A handheld game machine for the hard core gamer.
Sony has always tried to cram as much technology in their gaming consoles. It worked great for the PS one and PS2 but not so much for the PS3 and PSP. Both great devices their high price tags word off potential customers. The Vita is no different and it’s high price tag might turn off many potential buyers but for what you are getting, it’s a great gaming device that is a must for any hardcore gamer.
The PS Vita is a great machine. Sony has decided to keep the candy bar design similar to the PSP but this time around the console features 2 joysticks, as well as the D-Pad and the trademarked PS Buttons. But the real story is under the hood of the PSVita. The Vita features a quad core processor with 512mb of Ram + 128mb of VRam. The Vita also features a beautiful 5 inch OLED screen.
The PS Vita does away with the PSP’s and the PS3’s XMB and instead uses an all touch screen interface. In here you will find a browser, PSN Store, Settings, Friends and Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s play pass called Near in which you can view anyone logged onto their PSP’s around your neighborhood. The Near App also allows you to share and trade items with people around you and will also let you add them as friends.
The Vita was very awkward to hold at first since the buttons are fairly small and the joysticks don’t act like the PS3’s version but it’s definitely an upgrade to the PSP’s joystick. The touch interface is smooth and very responsive when on the Vita’s interface. I would recommend a screen protector since you will be touching the screen many times. The Vita is very light compared to its size though. Because it’s very light, it’s also very comfortable to hold.
The Vita does feel fragile though as if one drop to a concrete floor will shatter the Vita into pieces or break the screen in the process. The Joystick buttons do stick out a bit and they feel like the can fall off anytime if you put it in your pants the wrong way.
The Vita is a big device. Carrying it will require cargo pants with big pockets or a backpack or similar. Do not put inside your Jean pockets unless the Jeans are 5x your regular size or if you’re wearing clown pants.
As of the writing of this review the PS Vita has a strong library of games despite being a few weeks old. The main attraction would be Uncharted Golden Abyss which follows Nathan Drake on another adventure. We also have great games like Fifa for Soccer fans, Unit 13 for FPS fans and Rayman origins for those looking for a great 2D Game on the Vita. For fighting fans we have Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken. There are also other great titles making their way to the Vita which include Silent Hill, Mortal Kombat, Resistance, Disgaea 3, etc.
The PS Vita may not be physically backwards compatible with PSP titles. But if you download PSP titles from the PSN Store they can be ported. As of this writing you can’t port over all titles but a handful of titles. The Vita also stretches the image of PSP game to fit the screen. The games do appear a bit pixilated but it’s nothing to fuzz over about as it the image isn’t too badly stretched.
The PSP Titles I tested that were compatible was Prinny 2 and Phantom Brave from NIS America and Blazing Souls Accelate from Aksys. Prinny 2 played rather well using the Vita’s joystick. The game also moved very smoothly during gameplay. Graphics were not too badly affected but it’s very noticeable when playing that the image was a bit stretched out. I did enjoy playing Prinny 2 on a bigger screen though just like playing a SNES game on a widescreen TV. Phantom Brave and Blazing Souls didn’t suffer too much as the graphics were already pixilated from the start. The dialog screen I would say looked much better as you can easily read the onscreen text and the sound is a little better than the PSP version.
Sony had plans to give discounts for people who already owned physical PSP games but the process was such a hassle for the Japanese market that they decided to just drop the whole program for other releases.
If Sony had to borrow a format from Nintendo, I would say they did the right thing by borrowing the SD Card format for their Video Games. Vita games are now put on Sony’s proprietary game card which eliminates long loading times and are easier to carry but also easier to lose if you aren’t too careful. All games though require a memory card which Sony didn’t bundle with the Vita. The lowest memory card sold is the 4GB and goes as high as 32GB and possibly 64 very soon. If you plan on gaming only the 4GB model is enough but if you want to put movies I recommend the 16gb+. Netflix is available as an App but requires Wi-Fi or 3G.
Battery life is everything on a handheld console and the PS Vita battery is rated from 3.5hours to 5 hours depending on what you are using. If you turn off Wi-Fi and dim the screen to its lowest setting as well as turn volume off you might get 5 hours of play time but if there’s no sound then it’s no fun. The battery isn’t really much of an issue when using it. I have gone 3 days without charging and normal play time between 1.5 hours a day average and it seems to last a good while even on stand by. Of course you can always bring the USB cable with you turn off the console and charge it via any USB outlet available including your computer.
As far as graphics go, it’s all based on the game. I tested out Uncharted, Fifa and Wipeout 2048 which look awesome on the console. Fifa plays like it’s console counterpart and Uncharted has that movie feel where the world is going to $#!+ while controlling Nathan. Movies look incredibly sharp and as bright and colorful as they were meant to be. So there’s no doubting the PS Vita graphics can deliver but it’s the 3rd party support and the great games they make that will get players interested in the console.
Transferring files from your Vita to PC and vice versa is confusing at first. You have to install media manager to your PC in order to transfer files back and forth. You can change the location of your files and they must remain there. The Vita does not support drag and drop like the PSP and that’s a negative in my book. Instead you have to transfer the files via the Vita and if it’s not a supported format then it won’t show whatever it is you’re transferring. It’s a real headache to have to deal with this that I don’t think I’ll be adding any video files anytime soon.
Closing Comments:
The PS Vita is a great device that is capable of a whole lot more but as of now, it feels too locked down even for it’s own good. It has great potential and I hope there’s plenty of 3rd party support to keep the device going. I do wish that Vita titles would have stayed in the $29.99 range which may force some consumers to wait for a price drop or buy it used. My main complain is the small buttons and the way the joysticks were made. While playing Fifa it doesn’t feel like there’s enough push to control the players. But besides its downfall The Vita is fun to play and comfortable to use. I can honestly say that I have used my Vita more than I used my 3DS.With more great titles on the way, I am sure I will get my money’s worth of entertainment using the Vita.
The PS Vita is a great device that is capable of a whole lot more but as of now, it feels too locked down even for it’s own good. It has great potential and I hope there’s plenty of 3rd party support to keep the device going. I do wish that Vita titles would have stayed in the $29.99 range which may force some consumers to wait for a price drop or buy it used. My main complain is the small buttons and the way the joysticks were made. While playing Fifa it doesn’t feel like there’s enough push to control the players. But besides its downfall The Vita is fun to play and comfortable to use. I can honestly say that I have used my Vita more than I used my 3DS.With more great titles on the way, I am sure I will get my money’s worth of entertainment using the Vita.
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