The PlayStation Vita: A Powerhouse of Gaming Potential

While the Vita is massive in terms of its overall size, it's a different story when you're holding it in your hands. It's borderline pocketable, and its thin profile makes it easy to carry around, but there's no getting around the fact that it's a huge slab of glass and metal. This may be a drawback for some, but it's clear that Sony has prioritized power and performance over portability.

One of the UI issues with the Vita is that unlocking the VA-81X processor takes several seconds, which can be frustrating for users who are eager to get started. However, once the console is up and running, the interface is smooth and responsive, with hardly any lag to be found. This is likely due to Sony's decision to keep one of the CPU cores in reserve, which allows the console to maintain a stable performance level even when handling demanding games.

The responsiveness of the Vita is another standout feature of the console. Games load quickly, and there's almost no lag to be found anywhere in the OS or in games. This suggests that developers will have access to a significant amount of power with the Vita, which could enable them to create some truly innovative and immersive gaming experiences.

The camera on the Vita is another area where it falls short. The front-facing camera maxes out at 640x480 resolution, which is not particularly impressive considering the capabilities of modern smartphones. However, the rear-facing camera fares slightly better, but still only reaches a maximum resolution of 640x480. The photos taken with either camera are also not particularly impressive, with decent light resulting in okay snapshots that quickly degrade into desaturated and grainy images.

The microphone on the Vita is another area where it lags behind its competitors. It's not good at all, which can be a problem for users who want to make video calls or record audio. However, one positive note is that the console does offer 480p video recording at 30 frames per second, which makes for smooth and stable footage.

The Vita has two different ways of playing games, with users able to purchase physical copies on cartridges or download them from the PlayStation Store. There's no accessible onboard memory, so a memory card is essentially required. These cards are proprietary and come in four sizes (4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB), with prices ranging from $20 for the smallest option to a wallet-searing $100 for the largest.

The Vita also has compatibility with PSP games, PSP Minis, and apps, including Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Netflix, and many more. However, as of the time of writing this review, apps are not yet available, but they will be when the console officially launches.

One notable feature of the Vita is its ability to play PS1 games by downloading them from the store. These games run very well on the console, with the option to use the second analog stick for more precise control and a filter to make the graphics look less pixelated. With all this power, you'd expect the Vita to have longer battery life. Sony claims that it can last 3-5 hours, which is surprisingly accurate considering the specs of the console and its thin profile.

However, there are some quirks with the Vita that may be off-putting for some users. For example, the browser is reasonably fast but doesn't seem to cache pages, resulting in a "checkerboard" pattern when scrolling. Additionally, the left shoulder button on my console squeaks when pressed hard, which is a bit odd considering how well the rest of the Vita is built.

Overall, my nerd side absolutely loves the Vita, and I can see why it's such a powerhouse of gaming potential. The power is there, and the controls are absolutely fantastic – not just for a handheld console but for any console period. As with most new consoles, it may be worth waiting a little while to see what games come out and to let Sony iron out some of its quirks.

