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PS Vita Wiki Guide

The PlayStation Vita is a Sony made handheld gaming system first shown at E3 2011. It was previously codenamed Sony NGP (Next Generation Portable).

PS Vita Tech Specs

PS Vita Games List

Frequently Asked Questions

Accessories

Sony announced the system in January 2011 as the first true successor to the PlayStation Portable (PSP). The Vita is easily the most technologically advanced handheld to date, with dual quad-core processors, an OLED touchscreen display, front and rear facing cameras, optional 3G connectivity, a rear touch panel, and a built-in accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a digital compass.

It is also drastically larger than its predecessor and the competition, which is obviously a huge concern for gamers on-the-go. It's hard to get a sense of scale from photos, but having seen and used it first hand, I'm happy to report that the Vita is actually a manageable size. Though still not small enough to carry in your pocket, the Vita is about as long as the average bottle of water, and thin and light enough to keep the sense of heft to a minimum.

In fact, the PlayStation Vita feels pretty light and slim in your hands, though since all demo units have been wired thus far, there is a distinct possibility that the final product will put on some ounces.

But the Vita is large for a good reason -- it's packing a gorgeous 5-inch OLED display. Though the technology has been slow to make its way into consumer grade HDTVs due to the high cost associated, its perfect for PlayStation Vita. Though the entire color spectrum looks phenomenal on the included display, OLED makes black levels particularly striking. When it finally releases, Super Stardust Delta is going to be the definitive title for showing off the Vita's display.

As for its touch-enabled features, the Vita's front and rear touch panels are surprisingly responsive, tracking a variety of motions and gestures with pinpoint accuracy.

In fact, the Vita's touch functions may be too precise, and accidental taps to the rear touch panel can be problematic. There are two indents on the rear side to indicate where your fingers are supposed to rest, but my natural inclination is to let them stretch, which unfortunately can result in unintended input commands. Fortunately, not all games will make use of the rear touch panel, and with any luck, it can be disabled in a games' settings.

Dual thumbsticks have been a long awaited and aggressively requested feature, and the Vita's sticks capture the feeling and performance of a full-sized DualShock well, though the thumbpads are a bit small. Still, they are fluid enough without feeling cheap and loose but not so stiff to feel unresponsive.

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