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So the time has finally come and Sony's Playstation Vita (dubbed PSVita by Sony themselves) is out in the wild. But can the new wonder machine take back the handheld market from Nintendo and their ever present dominance with the 3DS?
Vita for Life
Sony have gone with a similar strategy that they used for the PSP; use the best hardware and try to provide console quality games. Back in the day, the PSP had as much grunt as a handheld could handle, but the technology just wasn't there to match the PS3 and the lack of a second analogue stick hurt shooters.
The Vita addresses the stick issue, while at the same time providing a much nicer analogue feel (even though these are technically microswitch based sticks), the best D-pad on a handheld ever and the usual keys.
Generally, the casing feels very nice to hold in the hands, and going with a lighter plastic styling doesn't hurt the console but makes it far lighter than it could have been if more metal had been used. The buttons and triggers feel as if they're in just the right places and although the machine is bigger than the PSP ever was, it doesn't feel cumbersome.
Vitouch
But that's not all. With Nintendo and mobiles showing that touch screens are the future of handheld gaming, it would be amiss of Sony to not include this feature in the Vita, so they have. But instead of just playing catchup, they've innovated with a touchscreen on both the front and the back of the device.
I was sceptical at first about the back touchscreen; how could you use a touch device you can't see? But it works brilliantly,. as games like FIFA show. In fact, for FIFA it works almost too well, allowing for your players to score goals far easier than with standard button controls.
There are other uses for the back touch screen, including using it in place of the second set of trigger buttons on the PS3 Dualshock pads, but ultimately it creates some exciting opportunities for developers.
Vitally Visual
But it's the 5 inch OLED screen and graphical grunt that really impress on the device. Uncharted might not be as good as the second and third PS3 titles as far as the story is concerned, but it certainly looks the part. Games shine on the screen and the extra RAM (more than the PS3) helps to create impressive graphical masterpieces.
That said, early titles have shown that the system still has limitations when compared to the PS3. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 contains less background detail on the Vita to aid the amount of stuff going on in the foreground.
Still, any new hardware has the issue of developers not yet getting to grips with the tricks of providing more power than is immediately available, so I'm hopeful we'll see even better things from the Vita's graphical abilities.
Outside of games, videos look more impressive than I've ever seen on an iPhone or Android, with colours popping and blacks looking better than an HD TV.
Despite this, as soon as you take it outside in the sun, it becomes apparent that the screen has a drawback. The super shiny surface gives off so much glare that playing this in the sun is going to be a nightmare. Lets hope new screen protectors with anti-glare arrive soon.
Thanks for the memory
One thing missing from the Vita is any sort of re-usable memory. A (very tiny looking) memory card is needed to store even the free Apps like Twitter and Facebook, meaning that the initial cost of the console is raised considerably when you add a card. With games ranging from 500MB to 4GB a 16GB card looks like it could be the minimum, even though it's actually the maximum size sold by Sony until the 32GB cards ship over here (which Sony have confirmed they will). I wouldn't be surprised to see 64GB cards in 6 months, hopefully with the price of other cards dropping at that point.
Game cards are slightly bigger than the memory cards, but still smaller than their 3DS counterparts. Some can hold save data and DLC but there seems to be some discrepancy between those games that use this and those that don’t. With a large capacity, it would be amiss of developers not to utilise the extra space available when providing DLC for games.
Vita’s Vistas
A back and front camera both shoot at a lowly 0.3 megapixels (VGA quality) and are really only there for profile picks and AR games, with a pack of AR cards provided in the box and free games to download that make use of them.
The device can also handle video recording, but I can’t see anyone actually using this function with such a low resolution and the need to use all available memory for games.
Vita Life
Batteries were a big talking point on the 3DS release, with the device managing to run down the battery in record time. The Vita manages between 3-5 hours depending on WIFI and 3G usage. I’ve timed it at a little over 4.5 hours play including an average amount of downloading using WIFI, which isn’t bad.
The power supply luckily comes in 2 parts, with one part being a USB lead, so recharging at a USB point (PC or console for instance) is possible, as is using one of the many rechargers on the market for charging USB devices.
It takes 1.5-2 hours to fully charge the battery, which isn’t too bad if you do find it going completely flat when you need a gaming fix.