If you're looking for an absolutely awesome little console right now, I highly recommend the PS Vita. It's clear that Sony has poured all its heart and soul into this device, and it shows in every aspect. Whether you're a hardcore gamer or just someone who wants to experience something new, the Vita is definitely worth checking out. Be sure to leave this video a thumbs up if you enjoyed it, and if you want to see more videos like this, be sure to subscribe to our channel.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys this is Austin and today I'm here with the review of the PlayStation VA now as the successor to the PSP from 2005 this has a lot to live up to especially considering how well the 3DS is doing but does it have what it takes at first glance the answer looks to be a giant yes just like the last generation the Vita absolutely destroys the 3DS as far as graphical capability goes it's powered by a quad core arm cortex A9 CPU along with 512 MB of ram it also has a quad core GPU with 128 MB of dedicated memory Tech jargon aside that gives the Vita more memory overall than the PlayStation 3 Graphics aren't quite up to the level of the PS3 but they're not all that far off the tech doesn't stop there either the Vita also supports a 5-in OLED QHD touchcreen to put in perspective the PSP has a 4.3 in screen and the 3DS has an even smaller 3.5 in display or to make it a bit more clear the screen on the Vita is roughly the same size as the entire iPhone 4S as it's an OLED panel that means it's also very clear and vibrant with fantastic saturation and excellent viewing angles while it could be slightly high resolution overall this is the best display I've ever seen on a mobile device another thing Sony tried really hard with are the different control methods you'll find the same overall layout from the PSP with shoulder buttons your normal PlayStation buttons and a d-pad but there are also now two analog sticks not only do having two make playing many more games a lot better they are also raised making them a lot more ergonomic than the slide pad on the PSP the Vita also has a touchscreen which is the only way to get around the UI and is used in some games along with a rear touchpad this is a fairly unique addition that can give you some interesting new ways to play games for example an uncharted golden Abyss you can use it to zoom in the scope of your rifle which works really quite well you can also use it to push the ground up in little deviants just as you would push up a piece of fabric from behind as if that were not enough the VA also comes with a full complement of motion controls including six axis and a compass just like on the iPhone or Android this can come in handy for many different types of games and along with the rest of the controls really do very good job of immersing you in the game going back to Uncharted is a great example you can use the analog sticks and shoulder buttons ordinarily but when you're needing to zero in on someone you just flick the rear touch panel to zoom in and tilt your V slightly to line the shot up perfectly between the gray controls large display and with a decent pair of headphones the Vita does a great job of sucking you into a game of course it's not all good news to start with the Vita is massive while around the house it's fine it's borderline pocketable it is fairly thin and light for its size but there's no getting around the fact that it's a huge slab of Glass and Metal the UI is also well not great to be honest on firmer 1.6 unlocking the VA generally takes several seconds which while not a big deal is long enough for you to sit around wondering why it's taking so long the overall interface is also a bit too cartoony for my taste but I will say that it runs very smoothly and there's hardly any lag to be found most likely due to Sony keeping one of the CPU cores in reserve speaking of the responsiveness it's clear that the vaita has tons of power there's almost no lag to be found anywhere in the OS or in games it'll be interesting to see how much farther developers can push the console the vaita has a pair of cameras and I'm currently using the front-facing one to record right now and now as you can see neither are particularly good the both the front and rear facing cameras max out at a resolution of 640x 480 now as far as Stills go as long as you have decent light you can take an okay snapshot but beyond that it's really not going to be worth much but the video is actually kind of decent so it does record in 480p at 30 frames per second so everything's nice and smooth as you can see in good light it's not too bad both The Stills and video degrade really rapidly when you get out of nice light so they get very desaturated very grainy and of course as you can hear the microphone is not very good at all the Vita has two different ways of playing games you can purchase physical games which come on carts that're roughly the size of an SD card or you can download them from the PlayStation Store the vaa has no accessible onboard memory so buying a memory card is basically required they're close to the size of a micro SD card and entirely proprietary so you'll have to buy one from Sony they come in 4 8 16 and 32 GB sizes at the moment moment and range anywhere from $20 for 4 GB up to a wallet searing $100 for a 32 GB card the vaita has compatibility with PSP games PSP Minis and apps as of recording this review apps aren't live yet but will include Twitter Facebook Skype Netflix and many more when the VA officially launches PS1 games should be available soon as well you can play PSP games by downloading them from the store and they run very well with the option to use the second analog stick on the vaita as well as using a filter to make the graphics look a bit less pixelated with all of this power you've got to pay for it somewhere and in the v's case it's in battery life Sony claims 3 to 5 hours of life and I found that to be pretty accurate as with mixed use and some standby time I got around 3 and 1 half to 4 hours out of a charge certainly not bad considering the specs of the vaita and how thin it is but it would be nice to have a bit more longevity there are also some Oddities for example the browser is reasonably fast however it doesn't seem to cach pages and has to re-render the content anytime you scroll giving you a checkerboard pack pattern pretty much all the time the left shoulder button also squeaks when pressed hard on my console which is a bit odd considering just how well the rest of the VA is built I'm willing to bet that I'm just unlucky but it is something to consider overall my nerd side which is about 90% of me absolutely loves the vaita the power is there and the controls are absolutely fantastic not just for a handheld console but for any console period like most new consoles it's probably not a bad idea to wait a little while to see what games come out as well as let Sony Quark Out The Kinks