Sony’s new handheld gaming gizmo

A touch too much? Sony’s new handheld gaming gizmo

Generations of full-sized games consoles come and go, and they all hit the same insurmountable obstacle – my other half simply won’t switch off Deal Or No Deal to let me play on our TV.

I might be able to defeat any galactic tyrant my PlayStation can throw at me, but I know when I’m beaten.

For the past week, though, I’ve been quite smug in my allotted corner of the sofa.

Sony’s new PlayStation Vita – due in the UK on February 22 – delivers PS3-quality gaming, but via a sleek 5in OLED touchscreen sharper than the one on Apple’s iPad.

From the moment you fire it up, you want to sit there stroking it like Blofeld with his cat.

The problem, of course, is that handheld games consoles no longer rule the world – saying the PlayStation Vita has got off to a good start feels a bit like saying, ‘This is a really textbook charge from the Light Brigade here – stunning stuff.’

The Vita might be loaded with every technological bell, whistle and klaxon Sony could find in the workshop – it’s got a quad-core processor, Wi-Fi, optional 3G and, not content with just the touchscreen, a touchpad on the back too – but it’s £229 (£279 with 3G), and it’s competing with phone games such as Angry Birds, which cost 59p.

This is a console made by people who want games to be £40. I can sort of see their point. Uncharted: Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 on the Vita are gorgeous 3D games that couldn’t happen on the iPhone.

Your 59p doesn’t go far when you’re paying armies of 3D artists, scriptwriters and play-testers. It’s £40, but Golden Abyss is the real deal.

However, serving up that sort of game month in, month out is a tall order – and it remains to be seen whether the Vita can keep up…

Source: Daily Mail