The system is slated to appear first in Japan in mid-December, Sony has said, but it hadn't given a launch date for elsewhere in the world.

A Sony official joined Tretton on stage to demonstrate some of the Vita's features, including the ability to interact with a game via touch screen as well buttons.

The Vita will let players capture snapshots and video clips from games, as well as statistics, and share them on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube.

After the demo, Tretton was interviewed on stage by Jane McGonigal, game designer and creative director at Social Chocolate, who asked him about the hack of the PlayStation Network earlier this year.

"[Y]ou have to remain ever vigilant -- no one is immune" to malicious hackers, he told the web entrepreneurs in the audience.