Tech Beat: Playstation Vita caters to game-savvy crowd
Sony is hoping its new Playstation Vita handheld gaming device will win over both seasoned and casual gamers. YNN's Adam Balkin filed the following report.
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
For starters, you can play virtually any way you want: directional pad and buttons, dual analog sticks, touch screen in front, even the back panel is touch sensitive for gameplay. There's also an accelerometer for tilting and twisting, plus inward and outward facing cameras. Sony's biggest selling point for it's new portable Playstation Vita though, its pure power as a gaming system playing through an ultra-crisp organic LED screen.
"It starts off with you have console-like quality experiences we have games with all our great Playstation brands like 'Uncharted', like 'Major League Baseball'. And then really to top everything off we have the network. You can have your gaming community with you on the road and keep in touch with all your friends, play against them," said Don Mesa of Sony Playstation.
The Vita also has all the features you've come to expect from any mobile device today -- the ability to download and watch movies, listen to music, access GPS maps and the web.
Now even just a few years ago you run through specs and features like those and odds are if you didn't preorder one you'd have to wait at least a few weeks if not a few months to get your hands on one. Today though, portable devices that focus primarily on gaming face much stiffer competition from a pretty good portable gaming system chances are you already own: Your smartphone.
"Well with 99 cent apps out there in some cases it actually is a tough call in terms of why should I buy this $250 device with games that cost $30, $40 when I can get 99 cent apps so that's its biggest problem," said David Carnoy/CNET.com
Sony is hoping all gamers will think like hardcore gamers, the type who'll wait hours on line for a Vita at a midnight launch.
"If you want to play real games you're going to get a Playstation Vita. If you want something casual for the train get a cell phone," said PS Vita fan Ramon Colon
The Vita is out now, the WiFi-only version runs $250, while the WiFi, GPS, and ATT 3G model goes for $300.