Playstation Vita Review

Well its been about a month since I've had this neat little gadget and figured I'd go ahead and give my thoughts on it incase any OCFers were looking at getting one (Not that I think anyone really cares.)

First let me start with what I'm not happy with since my ego is so out of whack and if I were a happy person, I wouldn't buy electronic gaming devices in the first place.

I won't be weighing in the typical Gamespot/IGN-esque "Pros n Cons" layout, instead I'm going to strike right at what is downright sad about this product.

Let me start by saying to Sony that they HAVE to stop investing in technology that nobody will ever, ever, ever care about. Yes there is a weird little touch pad on the back of the console and I've tried using this bloody thing with the Shinobido demo and it gives me cramps in under 30 seconds. Also, Augmented Reality is both confusing and unnecessary ... I really have no desire to play a fighting game with my bathroom sink as the scenery (not the mention the inherent vertigo that comes with moving the camera around.)


Now lets move onto THEIR network. I'm not talking about the Wifi in this device, I'm talking about the fact that it takes upwards of 20-30 minutes to download a 300MB Demo (Whereas I can download any number of 2-7GB on STEAM much faster.) Upon running Sony's speedtest the numbers seem to check out but I suspect the PS Store itself is the issue, it did this on every demo I tried to download but I have no solid evidence as of yet.

The WEB BROWSER. I will start by saying that the PSP had a horrible, horrible web browser and the Playstation3's was no different. How in god's name did somebody try the built-in web browser out and go "Yeah, this looks good" and sign off on it?! My Droid Incredible loads EVE Online's website faster than this horrible excuse for software.

Proprietary! Yes Sony, we understand the desire to be just like Apple (Along with every other half-baked company in this country/world.) but it just ain't gonna happen. It certainly won't happen any faster if you bend me over and supply me with a pathetically short proprietary USB Cable that is shamefully similar in appearance to Apple's proprietary cables. I will finish this thought aimed at all companies: ONLY APPLE CAN BE APPLE.

Memory Cards...this I can understand. Many companies like Apple jack up the price tag by up to $100 for a mere 16GB so I don't see why Sony shouldn't be able to get away with it. That being said, Sony should have built the memory INTO the friggin' device instead of offering me a pre-order Vita that came with NOTHING so I'm not stuck with the inability to play/download anything until I get around to running out and buying a memstick. I can give Sony props for the insanely cheap pricetag of only $249 and trying to supplement it with pointless accessories but they need to factor in convenience.

Software Distribution. The current state of the PS Store is just downright pathetic. NONE of the games have even so much as SCREENSHOTS to give me an idea of what the hell I'm looking at. When I loaded the PS Store I literally had no idea what "Army Corps of Hell" was simply because I'd not heard of it before. That's right Sony, I had to get on my PC to look up a YouTube video about a game on YOUR Handheld. I can't pick on Sony for the Demos on certain games as I'd assume this is up to the publisher. As far as price goes, if any of these companies think I'm paying $40 for a mobile game they're out of their minds. But at the same time I have no choice but to wait for the physical media to go on sale on Amazon and order it since I don't see the PS Store having "Weekend Sales" like STEAM does anytime soon (Which will end up hurting these games in the end.)

Netflix. I'd really like to give Netflix some more e-Hatred as whoever programmed this Netflix app needs to be beaten repeatedly based on principle alone. I can't even begin to fathom why the Netflix app is more responsive/quicker on my Smartphone than on this beast of a handheld (Bad Netflix!!)


Now lets get down to the good parts which I will be summarizing:

-Orgasmic controls. These little Analog sticks are so round and perfect I can't get over how well they work. The buttons and D-Pad are also flawless

-Perfect Screen. I'm incredibly picky about contrast, color reproduction, and ghosting and I've gotta say this is one of the finer screens I've played any sort of serious game on. Definite thumbs up for Sony here

-Speed and multitasking. I love the overlay, O/S, and whatever else you want to name off. It's almost Linux-like in how it behaves and how snappy it is ... perfect!

-Game quality. While I suspect there will be many offbrand/jappy companies out there who will inevitably flood the market, I'm quite optimistic about a few good games coming out (GTA/Call of Duty/ETC...) given that this thing is literally on-par with PS3 graphics which is fine for me on a small screen. So far the PS Vita has only sold 1million+ units and Mojang even said he won't bother with a Minecraft port which concerns me, I'm worried that the good game devs/publishers out there won't bother because its not economically feasible since the Vita seems to have such a small market share.


