I Got a Life!

At the weekend, I decided to go and blow all my hard-saved cash (read: got money for my birthday), and I bought a PS Vita.

And I have to say, I'm rather pleased. for a handheld console the screen is incredibly large, so I don't feel like I'm peering down at it. The analogue sticks are easy to use, and I don't find them awkwardly positioned (possible due to having unmanly small hands). What was a surprise was how good the battery life proved to be. Having heard a lot of complaints about it getting the same sort of battery life as the 3DS (which I've also owned), I was expecting it to die pretty quickly. Not so. Yesterday, I finished charging it at 12.30pm, and got a low battery warning at 7.30pm, after having spent the afternoon playing on it. We'll see if that continues over the next few weeks.

Surprisingly for a game launched a month ago, there are a lot of decent games on the Vita, many of which are the sort I enjoy playing. I decided to pick up Uncharted, which isn't bad for a linear action game, though I find the shooting controls a bit flacid and imprecise. However, the story is good enough to keep me playing, and the voice acting is excellent, with some amusing quips from Nathan Drake.

I've also sampled a few demos, and Unit 13, though an average game, certainly dispelled any worries about whether those tiny sticks would be able to deal with a shooter. It proved far easier to control than Uncharted. Also, I was particularly surprised at how good Rayman was. I played the Xbox 360 demo and wasn't that thrilled, but here the game comes alive, as if it were made for a handheld. The graphics are sublime, and the game handles very well. I've got enough to tide me over until Christmas, with the likes of Ninja Gaiden, Resistance: Burning skies, Gravity Daze, as well as the aforementioned Unit 13 and Rayman to play, not to mention the back catalogue of PSP games I've never had the chance to play.

Over the next few weeks, I'll post a few more impressions once I've spent some time with the system

And yes, I know the Vita hasn't sold all that well, but with such an impressive lineup, and more to come, I'll keep my fingers crossed that it will be successful. And not just because I now own one.

Weekday musing - Playstation Life

Playstation Vita, courtesy of Official Playstation website

Playstation Vita. Latin for 'Life'. Clever, if you think about it, as it allows Sony to run their adverts to the theme of 'Playstation Life'. Plus Vita sounds kinda cool. If you're a geek like me.

I was rather dubious of the whole PS Vita (back then, it was still called the NGP) when I first heard of it. It has a plethora of controls, including a touchscreen and a rear touchpad. Surely that would get really confusing?

so I forgot about it, and bought a 3DS. Boy, was I disappointed. I had to wait five months before a halfway decent game was released, and even that was a remake of a game I've played a lot (Zelda). Then there was  the fact I found the 3D to be great for about five minutes before it started to give me eyestrain, a battery that died very quickly even when the console was left on hibernate, and a form factor that hurt my palms if I held it for any length of time. So after six months of ownership, I finally decided to trade it in.

Suffice to say, I was disappointed. I barely touched my 3DS in all the time I owned one, making a mockery of the money I spent on it. Indeed, I actually played DS games on it more. I don't miss it. What I do miss is having a portable games machine for when we go to Heather's parents or mine for the weekend, or when Heather is playing on the Xbox or watching something I don't care for. I'm not a fan of smartphone gaming, simply because they lack physical controls, and the same goes for a tablet.

Now, I'm not dissing the 3DS (though I do think the 3D is a bit of a gimmick). I just don't think it's for me. I've been a console gamer since the Megadrive, and Sony's marketing of the Vita as console gaming on the move appeals to me.

In the run up to the Vita's release, I wasn't taking any notice of it. Then something happened. Just by chance, I watched a video of Uncharted Golden Abyss. I was blown away. This is on a handheld?

So I popped into my local Game store and had a play. The handheld was comfortable to hold and Uncharted looked as amazing in the flesh, so to speak, as it did in video.

The big question then, is am I going to get one?

They are very expensive; the cheapest price for a wifi Vita is around £200, but that doesn't factor the cost of a game or a memory card (damn you Sony!). However, there are twenty games coming out over the next ten months that I'm interested in, so the answer is yes.

When I have the money.