7th June 2011
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Ceriwiser
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Jakarta
Posts: 420
Rep Power: 15
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Playstation Vita
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 Matt Buchanan — You already knew most of the details about the next PSP. But now we know its name: The PlayStation Vita. 'Cause it means life, or something. Update: Hands on. (Sony was being stingy about photos/video though, sorry!)
Where to start? The five-inch, 960x544 OLED display screen is uh-mazing. Super duper rich. And clear. The the 220ppi density is just enough to make all those polygons look perfectly crisp and seamless. Which, sure the screen being baller is meritorious in and of itself, but it's critical for the Vita, considering that it's trying to bring a full console experience to your oversized pockets. And well, the screen is pretty damn crucial to delivering that, which it really really does. Most games take serious advantage and look gorgeous, from the new Uncharted to quirkier titles like the flat, super-2D music platformer Sound Shapes.
Are they PS3-quality? Not quite. But. But, it's safe to say they're reasonable attempts at such a standard and totally the best-looking portable games ever. The claims of their amazingness and how they touch your eyeballs in special ways are not hyperbole, for the most part. It's easily a generation or two ahead of anything on iOS, and like half a gen or so ahead of most of the 3DS stuff I've played.
It's light. Almost weirdly so, considering the bulk. I almost wish it was heavier, the plastic denser and more expensive-feeling. It doesn't feel cheap, just not on the highest quality side of the build spectrum. But it does very much feel like a PSP in your hands. It's meaty, though you most certainly do not need gorilla hands to hold and use it comfortably. You will need a bag or some serious cargo pants to carry it around.
I think I hate the back touch panel. At least, after 45 minutes of gameplay. Fundamentally, the real problem is that almost every game that used it did so in a way that felt unnatural and forced or gimmicky. (One of a few expections: Little Big Planet.) It's spatially disorienting, trying to inversely translate your movements to the screen, mentally. And it's hard to tell where your finger are precisely in relation to the screen, even when games show you exactly where your finger is with a graphical overlay, because the touchpad doesn't have enough of a texture to readily set it apart from the rest of Vita. So I was accidentally touching the touchpad all the damn time, not aware I was stroking it. Also, there's like no good way to hold the Vita when you're doing touchpad activities-it becomes an awkward, nerdy dance of trying to hold the Vita securely enough you won't drop it while being keeping your fingers limber enough to play the game, particularly one requiring you to manipulate the rear touchpad with four fingers. What's holding up the Vita? Good question.
What I don't hate: The twin analog sticks. It made Uncharted feel like a teeny-tiny version of the real thing, in my hands. They're a little looser, a little nubbier than I'd like, but full on analog tumors wouldn't work here, so they're about as good as I expect. The buttons could stand to feel a bit more substantial, too.
Overall, it's hard not to see the crazy potential in the PlayStation Vita. The graphics and hardware are truly killer, even if it is asking you to carry around a lot to experience that. My only concern is that a lot of the games, or at least the ones I've seen, haven't quite figured what to do with all of the 10 million control options presented to them-some are splitting the difference, letting you control the game however you wish, with buttons or the touchscreen, while others are very intentionally designed to get you to use the Vita in a particular way. Which would be fine, if any of them could actually sell me on that rear touch panel, or even incorporate the standard touchscreen up front more smoothly. Regardless, this is some seriously exciting hardware, so I can't wait to see what developers do when they figure out how to really use it.
Previously:
The Wi-Fi model's gonna be $250, while the 3G model's gonna be $300. (Better than I expected, really.) It's coming out "this holiday season." AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the 3G model of the Vita in the US. Wow. No. Wow. Wow. No word on the data pricing at the moment.
There's a new "social connection tool" called Near which lets you play and recommend titles to people around you, kind of like Nintendo 3DS's StreetPass.
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Quote:
Details about Sony’s new handheld have been trickling out for months in the form of spec sheets and fantastic footage of its quad core capabilities. But we didn’t know how much it would cost or when we could get our grubby paws on one, and now we know: $249 for WiFi, or $299 for the 3G model, which Sony’s Kaz Hirai confirmed will be available exclusively through AT&T, with both models shipping worldwide in toward the end of 2011. Prices are (Prices are 24,980 and 29,980 yen in Japan, euro 249 and euro 299 in Europe.)
The device, also known as the PSVita, also offers six-axis motion sensors, dual analog controls (proper ones, with thumbsticks), front- and rear-facing cameras, an OLED touchscreen, and a touchpad on the back too. The company showed off a number of top-tier titles, including Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a hack-and-slash RPG called Ruin, a new ModNation Racers, LittleBigPlanet, and Street Fighter x Tekken, each showing off plenty of motion and touch interactivity to make it really feel like the next generation in gaming. They’re all looking quite good, and honestly a bit more advanced than what the 3DS has delivered so far — for the same money.
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Quote:
We've seen Sony's PlayStation Vita, and more importantly, what it can do -- but this evening, we touched that Next Generation Portable for the very first time. How does it compare to its single-sticked predecessor? And will we make another Madonna joke? Find out after the break.
The first thing that struck us is just how light the Vita feels in the hand. It's got a gorgeous five-inch OLED panel, monstrous for a portable system, but the plastics used in its construction make it seem lighter than the PSP or even some of our weightier smartphones. You're looking at firm glossy and matte plastic surfaces here, with the Start, Select and Power buttons flush in the glossy front. The face buttons feel small compared to the PSP or a DualShock 3, but they're firm and comfortable to press, and there's a nice floating D-pad on the left side which feels like it could handle a Street Fighter shoryuken or three. The transparent shoulder buttons don't feel much different than the ones on the PlayStation Portable, though perhaps a tad springier in their action, and between them there are a pair of iPod nano-like volume buttons and a pair of thin plastic covers. One hides the flash card slot, while another reveals a mysterious port of some sort -- none of the Sony representatives could tell us what it does, though there's also a larger port on the bottom of the system which apparently connects proprietary USB and / or networking cables.
Despite the lack of weight, the PS Vita definitely has a bit of bulk, and we have to admit it wasn't completely comfortable to hold as instructed. There are a pair of smooth plastic indents on the back for your fingers to rest on (when they're not manipulating the rear touchpad) but they may only work for smaller hands given how close they are to the edges of the system -- we found it far more comfortable to rest our fingers on the touchpad itself, which could potentially pose trouble in certain games that use it, though the jury's out on that one. Speaking of touch, we found both the front and rear screens plenty responsive in early use, and they really do add a lot to well-thought-out games, with both Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet using them to fantastic effect.
Navigating obstacles in Uncharted really is as simple as swiping from ledge to ledge; you can line up a whole series of ledges to have Drake shimmy along by himself; and LittleBigPlanet had us not only dragging objects but intuitively pushing and pulling blocks in and out of the screen with both touchpads simultaneously -- building a staircase of Tetris-like blocks. And how about the dual analog sticks? We're glad you asked -- they completely blow away the original PSP's analog nub, and we don't think first-person combat (or most any PS3 port) will be much of an issue. On this demo unit, they were slightly looser than those on a DualShock 3, but we had no trouble squeezing off a few headshots in Uncharted with a little bit of practice. There were other games on display, but Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet were by far the standouts here, and they both look and play fantastic in person. On the 5-inch screen, we have to say neither entirely looked the junior of its console counterpart -- given the relatively high PPI, you have to look closely to see the graphical compromises. We said it before, but we'll say it again: $250 is a chunk of cash, but it sure looks like you're getting a lot of handheld for your money here.
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