Destructoid Review: PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Portable is quite possibly the greatest electronic device that I ever resented. I hated so much about the PSP, and not because I disliked the system -- I absolutely loved it. However, the lack of support from third parties, the awkward firmware updates, and a slew of other ancillary issues constantly threatened to ruin my experience.

With the PlayStation Vita, Sony has another chance, and it's a chance that I can only hope is grabbed with both hands. Dale North and I have each armed ourselves with a Vita ahead of its official North American launch on February 22, and I think it's safe to say that we both think it's capable of very great things, so long as it's allowed to flourish.

What about right here, right now? Just what will early adopters be getting themselves into, and will their $250 investment be a wise one? Naturally, we have all the answers.

[Knight_Cid]

Jim always loves bashing the psp for its incredible library

[JellyJelly]

"Playing Uncharted for the first time is nothing short of a revelation. It's a sign of just how far we've come that we've got beautiful, fully-fledged console experiences sitting in our hands. The bells, the whistles, and the gimmicks are all great, but the PlayStation Vita succeeds where it matters most -- it can play awesome games, and it already has a number of them prepared for launch. That's what counts, and the Vita is off to a good start in that area."

Sounds like he really hates the Vita too. /s

[Knight_Cid]

I have no problem with anyone saying they hate or love the vita

What I have a problem with is using the psp in an insulting way to make the vita look superior

I want vita because the psp was so great

[floetry101]

He's not insulting the PSP at all. He actually states that he loved it, and his criticism of the device is dead on. I enjoyed the PSP as much as the next guy, but to say that it didn't have a rocky existence is flat out denial.

[kaveti6616]

"What I have a problem with is using the psp in an insulting way to make the vita look superior"

You shouldn't have a problem with that, either. The PS VITA should make the PSP look like a piece of crap in comparison.

But I've read some of your comments so I don't expect much else from you.

[_LarZen_]

@Knight_Cid

I want the PSV beacaus its so much better then the PSP :P

[Elemental_]

@kaveti6616

The psp is a piece of crap in comparision? Not in terms of games so far? And certainyl not in terms of sales

[Knight_Cid]

80 million units sold is a rocky existence?

A library of games that only the ds could compete with this gen?

that is denial

[floetry101]

Without needing to mention the fact that it hasn't actually sold 80 million units, or the fact that the PSP Go was a marketing and commercial failure, it doesn't discount the fact that Jim Sterling stated that he LOVES THE PSP. How could I possibly be more clear? How can you STILL be offended?

Man, now I remember why I stopped posting here so much.

[Elemental_]

The psp is around 80 million units

the psp go is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

The dsi xl didnt light the charts on fire either. But it doesnt change the fact the ds line has sold over 150 million

[saladthieves]

Again with the sales argument! Yes, it sold very well for a device that was entering the dedicated portable segment, especially considering the fact that Ninty had quite a huge stronghold in that area.

But the sales pitch doesn't justify the fact that the PSP did indeed have a rocky existence.

To begin with, I don't believe that Sony put quite a lot of focus in it. I believe this could have been caused by the short interval between both platforms' (PSP and PS3) launch. We know that the PS3's launch was nothing close to spectacular. It was late, expensive and had very little library of games at launch. Sony had to do something to support it, even if it mean pulling all their resource and focus from the PSP.

Another factor is the amount of piracy that's affecting the PSP. This alone has caused some 3rd party developers to look onto different options/platforms. Clearly Sony was aware of how this rampaged the PSP - look at the Vita and its proprietary memory cards for example, or how it took hackers some time to hack the PS3 (and how Sony exactly reacted to it!)

[Elemental_]

@egidem

Its the only think that matters in terms of if it had a rocky existence. i can assure you that sony didnt think so

"I don't believe that Sony put quite a lot of focus in it."

2 new god of wars, 3 syphon filters, resistemce, wild arms, killzone, lbp, mod nation, patapon, and more are you nuts?

Piracy is an irrelevant factor. ALL systems had it this gen
"
This alone has caused some 3rd party developers to look onto different options/platforms."

No it didnt not at all. Is that why the psp had over 800 games?

[Veneno]

@ Elemental

People, escpecially game Journalists, show just how incredibly stupid they are when they say the PSP had no support. Not only did it have all those PSP specific games, there's also PS ONE CLASSICS, and MINIs. That's 3 different ways the psp got support. With the secondary support, PS ONE Classics and MIni's still coming out, there will still be new content to enjoy on the PSP for years to come.

And eventhough the GO wasn't a success ( Although I absolutely LOVE mine) Sony said themselves it was an exeriment to test the market's reception of an all download handheld, so if it failed, it would be fine, and if it succeeded, it would just be gravy on top.

