I know at this point the device isn't something most of you are really looking for impressions of the device at this point, but I figured I'm sitting at work and I'm kinda bored so why not tap out how I've been feeling about the device.

I picked up the device at the end of the 22nd, EB Games was selling the Assassins Creed and CoD Black Ops bundles for $199.99, unfortunately I waited to long and all of the AssCreed bundles had been purchased so I've been left with Black Ops (I'll get to that later). In fairly standard Sony fashion I have to say the device has absolutely excellent build quality, the weight of it and the construction is top notch, screen and sound quality are also among the best I have seen in a handheld device. I don't have any technical info for you, just what I see with my eyes and I think it's clear to see that the Vita won't suffer the same problems the PSP did in that the screen was hideous within a year.

The software side is where I feel things with the Vita have a big chance of being very interesting, with the device I picked up physical copies of Persona 4 Golden and Metal Gear Solid Collection. Persona 4 obviously plays like Persona, but what really blows me away is how close the Metal Gear collection comes to playing like their console counterparts. This device more than any other has the equipment to bring games on the road that don't give up a tonne just to be on a handheld.

The ugly side to the software was recently demonstrated in Call of Duty Black Ops, based on the trailers and the lack of an E3 showing I knew what I was in for and I wasn't exactly surprised by what I got. The problem with CoD is far worse than just that it's a bad game with a popular franchise on the box it's entirely the price and how nothing about the game seems to have had any effort go into it. $49.99 is highway robbery for this, and I can't see any rational person who picks that game up not feeling like they have been legitimately abused. The ones feeling the most abused I feel will be somewhat leery about the idea of plopping down $49.99 on a handheld game.

Who is the Vita for? Anyone who enjoys video games for more than just a mindless time sink. It's a great device, and if you do enjoy games on the go no phone is ever going to come close to bringing the kind of experiences that the Vita can. It was $200 incredibly well spent, and I really can't suggest this thing enough to anyone who considers themselves a "real" gamer who wants to play more than simple/poorly controlled touch based games AND isn't subject to the EU's ridiculous pricing and wants to play more than one game.

I know at this point the device isn't something most of you are really looking for impressions of the device at this point, but I figured I'm sitting at work and I'm kinda bored so why not tap out how I've been feeling about the device.

I picked up the device at the end of the 22nd, EB Games was selling the Assassins Creed and CoD Black Ops bundles for $199.99, unfortunately I waited to long and all of the AssCreed bundles had been purchased so I've been left with Black Ops (I'll get to that later). In fairly standard Sony fashion I have to say the device has absolutely excellent build quality, the weight of it and the construction is top notch, screen and sound quality are also among the best I have seen in a handheld device. I don't have any technical info for you, just what I see with my eyes and I think it's clear to see that the Vita won't suffer the same problems the PSP did in that the screen was hideous within a year.

The software side is where I feel things with the Vita have a big chance of being very interesting, with the device I picked up physical copies of Persona 4 Golden and Metal Gear Solid Collection. Persona 4 obviously plays like Persona, but what really blows me away is how close the Metal Gear collection comes to playing like their console counterparts. This device more than any other has the equipment to bring games on the road that don't give up a tonne just to be on a handheld.

The ugly side to the software was recently demonstrated in Call of Duty Black Ops, based on the trailers and the lack of an E3 showing I knew what I was in for and I wasn't exactly surprised by what I got. The problem with CoD is far worse than just that it's a bad game with a popular franchise on the box it's entirely the price and how nothing about the game seems to have had any effort go into it. $49.99 is highway robbery for this, and I can't see any rational person who picks that game up not feeling like they have been legitimately abused. The ones feeling the most abused I feel will be somewhat leery about the idea of plopping down $49.99 on a handheld game.

Who is the Vita for? Anyone who enjoys video games for more than just a mindless time sink. It's a great device, and if you do enjoy games on the go no phone is ever going to come close to bringing the kind of experiences that the Vita can. It was $200 incredibly well spent, and I really can't suggest this thing enough to anyone who considers themselves a "real" gamer who wants to play more than simple/poorly controlled touch based games AND isn't subject to the EU's ridiculous pricing and wants to play more than one game.

I haven't even played an actual Vita title on my Vita and yet in the past few days (I bought it last week) I feel like I've spent more hours on it that I did with my DS the first few days I had that. Playing on a Vita feels very natural to me and as soon as I loaded up Revelations: Persona I've been able to spread out a lot of hours of playtime on it and actually play it on the go during long train rides and bus trips on weekends when I go between my college and my parents' residence.

Overall, I might end up spending more hours on my Vita than I did on my DS between Revelations: Persona and Innocent Sin alone. I haven't even picked up my copy of Golden yet!

