While 3DS is a very different proposition, the fact remains that in the handheld space it has outsold Sony’s handheld significantly, and with almost nonchalant ease.So this morning’s PlayStation Breakfast Briefing was an attempt to enliven Vita’s fortunes a little. While the announcements made atop London’s Centrepoint couldn’t match the spectacular views of the capital, they will go some way to improving Vita’s appeal, though it is difficult to see a complete turnaround for the handheld.The expected new Vita model was confirmed for a UK release on February 7 at around £180, sporting a cheaper screen, slimmer form factor and built-in 1GB of memory. A £20 indie bundle including ten games, including Thomas Was Alone, Velocity Ultra and Limbo, represents another shot in the arm for indies on the handheld. It’s a highly seasonal console, said Sony, with sales “exploding” at Christmas and boosted by the arrival of PS4. But it still can’t touch 3DS for sheer sales volume, and the forthcoming slate lacks a true system seller. Family-friendly titles like Invizimals: The Alliance, PlayStation Vita Pets and the LEGO movie videogame will all cater for a younger audience, while Hohokum, Big Fest, Helldivers, Destiny of Spirits, Murasaki Baby, Final Fantasy X / X-2 and Football Manager Classic 2014 are each aimed at more dedicated players.More intriguing was the preceding string of graphs which, happily for Sony, all went up and up. UK boss Fergal Gara had been told by his superiors last year that PlayStation must reclaim the UK market, and through a strong year for PS3 and the launch of its successor, it had made great strides in that regard. Sony’s volume share of the console market – including handheld – has gone up from 23 per cent two years ago to 40 per cent. On home console, PlayStation has moved from a “humble” 32 per cent to 47 per cent and reclaimed its place as market leader, said Gara.

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