Vital Conclusion
Hardware-wise, the Vita is a success that should theoretically allow Sony to take a big chunk of the handheld market. This, of course, really depends on the game titles that appear.
The launch line-up is certainly far better than that of the 3DS, with some top games ranging from Adventure (Uncharted), puzzle (Lumines), sport (Virtua Tennis) to racing (Wipeout) and fighting (MvC3). As long as new titles keep coming then this is the handheld to own.
Vita for Life
Sony have gone with a similar strategy that they used for the PSP; use the best hardware and try to provide console quality games. Back in the day, the PSP had as much grunt as a handheld could handle, but the technology just wasn't there to match the PS3 and the lack of a second analogue stick hurt shooters.
The Vita addresses the stick issue, while at the same time providing a much nicer analogue feel (even though these are technically microswitch based sticks), the best D-pad on a handheld ever and the usual keys.
Generally, the casing feels very nice to hold in the hands, and going with a lighter plastic styling doesn't hurt the console but makes it far lighter than it could have been if more metal had been used. The buttons and triggers feel as if they're in just the right places and although the machine is bigger than the PSP ever was, it doesn't feel cumbersome.
Vitouch
But that's not all. With Nintendo and mobiles showing that touch screens are the future of handheld gaming, it would be amiss of Sony to not include this feature in the Vita, so they have. But instead of just playing catchup, they've innovated with a touchscreen on both the front and the back of the device.
I was sceptical at first about the back touchscreen; how could you use a touch device you can't see? But it works brilliantly,. as games like FIFA show. In fact, for FIFA it works almost too well, allowing for your players to score goals far easier than with standard button controls.
There are other uses for the back touch screen, including using it in place of the second set of trigger buttons on the PS3 Dualshock pads, but ultimately it creates some exciting opportunities for developers.
Vitally Visual
But it's the 5 inch OLED screen and graphical grunt that really impress on the device. Uncharted might not be as good as the second and third PS3 titles as far as the story is concerned, but it certainly looks the part. Games shine on the screen and the extra RAM (more than the PS3) helps to create impressive graphical masterpieces.
That said, early titles have shown that the system still has limitations when compared to the PS3. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 contains less background detail on the Vita to aid the amount of stuff going on in the foreground.
Still, any new hardware has the issue of developers not yet getting to grips with the tricks of providing more power than is immediately available, so I'm hopeful we'll see even better things from the Vita's graphical abilities.
Outside of games, videos look more impressive than I've ever seen on an iPhone or Android, with colours popping and blacks looking better than an HD TV.
Despite this, as soon as you take it outside in the sun, it becomes apparent that the screen has a drawback. The super shiny surface gives off so much glare that playing this in the sun is going to be a nightmare. Lets hope new screen protectors with anti-glare arrive soon.
Thanks for the memory
One thing missing from the Vita is any sort of re-usable memory. A (very tiny looking) memory card is needed to store even the free Apps like Twitter and Facebook, meaning that the initial cost of the console is raised considerably when you add a card. With games ranging from 500MB to 4GB a 16GB card looks like it could be the minimum, even though it's actually the maximum size sold by Sony until the 32GB cards ship over here (which Sony have confirmed they will). I wouldn't be surprised to see 64GB cards in 6 months, hopefully with the price of other cards dropping at that point.
Game cards are slightly bigger than the memory cards, but still smaller than their 3DS counterparts. Some can hold save data and DLC but there seems to be some discrepancy between those games that use this and those that don’t. With a large capacity, it would be amiss of developers not to utilise the extra space available when providing DLC for games.
Vita’s Vistas
A back and front camera both shoot at a lowly 0.3 megapixels (VGA quality) and are really only there for profile picks and AR games, with a pack of AR cards provided in the box and free games to download that make use of them.
The device can also handle video recording, but I can’t see anyone actually using this function with such a low resolution and the need to use all available memory for games.
Vita Life
Batteries were a big talking point on the 3DS release, with the device managing to run down the battery in record time. The Vita manages between 3-5 hours depending on WIFI and 3G usage. I’ve timed it at a little over 4.5 hours play including an average amount of downloading using WIFI, which isn’t bad.
