Console-quality gaming arrives on a portable, but at a cost.
Ever since it was first announced, I’ve been dying to get my hands on the PlayStation Vita. In December, I got my chance with a model imported from Japan, but due to a variety of factors, many features and much of the launch lineup was inaccessible. Now, at long last, the system is making its debut in North America, UK and Australia and bringing with it new software features, an expanded array of games and unhindered access to its full suite of online features.
While the system still suffers from the limitations of its proprietary technology, unintuitive software and steep price, my experience with the U.S. version has me hopeful for the future of Sony’s new portable platform.
In terms of the hardware, the U.S. version is identical to the Japanese unit I imported in December, save for a few small changes to the model identification on the rear panel. As noted in my review in January, despite having an all-plastic build, the PS Vita has a premium look and feel with silver, metallic-finish accents and edge work. The focal point of the design is the massive 5-inch OLED display, which delivers the best visuals of any handheld and even rivals the iPhone 4S’ retina display. Even at its lowest brightness setting, the screen is crisp and vibrant, producing millions of colors.
In order to keep the overall footprint of the system low, the d-pad, action buttons and joysticks that flank the display are small and placed closely to each other. Although considerably smaller than a standard DualShock, the controls are just as effective. The buttons are tightly mounted and responsive. The shoulder buttons are springy and loose but detect depressions accurately.
Overall, the touchscreen and rear touch panel are fairly accurate, though performance varies by application and game. For instance, swipes and taps are detected 1:1 on the main user interface, but gesture controls in games like ModNation Racers: Road Trip are slower to respond.
The system also makes use of built-in accelerometers and a gyroscope to detect motions such as tilting for control input. In some cases, the sensors can be a bit too sensitive and need to be adjusted, but otherwise it works well across most applications. Those who prefer traditional controls will be relieved to know that the touch- and motion-based controls are used as optional alternative control schemes that can be disabled.
The only substantial flaw with the design is the high-gloss finish of the front panel, which is so reflective that the unit is hard to use in direct sunlight. What’s more, the display collects smudges and dirt after only moments of use.
The PS Vita comes in two flavors--a Wi-Fi-only model and a 3G model, priced at $249 and $299, respectively. The 3G model’s service is furnished by AT&T in the U.S. and offers constant connectivity to the PSN, turn-based multiplayer, the system’s mobile browser and social functions. Leading up to launch, we outlined the benefits to investing in the 3G model, as well as some more cost-effective solutions, but now that we’ve been able to test it extensively, there are performance factors to consider.
As expected, enabling 3G increases energy consumption, but the impact on battery life is actually far greater than I would have expected. While I was able to get close to 5 hours of juice out of the Wi-Fi only model, 3G connectivity diminishes battery life to roughly 3 hours per charge. Disabling the 3G function and changing other settings, like lowering the brightness, returns optimal battery life to the 5 hour range. Obviously, having 3G enabled all of the time isn’t necessary, but having to turn it off and on in order to preserve the battery is less than ideal.
The speed of the 3G connection also is also inconsistent. Network performance is largely dependent on your location, but during my testing in San Francisco, I achieved speeds as little as 1.3Mbps and up to 1.7Mbps. Basic messaging between friends was speedy, but web browsing and other media-rich activities were slow. Low data speeds and network congestion limits the features accessible via 3G to messaging, downloads from the PSN that are 20MBs or less and asynchronous (turn-based) multiplayer. In the United States, AT&T is charging $14.99 for an entry-level 250MB monthly plan or $29.99 for 3GBs of data, and based on the impact on the battery and the range of apps that use it, it doesn’t seem worth the cost.
As our camera tests illustrated, the PS Vita’s front- and rear-facing cameras leave much to be desired, falling short of the quality offered by the Nintendo 3DS or even the iPhone 3G, which was released in 2008. Still, they are sufficient for augmented reality games like Little Deviants and for apps like Skype and Twitter. In a recent software update, Sony added support for 640x480 video recording at 29 frames-per-second. Images and video produced by the cameras are grainy with washed out colors, so the PS Vita won’t be replacing your smartphone camera anytime soon.
And then there’s the PS Vita’s primary UI, which remains one of the system’s biggest weaknesses. Each menu, application and game is presented as a bubble icon that, when tapped, opens a new window that displays links to DLC on the PSN, recent friend activity and the a button for launching the game or app itself. While the utility of these shortcuts can be handy, having at least two steps between the main menu and every function is anything but quick and intuitive.
