Friday, 31 January 2014
We get hands-on time with the slimmest PlayStation ever, and we like it. Rather a lot, in fact
Keen to capitalise on the awesomeness of the PS4’s Remote Play feature, Sony is launching a new, slimmer and lighter version of its Vita handheld in the hope it’ll tempt more gamers to give it a go.
We’ve already managed to get hold of the PlayStation Vita Slim (also known rather unromantically as the PCH-2000) - here are our first impressions.
We’ve already managed to get hold of the PlayStation Vita Slim (also known rather unromantically as the PCH-2000) - here are our first impressions.
Smaller and lighter, but it’s the curves that matter most
Comparing new and old Vitas side by side doesn’t entirely go the Slim’s way - it just doesn’t look or feel quite as premium as the previous model, with more plastic under the fingers and visible edge around the screen where it sits in the chassis, unlike the seamless, smooth fascia of before.
While it doesn’t look significantly smaller face-on the difference in depth is immediately obvious (3.6mm really can make a difference), but it’s the new, curvier shape that contributes most to making this a more ergonomic console. We’ve not had time for any mammoth gaming sessions with it yet, but the Slim is immediately more comfortable in the hands.
The analogue sticks, d-pad and symbol buttons are all identical to before, but the PS, Select and Start buttons are all now a little bigger and circular.
OLED to LCD FTW?
One of the most exciting features of the original Vita was its use of fancy OLED tech for the display, and yet the new Slim has gone with old-fashioned LCD. Sony seems to be suggesting that LCD has moved on a lot in the last couple of years, but to us it does initially sounds rather like a cost-cutting move.
And yet, our experience so far of the Vita Slim suggests the new screen is actually better.
The old Vita’s OLED certainly seems brighter and a little more vivid, but the Slim’s LCD appears to have more natural, balanced colours, smoother shade gradients, and more subtle, realistic contrast. It even appears to be just a touch sharper, despite having an identical resolution.
This is going to take some more testing, but so far the switch of screen tech seems to be about more than simple bean-counting.
When 1GB of storage is something to shout about
The first Vita came without any built-in storage so if you wanted to download anything (which we hear is quite the craze these days) you had to buy expensive, proprietary memory cards. That’s now changed. Sort of.
The Vita Slim comes with 1GB of internal storage, which is an undisputable improvement. But with many games (including the likes of FIFA 14) coming in at over 3GB it’s still not enough. If a cheap smartphone such as the Motorola Moto G can cram in 8GB of space, why can’t a handheld console that is increasingly pushing digital downloads of its games?
Adding a 16GB card currently costs around £25. And it doesn’t actually “add” to the storage as inserting a memory card makes the built-in storage unavailable.
Goodbye proprietary charging cable, hello micro-USB
If you’re a Vita player you already know how frustrating it is to run out of juice and discover you’ve not got the stupid proprietary cable with you. Well with the Slim that frustration should be short-lived, as the power connector on the bottom of the device is standard micro-USB, and who can’t lay their hands on one of those in a hurry?
Don’t go assuming you can keep playing as you charge, though - as with the standard model the Slim uses more power than it can draw from standard USB 2.0 sockets, so if you want to game and charge at the same time you’re going to want to keep the bundled wall charger handy. The battery life is said to have been upped by about an hour, though.
The death of the mystery connection
On the top edge of the old Vita were two flaps concealing two slots - one for game cards and one mystery expansion slot, the purpose of which has never been revealed.
And in all likelihood it now never will, because the Vita Slim doesn’t have it at all. What a shame. Or maybe not - it could have been rubbish.
In terms of wireless connections it’s a little disappointing to see that there’s no 3G or 4G support. That really is a shame, as 4G plus Remote Play could equal PS4 gaming in even more places than it currently does.
PS Vita Slim release date, price and initial verdict
In the relatively short time we’ve so far had with the Vita Slim we’re happy to report that it absolutely is an improvement on the outgoing model. It’s comfier to hold, it lasts longer, it no longer relies on proprietary cables and it looks as though it’s screen might actually (and surprisingly) be an improvement.
But Sony could have gone further. 8GB of internal storage should be a minimum, and a 4G option for those really committed to PS4 Remote Play makes a great deal of sense to us. And while the Slim feels a little less premium than the previous Vita, the price remains the same at around £180. Shaving a little off could have convinced a whole load of PS4 players intrigued by partnering the two consoles to take the plunge.
The original Vita was great, and the Vita Slim is more great, but we just want to see more of them in the hands of gamers and aren’t entirely convinced that the new model goes quite far enough to make that happen. We’ll see for sure when it launches in the UK on 7th February. You’ll be able to pre-order from all of the usual places from tomorrow.