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    PlayStation Vita: Hands On With Sony's Impressive New Mobile Gaming System

    By Chelsea Stark | Mashable – Thu, Feb 16, 2012

    PlayStation Vita

    The PlayStation Vita is quite big when you first unbox it. The system is 7.2 inches wide, and 3.2 inches tall, with the 5-inch screen smack in the middle. It also weighs in at 9.2 oz. -- over half a pound.

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    Click here to view this gallery.

    The PlayStation Vita, Sony's hotly anticipated handheld device, may not exactly be pocket-sized, but it certainly boasts an impressive array of features for a portable gaming device.

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    The Vita is set to be released next week, on Feb. 22, in the United States.

    Mashable unboxed the PSVita, and at first glance, it is impressive. When you first see the Vita, you're struck by how big it is. At 7.2 inches wide, it is a hefty piece of mobile machinery. Yet in picking it up, it felt much more comfortable than I expected -- especially the ease with which I could reach both analog control sticks. At a weight of 9 ounces, I do worry about using it for long periods of time with one hand.

    As soon the Vita is switched on, the 5-inch OLED screen steals the show. None of the pictures in the above gallery do justice to how pretty the screen really looks in person. The touchscreen factor makes it even more impressive.

    The Vita comes with an impressive list of features that make it almost like a smartphone. The basic version comes with the ability to play your own media, an app store, a web browser, and features to talk to your friends on the PlayStation Network, all for $249. For $50 more (and a contract with AT&T), 3G coverage is added, which also brings GPS in the mix and allows you to see what you friends nearby are playing via Google Maps. The phone also has connectivity with popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and even Netflix. With the built-in microphone, you can even use Skype and the native "Party" feature to talk to friends. It seems Sony positioned the Vita only a few steps away from a fully-fledged smartphone.

    With lagging sales of the Nintendo 3DS, the Vita may be impressive enough to steal the show. But with so many features similar to smartphones, the only real differentiator will be its power to play exclusive, graphic-intensive games. Many of the Vita's launch titles promise killer visuals, but will that be enough to sway consumers already happy downloading titles like Angry Birds at a much lower price point? With the launch just days away, we'll wait and see. But it's clear the Vita is at least poised to steal some mobile gaming marketshare.

    What do you think of the PSVita? Will you purchase one at launch? Let us know in the comments.

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

     

    5 comments

    • Savage
      Savage  •  3 mths ago
      I will wait a while when the first PSPs came out they had problems with the screens.
    • ROBERT
      ROBERT  •  London, Canada  •  3 mths ago
      Well, it uses non-standard memory cards and there's no way to play UMD based PSP games. Nor is Sony providing any way for PSP owners to transfer their UMD games to the Vita. I hope it doesn't fail like the PSP Go did.
    • Milton Stapler
      Milton Stapler  •  3 mths ago
      I've been eating Taco Bell all week trying to win one. Boy.... Is my toilet mad at me.
    • Robin
      Robin  •  3 mths ago
      while it doesnt use the umds it does offer the ability to dl some of the psp games directly to the vita.and they are working on making more of the older psp games compatible with the vita.the psp didnt use standard memory cards either and they were just as expensive as the vita cards when they launched.and the vita cards offer alot more space then the old psp cards.the most expensive one i have seen is $99 for a 32gb card.i am a hardcore gamer and i am having a ball with this thing (yes i did get the 3g/wifi launch package) i dont care that it doesnt do email like some people were complaining about.i have a computer for that.this thing is beautiful,its fast,the games that i have played so far are amazing :) little deviants is addicting(especially the shooter where it integrates your surroundings) dungeon hunter and uncharted both play well and are engaging.another thing i like is the fact that the touchscreens are responsive but not overly sensitive.all in all i am really pleased with this new toy.oh yeah the front and rear facing cameras are awesome :)
    • www.ThePlayChannel.com - ...
      www.ThePlayChannel.com - ...  •  3 mths ago
      Can you play Minecraft or Word War III on it ???
     Post a comment
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