We're counting down the days until the PS Vita launches — Dec. 17 in Japan and Feb. 22 in North America and Europe — and we can't help but feel that Sony's polished the device off a bit since we last played it the summer. With the launch inching closer and closer, we can finally show you some close-ups of the PS Vita (Sony's been stingy about photo shoots with it). And in typical DVICE fashion, we toted a bunch of other gadgets including a Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Portable (original model) BlackBerry PlayBook and LG Nitro HD to size the PS Vita up against. Get ready for a visual tour!

A few rumors have gone around suggesting Apple's going to revolutionize the TV with Siri and Sony's already quaking in its boots. Sony CEO Howard Stringer says it's already building a "different kind of TV set" to "compete with Steve Jobs." Does that mean Sony's "cracked the TV" too as the late Steve Jobs told Walter Isaacson in his biography?

Our Japanese friends will be enjoying the PS Vita in December, but the rest of the world will have to wait until February 22. Start saving those pennies, or be prepared to sell a toe, because that's when Sony's next-gen handheld season starts.

Sony's upcoming PS Vita handheld come in two flavors: Wi-Fi or 3G. The Wi-Fi is $250 and the 3G is $300. In the U.S. your carrier is AT&T. Even worse, you're restricted to only 20MB per download on 3G. Looks...