Toss away that archaic DS. We've got the new Playstation Vita and we're giving out the need-to-know info for 2old2play. Have you been on the fence about picking one up? Is this the one portable to change them all, or an expensive paperweight?
The big sell with the PS Vita is “the game goes wherever you go”. If you think about it, this pitch has been the selling point of every handheld console ever designed, including the original Game Boy. Playstation promises to bring true gaming on-the-go much closer to a reality with Cross Play, the ability to keep playing your console game on your PS Vita. The PS Vita has a lot of bells and whistles but can it really fulfill our expectations? Let’s begin with what’s in the box.
It’s New
Within your grasp is a small blue box. The little game system that could (or more to the point: will). Open it up and toss all the packaging aside*, behold the PS Vita. Weighing in at just over half a pound, the shell looks exactly like the PSP only refreshed and modernized. This is a whole new machine. The entire front is coated in slick glass. Extending about a quarter of an inch from the glass surface are the, miracle of modern engineering, dual analog sticks. The dual analog control was the most desired feature in the PSP. The new volume and power buttons are metal and just push rather than slide and lock. There are two finger rests on the back positioned on either side of the rear touch screen that fit your fingers to rest the Vita perfectly in your hands.
Screen
It’s gorgeous. On par with the quality of iOS devices and well, your flat screen TV. Lying beneath the glass is a 5 inch (16:9, 960 x 544) OLED multi touch screen (capacitive type). It is capable of approximately 16 million colors. Game graphics look very tight, tighter than any handheld gaming system to date. Video plays at a sharp looking 720p, Netflix streaming looks particularly sharp at this size. The touch controls are very accurate and grasp a range of different motions. Keeping that glass clean of fingerprints is a bit of a chore which leads me to my next point: protection.
This may be jumping ahead, but I’m not big on cases for handhelds. There are plenty of cases available for the PS Vita either with flip tops or total encasings. Part of what I enjoy about the product is its design, why cover that up? Even the very brief printed manual that comes with the system advises against such coverings because they could cause an overheat. Of course, scratches can happen. I went with a HORI Screen Protector. It’s fairly simple to install and looks like a virtually invisible, thin skin.
Sound
The system has built-in stereo speakers and a built-in microphone. The speakers sound great for video and games, and a little muffled when listening to music MP3s. No headphones are included but you probably have a favorite pair already. Without the use of UMDs grinding in the background the system runs very quiet. Something that really bothered me with the PSP is the low volume with headphones. I gave the music player the “commuter test” to see if I could still hear over the sound of my train, the PS Vita seems to have overcome this hurdle.
• The music player app has a built-in, limited equalizer.
The Interface
Under the hood is a ARM Cortex A9 core (4 core) CPU running on 512MB of built in memory. Gone is the Playstation staple, the infamous Cross Media Bar (XMB) instead we have a new navigation scheme with a simple information bar across the top of the screen and little, round app icons populating the home screen. Tap an icon to launch that application, the home screen will shift to the left or right to open the app in a new window. This new window for the app is called the LiveArea. Graphically the new screens have a dog eared corner and kinda looks like different colored Post Its. From here you can tap to launch the program or peel the post it back to close the app. It takes less than 5 mins of getting used to before you're navigating easily.
• Pausing a game is now done with the PS button rather than start.
The Vita Game Cards
In, what must be, a move to miniaturise physical copies of games until they are invisible rather than actually phased out, Sony introduces the PS Vita game cards. Yet another new form of media. Popping in and out of a covered port in the top of the Vita are tiny little game cards about the size of your thumb. They are without a doubt the cutest thing since the UMD. Only to be outdone by the separate memory card.
• PS Vitas and game cards are region coded
* Look out for that memory card
Sony isn’t well known for making electronics that work with other brands’ wires and cards. The memory cards for the
PS Vita are no exception to that business. The memory card is physically very small, like fingernail, fits-in-a-blackberry
small. Memory cards are required to play almost any game and will function as storage for game content and
downloads. Available in 4, 8, 16 and 32 gigs and ranging from $25-$100. So far, PS Vita games take anywhere from
1-2.5 gigs of space apiece.
Battery
Doesn’t last all that long, then again the system is doing more, running better games and programs. The vita runs off a built-In lithium-ion battery (DC3.7V 2200mA). A charge lasts about a day on average. Charge it like you would a phone, plug in at night or for about 3 hours if your worried about battery cycles. Pushing the power button will put the PS Vita into standby mode (pushing it again will wake up the Vita). You can stay in standby mode for days if you wanted and standby is clutch for gaming on the the go. Hold down the power button for 5 seconds to get the option to power off completely.
• Interestingly, to power on the Vita you hold down the on button for 5 seconds, just long enough to begin thinking something isn’t working
• Charge through an outlet or through a USB port (PS3 or PC)
• The rumors about the power cord fitting in upside down and not charging are false. It only fits in one way and charges when plugged in.
Camera
Dual touch screens, dual cameras too, that kinda suck. With a screen this beautiful, I can’t fathom why there isn’t a camera that can take great pictures for it. What you get is a 1.3 Megapixel camera with 480p video. Imagine taking a photo with your trusty BB Curve, no, it isn’t even that good.
For the most part the camera is reserved for in-game moments and augmented reality queues which we’ll review in the second part of this post. I’m sure future games will incorporate some more fun camera uses. So far I’ve seen it used as a scope for sniping or for importing images into games, like backgrounds or faces.
The PS Vita review concludes in PART 2, so be sure to check back tomorrow.
About the Author
Jay “Anotherdae” Bowen lives in New York City and is a full time Art Director. Gaming is a passion mostly enjoyed at night for hours on end after spending time with his new wife, Megan, and three-year-old chocolate brown cocker spaniel, Sylar. He started writing game reviews in 2010 to keep a record his gaming experience. Jay’s preferred console is the PS3 but his love for gaming started with his first Atari. He’s looking forward to the company of fellow adult gamers and bringing reviews to a like-minded community. Check out more from Jay at Gamedae.blogspot.com.
