Sony Computer Entertainment
"May not a Million of Angels fit upon a needle's point?" - William Chillingworth (paraphrase)
Released December 17, 2011 in Japan, the PlayStation Vita made its debut in the rest of the world in February of 2012. The followup to the PlayStation Portable (PSP) landed with a bit of a thud in Japan. A perceived high price point and a a lack of titles friendly to the Land of the Rising Sun were blamed for the soft launch. To date, the Vita has sold roughly 1.2 million units. And while concerns are still prolific among the gamers of the Internet, it would be folly to write the system off quite yet.
The Hardware
The heart of the Vita lies in a pair of chips - a four core ARM Cortex A-9 CPU paired with a four core SGX543MP4+ GPU. This bifurcated heart supplies life to a pair of touch panels (a five inch, qHD AMOLED front touch screen and a five inch rear touch pad), SIXAXIS motion controls, a three axis electronic compass, a standard D-pad, a full array of PlayStation buttons, and, much to the delight of gamers everywhere, a pair of analog sticks. In addition, there are two cameras - one front facing and one rear facing. Both cameras are a relatively low VGA resolution (0.3MP). These aren't cameras you'll want to use to replace even the lowest end camera phone. But they do offer some interesting gameplay options via things like Augmented Reality and Facial Mapping. The system is the most connected PlayStation ever released as well. In addition to 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and USB, there is also a 3G version that rides atop AT&T's data network. The Vita has 512MB of RAM and 128MB.
There are a variety of ports and connections on the Vita. The two that will get the most use are the proprietary power/data transfer connection and the memory card slot. The memory cards for the Vita are also proprietary, presumably to deal with piracy, which was and is rampant on the PSP. Memory cards are available in 4, 8, 16, and 32 GB capacities. And they're a bit pricey. Though, compared to MicroSD cards of similar speed, they're not nearly as outrageous as they've been made out by detractors. There is also a game card slot. Again, this is proprietary, but that's to be expected. All Vita titles can be purchased either on a physical game card or digitally via the PlayStation Store (at a small discount). Another anti-piracy measure is the battery. The PSP's battery was used as a back door into the device for piracy and home brew applications. The Vita's battery is safely tucked inside the machine with no user-accessible means of replacement. The 3G version also includes a SIM card slot. Finally, there's an accessory port adjacent to the game card slot. There is no known use for this port as yet, but it is reminiscent of the accessory port on the PSP, which was used for things like cameras and GPS attachments.
The Experience
When you first power up the Vita, you're presented with a simple, classy white PS logo on a field of glorious black. It's the first glimpse into how amazing the screen is on this device. That may sound peculiar, since there is no color on screen at boot, but that's the point. Like my Bravia 55HX929, the blacks on the Vita are inky. That leads to exceptional contrast which leads to great color fidelity. The Vita screen appears to leap out of your hands. You may have heard how great the screen is, but you can't fully appreciate it until you see it in action.
After the initial configuration, you'll be presented with top home screen. But don't expect to find the familiar XrossMediaBar from the PS3, PSP, and other Sony consumer electronics. The Vita OS has a touch-focused interface. Icons are "bubbles" that can be moved around by long pressing on them then dragging them around one of the home screens. If you've ever used an iOS or Android device, you'll feel right at home. The interface is quick and responsive - shockingly so. I've had two high end Android devices and they don't come close to matching the smoothness of the Vita's interface. The only drawback to the UI is that Sony has plunged in with both feet on the touch side of things. There is no way to manipulate the UI with any of the buttons. It's completely touch controlled.
Installing applications is accomplished in one of two ways. You can either download and install software directly from the PlayStation Store or, if you prefer, you can download them to a PlayStation 3 and install them via a USB connection. While this may sound like a familiar process if you're coming from a PSP, the only similarity is the USB connection. With the PSP, you would download the software to the PS3, install it on the PS3, then transfer it to the PSP. All from the PS3's interface. None of that applies to the Vita. Applications are downloaded to the PS3, but not installed. When you connect the Vita to the PS3, the PS3's screen goes dark and a Vita icon appears, effectively locking the PS3 until you've finished the operation. All interaction with the PS3 is done straight from the Vita itself. You can transfer Vita applications, Vita games, media, some PSP (Sony has released a list of compatible PSP titles, but there are some not on said list that also work) games and some Minis. There is currently no support for PS1 Classics. The PSP games that are supported need to be in their uninstalled "capsule" form on the PS3 to transfer them to the Vita. When you're finished, you disconnect the Vita from the PS3 and you're good to go.
At least, that's how it's supposed to work. Occasionally, when you connect the Vita to the PS3, the Vita doesn't recognize the connection. It's infrequent, but happens often enough that it warrants a mention. The solution is to disconnect the Vita, power it down, then repeat the connection procedure.
The supplied charging/sync cable has a standard USB connection on one end and a proprietary connection at the end that connects to the Vita. It is used for charging the device with the included power adapter or connection to any powered USB port (a computer or car charger, for instance). Although, I can't fully confirm the charging capabilities when connected to a computer. When the Vita is connected to the included charger, the battery indicator icon changes slightly to show that the device is charging. This change doesn't occur when connected to my MacBook. At the very least, the Vita doesn't charge as quickly when connected to a computer USB port as it does when connected to the charger. It's possible that it charges just as quickly when connected via USB 3, but I don't have a device with USB 3 ports to confirm this, but USB 3 does supply more power than USB 2 or 1.