@TheManiacsGnome: Though I think your finisher about Vita being for "real" gamers is going to cause some backlash, my feelings pretty much match up with yours. I love my Vita and, since I closed my WoW account, it's the system I'm spending the most time with. In fact, I love mine so much, I was having what I think of as a "Gerstmann" moment where I was really eyeing that Black Friday Amazon deal http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2012/11/22/vita-black-friday-mega-deal-confirmed-by-amazon-ac-liberation-ps-all-stars-3-months-ps-more-for-179-99/ trying to convince myself that I needed a second one. I just wish there was less negativity surrounding this system so that it would have a better chance of surviving.

@DedBeet:

Perhaps I should add that I feel the 3DS is part of that group of Handheld devices for people who want to play actual video games on the go. I will admit that the negativity surrounding the Vita had kept me from snapping one up earlier but with the release of P4G I felt that I just couldn't wait any longer.

@EquitasInvictus:

If you don't have Playstation Plus already, it's basically a new Vita owners wet dream.

When have to travel I have an absolute blast with my Vita but otherwise I tend to neglect it a little. It's a shame you couldn't get Assassins Creed because it is certainly a better game the COD seems to be (haven't played COD yet, and by the sound of things I shouldn't).

@TheManiacsGnome said:

... and I really can't suggest this thing enough to anyone who considers themselves a "real" gamer.

You lost me right there.

200$? converted 154€.. For 154€ I would probably own this thing a for a few months now..! But it's 200-300€ here! So 324-389$! Think about that. =/

For only one game (P4G) I'll wait for the inevitable price drop!

Your review is too long. Here's a Vita review:

1. Persona 4 Golden

2. Best version of Zero's Escape

3. Best LBP game (if you like those games)

4. Best Mortal Kombat game (great Dpad, portable)

I bought one last summer and I don't think I played 1 Vita game on it. But I did manage to finally play a bunch of the PSP games I never had a chance to.

I still think Vita is best suited for people who didn't own a PSP.

I bought one way back and while I haven't been playing it too much, I consider it a good purchase. Everything I own and play are older PSP and PS1 games that I missed or wanted to revisit and P4G will be my first Vita game. Only major criticism I have is that those old games are way too expensive for my liking and that not all of the games are available in EU yet (still waiting for Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles).

@Mcfart said:

Your review is too long. Here's a Vita review:

1. Persona 4 Golden

2. Best version of Zero's Escape

3. Best LBP game (if you like those games)

4. Best Mortal Kombat game (great Dpad, portable)

5. Best version of Lumines

@Chontamenti:

Changed JUST for you.

I just got my Vita today (Amazon AC3:L Deal) and anyone who hasn't played Frobisher Says should go download that from PS store right now. It won't even cost you anything. Its a WarioWare style game with a bunch of uses of everything the Vita has to offer.

@TheManiacsGnome: Thank you Gnome!

People keep talking about BlackOps Declassified as if that game wasn't put together in a few months. The fact that the game came out at all is both incredible and disappointing at the same time.

@Dunchad: I have a weird past with the PSP that makes me believe that if you had a PSP before you might be less inclined to buy a Vita. If you had one toward the latter part of its life (especially a PSPgo), you might be more inclined to buy and enjoy a Vita. More to the point, the UMD crowd is still hella bitter.

The PS1 games are great deal (except for the $10 games... the hell is with that). PSP games are going to continue to drop in the US store and I hope that begins to spread more to the EU. Chance of PSP games heading to PS+ seem more likely than ever given the first Vita offering, so there is SOME hope there.

@GooieGreen: Hey I get that the game was thrown together in a short amount of time, I get that Nihilistic was stuck with an extremely poor situation. But I don't think that forgives the price, or that someone had the stones to say that this game should be bundled with the Vita.

@TheManiacsGnome: Absolutely; $50 or a bundle tie-in are both unfortunate ways to get this game. At least with the other bundles you can get a game that is worth something. But unfortunately, these deals were cut so far in advance that the quality of the game wasn't even being considered at the time. That is to say, they couldn't assess the quality of a game that didn't exist when they talked about it at E3. I suspect the conversation between Sony and Activision went something like this:

Activision: "So how is that Vita game coming?"

Sony "Uhh, Ruin? Because we changed the name again."

Activision "No, Black Ops Declassified"

Sony "Uhh, weren't you guys making that?"

Activision "Were we? Well, crap, we have a few months to make this game for Holiday 2012. If only there was a studio that has experience taking a well-known shooter franchise and translating it to small screen."

Sony "We've got just the developer: Zipper Interactive... hold on... sorry, we let them fall apart. How about Nihilistic? They only know how to make a game and they're leaving Vita development soon anyway."

Activision "Whatever, I have a coke party to go to."

@Zidd: Yes! I've never played a Wario game, so I have no idea how it compares, but Frosbisher Says is a lot of fun.