Sony PlayStation Vita

The Nintendo DS may have proved a huge worldwide hit, but Sony's PSP still managed to clock up a fairly impressive number of sales over the years. Portable gaming clearly isn't dead just yet, then, as Sony is back with a replacement for its PlayStation Portable handheld console. With a large, touch-sensitive OLED screen, boosted graphics power and two analogue sticks, the PlayStation Vita is an ever-more gamer-oriented console that should make a worthy replacement for the PSP while also fighting off competition from smartphones and tablets.

High-End Finish, Two Analogue Sticks!

The PlayStation Vita looks like an even more impressive piece of kit than the PSP. The large 5-inch screen set flush into the upper face of the console is covered with a plate of glass, which helps give the device a decidedly high-end feel. On the whole, we don't have any complaints about product finish, as Sony seems to have done a first-rate job. The only real blip is the connection port covers (cartridge port, accessories port, memory card slot), which are made from a kind of flimsy, flexible plastic that feels a bit fragile. Proper hard plastic covers would have been more convincing.

The PS Vita will still use physical games, which are due to come loaded on little cartridges that look similar to SD cards.

Note too that the Vita is only compatible with a proprietary format of memory card and, surprise surprise, these don't come cheap! The proprietary format is supposed to help reduce games piracy and illegal copying, but it ends up making gamers shell out even more cash, as no memory card is supplied with the console as standard.

One real strong point of the PS Vita is that it has two analogue sticks, which are ideal for moving a camera around or lining up shots in third-person and first-person games. The sticks are a little on the small side, though, so you'll have to go a bit easier on your thumb movements than with a regular PS3 controller. That said, they're nice and precise.

For more information about the Vita's design and handling, take a look at our PS Vita: Consoles Compared article, which compares the Vita's physical interface with the PSP, 3DS and DualShock 3 controller (PS3).

Simple, Smartphone-Style Interface

The graphic interface uses a pretty standard icon-based design. There's an icon for each application, and you can fit up to 10 icons on the screen at once. Like with touchscreen smartphones, you can scroll through pages of icons vertically and arrange the various apps and games as you like. It's a simple and practical system.

The PS Vita has multitasking capabilities so several applications can be launched at once. Open apps can be accessed on different pages, lined up horizontally for you to flick through like the pages of a book.


The PlayStation Vita can be used as an audio and video player, with content stored on a PC or PS3 accessible via Wi-Fi. Interaction with Sony's full-sized console is pretty advanced too, as some Vita games are compatible with the PS3.

With the 3G version of the console you can find and interact with other Vita users nearby, as well as use social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare), an instant messaging service, and see the trophies and prizes you've won in various games. Note that 3G isn't designed for multiplayer network gaming—you'll need to use Wi-Fi for that. As a result, 3G connectivity is a nice plus point, but it doesn't seem to bring a whole lot extra to the device, especially considering the relatively high price of the 3G deals out there at the moment. Plus, the smartphones most users already have in their pockets seem more suitable for connecting, communicating and surfing the web than the PS Vita.

The Vita has two built-in cameras—one on the front of the console and one on the back. While the camera on the back is better quality, it's still nothing special. It's no match for a compact camera or even one of Sony's high-end smartphones, which is a bit disappointing. However, it's good enough for augmented reality gaming.

Limited But Acceptable Battery Life

While battery life is probably the biggest weakness of the Nintendo 3DS, the PS Vita doesn't do too bad a job. In our first test with the game Uncharted Golden Abyss (actually playing, rather than just running the demo over and over) with the brightness and volume at mid-level settings and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off, we managed to keep playing for 5 hours and 35 minutes. Although that's nothing amazing, it's still not bad considering the Vita's on-board components. In equivalent conditions, the 3DS gave up the ghost 1 hour 30 minutes sooner, at best.

Note that Sony has already hinted at releasing an external battery pack for the PS Vita.

Stay tuned for PlayStation Vita games reviews, coming soon on DigitalVersus.