PS Vita is a now a VoIP phone with new Skype app
The PS Vita is a very powerful handheld. It can crank out PS3-esque games. And now, it's also a smartphone that can make and receive Skype voice and video calls, even when you're in the middle of a gaming session.
Available in the PlayStation Store, the Skype app for PS Vita will work over Wi-Fi and 3G. As per Skype calls, they should all be free if it's Skype-to-Skype. Otherwise, standard rates apply when making calls to non-Skype lines.
Video chat works just like on an iPhone 4/4S or Android smartphone with front and back cameras, meaning the camera can be flipped back and forth.
Because the app can run in the background, you can be doing something else and a notification will pop up letting you know you've got a call.
The big smoking guns that Sony and Skype aren't reminding people is that 1) leaving Skype in the background will almost certainly drain your PS Vita's battery quicker and 2) pre-paid data can take a beating (in the U.S., PS Vita owners are on AT&T and only have options of 250MB ($15), 3GB ($30) and 5GB ($50).
Watch your data and your battery if you plan on using your PS Vita as VoIP phone.
Engadget's got a video of pro gamer Fatal1ty to run through the Skype app. The app looks pretty slick.
The app is free and should be available for download over the next several hours.