My recommendation? I'd say if you need some distraction from work or during commutes definitely get it. For $249 its a hell of a lot more entertaining than many of the crappy Android tablets out there and despite the many faults it has I see it improving within the coming year.

Good review.


I have to say that I am also quite surprised that SONY did not include any integrated flash memory...that is a basic necessity on any modern handheld device...hell, even my calculator has 50 mbs of it.

Essentially, all the things that you hate about it are all the same things that people hated about the PSP.

I've played one and it's very nice. I just don't have the need for a portable system. Never played my DS or PSP when I had those.

Man and I thought it was something I was doing with the PS store and downloads.. good to know Im not the only one that feels that way. And internal memory, you hit that right one... if anything include a card with the system, like 2gig? Those should be pennies now adays.

Anyways I've had mine for roughly a month as well and have been enjoying it quiet a bit. The system is solid, and games very nicely. Course its all I use it for, gaming, if I want to watch video's or music, I'll go to my phone or PC.

i think handhelds are a dying product. might not happen but maybe eventually they'll stop making them. with phones getting more and more powerful, i can see them gobbling up more market that handheld games used to only occupy

i dont have any factual evidence to back this up, just seems like thats the way things are going

illli said:

i think handhelds are a dying product. might not happen but maybe eventually they'll stop making them. with phones getting more and more powerful, i can see them gobbling up more market that handheld games used to only occupy

i dont have any factual evidence to back this up, just seems like thats the way things are going

Click to expand...

I'd have to agree, only thing positive about hand helds is typically they have longer battery life then a phone does when coming to gaming. Also its one system spec vs many i.e. iPhone, the many Android platforms (single,dual,quad cores, with different graphics engines each), Windows Phone. If phones had better battery life upwards of what tablets do it would be better.

Maybe that will change but still don't see it happening for a good few years still. Really it all depends on how well they sell.

illli said:

i think handhelds are a dying product. might not happen but maybe eventually they'll stop making them. with phones getting more and more powerful, i can see them gobbling up more market that handheld games used to only occupy

i dont have any factual evidence to back this up, just seems like thats the way things are going

Click to expand...

not dying. Sony is killing themselves in the handheld market. Nintendo is king of the handhelds for a reason: They do it right. Even the 'flop' that is the 3DS is selling 10's of thousands of units per week in Japan - the land of disposable income for portable gadgets that the population likes, and they like the 3DS.

now that the vita has been around a few months what are peoples thoughts?

I will be gaining an hour train journey to and from work every day shortly so am looking for some entertainment. I can load films etc on my phone. However tv and films cant keep me going every day! I am not a big reader anymore so kindle isnt really the best option.So I am inclined to think gaming for an hour each way sounds great fun.

In summary I will only use it for gaming. So really:

1. Are the current games good? If so which are recomended? I hear uncharted, rayman, unit 13 are good.

2. what games are coming up. I saw mention of a game called warriors Lair(Ruin) that looks good fun. I like my RPGs(but not japanese design usually)

3. Is there any info on a cod release date?

4. Anything that you have found problematic (or surprisingly good) after a few months of use?

Cheers in advance

Hey fiery,

I can say I've had no problems with my Vita so far, cosmetically or otherwise.

However I am incredibly depressed by the lackluster titles that have been released so far. It seems that Sony is keeping tride and true with their practice of releasing watered down versions of games already available on their main console (Kind of like how the PSP games were in contrast to PS2 games)

At any rate I paid $39 for Mortal Kombat and enjoy it...although it adds nothing new since I already owned it on the PS3. Supposed there's going to be a Black Ops port sometime in December 2013 (yes, you read that right.)

As it stands the "Minis" are pathetic when compared to smart phone games and the only real games I see so far that catch my interest is Mortal Kombat and MAYBE resistance. I will note still that I find these full retail price tags on mobile games to be utterly ludicrous.

cheers. I have to admit that is my reluctance right there. The titles available.

However, although mobile phone gaming is getting better and better. I feel gaming on a touchscreen only works for a few select styles of games, fpses feel more gimmicky. RPGs are getting better, but are a tad too simple, or too many small buttons to press on the screen and the erganomics are awful.

then the only other mobile gaming device is the 3DS which has far less titles I am interested in than the vita does already!

hmm, tricky. The vita has the potential to be so much more. I just dont know if it will ever hit that potential.

I honestly doubt any serious devs are going to go for the VITA system. Put it this way, if Mojang says "no thanks" to a system for port then its gotta be pretty bad

ye, I fully get that tbh. Just a lack of options.

Two hours a day sat on a train I want something to do. Reading doesnt hold my attention anymore. Read well over a thousand books before I was 18, now I can barely read for 20mins before I get bored.

