A bit of an odd question, but as I struggle with RSI, the feel of the various buttons actually impacts my ability to use the device regularly. Are they soft like the Dual Shock, which I love, or are they more clicky like the ones on the Move?

The main four face buttons are a little softer than the 3DS buttons (if that helps), but still noticeably clickier than those of a dual shock and also quite a bit smaller. The Start and Select buttons are pretty much flush with the face of the console and really stiff, so they're kind of difficult to press if you're not used to them. I don't have a move, so I'm not sure how they compare to that. Honestly if it's a matter as serious as RSI I'd definitely try one out before buying one if I were you. There's only so much you can be told about the "feel" of a controller (or anything else) over the internet.

woah, this topic is blowing my mind.

if you have the money and think you want a vita just buy one... whats the holdup? I would if I had the cash!

@Devil240Z said:

woah, this topic is blowing my mind.

if you have the money and think you want a vita just buy one... whats the holdup? I would if I had the cash!

The holdup is that his expensive new Vita might be unusable due to RSI. It's kind of a big deal.

@Elazul said:

@Devil240Z said:

woah, this topic is blowing my mind.

if you have the money and think you want a vita just buy one... whats the holdup? I would if I had the cash!

The holdup is that his expensive new Vita might be unusable due to RSI. It's kind of a big deal.

what is RSI?

@Devil240Z: Repetitive Strain Injury. Basically, if the buttons aren't soft enough for him he'll be in severe pain after using the system for a short period of time, rendering it useless.

@Elazul: Hmm, thanks. I've been looking for a way to try it out, but I don't know anyone who has one and none of the stores nearby have a display model.

I would say the buttons feel just like PSP, only smaller. I don't like em.

@BlackLagoon said:

@Elazul: Hmm, thanks. I've been looking for a way to try it out, but I don't know anyone who has one and none of the stores nearby have a display model.

If you go to a store that has a used one in stock and explain your situation, they should let you try it out for a few minutes if they're at all reasonable. Failing that, Amazon has a pretty good returns policy when it comes to returning opened goods, so ordering one from them might be the best option if you absolutely can't try one out nearby. Just open the packaging as carefully as you can and spend a day or so testing it out as much as you need to, and if it's too uncomfortable they should take it back provided it's undamaged.

Couldn't you go to a store to find out? One time I went to Best Buy and they had a Vita, it wasn't powered on, but I was at least able to feel the controls. (the controls didn't seem that great btw, except for the ministicks which felt awesome)

They feel a little ... depressed.

@BlackLagoon: They resist enough that you can rest your fingers on them comfortably with out accidentally pushing them. They take more force to push than the Dual Shock 3 but less than an fresh Xbox 360 pad does.

Over all I find the Vita to be very comfortable to use, especially compared to Nintendo handle helds. It's long design means you also have plenty of room to rest it on your knee/lap as you play without getting your fingers caught under the device.

@Elazul said:

If you go to a store that has a used one in stock and explain your situation, they should let you try it out for a few minutes if they're at all reasonable.

Hey, thanks for the idea. My local GameStop did in fact let me try their used one out, and the buttons felt fine. I was mainly worried after buying a Move, and finding it had horrible clicky buttons, but as I said, these were almost as nice as the Dual Shock ones. And since they had a great deal with either Uncharted or Resistance included, I ended up buying one, and the deal got even better when the teller misread the promotion and gave me both games instead asking me to pick one. Just going to try it out now.

@BlackLagoon said:

@Elazul said:

If you go to a store that has a used one in stock and explain your situation, they should let you try it out for a few minutes if they're at all reasonable.

Hey, thanks for the idea. My local GameStop did in fact let me try their used one out, and the buttons felt fine. I was mainly worried after buying a Move, and finding it had horrible clicky buttons, but as I said, these were almost as nice as the Dual Shock ones. And since they had a great deal with either Uncharted or Resistance included, I ended up buying one, and the deal got even better when the teller misread the promotion and gave me both games instead asking me to pick one. Just going to try it out now.

Hah, nice one. Glad I could be of some help, although it looks like I was being pretty damn over-cautious if you barely noticed a difference between the Dual Shock and Vita buttons. It's a good thing you tried one out for yourself!

@Elazul: Having used it more myself now, I can definitively feel the difference, but they are most certainly good enough for me. All in all it's a really neat little device. Hope Sony's bundle strategy and rumored Plus expansion tempts more people to go get one.