Hardware
Slightly larger
than its predecessor, but certainly more comfortable to hold, the PS
Vita is a very sleek looking device. Boasting an impressive OLED
screen, the PS Vita is capable of producing some very nice looking games.
Everything on the device feels of very high quality, and it starts when
the gamer first boots up the system. I cannot overstate how dazzling
the OLED screen is, and even when playing the tutorial game Welcome Park, the screen is what immediately draws the player
in. While the screen is beautiful the PS Vita does so many other
things right, that it is quickly becoming the center of my gaming time.
The front and rear touch screens are extremely responsive, and are implemented
well into games. Functions like the built-in Mic as well as front
and rear facing cameras are also a nice touch, even if the camera quality
is not up to standards of other things on the market such as the iPhone
or 3DS. The gyroscope function is nice and responsive but is
pretty much on par with other motion controlled devices.
Perhaps the best
hardware feature on the Vita is something that should have been implemented
into handhelds a long time ago. I am of course talking about the
second analog stick. A very simple addition makes all the difference
when it comes to games, and the shooter genre in particular reaps the
benefits of the dual analog sticks. The actual analog sticks are
small and have a bit of a learning curve at first, but after about 15
minutes I was able to pick up on the controls and it felt like controlling
a console experience in my hands.
Battery life
is one thing that every portable item is judged on. This includes
cell phones, tablets and portable gaming devices. That is why
when I first heard of the Vita I always imagined having to play close
to an outlet, as the battery seemed like it would die quickly.
I am very happy to report that battery life is really quite good on
the device. There is about a five hour battery life on the device,
and it can fluctuate depending upon use. I have gamed quite extensively
on the system, and I have never drained it to past half battery, and
that is while ignoring battery drains (Wi-Fi, Brightness, Volume).
To me I judge the battery not in how long it lasts, but rather if it
cuts my gaming experience short, and so far I have not had that happened.
It will be interesting to see if the battery goes bad over the next
few years however, as batteries tend to do such things.
The
biggest downfall
to the system is that the Vita packs no on-board storage. This
means that gamers are forced to buy a memory card, which are
conveniently
priced by Sony. The unfortunate thing about this is that since
there is only one type of memory card for the system, Sony can charge
an outrageous amount for it. A 4GB memory card costs $20 while
a 32GB card costs $100. Some physical copies of games offer storage
onto the actual game itself for things like profile saves.
Even though this exists, it is still frustrating that there is no
internal
storage on the device. This wouldn’t be so bad if memory cards
were reasonably priced, but as mentioned before they simply are not,
compared
to other, standardized forms of storage.
I have the Wi-Fi
only model, and for the most part the Wi-Fi holds up well.
Connections are usually steady, and I have yet to find an online gaming
experience where I experienced lag, although that has more to do with
the software than the hardware. Since I have the Wi-Fi only model,
I have not been able to test the 3G version, and therefore can’t inform
in regards to its performance. I can however shed some light in
regards to what the 3G is used for. First and foremost heavy online
gaming is not something that the 3G connection could handle. Scores
and times from various games can be uploaded from anywhere, but actual
head to head gaming cannot be had on a 3G connection. The Wi-Fi
version works fine for online gaming but the 3G version cannot simply
handle that sort of connection. This could be some what frustrating
for some, but what the 3G does do for the system is that it allows it to be
used as a social media device. Facebook, Twitter and basic internet
searching can all be used over the 3G connection and thus it serves it’s
social media purpose.
The PlayStation
Vita is one very solid built piece of hardware. Everything that
has gone into the device caters to the core gamer and it is clear that
was Sony’s intent. It brings the console experience into the
players hands, and it sets a new high for portable gaming standards.
I would recommend this device to any core gamer who has been looking
to branch out of the console experience. While relatively expensive,
fans are already calling for a price cut, the Vita is worth every cent
I dropped on the system. It allows for me to take my gaming wherever
I go, and not have to sacrifice the quality of games that I play.
While this type of system is not for everyone, I can recommend this
to anyone looking for a new handheld device.
Hardware Score:
9/10
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