I'm sick of all the ignorance and lies the media throw at the Playstation brand. All these big sites are about as knowledgable as a Gamestop employee.

[badz149]

"the psp go is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things."

Go! was more relevant than you know! Go! was the 1st reason why there are so many PSP titles available on PSN and looking at things now, less and less people are still realizing the fact that PSP games downloaded via PSN is NOT significantly cheaper than new UMDs (many times you can get UMD games for way cheaper especially used) and can't be traded for other games or cash like UMD!

what more people are seeing now is "the Vita can play PSP games" side of thing while forgetting that there were so many complaints on PSN PSP games' pricing in the earlier days and still is no better now.

personally I think the Go! 'made' this happens and instead of thinking it as a total disaster as a product, I think it's actually a stepping stone for Sony to capitalize on PSP game sales on PSN with the Vita! now that Vita titles are 'actually' cheaper on PSN, more and more people will flock THAT way and while at it, there are chances they will also buy PSP games too. this can work great in Sony's favor if they do it right!

[farhad2k8]

You want a good review? Check TechRadars review.
They review every single detail of the VITA, and give it a 4.5/5.

[ReservoirDog316]

Haha, are you saying that's the only thing you got from reading that glowing review? The PSP's 3rd party support was so troubled from the piracy that even Sony admits it.

Whatever though, wish I could afford a Vita. I hope I can get it with a Christmas bundle or something cause I'm pretty broke right now.

[spacedelete]

trolls always troll for the slightest little thing. if it hurts your feelings don't read the review.

jog on now theres a bridge with your name on it.

[Insomnia_84]

Picking up mine tomorrow midnight!!

[saladthieves]

When you do, could you give us a short review of what you think of it (owning one, that is). Most of us have to wait for 9 agonizing days!

[ExpectTheUnexpected]

8 agonizing days

[f789790]

We're so close! I've put off playing Rayman so I can get it on the Vita.

[Soldierone]

I bought Disgaea 3 for PS3 and haven't touched it because I'm waiting for it on Vita lol

[Octo1]

I get mine Wednesday and the wait is killing me :S

[dredgewalker]

I'm just waiting for the inevitable success of the Vita and how the naysayers and doom writers try to snake out of the negative things they wrote about it and how it would fail.

[saladthieves]

Same here.

I'm waiting for the inevitable hypocritical troll articles about how "derp tha PSV didnt sell 30 mil at lunch like black ops so PSV is fail herp".

[Mykky]

Seeing how bad Vita has done it in Japan I don't expect a "success" as in selling as much as the 3DS. I think it will do well enough but nothing more.
I hope It will be a major success though as I will buy it when more games are out.

[MagicAccent]

I am naturally suspicious of anything that troll Sterling posts, but this time I think it might be worth reading.

[Anon1974]

I'll pass. It's Jim Sterling. The guy has such a long history of trolling articles and reviews I just can't be bothered anything with his name attached. Destructoid used to be a credible gaming site years ago but it's like they somewhere made an editorial decision to troll for hits, and I'm sure they've seen a sharp uptick in site visitors since that decision was made that more than offsets the disgusted gamers like myself who they lost with their baseless, often factually inaccurate "rant-for-hits" approach to editorials we've seen them increasingly rely on instead of solid reporting about games and the industry.

Edit below: Seriously? Read Jim Sterling. Go back and read 10 or so of his articles. I don't care if he says the Vita is fantastic or a paper weight - a troll can spout Shakespeare every now and then, it doesn't change the fact that he's a troll. I just don't like the guy nor do I think he's a credible voice on anything gaming related. Grow up? How about contributing to the conversation rather than taking schoolyard shots at someone? If you think I'm wrong, give a reason, present a counter argument. That's how adults have conversations where there are disagreements. But based on your comment history, it doesn't look like adding to conversations is really a strong point you've displayed in the past. Grow up indeed....

[soundslike]

The problem is people like you think everything Sterling does is trolling. Incorrect. His trolls are often separate from his reviews and come in very obvious forms (like his machinima video)

I don't always agree with his reviews, but they do often bring up fair points that fanboy reviews gloss over.

[SpinalRemains138]

So I take it that anoyone who disagrees with you is a troll then?

The word troll is used far too often. Perhaps you should stop worrying about some obscure gaming writer and concentrate on not ruining the internet with hyperbole.
- Yeah Vita!

[MmaFan-Qc]

and what about Dale North?

[Tonester925]

I played the PS Vita at Gamestop and there's only one annoying thing about it. The analog sticks. Maybe it was just me but they feel weird and awkwardly "hard".