Much like a cell phone, you'll leave the Vita powered on most of the time. When not in use, the Vita will stay in sleep mode. You can wake the Vita with either the power button on the top or the PS button on the face of the device. It comes out of sleep relatively quickly. The PS button also serves as the way to exit games, list which applications are currently running, etc... One of the nicer features of the Vita is, when you're running a game or application, the PS button takes you to the application's "LiveArea Screen." Every application and game on the Vita has a LiveArea Screen. It's the first screen you see when you launch an application and the first screen you see when you move to quit. When hitting the LiveArea Screen, the application goes into suspension and you're given several options. You can quit the application by dragging down the dog-eared corner at the top right, you can swipe over to the home screen and launch another application (some applications can be run simultaneously while others will close any other running applications if you confirm the action). There is also a list of application specific messages that can be accessed by swiping up. There is a link to the PS Store on some applications, the user manual, and the web page for the application in question.
One feature that sets the Vita apart from not just its PlayStation stablemates, but every other gaming system, is Near. Near is a social media system of sorts. It allows you to see other Vita players in your immediate vicinity, see what others are playing, what they think about the games they've tried, and exchange "gifts" that are earned in games. My initial reaction to Near was one of befuddlement. And that is probably what most new Vita owners will feel at first. But after using Near for a few days, I got the hang of it and it has become an integral of my Vita experience. If Apple could have done as well with Ping as Sony has done with Near, people might actually know what Ping is. As with everything, there's room for improvement, but Near is a compelling application that you'll go back to regularly. As mentioned above, some PSP games and some Minis are compatible with the Vita. Sony has a constantly updating list of digital games that will run on the device. Supposedly, PSOne Classics will eventually be compatible as well, but at the moment, they are a no-go.
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| Near |
Applications
In addition to gaming, the Vita is a capable tablet device. The initial round of applications (some preinstalled, some available for free from the PlayStation Store) include Facebook (after a bit of a hiccup on launch), Foursquare, Twitter, Flickr, and Netflix. The Facebook application is mediocre, though useable. But Facebook doesn't have a great track record with their apps. The Twitter application, however is excellent. It's called LiveTweet and is one of the better Twitter applications I've used. The Netflix app is also quite good. Though, despite having a phenomenal AMOLED screen, I don't get the attraction of watching video on a five inch screen. But it's probably great for plane flights or car rides. The remaining apps are adequate. Which is more than I can say for the web browser. I don't know what it is about Sony and web browsers. They can't seem to put a decent one together. Despite actually being based on WebKit (which, of course, is the browser used on Android devices - like the phones and tablets that Sony manufactures), the browser on the Vita is quite bad. While it's nice to actually have a web browser on the PSP, PS3, and now the Vita, they're not especially useful. In fact, the Vita browser is actually worse than either the PS3 browser or the PSP browser. The primary reason for this is that it doesn't support Flash. Which wouldn't be a deal breaker if it supported HTML5. But it doesn't. That means no YouTube. And no YouTube is inexcusable. On top of that, the browser simply isn't fast enough. With all the horsepower in the Vita (more than any cell phone on the planet at the moment), it can't push around HTML on a web page without redrawing the entire screen when scrolling. Sony needs to get their web browser strategy straight.
Also included are a music and a video application. These are what you would expect. The interesting thing, however, is that the music app multitasks with games. That's right, the Vita has OS-level custom soundtrack support. Something even the PS3 doesn't have. Which calls to mind something else the Vita supports that the PS3 doesn't - cross game voice chat.
There are two communication apps on the Vita - Group Messaging and Party. Group messaging is a text messaging application that allows you to send and receive messages over the PlayStation Network. Party is where the magic happens, however. Group allows you to create a chat room and invite friends from your PSN friend list.
Games
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| It's always great to see Drake! |
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| Super Stardust Delta |
Hustle Kings is also a pleasant surprise. If you've purchased the PS3 version, you'll have access to the Vita version for free. The reverse is true as well. Outside of a steep difficulty curve, the game is exquisite. You can play asynchronously with other Vita owners or PS3 players as well as directly. The graphics and sound, like those of Super Stardust Delta, are nearly indistinguishable from the PS3 version.
Another free game is Motorstorm RC. Scion decided to sponsor the Vita version of this radio controlled racer. If you purchase the PS3 version, you also get the Vita version. Any way you get it, it's well worth the download. It's not truly Motorstorm, in that it doesn't play or feel like the other Motorstorm games, but it's quite fun. And the progression ladder keeps you coming back for more.
Other launch titles of note are Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, Rayman Origins (which is absolutely gorgeous), Escape Plan, Hot Shot Golf 6, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, and Touch My Katamari.
Finally, Sony has provided three augmented reality games for free on the PlayStation Store: Table Soccer, Cliff Diving, and Fireworks. All require one or more of the provided AR cards. The most successful of these is Fireworks. It's an interesting diversion for a few minutes. And it only requires one of the AR cards. Just don't plan on spending too much time with it.
Bottom Line
The Vita is the most powerful handheld gaming system ever released. It addresses almost every complaint gamers and developers had about the PSP. It's fast, has a beautiful screen, enough raw horsepower to push that screen, and more control options than you could possible desire. The initial round of games are there and more games from big name developers are in the pipeline (notably a Bioshock Infinite game, Call of Duty, Gravity Rush, and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection). Near, Sony's first real foray into a social network that's not specifically the PSN, is actually very compelling. Outside of the underwhelming web browser, the available apps are quite good. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. You won't regret it.
Pass, Rent, or Buy? Buy!
PlayStation Vita (WiFi): $249.99
PlayStation Vita (3G): $299.99Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
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