I initially didn't have any interest in trying to get the PS Vita during the launch period - I thought it was going to be sold out and unavailable for quite a while and there were not that many games that I was particularly interested in anyway. I then had a gander at Amazon and was surprised to see that they were taking pre-orders at retail price as opposed to some merchant trying to flog the thing for 3 times the price.
I then started to seek games - I heard of BlazBlue but not played it at all - picked that up together with Uncharted which I've also heard a lot of good things about.
There seem to be some UI problems though. The joystick on the right gets slightly in the way when you try to press the X button. The select and start buttons need to either be pushed very hard or with your fingernails. Also, when holding the PS Vita, your thumbs cover the speakers. The whole unit is not as comfortable to holds as the PSP either - will probably get used to it after a while though.
Power button, PS Vita card slot, some extension slot and volume buttons. Folks who dont read the instructions when they first get the PS Vita may break out in a sweat - you need to hold the power button down for 5 seconds on the initial bootup. I saw folks saying that they got a faulty PS Vita because they overlooked this detail.
Comparison with the other gaming devices lying around. As you can see - the PSP buttons are much bigger. Everything on the Vita seems so squashed together. And if you are wondering - the iPhone app is MiraiClock3.
But then this screen saying "A system software update is required. Update the system software, and then link your account with the PlayStayion Vita system."
The only option to choose here is "OK."
But after tapping "OK", I'm just sent back to the previous screen! To get out of everything, you need to lie and say that you dont have a PSN account.
Folks who want one now can order from J-List.
Looks like I have found a cradle which looks much better than the official one.
Am overall happy with the machine so far - the git at the end of BlazBlue is annoying! The quirks that I mention are just things that one may need some time getting used to. I'm looking forward to getting my UMD passport so that I can play my PSP games like Valkyria Chronicles on it.
I think what we will see a lot of is PS3 ports over to the Vita - just like Ninja Gaiden Sigma due out next Feb.
After playing handhelds, I wonder why home consoles dont have a sleep mode. I dont have much time and appreciate that a handheld can be picked up and I can just start off from where I last was - playing a home console requires turning on tv > turning on PS3 > booting up game > go through several menus > play game but usually from beginning of level that I was on. And by the time I can start to play - I dont have any time left ^^;
When I play games, I usually watch the clock constantly and slowly start to feel guilty as time passes that I could be doing something more productive instead. Having said that, its important to relax from time to time - just remember that too much relaxing is just another comfort zone.
Do you prefer to play games on a console at home or handheld?