The PS Vita has been launched worldwide with its eye-grabbing attributes. Here we are with a review of the latest piece of hardware coming out of Sony’s forge. With features including a 5-inch touchscreen, 3G/Wi-Fi functionality and dual analog sticks, the Vita looks well on course to being the ultimate handheld gaming machine Sony claims it is.
The Vita opens oodles of possible gaming scenarios with its front and back touch attributes, its two cameras, gyro-sensors and other traits. And moreover, it also heralds the beginning of the phase wherein developers watch and learn, and do some more of that, before understanding the true potential of the hardware and coming up with definitive games for it. Let’s put this brand new handheld through its paces, and see if the Vita is worth its monstrous price tag.
Specifications:
Under its hood, the PS Vita carries an A9 core processor that tags along 512 MB of RAM to deliver a swift experience. The handheld’s main strength still remains its huge 5-inch OLED touchscreen that sits flat on its brawny form factor. And let us take the liberty to say that the touch feedback of this display is just plain amazing. Its ultra-sensitive response makes it a treat to run your fingers across. And the capacitive multi-touch pad at the rear of the device works quite well with the games in which it has been incorporated. This hardware’s built-in GPS makes way for the Google Maps application that has been beautifully optimized for it. We got to lay our hands on the Wi-Fi model and hence we won’t be able to provide you with any insights on the Vita’s 3G connectivity. To endow its users with an augmented reality experience, the Vita has been bestowed with two cameras, one each at its front and back. It’s a given that the dual analog sticks echo of a new chapter in the history of handheld gaming, and these two little buddies really do take two steps forward in providing you with console-like experiences on the handheld. A built-in speaker, a microphone and Bluetooth 2.1 are some of the device’s other features.
Design:
The PS Vita has been built on the PSP blueprint, and the fresh additions are perfect for style as well as comfort. However, the large touchscreen at times makes it quite tricky when interacting with certain games. Take for instance Uncharted: Golden Abyss. You are required to hold the Vita in the usual customary fashion, but when there’s a sequence wherein you have to swipe the screen in order to cut through surfaces using Drake’s machete and other such scenarios, it becomes quite fiddly to stretch out both your thumbs across the screen in order to reach the center.
Another annoying design choice is the encasement of the Start and Select buttons. They have been enclosed a bit too deep into the body for you to be able to press them easily. That said, all other design additions have an exquisite touch which makes them seem right at home wherever they are positioned. The directional keys as well as the four PlayStation buttons have been endowed with extra casings around them that elegantly taper around the analog sticks. The sides of the hardware are occupied by various slots, power and volume buttons as well as the L and R keys. On flipping the device, the rear camera can be found, while below it lies the rear touch panel that has been adorned with small Xs, Ys, squares and triangles.
Performance:
This is the first PlayStation device in nearly six years to ship without the XMB interface. With the PS Vita being a touch-based handheld, it would have been silly to incorporate the earlier interface, and hence it comes with the new LiveArea component. It’s quite tricky to get a hang of this interface at the beginning, but use it for a couple of hours and you’ll be swiping and peeling your way through apps, games and what not in no time at all. You can seamlessly interact with all other aspects of the Vita while your game is paused, and resume it within seconds. Say for instance, that you’re racing your anti-gravity vessel in WipEout 2048, but need to take a Skype call or login to Facebook for some reason. All you have to do is pause and swipe to the left to get to the main screen, perform your call or update you status, and swipe right to get back your race. For this Windows-like trait, we give the Vita an unambiguous thumbs-up and we’re certain that you will too.
As you might have noticed, Sony hasn’t stopped short of infusing it with basic connectivity features so that you don’t miss your smartphone while you’re gaming. And it even has its own little features like the near app which helps you spot nearby Vita players and interact with them. The Party app lets you set up chat rooms with PSN friends, while the Remote Play feature allows you to connect your Vita to a PS3. Other essentials like a browser and Music and Video apps are also in place. Coming towards the graphical capabilities of the device, we’d certainly have to say the handheld performs rather brilliantly in this department. The PS3-like graphics debate has already been won by the Vita, as a large number of PS3 games are being ported to the handheld with ease. The device’s augmented reality attributes are commendable to say the least. We jumped into Reality Fighters to better explore this trait, and it took us just minutes to paste our face on a kung-fu fighter and have him show his moves on our worktables, window panes, our faces and wherever we could point the Vita’s camera. Now although the game can’t branded as extraordinary, it certainly displays what the Vita is capable of.
Final Word: Each time that we got our grips on the PS Vita for this review, our hands kept feeling more and more comfortable controlling the device. It is a huge leap forward for Sony, and it excels in nearly all departments. But at Rs. 19,990 (Wi-Fi) and Rs. 24,990 (3G + Wi-Fi), it definitely doesn’t fall on the extremely affordable side of things. Another aspect that pricks is that only one PSN account can be tied to a single device, unlike the PS3. Folks on the Internet have found ways to get over this problem, but as always, Sony doesn’t ‘recommend’ it. Here’s our score for this next-gen handheld.
Design: 8/10
Functionality: 9.5/10
Comfort: 8.5/10
Overall (not an average): 8.5/10