Hands On: PS Vita

The PS Vita has began making it’s way into the wild blue yonder to assault our senses with it’s glorious gaming prowess.  I was fortunate enough to spend about an hour with one, and have been able to compile my initial thoughts on the highly anticipated gadget. I have voiced previous concerns about sales numbers in Japan, the abysmal numbers have been attributed to launch content and the initial price point. I can confidently say after spending my time with the device I hold those same reservations, but find myself yearning to get my hands on one all the same. I marveled at it’s size; the 5′ display is gorgeous, brilliant and, crisp. The touch screen is responsive and simple to manipulate. The system was locked into demo mode, which, to my dismay, barred me from trying any of the social media features. I did also find it was a touch thick for my liking, packing a ton of power requires some thickness, but I still hoped for a slender toy. The dual analog sticks are an absolute godsend, the button positioning is perfect, and the O.S. runs so smoothly. The hands on with the Vita gave me renewed hope towards its success. Pricing and a lackluster list of games didn’t stop me from yearning. I shouldn’t say lackluster, more or less, small. If third party support doesn’t follow with some strength the system is doomed to fail, and my heart is set to be broken.

The hands on demo gave me a different perspective on what I consider the “must play” titles:

Gravity Rush is going to to sell, I don’t think it won’t have a 100% attach rate, but I’d be shocked if it wasn’t close. The unique game play style, and cell-shaded animation will have a unique draw to the core gamer snagging the system. The initial demo was breath-taking, fun, and odd to control. Getting used to the unique control style took me a while. It didn’t help to have the unit tethered to a wall either. It was definitely the highlight of my demo session.

Wipeout 2048 wasn’t on my list before, and it still isn’t. I don’t get the vibe of wipeout. I’m sure it’s phenomenal to fans of the series, there has to be a draw there, to me it’s pretty much high-speed standard racing with guns.. I can get the same high speed experience from F-Zero.

We’re just about 2 weeks from the launch for those that pre-ordered the special bundle, who’s getting on board and who’s getting off?

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