PlayStation Vita Launch Event

This past Friday, I found myself in a taxi weaving through a suburban area of Toronto's centre to 99 Sudbury Avenue. Convinced I was in the wrong place, I checked with the driver and he allayed my fears when we rolled up outside the building where Sony's PS Vita launch was taking place.

Standing outside in what passes for 'good' weather in Toronto I reflected on the relatively low-key nature of the Vita's launch, and why the public have not heard as much about the console as those more ingratiated in the tech world.

The Vita, from the Latin "life" is Sony's effort to fan the flames of the dwindling handheld market, a market that in recent years has suffered heavily from mobile devices such as Apple, HTC and Google's Droid phones. What Sony has to convince "us" about, is why we should shell out for their new system, one that according to their press material will bring about "the portable gaming revolution," a weighty claim, to say the least.

Entering the building of the press focused event, I was greeted by the smell of fresh paint, the interior blanketed in white presumably to reflect the Vita's name and convey the virginal aesthetic that this was a new beginning for not only the Vita, but also handheld gaming.

After checking in, I made my way into the main floor, an open plan room with a giant Vita on a stand rolling through interviews and impressive gameplay footage while projectors threw PlayStation logos onto the room's walls.

Sony chose to simplify the process of how we examine the myriad features the handheld had to offer, each feature housed in its own section with a selection of games to exemplify the diverse aspects of the device. We also had staff from Sony's corral walking the floor, as well as third-party developers talking about their games and their incorporation of the new design elements.

The organic nature of event allowed those not familiar with new features, as well as handheld gaming, to adapt to the games and console, while one of the many helpers (decked out in white) walked them through.

In terms of press coverage, there was diverse pool of people from different media and entertainment sectors, showing just how much gaming has evolved in terms of reporting. Among gaming magazine and technology websites, we also had heavy hitters of Canada's own CityTv reporting from the scene.

Once I had obtained a beer and Vita cookie, I thought I had best check out what the event had to offer. My first port of call was the Dual Analog booth, where the new Uncharted (Naughty Dog) and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Capcom) were doing the rounds to showcase the dual analogue capabilities. Trying out MvC3 I relied on the D-Pad purely out of ingrained habits and when changing to the second analogue stick I found myself struggling, the heat of battle perhaps not the best time to test drive a new feature. Still, I played the game proficiently enough to net myself a few photo opportunities from an enthusiastic press photographer, so I obviously did it some justice.

As the queues amassed for others to partake in the game, I shuffled off to the touch screen booth, where I tested out the Vita's augmented reality feature in a game similar to Nintendo's Face Raiders. The main issue with AR in any system is the quality of lighting in the room you're in, and the game suffered from grainy backgrounds due to low lighting levels. Testing out the touch screen with Virtua Tennis (SEGA) I found the game quite fun, using your right hand to determine the type of shot you took, and was a nice quirk.

Taking a tour of the Six Axis booth, I found some users struggling with Gravity Rush (Japan Studio), the game akin to a lucid dream or bad mushroom trip, where you guide a girl with rag-doll physics through a changing environment. It's difficult to estimate how effective these features are in a short sitting, but with every game I believe it has to be easy to pick up and play.

The App station was perhaps one of the most interesting sections, most of what people consider basic amenities being released on launch date such as Netflix, Facebook, FourSquare and Twitter. We also had Sony's own "Near" app, which allows the player to 'check in' to locales and leave gifts for other users to pick up and engage in multiplayer. Users can also access the PS store, group chat, message, and upload photos, creating its own social networking environment.

Checking out the Cross Platform Integration section, I was disappointed after waiting over half an hour for the PS3 to finish its goliath string of updates, which it then did not work, leaving us to only wonder at its hands on capabilities. What they informed us of, was that it works similarly to the PS3, where gamers are able to play a game on their PS3, pause it, and carry it on the Vita. My main issue with this feature is the "why" of it all, as gamers these days engage in it from rooms where cross platform is rarely an issue. This feature will probably receive more use in households with only one central entertainment unit, and I dare say I never once used it with my PSP.

Rear Touch was perhaps one of the more baffling additions, and upon testing out Army Corps of Hell (Enterphere) where I had to thrash the back to perform an augmented ability, it felt slightly redundant, and didn't really enhance my experience rather than muddle it. The other game incorporating the rear touch pad was Super Stardust Delta (Housemarque) where you could tap to create a black hole, amongst other features such as the touch screen and six axis. While this was an interesting element to the game, what made it enjoyable was the gameplay above all and I'm pleased to see it as a launch game for the unit.

The front and back cameras offer a lot of opportunity for snapping photos and toying with basic image manipulation but from what was on offer, I failed to see any game where it truly augmented the games, which was unfortunate. Aside from sticking my head onto a character, I could beat in a game of tennis, or beat-up in a game, it seems more an enhancement gimmick at the moment, rather than a realised implement.

Wi-Fi is simple, not diverging a great deal, from what most of us are already experienced with, and as mentioned, the Near app, works similarly to Nintendo's multiplayer feature. The handheld will be offered in Wi-Fi and 3G/Wi-Fi models.

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.