however if you're looking for an absolutely awesome little console right now I highly recommend the PS vaita if you enjoyed and want to be awesome definitely be sure to leave this video a thumbs up and if you want to see more videos like this be sure to subscribehey guys this is Austin and today I'm here with the review of the PlayStation VA now as the successor to the PSP from 2005 this has a lot to live up to especially considering how well the 3DS is doing but does it have what it takes at first glance the answer looks to be a giant yes just like the last generation the Vita absolutely destroys the 3DS as far as graphical capability goes it's powered by a quad core arm cortex A9 CPU along with 512 MB of ram it also has a quad core GPU with 128 MB of dedicated memory Tech jargon aside that gives the Vita more memory overall than the PlayStation 3 Graphics aren't quite up to the level of the PS3 but they're not all that far off the tech doesn't stop there either the Vita also supports a 5-in OLED QHD touchcreen to put in perspective the PSP has a 4.3 in screen and the 3DS has an even smaller 3.5 in display or to make it a bit more clear the screen on the Vita is roughly the same size as the entire iPhone 4S as it's an OLED panel that means it's also very clear and vibrant with fantastic saturation and excellent viewing angles while it could be slightly high resolution overall this is the best display I've ever seen on a mobile device another thing Sony tried really hard with are the different control methods you'll find the same overall layout from the PSP with shoulder buttons your normal PlayStation buttons and a d-pad but there are also now two analog sticks not only do having two make playing many more games a lot better they are also raised making them a lot more ergonomic than the slide pad on the PSP the Vita also has a touchscreen which is the only way to get around the UI and is used in some games along with a rear touchpad this is a fairly unique addition that can give you some interesting new ways to play games for example an uncharted golden Abyss you can use it to zoom in the scope of your rifle which works really quite well you can also use it to push the ground up in little deviants just as you would push up a piece of fabric from behind as if that were not enough the VA also comes with a full complement of motion controls including six axis and a compass just like on the iPhone or Android this can come in handy for many different types of games and along with the rest of the controls really do very good job of immersing you in the game going back to Uncharted is a great example you can use the analog sticks and shoulder buttons ordinarily but when you're needing to zero in on someone you just flick the rear touch panel to zoom in and tilt your V slightly to line the shot up perfectly between the gray controls large display and with a decent pair of headphones the Vita does a great job of sucking you into a game of course it's not all good news to start with the Vita is massive while around the house it's fine it's borderline pocketable it is fairly thin and light for its size but there's no getting around the fact that it's a huge slab of Glass and Metal the UI is also well not great to be honest on firmer 1.6 unlocking the VA generally takes several seconds which while not a big deal is long enough for you to sit around wondering why it's taking so long the overall interface is also a bit too cartoony for my taste but I will say that it runs very smoothly and there's hardly any lag to be found most likely due to Sony keeping one of the CPU cores in reserve speaking of the responsiveness it's clear that the vaita has tons of power there's almost no lag to be found anywhere in the OS or in games it'll be interesting to see how much farther developers can push the console the vaita has a pair of cameras and I'm currently using the front-facing one to record right now and now as you can see neither are particularly good the both the front and rear facing cameras max out at a resolution of 640x 480 now as far as Stills go as long as you have decent light you can take an okay snapshot but beyond that it's really not going to be worth much but the video is actually kind of decent so it does record in 480p at 30 frames per second so everything's nice and smooth as you can see in good light it's not too bad both The Stills and video degrade really rapidly when you get out of nice light so they get very desaturated very grainy and of course as you can hear the microphone is not very good at all the Vita has two different ways of playing games you can purchase physical games which come on carts that're roughly the size of an SD card or you can download them from the PlayStation Store the vaa has no accessible onboard memory so buying a memory card is basically required they're close to the size of a micro SD card and entirely proprietary so you'll have to buy one from Sony they come in 4 8 16 and 32 GB sizes at the moment moment and range anywhere from $20 for 4 GB up to a wallet searing $100 for a 32 GB card the vaita has compatibility with PSP games PSP Minis and apps as of recording this review apps aren't live yet but will include Twitter Facebook Skype Netflix and many more when the VA officially launches PS1 games should be available soon as well you can play PSP games by downloading them from the store and they run very well with the option to use the second analog stick on the vaita as well as using a filter to make the graphics look a bit less pixelated with all of this power you've got to pay for it somewhere and in the v's case it's in battery life Sony claims 3 to 5 hours of life and I found that to be pretty accurate as with mixed use and some standby time I got around 3 and 1 half to 4 hours out of a charge certainly not bad considering the specs of the vaita and how thin it is but it would be nice to have a bit more longevity there are also some Oddities for example the browser is reasonably fast however it doesn't seem to cach pages and has to re-render the content anytime you scroll giving you a checkerboard pack pattern pretty much all the time the left shoulder button also squeaks when pressed hard on my console which is a bit odd considering just how well the rest of the VA is built I'm willing to bet that I'm just unlucky but it is something to consider overall my nerd side which is about 90% of me absolutely loves the vaita the power is there and the controls are absolutely fantastic not just for a handheld console but for any console period like most new consoles it's probably not a bad idea to wait a little while to see what games come out as well as let Sony Quark Out The Kinks however if you're looking for an absolutely awesome little console right now I highly recommend the PS vaita if you enjoyed and want to be awesome definitely be sure to leave this video a thumbs up and if you want to see more videos like this be sure to subscribe