There are well over 20 full games available at retail and on the Playstation Network. Honestly, it’s probably a contender for the best console launch lineup ever. ![]() Thankfully, the Vita launch cabinet is already packed with quality titles. Hardware like the Playstation Vita is virtually irrelevant without a good collection of software. Good: Nice case, brilliant screen protectorīad: Infuriating sleeve, generic extras, steep price $10 less and it might have been a bit easier to recommend. Overall, I don’t think the pack lives up to its price tag. The screen protector is surprisingly the real winner of the bunch, as it features an ingeniously designed plastic cover sheet that makes it quite easy to coat the screen with little to no bubbles under the film. The pseudo-leather case looks very suave indeed and hugs the console well enough to protect most of it, but the stand feature is prone to collapsing. The wrist strap does its job but is a little too short to avoid discomfort when trying to touch the side of the screen furthest from where it’s attached. The sleeve looks like a good idea in concept but in practice there is no way to make it fold over the Vita neatly, which drives me crazy, and it doesn’t protect the console’s vulnerable analogue sticks (which have apparently been breaking easily in Japan). The screen wipe looks nice but is standard fare. I don’t intend to use the game case at all, because I tend to keep my game cards in their own cases instead. ![]() The case slash stand that comes with the Starter Pack. The starter pack contains a foldable plastic game case (holds eight), a screen protector, a screen wipe, a wrist strap, a “sleeve” for your Vita and a foldable case that doubles as a stand. I am only half satisfied with my decision. A number of third parties have come out with their own cases and the like, but I decided to go with the one bearing the Playstation brand. ![]() Good: Incredible display, sharp technical features, slick and comfortable design, user-friendly interfaceįaring less well is the completely optional starter pack that Sony offers for $40 RRP. We’ll have to see if the Vita’s current price and memory strategy can keep it competitive. Not that I don’t think it’s worth it, but its nearest competitor the 3DS is so much cheaper, comes with 2gb free memory and is just generally an awesome console. Add a game or two on top and things start to pile up quickly. They range from $30 for 4gb to $70 for 16gb. Even if you grab the cheapest of the two models at $350 (the 3G-enabled model retails for $420) you still have to purchase some kind of tiny Vita-exclusive memory card to be able to play any games. However, the price of entry is probably its biggest problem right now. The sheer power and style of the device stands out from the get-go and it clearly has a great deal of potential. I did have to jump through almost an hours worth of hoops just to get everything set up properly, but that kind of ordeal is so commonplace with new hardware these days that I can’t really complain too much about it. A number of apps can run at the same time and it’s as easy as peeling away a virtual sticker if you want to close one of them. The user interface takes a lot of cues from the operating system of the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad, with moveable bubbles serving as the entry point into the various applications and games on offer. The Vita as compared to the good ol’ PSP 3000. Finally, the Vita is remarkably light for something so bulky and powerful. ![]() The face buttons click much like those on a Nintendo 3DS and the analogue sticks feel very natural once you get used to how diminuitive they seem. The shoulder buttons and PS button are larger than those on the PSP, but all of the other physical inputs are noticeably smaller. The system’s shell is more rounded and more comfortable to hold than its predecessor the PSP, a fact visible from all angles. The inbuilt gyro sensor also functions admirably. The multi-touch front screen responds well and the rear touch pad is just as quick to register what it needs to. This is easy to avoid, though, and most of the time the OLED graphics do nothing but impress. The glare coming off the screen under certain lighting conditions is quite severe, to the point of detracting from the incredible quality of the display on occasion. It’s always a bit of fun to get your hands on some shiny new tech, but the first thing you notice about the PS Vita is just how incredibly shiny it is. I only have the design of the system itself to go off, so that’s what I will be focusing on here. Let’s get straight to some first impression reviews. Day One haul, clockwise from bottom left: Starter Pack, PSVita Wifi Model, Preorder Bonus Box, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Little Deviants, PSN Voucher, Memory Card.
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