The Playstation Vita blurs the lines between console and portable gaming, with very few sacrifices to get it there.
When Sony announced the NGP back in January 2011 I was ecstatic for the device. All the control options you could dream of, almost PS3 graphics capability, with solid tech behind it to run it all? I was instantly sold. In the months following I was checking up on it awaiting it's release. E3 rolled around, and code name NGP became the Playstation Vita. Now that I hold it in my hand I can see that all of my excitement was well warranted.
Upon opening the box you will find your typical new system goodies. The unit itself, the charger, and the informational packet. If you spent the extra money on the 3G or First Edition bundles you will see your memory cards, game, and data connect pass respectively. Pulling the unit out of the box I was impressed with how solid the unit feels in your hands. While designed primarily out of plastic, top tier materials went into the product. A week and a half down the road of owning mine, with all the tapping and swiping the system can handle I see no signs of wear on the touch screen and rear panel. As far as I'm concerned that's a pretty impressive feat considering the PSP scratched before you ever got it out of the box. The twin analog sticks feel great and control quite well given their seemingly small range of movement. The face and shoulder buttons have a satisfying click and great responsiveness. Games that require absolute tactile control do not suffer. The touch screen and rear touch panel are also extremely accurate, and rival competing devices such as iPhones and such. The user interface is laid out in a grid type format in the form of bubbles. Operating on a similar wavelength of the iPhone you can move apps around as you see fit. However they cannot be organized into groups and folders so you have to arrange them all on a stand alone basis. A few apps have made their way to the Vita such as Facebook, Netflix, and a few others their integration I have not had a chance to try out yet but I'm sure there is information on them in Google somewhere.
Preloaded apps into the Vita include music, photos, videos, content manager, Playstation Store, Trophies, Party, Near, Friends, Maps, Group Messaging, Welcome Park, Browser, and Remote Play. Most of these are familiar but I will explain the one not seen before briefly, that being Near. Near is a lot like the 3DS' Streetpass function that allows game goods to be found by being in proximity of other players. On to of that with the location based service you can track how many miles you have gone in that day as well as see what players are in your area.
On the system itself there are quite a few ports and slots. Most are covered by little tabs that you can pull open that are close the style of the PSP 3000's Memory Stick slot cover. With 13 standard inputs coming from the buttons on the system you have 2 card slots (3 if you picked up the 3G model, designed for the SIM Card). One for the PS Vita game cards, and the memory cards. You will also find your standard 3.5 mm jack for headphones and headsets, as well as the charging and syncing port on the bottom. On the top you will have your power button, and the volume buttons. The system also features 2 cameras, one on the front and one on the rear. Primarily designed for augmented reality the cameras suit that purpose just fine. However if you plan on using the system as your digital camera, you may just want to stick to your phone as the images come out somewhat grainy from the low resolution cameras. The two stereo speakers on the front of the system do a good job of belting out audio, but as with most speakers that small they don't project bass all that well. Something thats to be expected, so no points docked.
One of the biggest complaints I have seen from a lot of people is how most everything for the Vita is proprietary. While that is the case I don't see the relevance. When's the last time you used your Game Boy Advance SP charger to charge your DS? Or using your iPhone charger to charge your buddies Droid. Everything is proprietary, and while yes some of the memory cards and accessories are expensive. They are all pretty much right in line with anything you'd expect from Apple or any other electronics giant. Another thing is the cost of the unit itself. Running a hot $249 for the Wi-Fi, and $299 for the 3G/Wi-Fi a lot of people think that's steep. I know my word isn't worth much but I was an early adopter and picked up the first edition bundle for $349. The value I received was well worth the asking price in my opinion. I leave it to you to decide for yourselves.
Delving into the internals of the system we can see a technical powerhouse. ARM Cortex A9 1.4 Ghz quad core processor, 512 MB of RAM with 128 MB of VRAM, Sixaxis motion sensing technology, built in Wi-Fi/3G*, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 5 inch 16:9 OLED display. The display is capable of generating 16 million colors with 960x544 resolution. Games really pop with the crisp and vibrant screen. Uncharted looks every bit as good here as it would on an HDTV. As for the rest of the specs they are fairly close to those of the home consoles we know and love. Which leads me nearer to my conclusion, the games.
As far as the launch lineup goes we have seen a fairly strong turnout. Signature franchises such as Uncharted, Wipeout, and Modnation Racers have already made their debut on the platform as well as many other franchises. In the months to come we will see the return of familiar franchises such as Resistance, as well as new promising IP's such as Unit 13. All in all a great start the a great system in terms of software. Third party support is strong as well with a Call of Duty title, Assassins Creed, and others also in development.
All in all the Playstation Vita has a lot going for it. Great technology, and awesome games give it the good start that it needs. As amazing as the system is at launch I can't wait to see what's to come in the future, because it can only get better.