Playstation Vita a good buy for true handheld gamers

The new handheld PlayStation Vita (PSV) came out on February 22 without much buzz. There were no PSV Super Bowl ads, nor were there any significant marketing campaigns. No one seems to have even talked about it. For dedicated gamers, however, the PSV offers unparalleled console experience on a handheld with its graphic capabilities and dual analog stick controls. While the controls feel clunky at times, the PSV largely lives up to its promise of delivering a pleasant next-gen gaming experience that you can take with you as you go.

The PSV looks great. Although it is made entirely of plastic, the glossy finish gives the PSV a high-end look. It doesn’t look bad compared to the iPhone, and it certainly looks much better than the Nintendo 3DS, its main competitor. It is larger than the 3DS, but it is also surprisingly lighter, meaning that holding it for hours won’t hurt your wrist or fingers. The PSV also features a touch screen and a touch-sensitive pad on the back to make use of your middle, ring and pinky fingers.

The buttons and analog sticks are very small and are clumped together, which makes them a little awkward to use at first. The analog sticks are bumpy and have limited range of motion, so I always find myself overturning in first-person shooting games. This is somewhat of a disappointment, because I had hoped that the PSV’s analog sticks would be at least as comfortable to use as the circle pad on 3DS. It definitely takes a while to get used to the PSV’s analog sticks to be able to fully enjoy shooting games. The touch screen is a great addition to the PSV, though. At 5 inches with a very high resolution, the screen is capable of displaying vibrant colors, and it’s just pleasant to look at, especially when coupled with great in-game graphics. The touch commands are responsive and precise as well.

The user interface is sleek and perceptive to use. Apps are displayed as badges on the home screen, and it is easy to open and close different apps. The Internet browser is fast. Multi-touch commands like zooming in and out are responsive with no lagging. The spacious 5-inch touch screen really makes Internet browsing beautiful and easy on the eyes. The PSV can access Sony’s PlayStation Store through an app. Besides buying PS Vita games, you can also download previously purchased games, buy PSP and PSone games, and rent or buy movies. Sony does a great job of making the interface intuitive to use, and the browsing is generally fast.

My verdict is that the PSV is worth the $250 price tag for the Wi-Fi version if you think that being able to play console-quality games on the go is important to you. If not, you will find it hard to justify the investment, especially considering that the games are almost $40 each. Furthermore, Sony decides to rip you off by forcing you to buy a pricey memory stick made only for PSV at $20 for 4 GB, $30 for 8 GB and $100 for 32 GB. But if you think that the PSV is worth the price, you will find that playing video games on it is an extremely satisfying experience.