PS Vita Slim Review

[Guest]

e PlayStation Vita Slim sports a sleeker design, longer battery life and more games than the original, but the controls could be better.

PS Vita Slim Review : Read more

 

[MetalUpYourAss81]

Really, complaining about that damn analog sticks?? I've owned a PS Vita since my pre-ordered launch edition bundle, and have absolutely no problems what so ever with the analog sticks, I completely 100% disagree with that statement and believe the Vita offers the best precise controls for mobile console quality gaming to date. If it weren't for the dual analog sticks and rear touch Remote-Play wouldn't even be possible, it was code named the NGP (Next Gen Portable) for a reason. I would recommend looking into buying a pair of PDP Trigger Grips for the Vita if you seriously are having problems with the analogs, what a stupid thing to nitpick on, its idiot reporters like you that give the Vita a bad name. Also are you aware of the fact that you can re-map the controls for Borderlands 2 to your own personal preferance? Ya check the options menu buddy, by the sounds of it you didn't even take the time to check or even care. I would recommend mapping sprint to the Circle button (in the same manner as Killzone Mercenary) and mapping melee attack to the right hand corner of the touch screen (similar to Call of Duty Declassified, kinda like a hybrid between both games controls) and mapping grenade throw to the triangle button, and crouching/swapping weapons to the rear touch pad. There. I just fixed the god damn game for you. I currently own every FPS the Vita has to offer as well as many many other games and I also disagree with your statement about not recommending Borderlands 2 or any other multiplayer games on the Vita, have you even played Killzone Mercenary??? What Sony has accomplished is Console quality multiplayer match making on the go that is far more superior over any phone game which some people try to compare with as it has more of a premium feel on Vita, and is optimized to run and work well on the system. I think one of the things many things people misunderstood about Call of Duty Declassified is the fact that the game was built with a primary focus on the multiplayer aspect of the game, it has everything COD multiplayer on consoles has to offer, everything from customizable weapons and classes as well as perks and killstreak rewards to clantags, full prestige levels and ranks, challenges, game modes maps from the original Black ops etc the list goes on, I recommend people take a look at videos on youtube of Declassifieds multiplayer before taking a reviewers word for what their personal opinion of the game is. Sometimes you have to judge for yourself, I for one happen to love declassified and its my favorite call of duty for multiplayer action since the original Black Ops. I personally prefer Black Ops' class of of weapons over any other Call of Duty as they are my favorite weapons to use which is why I find Declassified so addicting, I actually prefer Declassifieds multiplayer over Call of Duty Ghosts on my PS4 as I find that Call of Duty (specifically infinity wards') is becoming way to repetitive, atleast Declassified has a different engine and more of an apeal to me with PS3 near graphics and console quality multiplayer all in the palm of your hands, then the same copy and paste console COD we recieve on the yearly basis. If your gonna nitpick on something as ridiculous as the fucking analog sticks then you have no place reviewing the godamn Vita. Also did you expect Borderlands 2 on the Vita to look better then the PS3 and PC version? I was definitely not expecting it look better as this is a goddamn handheld were talking about, I got past the slight framerate hiccups and am enjoying the game for what it is having not played the game previously, its great experiencing it for the first time on the Vita and I am actually quite blown away that they are managing to fit all of these full console ports of games onto the handheld, something too many people don't seem to appreciate like myself. I actually prefer the Vita's full console PS3 ports of games over the actual PS3 versions as I think they are the more superior version of the game because I think its more impressive playing them on the Vita as the graphics are nearly as great as on PS3, that and also the fact that they are running on a handheld and are fully portable. The Vita deserves a 10 out of 10 (or in this case) a 5 out of 5 stars as its I think it is truly the best handheld ever made to date, and is only getting better and better with games like the full PS3 console ported Version of Minecraft coming next month, and great features like Remote-Play, the Vita has no where to go but up.

 

[drd7of14]

This article was so inaccurate on so many things. It doubled the RAM...Really? It has more games than the original???!? Huh?!? How about putting some effort into your research on a Slim unit that came out months ago. How about you try harder next time to be a "journalist" instead of cluttering up my search results on Google, and spouting nonsense and misinformation to those that are interested. It's a great product, sure, but the differences to the VITA SLIM from the original are mostly just minimal storage (1GB) change to the form factor (Saves them money I assume) which alters some controls, such as the rear-touch pad and start/select buttons, and OLED to LCD screen, which increases battery power by 1 hour of gameplay use, and again saves them on production costs. Those are the only changes to the unit. There is no 3G offering of this model either.

 

[Icomment]

Thanks for the review Sherri. It’s always nice to hear another view of the Vita, as I’ve been considering a handheld purchase lately (PS Vita or 3DS XL).
I’ve read similar complaints about accidental bumps of the rear touch pad and the small range of the thumbsticks making accuracy a problem in some games but then I there are … “Passionate” … rebuttals from Vita owners like MetalUp who don’t mind the thumbsicks and have found better uses for the rear touchpad by remapping the functions. I’ve also seen some games (ie. uncharted) use motion controls to fine tune aiming, though I’m not sure how wide spread that solution is.
I noticed some inconsistencies with other reviews I’ve read though. I believe the RAM is the same for both the original and the slim vita while you suggest it’s been doubled. You also mention that “Sony chose not to add any onboard memory” but that’s only true of the original. The Vita slim has 1Gb built in memory (still not much and can’t be used with a mem card installed).
Not sure if you check comments but could you comment on the connectivity of the Vita? For example, is the online stable in all the multiplayer games you’ve played (wrt lag, or disconnecting during match) and is the Vita online community robust enough that you don’t have trouble finding others for online matches. Also, how often do you see people on Near (or do you even use it)? Nintendo’s Streetpass seems very successful, well utilized and integrated into a number of games. Is Near similar or just a failed feature that no one really uses?
Thanks again!

