Hands-On: Sony PlayStation Vita, First Impressions

At a time when portable games consoles are facing tough competition from smartphones and tablets, Sony is gearing up to release a new handheld device designed exclusively for gaming. It may seem risky, but the PlayStation maker seems confident in the success of its upcoming console, after all, the PSP it'll be replacing has already proved popular.

Pocket PS3

When you look at the hardware, it seems that Sony has done everything within its power to stop this console flopping. The PlayStation Vita has a 5-inch, 16:9 OLED capacitive touchscreen with multipoint technology and a resolution of 960 x 544 pixels. It can therefore be controlled as instinctively as the latest-generation smartphones and touchscreen tablets. Plus, a multipoint touchpad the same size as the screen is built into the back of the console, offering new gaming possibilities like zooming, or picking up objects without touching the screen or the physical controls.

The Vita runs on a four-core processor and has a separate graphics processor and 512 MB of RAM. All of that should guarantee top-notch performances (see the official website for full tech specs).

On top of that, Sony's PlayStation Vita has a built-in GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, optional 3G, front- and rear-facing cameras, a six-axis motion-sensing gyroscope, a compass, stereo speakers and a microphone. It has two analogue sticks, a four-way arrow pad and six gaming buttons.

The Wi-Fi-only console weighs 260 g while the Wi-Fi plus 3G version weighs 279 g, which is really quite reasonable considering that the 3DS weighs around 230 g. Both versions are due to launch in Europe on 22 February 2012, with the Wi-Fi-only model selling for £230 and the Wi-Fi/3G model for £280.

Sony is announcing a battery life of four to five hours for gaming, depending on what settings you use (brightness, Wi-Fi, etc.). An external battery may also be sold as an optional extra to boost the battery life when necessary.

Given its dimensions (182 x 18.6 x 83.5 mm), the Vita won't fit into a trouser pocket and may not even fit your coat pocket, but it should slip easily enough into a bag.

Check out the main functions of the Sony PlayStation Vita in the video below:

100% Gamer!

The fact that the Vita isn't quite pocket-sized is an important point, as Sony evidently isn't aiming this product at occasional gamers—like those who might play a game on their smartphone on a short tube ride or while waiting for the bus. The Vita is small enough to be portable but it's clearly aimed at gamers looking for the same sensations, handling and gaming possibilities as in the full-sized PlayStation, but while out and about or away from home. These gamers are likely to spend more than a quick five minutes killing time with the console.

Sony is also keen to play up the console's connectivity for interaction within the user community and improved communication between players. The 3G connection ensures constant connectivity, but we'll check out whether it's worth taking out a 3G data plan when we review the console in full—after all, with more and more Wi-Fi hotspots out there, keeping connected has never been easier.

Hand-On, First Impressions

Last week, we headed over to Sony for a hands-on with the PlayStation Vita. It was a final stage prototype version of the console, so we were able to get a pretty good idea of the strengths and weaknesses we can expect to see in the final model. In fact, with the exception of a few visible screws, it was effectively the same PlayStation Vita that'll be on shelves in February.

What we liked:

• The superb OLED screen with monster contrast levels, on which graphics look great!
• Touch-controls make gaming and navigating through menus feel natural.
• Two analogue control sticks for genuine console-style gaming.
• Design and handling limit fatigue and give the impression of a lightweight console.
• Smooth, impressive graphics in the games we tested.
• Gyroscope brings something new to gameplay (although already seen in the 3DS).
• Touchpad on the back of the console is full of potential.
• Impeccable finish (although this may be slightly different in the final version).

What we didn't like:

• Bulky design means it's not ideal for use everywhere.
• The shiny, smooth surface of the touch-sensitive panel on the back of the device sticks to your fingers a bit (but it can till be easily swiped like the touchscreen on the front).
• Battery can't be removed.

All in all, we were impressed with the quality of the graphics, which look even more spectacular on the excellent OLED screen. In fact, the picture and video of the game Uncharted Golden Abyss below don't to justice to the quality of the graphics when you see them for real onscreen. It's almost like playing with a mini PS3, although details are obviously not rendered with quite as much precision (textures and fewer polygons). The Vita version of Virtua Tennis 4 was also very impressive. We weren't entirely convinced by the touchscreen controls but, thankfully, these are optional.

Uncharted Golden Abyss—great graphics!

The multipoint touchscreen does, however, allow you the same fun gaming experience as on a touchscreen tablet or a smartphone. It's also much more practical for selecting options or scrolling through menus directly with a finger onscreen. We were a bit less impressed with the touchpad on the back of the console, as we couldn't really see any use for it. We'll have to try it with some games that make proper use of its functions to see what it really brings to the experience.

The two analogue controllers are small but comfortable to use. We didn't have any trouble using the physical controls at all, in fact. The console's general handling is good, and buttons fall nicely under your fingers.

From our first hands-on, it looks like the PlayStation Vita has plenty of potential for success. Sony is clearly aiming the product at serious gamers, like those who already own a PlayStation 3, rather than occasional smartphone gamers. This should help the product stand out and find its niche in the market. With plenty of games developers and publishers on board, the choice of Vita games should grow quickly too. All in all, we reckon the Vita has all it takes to succeed in 2012.