Friday April 19, 2024

PlayStation Vita Launch Event

We get some final hands-on time with the handheld from Sony before its release this week

Posted by Peter Ingham on February 20, 2012 - 9:44pm EST

Hardware

The Vita boasts a lot of gaming power for a relatively compact handheld, not differing too greatly from the original in terms of size and weight. Getting into the nitty-gritty of it, we've got a ARM Cortex- A9 core (4 core) CPU and SGX543MP4+ GPU, which in layman's terms offers similar scaled down graphical capabilities as your PS3. So that's a lot of power in a small shell.

The 3G Vita comes with an 8GB memory card (as Launch edition), and users can purchase a Starter Kit for $39.99, which includes another 4GB Memory Card and accessories. Standalone memory card pricing includes 4GB for $19.99, 8GB for $29.99, 16GB for $59.99, and 32GB for $99.998 GB. The Vita's memory card format is proprietary.

When we strip all of its capabilities down, I think what we have is a rather Frankenstein-like console, ideas taken from phones and gaming devices already on the market, amalgamating them into one device. There's the interface design reminiscent of Apple's IPhone, where the user swipes from side to side to cycle through screens creating a very intuitive interface. The camera, touch screen, and voice commands coming from Nintendo. The app market, with Netflix, Facebook and other social networking sites are also an integral part of its selling point.

Upon the console's launch there will be 25 titles to choose from, and while the list is very strong, I'm concerned there is too much focus on accentuating the gimmicks and falling back on established franchises, rather than working on solid titles to justify the Vita experience. I mean, what does adding my face to fighting game really do to add value and justify me buying the handheld?

There is a lot of potential in the Vita, and enough genre variation at time of launch to satisfy myriad gaming styles, perhaps I'm longing for a game that simply isn't feasible in any other platform out there, one where I can say "only the Vita is capable of this." And I'm not talking about retro-fitting the design elements to work within a game that could be achieved elsewhere, as has been done with a number of games.

I believe the Vita has its work cutout as it attempts to offer what phones and other handhelds cannot. The issue, however, is whether it can pull it off - the console is fairly pricey, retailing at around $250 ($300 for 3G model) from the time of its launch this week, and I can't help feeling there isn't enough drive to buy it, as it appears to merely polish off other products and borrow from them while not carving its own identity. Gimmicks may sell consoles, but without coherent and engaging applications, enthusiasm tends to fade rapidly. Perhaps this will be Sony's greatest handheld challenge yet - from what I've seen, the tech and the game selection is solid enough. What remains to be seen is if the consumers will respond to this high-tech offering.

The PlayStation Vita will be available this Wednesday, February 22, 2012 across North America and Europe.