 

[solkeher]

I have the original Vita (with the OLED screen) and was hoping that the slim version could improve on the analog sticks, but I'm not surprised they did not. I usually use my vita when I travel and that's when I really enjoy the device. Otherwise I barely touch the thing...

 

[MetalUpYourAss81]

Oh I guess I didn't notice that its a woman that did this review, no wonder she had problems with the analogs etc.. Probably just a casual gamer like most ladies are haha. Disregard this review to anyone who is really interested in a Vita, and take it from a real hardcore player who actually uses the device on a daily basis and actually cares about the handheld like myself see my above comment^^. For anyone else who actually has problems with the analogs, that is by far the best thing about the fucking PlayStation Vita is the fact that it actually has real dual analogs and actually alone justifies purchasing one. For gamers like myself who came from owning and enjoying the original PSP, the Vita's analogs are a huge step up and add way more to the experience of gaming on the handheld, it really is the successor to the PSP. It even makes PSP games downloaded from the PSN way way better to play on the Vita as you can map the second analog stick to make games like Medal of Honor Heroes, Rainbow Six, Resistance Retribution, Grand Theft Auto etc.. practically any game dual analog which ads way more to the gameplay of allot of games. Another thing not mentioned by allot of reviewers. Again to anyone who complains about the Vita's analog sticks look into purchasing a pair of PDP Trigger Grips for the handheld, as they add way more extra grip and better trigger functionality and basically turn the Vita into a controller and a console right in the palm of your hands, I strongly recommend them to anyone who wants to add to the Vita's gameplay and grip of the handheld, and anyone who uses Remote-Play allot, definitely the best attachment you can get for the Vita. If your curious as to how they look take it upon yourself to do a quick google search, they look fantastic and feel great, and anyone who also lives in Canada I would recommend the Biogenic Trigger Grips which you can find at your local EB Games, as the PDP Trigger Grips are only available in the US unless you order them online like myself. Oh and one thing I forgot to mention is they recently patched Borderlands 2 on the Vita so you have the option to scale the size of the buttons on the rear touch pad making it less prone to accidentally touching the rear touch pad, another thing the reviewer obviously didn't take the time to check, by the sounds of it she just threw the game in for a few minutes to do a quick review, which is quite unfair to judge a game that you didn't take the time to play through or mess around with the settings LOL. I would also like to add to the above comment about the Vitas multiplayer connectivity, I find that the Vita actually has no lag what so ever when playing online games, games like Killzone Mercenary and Call of Duty have literally no lag and seem to run better then PS3 online games, Call of duty always has people playing it, it may take a couple of trys to get into a match but once you get in its a blast, like I said above the game has absolutely no lag what so ever, I hardly ever have trouble finding matches, and Killzone is always instant for finding matches and the connectivity is great and also runs perfectly with absolutely no lag, check out some videos on YouTube of multiplayer if your interested. If your a fan of shooters I would definitely recommend getting a Vita over a 3DS as I own both handhelds and hardly ever touch my 3DS as there are hardly any games that apeal to me, there are barely any shooters and not one single FPS on the 3DS, that's the reason why I play my Vita allot more as I am more of an FPS/shooter fan, not only that but as I own both a PS3 and PS4 I can check my friends list/Trophies and message friends from the Vita between all three platforms and can actually cross-party chat with my friends that are on PS4, if a friend is in a party on their PS4, I can join the party and chat with them directly from the Vita using its Party application and the Vitas built in mic or the PS4's bundled mic, that alone makes the Vita worth purchasing. Say I'm chilling on the couch playing my Vita and a friend messages me and wants to play on PS4, I can then enter Remote Play and get everything set up launch the game and join the party so all I have to do is go into my room pick up my DS4 and play, pretty fucking sweet if you ask me. I've played and beat Resident Evil Revelations on 3DS and I would say its about the only good shooter the 3DS has to offer. Other than that there are mainly just platformers and kiddie games on the system that don't appeal to me all that much and don't really keep me coming back to play over and over again like Killzone Mercenary and Call of Duty as these games offer great online ranking systems/leveling up that keep me hooked and have console quality multiplayer matchmaking anywhere I have access to WiFi. That and I also prefer playing full PS3 ported games on the Vita, something the 3DS just isnt capable of. The Vita is just 2 years old having launched in North America in 2012 and currently has 4 FPS's available, 6 if you count Minecraft which comes out next month and Duke Nukem 3D which is currently going through bug testing and is set to launch soon, much better then what the 3DS has to offer in terms of FPS's which is nothing. In my mind the Vita cripples the 3DS in terms of graphic fidelity and horsepower as well as features and online connectivity, it has a more mature feel and way more mature games, if you enjoy being treated like a child by the 3DS's OS then feel free to look into buying one haha.

 

[Philip Heebsh]

It doesn't have more games than the original. The whole point of a slim version- like a top-loading NES or EVERY PlayStation system released, is that it plays all the same games as its non-slim predecessor. That's the point. That's why it's the Vita slim, not the Vita 2.

This is a pretty damning issue to not understand when writing such a review.