Handheld gaming has had an impressive resurgence of late, with people in record numbers discover the joys of gaming on the move. Much of this love has come from smartphones, with dedicated mobile gaming devices having a relatively hard time of it.
Like the 3DS before it, Sony’s PS Vita hopes to break out of the mould, offering full user experience that delves beyond gaming into a broader canyon of Internet and media related activities. And, like the 3DS
before it, it’s mostly successful, with a few issues that prevent it from really hitting its stride.
In terms of raw hardware, the Vita impresses, with a powerful 4-core graphics processor (plus an ARM Cortex-A9 CPU) and a superb screen that makes games and videos look remarkable. The display is bright and enjoyable even in bright light. The 5in qHD (960x544) resolution panel is also a touchscreen, with the touch interface extending, rather bizarrely, to the back plate of the device. In all other respects, it mostly resembles the PSP of yesteryear, with a combination of analogue sticks (two, it should be said, for the Vita) and PlayStation controller style buttons. Annoyingly, the touchscreen is the only way to access the OS, with the analogue sticks proving non-functional when navigating the software interface.
Like the 3DS before it, Sony’s PS Vita hopes to break out of the mould, offering full user experience that delves beyond gaming into a broader canyon of Internet and media related activities. And, like the 3DS
before it, it’s mostly successful, with a few issues that prevent it from really hitting its stride.
In terms of raw hardware, the Vita impresses, with a powerful 4-core graphics processor (plus an ARM Cortex-A9 CPU) and a superb screen that makes games and videos look remarkable. The display is bright and enjoyable even in bright light. The 5in qHD (960x544) resolution panel is also a touchscreen, with the touch interface extending, rather bizarrely, to the back plate of the device. In all other respects, it mostly resembles the PSP of yesteryear, with a combination of analogue sticks (two, it should be said, for the Vita) and PlayStation controller style buttons. Annoyingly, the touchscreen is the only way to access the OS, with the analogue sticks proving non-functional when navigating the software interface.
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| KEY SPECS 260g (WiFi), 279g (3G) 83 55x182x 18.6mm ARM Cortex-A9 Cpu SGX543MP3 GPU 512MB RAM |
Unfortunately, this PSP similarity extends to the proprietary memory formats, with two new memory cards making an appearance - both the extendable memory and the games themselves come on cards best described as “SD style”. Internet functionality is on important element of the Vita , with both 3G and Wi-Fi models, although the 3G models are exclusive to Vodafone, meaning that 3G is in fact rarely available.
The launch games are excellent however, with Uncharted: Golden Abyss being a worthy addition to the franchise (despite some awkward and irritating shoehorning of the rear touch functionality into the title) and Wipeout: 2049 a sheer delight.
That said, the Vita still joins the ranks of YAD - “yet another device”. When one already has a smartphone, a tablet, on Ultrabook and a digital camera, how much room is left in our metaphorical satchel bags for a handheld gaming device? (Nic Healey/PCta)
The launch games are excellent however, with Uncharted: Golden Abyss being a worthy addition to the franchise (despite some awkward and irritating shoehorning of the rear touch functionality into the title) and Wipeout: 2049 a sheer delight.
That said, the Vita still joins the ranks of YAD - “yet another device”. When one already has a smartphone, a tablet, on Ultrabook and a digital camera, how much room is left in our metaphorical satchel bags for a handheld gaming device? (Nic Healey/PCta)