The power supply luckily comes in 2 parts, with one part being a USB lead, so recharging at a USB point (PC or console for instance) is possible, as is using one of the many rechargers on the market for charging USB devices.
It takes 1.5-2 hours to fully charge the battery, which isn’t too bad if you do find it going completely flat when you need a gaming fix.
Vital Conclusion
Hardware-wise, the Vita is a success that should theoretically allow Sony to take a big chunk of the handheld market. This, of course, really depends on the game titles that appear.
The launch line-up is certainly far better than that of the 3DS, with some top games ranging from Adventure (Uncharted), puzzle (Lumines), sport (Virtua Tennis) to racing (Wipeout) and fighting (MvC3). As long as new titles keep coming then this is the handheld to own.
pb wrote:
Thanks Pete, they have the 32GB in stock too. Are they reliable?
Yeah, they're very good. Been going for years (used to be called Axelmusic), I've bought loads from them (DVD's, CD's, Blu Rays and games). To get the actual purchase price you need to add the item to your basket and select UK shipping, this adds the shipping and handling charge. All duties are pre-paid and items are shipped in bulk to a UK warehouse where they are then sent out individually. This obviously means that there are no customs/VAT issues. Don't know if the deals on them are still the same as they were a few weeks ago but my friend said they were the cheapest he could find at that time.
Thanks Pete, they have the 32GB in stock too. Are they reliable?
Yeah, they're very good. Been going for years (used to be called Axelmusic), I've bought loads from them (DVD's, CD's, Blu Rays and games). To get the actual purchase price you need to add the item to your basket and select UK shipping, this adds the shipping and handling charge. All duties are pre-paid and items are shipped in bulk to a UK warehouse where they are then sent out individually. This obviously means that there are no customs/VAT issues. Don't know if the deals on them are still the same as they were a few weeks ago but my friend said they were the cheapest he could find at that time.
dav2612 wrote:
4.5 hours on your battery? Can we swap!
Very impressed with the Vita so far though.
2 hours of downloading (WIFI and from PS3) + 2.5 hours playing PSP and Vita games last night. Off in between that.
4.5 hours on your battery? Can we swap!
Very impressed with the Vita so far though.
2 hours of downloading (WIFI and from PS3) + 2.5 hours playing PSP and Vita games last night. Off in between that.
Thanks Pete, they have the 32GB in stock too. Are they reliable?
4.5 hours on your battery? Can we swap!
Very impressed with the Vita so far though.
Very impressed with the Vita so far though.
Very good review pb, glad you're pleased with your Vita. Regarding the memory cards US site Planetaxel.com (ship orders from within UK with all duties pre-paid) were doing them for what I was told was cheaper than any current UK supplier. Don't know if that's still the case but it might be worth checking out? Really good company BTW, used them loads of times.
The PSP used Memory Stick Cards, the PSP Go used Memory Stick Micro, both Sony and both expensive at launch.
According to Sony it's an anti-piracy thing and with the RealDS cards and PSP piracy issues of the past I can't say I blame them for trying to take precautions.
According to Sony it's an anti-piracy thing and with the RealDS cards and PSP piracy issues of the past I can't say I blame them for trying to take precautions.
Nice review - though I think Sony are taking the mick somewhat with their memory cards. The PSP used Micro SD cards with no problem at all, and they're a hell of a lot cheaper than Sony's own cards.
EDIT: Whoops, yes, it was Memory Sticks. But you could still use third party cards. I had a handy adapter that converted a Micro SD card into a memory stick.
EDIT: Whoops, yes, it was Memory Sticks. But you could still use third party cards. I had a handy adapter that converted a Micro SD card into a memory stick.
So the time has finally come and Sony's Playstation Vita (dubbed PSVita by Sony themselves) is out in the wild. But can the new wonder machine take back the handheld market from Nintendo and their ever present dominance with the 3DS?
Vita for Life
Sony have gone with a similar strategy that they used for the PSP; use the best hardware and try to provide console quality games. Back in the day, the PSP had as much grunt as a handheld could handle, but the technology just wasn't there to match the PS3 and the lack of a second analogue stick hurt shooters.
The Vita addresses the stick issue, while at the same time providing a much nicer analogue feel (even though these are technically microswitch based sticks), the best D-pad on a handheld ever and the usual keys.