[Veneno]

You're right on there. The sticks just don't feel right. It's because the thumbs don't rest comfortably on them. I noticed two major problems 1) There is no grippy surface material to them like on a DUALSHOCK 3 so the thumbs slip on them 2) The tops of the sticks have a convex shape to them. Had they been concave it might have solved the 1st issue. And vice-versa.

[Tonester925]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought this. I might get used to them once I play more.

[Navick]

I tried the PS Vita last week at the Sony store in NYC. At first the analog sticks did feel a bit weird but not bad. We are all use to playing with home console controllers. I spent some time in the store playing some PS3 games and before I left I went to give (I should say touch) the Vita another go. I must say that from the span of about 30 mins the stick grew on me. I began to get use to them. So I think after a couple hours of play time, we will feel right at home.

[MaximusPrime]

its a matter of getting used to it.
its like driving a new car for a first time and you have to get used to its steering, clutch pedal etc etc.

no surprise there imo

[Tonester925]

I guess that I thought that since PS3 players like the feeling of the DualShock 3 analog sticks, Sony would keep that "feel" of the controller into the handheld.

[Ulf]

The PSP has basically been the king of handheld RPGs since about 2009 -- Ys Oath in Felghana & Ys Seven, Phantasy Star Portable 1 & 2, Valkyria Chronicles 2, Hexyz Force, Crimson Gem Saga, Monster Hunter 3, Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky...

Anyone who thinks the PSP library is weak, these days, is an ignorant fool who hasn't bothered looking. I just listed 9 of the best RPGs in the past half decade, and they are almost all PSP exclusives (not MH3) that were released in the past 2-3 years. I suppose if you're looking for shooters, or some other blatantly non-portable genre (until the advent of the Vita, of course), then yeah, okay, you're not gonna find that *anywhere*, let alone the PSP.

I suppose the PSP is weak in the puzzle and brain teaser dept... because phones basically rule the roost there, so.. whatever. If puzzle games were the reason you bought a dedicated gaming device, there's something wrong.

That said, the Vita starting lineup is AMAZING if you haven't played some of those stellar PSP games I mentioned. Even without the PSP games, its really good, IMO.

[GraveLord]

Although I don't always agree with Destructoid reviews, they're always a good read.

[ironmonkey]

cross game party chat! winnnnnnnn. if android is allowed on this eventually, forget about tablets.

[StoneAgeWarfare]

the most important thing is that vita right around the corner and I'm getting one

[realgamer890]

Two questions:

#1: Do you guys think the Vita will sale well, if not better, once it launches in the US and Europe than Japan?

#2: Is Gravity Daze (Rush) a launch title?

[Navick]

#1
I would have to bet on yes, it will sell better, being that the launch titles appeal to US/EU gamers.

#2
I don't think so... But shouldn't be too far off from launch. I do know that Resistance Burning Skies is scheduled for May 29th.

[MaximusPrime]

Europe shouldn't be a problem but North America is always the hard place for Sony to crack.

but we have to wait and see

[smashcrashbash]

Glad to see reviewers agree that the VITA is a great piece of hardware. That's all I need to hear. I am ignoring all the lame excuses and nitpicking and getting myself a VITA. I am not going to let them influnce me. Just imagine idiots are STILL saying 'I'll wait until the VITA gets some games before I buy it'. I don't know what you call their long list of VITA games. Potatoes?

[hfaze]

Can't wait... I have my Vita prepaid along with Uncharted. Two more days!

[GoodnessGreatness]

7 days to go for me! :(

[erivera1994]

Can someone answer this for me. Does anyone know if PS Vita games save on their game card or does it save on the Memory card that you need to buy seperate?

[plmkoh]

It's easy to tell, if the game box says memory card required, all saves will be saved into a memory card you buy separately. If the box says nothing the saves will be made into the flash card.

[caliman87]

memory card is required

[erivera1994]

okay thanks, this will help me determine which memory card to get.

[videoxgamexfanboy]

I just got my vita tonite from a midnite launch at gamestop. Hopefully ill actully use it. Im really looking forward to games that i cant get on ps3 or xbox. So until that happens i wont be buying any games at launch. Gunna get home and see what all the fuss is about

[Rayko]

I can't see why people would like to buy a handheld PS3 when they already got a PS3 which plays the games in better graphics, on bigger screens, more options as playing with a friend/friends on the big screen etc.

So what is so fun playing games on handheld systems? Only reason I see is that it's for people that have to play games where ever they walk, on the bus, at school breaks, in the bathroom, on the bed while having sex etc.

[caliman87]

Not everybody sits at home like u.

[Rayko]

so you are one of those addicts that need to play games everywhere you go? Amazing.