I watch a lot of films or TV shows on my phone, but again there is a limit to how much I want to watch.

So that only really leaves gaming as a source of entertainment, and I dont see any option other than the vita atm :/

Well it's a tough call. I find these iOS games to be well worth the $1-$6 price range and to be honest my hand cramps on my iPhone after extended use same as the Vita lol. Maybe the iPod touch could serve your needs for games?

The Vita MIGHT progress to an acceptable level but I doubt it'll be anytime soon. It's a shame really, I remember when I first got my PSP1000 And it had an awesome bundle of titles. I played GTA, battlefront, and Def Jam CONSTANTLY

phone games just wont hold my attention for an hour. I have played pretty much most of the big titles. My favorite being, sonic 4 1 and 2.

Other than that played dead space, mass effect, anomoly HD, angry birds, worms, Dungeon hunter series, zenovia series, world of goo, dungen defenders just to name a few.

All great games for the money, but they just lack any lasting appeal, they are fine for 10minutes here or there. Just not for a full hour.

and I am afraid I am never buying an apple product until they go through some major reworks. They are budget devices rebranded, and it irritates me (dont get me wrong, very good budget devices, but should be 1/2 the price to be worth it) so I am not going to support their company model by giving them my money (the only way I can show my disatisfaction)

Meh Apple slaps a price tag on it for the software. iPhones, along with every other phone out there, are made in the same factory by the same chinese children with bloody and blistered hands.

That being said, I honestly haven't found any Vita titles AT ALL ... not even an issue of the money at this point (I decided to check out the PS Store after seeing your

You might be able to get away with these 3 games that seems to have some decent playability, although I only own one of them at the time of this post:

1.) Mortal Kombat [the game I own]
2.) Resistance
3.) Dynasty Warriors

My little brother's friend reviewed it too.


Pretty in-depth, and goes into depth. Very informative, and refreshing.

sony did a great job on there new system i would have got one a few years ago back when i was hating on my psp for only having one stick but these days i really have no need for one when i already have a galaxy s3 and asus prime,the thing would probably only get used once then shelved..they should have added a second stick to there psp line years ago when they could have actually sold some.

Yeah I find myself playing games more on my iPhone than anything...

so, I did end up getting this, had it ~3-4months now so thought I would post my thoughts. I dont regret buying it at all. It is nearly like having your PS3 in your pocket.

Things I miss/would want:
shoulder buttons and pressable analogue sticks, surprising how much I miss these for fps games, sprint, flash bangs etc...
wifi connectivity gets turned off every time the system hibernates, irritating when it logs me off while I am in a lobby etc and just chatting to my wife. So then need to relog on etc to carry on playing

pros:
graphics, although not what I would call uber ( I wouldnt even call the PS3 'good') they are great for a handheld
dual analogue sticks, no other hand-held decice even holds a candle to this, certainly nothing iOS or android can even hope to compete with
Trophies, I am a bit ocd, so love having trophies
very easy to pick up and put down, the instant pause/sleep button makes it great. wife wants help with something I immediately hit the power button, and can go help. No more having to shout back, in a minute etc! ie if I was playing xbox and had to go cook some dinner or something I would have to get to a save point and then turn everything off, as I wouldnt want to leave it on and paused for a few hours. the vita I justs tick it in sleep and I know it is ready for me the next day

the games I have played:
Need for speed most wanted: very similar to fully fledged console game, just toned done a bit. Great arcade racer
Rayman Origins, extremely well designed platform game, addictive and at times tricky
Gravity Rush, great story, great concept. Combat is clunky though. Also the game is pretty easy. But very fun and compelling
Uncharted, average action/adventure game, simple puzzles, lots of 'hidden' objects. and reasonably challenging when played on crushing

motorstorm: great, simple remote controlled racer, very reminiscient of micro machines. Lots of hours of fun here
Stardust delta: dual stick shooter, high score chaser. Good occasional fun
tales of mutant space blob attack: great indie platform game, good sense of humor and some difficult game mechanics to master

Enjoyed all the games so far. The vita is still awaitng a mega huge blockbuster title though (the likes of cod4, halo1, skyrim) the games I have played so far are probably all worth 75-90% nothing bad, all great games, but all miss something that prevents them being the omg I never want to stop playing this game!

If you are like me and have an hour sat on the train to and from work and enjoy gaming then there is nothing better! if you only have 10-20minutes iOS/android etc will probably be enough.

The other advantage is I can play vita at home while the wife does/watches something else. Havin g a vita has hugely opened up the amount of time pe day I can play games