Generally, the casing feels very nice to hold in the hands, and going with a lighter plastic styling doesn't hurt the console but makes it far lighter than it could have been if more metal had been used. The buttons and triggers feel as if they're in just the right places and although the machine is bigger than the PSP ever was, it doesn't feel cumbersome.
Vitouch
But that's not all. With Nintendo and mobiles showing that touch screens are the future of handheld gaming, it would be amiss of Sony to not include this feature in the Vita, so they have. But instead of just playing catchup, they've innovated with a touchscreen on both the front and the back of the device.
I was sceptical at first about the back touchscreen; how could you use a touch device you can't see? But it works brilliantly,. as games like FIFA show. In fact, for FIFA it works almost too well, allowing for your players to score goals far easier than with standard button controls.
There are other uses for the back touch screen, including using it in place of the second set of trigger buttons on the PS3 Dualshock pads, but ultimately it creates some exciting opportunities for developers.
Vitally Visual
But it's the 5 inch OLED screen and graphical grunt that really impress on the device. Uncharted might not be as good as the second and third PS3 titles as far as the story is concerned, but it certainly looks the part. Games shine on the screen and the extra RAM (more than the PS3) helps to create impressive graphical masterpieces.
That said, early titles have shown that the system still has limitations when compared to the PS3. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 contains less background detail on the Vita to aid the amount of stuff going on in the foreground.
Still, any new hardware has the issue of developers not yet getting to grips with the tricks of providing more power than is immediately available, so I'm hopeful we'll see even better things from the Vita's graphical abilities.
Outside of games, videos look more impressive than I've ever seen on an iPhone or Android, with colours popping and blacks looking better than an HD TV.
Despite this, as soon as you take it outside in the sun, it becomes apparent that the screen has a drawback. The super shiny surface gives off so much glare that playing this in the sun is going to be a nightmare. Lets hope new screen protectors with anti-glare arrive soon.
Thanks for the memory
One thing missing from the Vita is any sort of re-usable memory. A (very tiny looking) memory card is needed to store even the free Apps like Twitter and Facebook, meaning that the initial cost of the console is raised considerably when you add a card. With games ranging from 500MB to 4GB a 16GB card looks like it could be the minimum, even though it's actually the maximum size sold by Sony until the 32GB cards ship over here (which Sony have confirmed they will). I wouldn't be surprised to see 64GB cards in 6 months, hopefully with the price of other cards dropping at that point.
Game cards are slightly bigger than the memory cards, but still smaller than their 3DS counterparts. Some can hold save data and DLC but there seems to be some discrepancy between those games that use this and those that don’t. With a large capacity, it would be amiss of developers not to utilise the extra space available when providing DLC for games.
Vita’s Vistas
A back and front camera both shoot at a lowly 0.3 megapixels (VGA quality) and are really only there for profile picks and AR games, with a pack of AR cards provided in the box and free games to download that make use of them.
The device can also handle video recording, but I can’t see anyone actually using this function with such a low resolution and the need to use all available memory for games.
Vita Life
Batteries were a big talking point on the 3DS release, with the device managing to run down the battery in record time. The Vita manages between 3-5 hours depending on WIFI and 3G usage. I’ve timed it at a little over 4.5 hours play including an average amount of downloading using WIFI, which isn’t bad.
The power supply luckily comes in 2 parts, with one part being a USB lead, so recharging at a USB point (PC or console for instance) is possible, as is using one of the many rechargers on the market for charging USB devices.
It takes 1.5-2 hours to fully charge the battery, which isn’t too bad if you do find it going completely flat when you need a gaming fix.
Vital Conclusion
Hardware-wise, the Vita is a success that should theoretically allow Sony to take a big chunk of the handheld market. This, of course, really depends on the game titles that appear.
The launch line-up is certainly far better than that of the 3DS, with some top games ranging from Adventure (Uncharted), puzzle (Lumines), sport (Virtua Tennis) to racing (Wipeout) and fighting (MvC3). As long as new titles keep coming then this is the handheld to own.
Vita for Life
Sony have gone with a similar strategy that they used for the PSP; use the best hardware and try to provide console quality games. Back in the day, the PSP had as much grunt as a handheld could handle, but the technology just wasn't there to match the PS3 and the lack of a second analogue stick hurt shooters.
