TOKYO: Sony on Saturday launches its next-generation PlayStation Vita handheld console in Japan, its gamble to take a bite out of the burgeoning smartphone market for games.

The new device features a five-inch (12 centimetre) organic LED touch screen and comes in WiFi and 3G models, according to the Japanese electronics giant.“Pre-orders are very strong,” Andrew House, head of Sony's game unit, told Kyodo News and other media in Tokyo.

Without giving a specific figure, the Sony Computer Entertainment president said the company was aiming for sales of the PS Vita to far outstrip the 73 million units of the PlayStation Portable sold around the world since 2004.

PS Vitas will be launched in the United States and Europe on February 22, Sony said. Nintendo's Game Boy, released in 1989, led the handheld game market until the mid-2000s when Sony's PSP cut into its share. But the emergence of iPhone and Android games is threatening the existence of game-specific handheld devices.

Nintendo launched its 3DS portable game console about 10 months ago and it is gaining popularity.