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It must have been perfect timing for Sony when, only a matter of days after the latest Playstation hacking shambles, they had an opportunity to unveil to the world their next hand-held console: The Playstation Vita.
Following a quick apology regarding the data hacking occurrence, Sony's Jack Tretton presented the Playstation Vita to an excited E3 Expo. The Vita, which was formerly known as the NGP, will be out by the end of the year, and there will be eighty games scheduled for release in time for Christmas.
So, what did we think? Could it succeed the PSP, and compete with Nintendo's 3DS?
The first issue to discuss: the name. Vita. I must admit to not being a fan. What does 'Vita' mean anyway? Playstation is a station that you play on. That I get. Vita I don't. Now, maybe my negative first reaction is just a consequence of unfortunate memories of Windows Vista - which it sounds ominously similar to. Still, factoring in their previous Playstation names such as the Playstation Portable - well with that name the customer knew what he was purchasing - he was getting a hand-held version of the Playstation. Vita? Hmm. Perhaps I'll get used to it.
Moving to the design... as you would expect with Sony the Vita design is slick. Very slick. It's surrounded by a black shell, which will look immediately recognizable to PSP gamers. It carries a five-inch OLED screen, twin analogue sticks, plus a pair of cameras, located on the front and back of the Vita, which could come in useful for augmented reality games. The Vita's most potentially interesting addition is a good-sized touch-pad on the back of the machine - something which could easily allow for some fascinating opportunities for more creative developers around the world. This was demonstrated during a quick test play of 'ModNation Racers', where it was established that, while you create your own levels, you could make mountains by pushing the pad.
Regarding the Vita's size, it must be the largest 'hand-held' yet released. You must start to wonder whether hand-held is even the correct label for the device. This monster measures 182 by 84 by 19mm. That makes it bigger than the PSP 3000, although it should be added that the Vita is fractionally thinner. To put it in context, you could practically fit a whole iPhone 4 into the space taken up by Vita's screen alone. The Vita is notably more wide than the Nintendo 3DS, so there's no way that this device will fit in your pocket. So, all things considered, as it's a hand-held it will prove a little awkward if you take it with you to play on the bus.
As everybody knows by now, the success or failure of any device is determined by the quality and number of games. As mentioned above, there will be eighty games ready for the release date - and a fair few of these advance titles were listed in the announcement trailer that arrived online in the wake of the Vita's unveiling at E3. The sheer number of games featured was impressive. Titles rank from the indescribably eye-popping (Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a new version of LittleBigPlanet), the potentially worthwhile (Wipeout 2048, Project Gravity) and a few that seemed more forgettable (a couple of snooker and golf games that looked nothing special, for example). Interestingly, many of these titles will be cross-compatible with the Playstation 3 - these include Wipeout, and an RPG going under the working title of Ruin. It's important to note that while games ought to be playable across both of Sony's machines, to make it work you'll need to buy both the PS3 version as well as a Vita version.
Onto the price of the Vito... during the presentation it was made clear that Vita's power is comparable to its console stable mate. Sony say the Vita will cost $249 for the Wi-Fi only version, and $299 for the 3G device. To be fair to Sony, this leaves the Vita only a fraction more expensive than the Nintendo 3DS. This is a forceful pricing strategy from Sony, especially for a hand-held that is so strong and packed with features. The Vita will offer social networking elements that appear to surpass the 3DS, such as Near, which appears to function a lot like Nintendo's Streetpass, but in fact allows players to communicate properly, as well as swap trophies and other statistics.
When you think that the market has become increasingly directed towards low budget, casual games, be in no doubt that Sony's decision to make a device that has been made exclusively for the core gamer is an audacious and risky one. The Vita is an a key release for Sony, and while the company may still be reeling after the hacking problems, their new hand-held might yet capture the imagination of the gaming crowd, and re-assert Sony's place at the top of the console pyramid.
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