The Vita addresses the stick issue, while at the same time providing a much nicer analogue feel (even though these are technically microswitch based sticks), the best D-pad on a handheld ever and the usual keys.
Generally, the casing feels very nice to hold in the hands, and going with a lighter plastic styling doesn't hurt the console but makes it far lighter than it could have been if more metal had been used. The buttons and triggers feel as if they're in just the right places and although the machine is bigger than the PSP ever was, it doesn't feel cumbersome.
Vitouch
But that's not all. With Nintendo and mobiles showing that touch screens are the future of handheld gaming, it would be amiss of Sony to not include this feature in the Vita, so they have. But instead of just playing catchup, they've innovated with a touchscreen on both the front and the back of the device.
I was sceptical at first about the back touchscreen; how could you use a touch device you can't see? But it works brilliantly,. as games like FIFA show. In fact, for FIFA it works almost too well, allowing for your players to score goals far easier than with standard button controls.
There are other uses for the back touch screen, including using it in place of the second set of trigger buttons on the PS3 Dualshock pads, but ultimately it creates some exciting opportunities for developers.
Vitally Visual
But it's the 5 inch OLED screen and graphical grunt that really impress on the device. Uncharted might not be as good as the second and third PS3 titles as far as the story is concerned, but it certainly looks the part. Games shine on the screen and the extra RAM (more than the PS3) helps to create impressive graphical masterpieces.
That said, early titles have shown that the system still has limitations when compared to the PS3. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 contains less background detail on the Vita to aid the amount of stuff going on in the foreground.
Still, any new hardware has the issue of developers not yet getting to grips with the tricks of providing more power than is immediately available, so I'm hopeful we'll see even better things from the Vita's graphical abilities.
Outside of games, videos look more impressive than I've ever seen on an iPhone or Android, with colours popping and blacks looking better than an HD TV.
Despite this, as soon as you take it outside in the sun, it becomes apparent that the screen has a drawback. The super shiny surface gives off so much glare that playing this in the sun is going to be a nightmare. Lets hope new screen protectors with anti-glare arrive soon.
Thanks for the memory
One thing missing from the Vita is any sort of re-usable memory. A (very tiny looking) memory card is needed to store even the free Apps like Twitter and Facebook, meaning that the initial cost of the console is raised considerably when you add a card. With games ranging from 500MB to 4GB a 16GB card looks like it could be the minimum, even though it's actually the maximum size sold by Sony until the 32GB cards ship over here (which Sony have confirmed they will). I wouldn't be surprised to see 64GB cards in 6 months, hopefully with the price of other cards dropping at that point.
Game cards are slightly bigger than the memory cards, but still smaller than their 3DS counterparts. Some can hold save data and DLC but there seems to be some discrepancy between those games that use this and those that don’t. With a large capacity, it would be amiss of developers not to utilise the extra space available when providing DLC for games.
Vita’s Vistas
A back and front camera both shoot at a lowly 0.3 megapixels (VGA quality) and are really only there for profile picks and AR games, with a pack of AR cards provided in the box and free games to download that make use of them.
The device can also handle video recording, but I can’t see anyone actually using this function with such a low resolution and the need to use all available memory for games.
Vita Life
Batteries were a big talking point on the 3DS release, with the device managing to run down the battery in record time. The Vita manages between 3-5 hours depending on WIFI and 3G usage. I’ve timed it at a little over 4.5 hours play including an average amount of downloading using WIFI, which isn’t bad.
The power supply luckily comes in 2 parts, with one part being a USB lead, so recharging at a USB point (PC or console for instance) is possible, as is using one of the many rechargers on the market for charging USB devices.
It takes 1.5-2 hours to fully charge the battery, which isn’t too bad if you do find it going completely flat when you need a gaming fix.
Vital Conclusion
Hardware-wise, the Vita is a success that should theoretically allow Sony to take a big chunk of the handheld market. This, of course, really depends on the game titles that appear.
The launch line-up is certainly far better than that of the 3DS, with some top games ranging from Adventure (Uncharted), puzzle (Lumines), sport (Virtua Tennis) to racing (Wipeout) and fighting (MvC3). As long as new titles keep coming then this is the handheld to own.