PlayStation Vita Slim: Sony's handheld gets a welcome redesign

The good: The PlayStation Vita Slim PCH-2000 is noticeably thinner and lighter, while the new LCD screen is -- thankfully -- just as good as original OLED panel. A microUSB charging port is a welcome addition, while in terms of raw power, this is still a very powerful games machine.

The bad: Its 1GB of on-board storage won't last long, and extra storage is costly. Compared with portable gaming on a smart phone or tablet, Vita games are still very expensive, and battery life -- while slightly improved -- is still unspectacular.

The bottom line: In the face of stiff competition from smart phone and tablet gaming, we were hoping for something more audacious from Sony's Vita revamp. The Vita Slim is still a powerful, portable games machine however -- just watch out for those pricey, proprietary memory cards. Owners of the original shouldn't worry about upgrading, but if there are Vita-specific titles you've been hankering to play for a while now, this is a good time to get involved.


The PlayStation Vita is back for an encore.

The original Vita, a successor the Sony's popular PSP, was released in early 2012, but the new model -- known alternately as the Vita PCH-2000, Vita 2000, or simply "the Vita Slim" -- is has been available in Japan for months, and just hit the UK on 7 February. It's lighter and thinner than the original model, but the 5-inch touch-screen is now LCD rather than OLED.

When the Vita Slim hits US shores in the spring, it will arrive bundled with Borderlands 2 (with credits for six downloadable add-on packs) and an 8GB memory card for $200.

We'll do a fresh, hands-on review of US bundle when it arrives later this year. But don't expect it to vary much from the review that follows, which was conducted with the UK version of the Slim.

Take a quick glance at the new Vita and you might not notice much difference from the existing model. It has the same basic shape -- a 5-inch display sits in the middle and is flanked by the same layout of buttons and analogue sticks on either side. Once you go in for a closer look, however, you'll notice the improvements.

Crucially, the new Vita is about 3mm slimmer than the previous model. That might not seem like a big difference, but it's surprisingly noticeable when you actually hold both models. Grabbing hold of it to play, the new model feels noticeably slimmer and rather more dainty.



Whether that's a good thing depends on the size of your hands. Personally, I found the slimmer model slightly more awkward to hold than the older, fatter model. By comparison, the old Vita feels rather more substantial when you're grabbing it in both hands, eagerly trying to cast Firaga in Final Fantasy 8. If you have smaller hands though, then perhaps the new size will suit. The rear ergonomic dents have been made marginally bigger which does help a little when it comes to getting a firm grip.

More welcome is the weight reduction. The new Vita weighs in 220g, a whole 42g lighter than its predecessor. While you probably won't notice much difference when it's banging about your rucksack, it certainly makes long gaming sessions a bit more comfortable for your wrists. I was able to slide the Vita Slim into an inside jacket pocket, and quickly forget it was there.

Another key change is the charging socket on the bottom. Gone is the proprietary charger port, replaced instead with the much more common micro USB port. Having gadget-specific chargers is always awkward as you need to make sure you take the dedicated charger with you when you trot off on holiday. With a Micro-USB socket on board however, you may find you already own several Vita Slim-compatible charging cables. Amazon's Kindle devices also charge over Micro-USB, as do most Android smart phones and tablets.

The action buttons on the right and D-pad on the left remain unchanged, as do the transparent shoulder buttons. The buttons are easy to press and comfortably spaced. The analogue sticks are the same small size and, crucially, haven't changed their position, so you won't need to get used to a new control layout. The touch-enabled back panel is still in place, although it's been shrunk slightly so you will need to stretch your fingers out more to swipe at it.

Compare the Vita Slim to the original model, and you'll see that a port that used to sit next to the games cartridge slot on the top has been removed. Don't worry that key features have been stripped away though -- this port has been the subject of various forum discussions as nobody really knew why it was there. It was called the "Accessory port" in Sony's manual, and Sony told me that it was installed to provide support for accessories that were never actually made. Sony claims the loss of this port contributed in making the Slim's body slightly thinner.

Display

The Vita Slim retains the 5-inch screen, but Sony has swapped the old Vita's OLED panel, in favour of an LCD one. Initially that raised alarm bells, as OLED panels typically provide stunningly rich colours. Hearing that it had been removed didn't sound like good news.

My fears were quickly allayed however, as the new LCD panel is actually rather good. It doesn't have quite the same deep saturation as its OLED cousin, but I found it to have a slightly warmer, more natural colour tone. I certainly won't say the new Vita's screen looks better -- but it's no worse, just different. The colour tone on the new panel is different, sure, but I had to look at test images and settings menus on both screens at once to tell the difference. When you're in the middle of a game, I almost guarantee you won't find the new Vita's screen lacking in any way.

Both screens share the same 960x544-pixel resolution, which is sufficient to make small text in games or when browsing the Web look sharp and clearly readable. Whacking in a Full HD display of the kind you'd get on Sony's recent Xperia Z1 smart phone might make things look more crisp, but it would also be much more demanding of both the processor and the battery. As it stands, the screen is more than adequate, and is a good compromise for overall performance.

Battery life

The original Vita managed 3 to 5 hours of gameplay on a single charge. Sony promised between 4-6 hours of gameplay for the Slim model, and our testing suggests that indeed, the improvement is relatively minor -- playing Killzone: Mercenary non-stop with the brightness turned to full, we took the Vita Slim from a full charge to zero power in just under four hours and 50 minutes.

We should note that Killzone: Mercenary is a very demanding game in terms of visuals. With lighter use, e.g., playing a less graphically demanding title, or only using basic apps, there's every chance you could eke out a little extra life from the Vita Slim. Gaming aside, Sony says you'll be able to play seven hours of video before the Vita Slim kicks the bucket, up from five hours on the previous version.

Storage and proprietary memory cards

The Vita has access to a wide array of games downloadable from the PlayStation Network, but these do take up quite a bit of space. Unlike the previous model, the new Vita comes with a built in 1GB of flash storage, which is appreciated, but isn't going to go far when individual titles like Killzone: Mercenary take up 3GB of space alone.

That onboard storage could, however, provide room for save files of games you've physically purchased, rather than installed. It still won't last long though, as some save-game files can take up over 70MB of space. Add on downloaded apps as well and you'll quickly find you've run out of room. When this happens you'll need to expand the storage -- and that will require you to splash out quite a bit more cash.

Unfortunately, the Vita Slim still only lets you expand its memory using proprietary Vita memory cards, which aren't cheap. A 32GB Vita memory card will set you back £65 on Amazon ($88 in the US). Compared with a standard 32GB microSD card (the storage medium accepted by Android phones and tablets), which can cost as little as £15 ($18), Sony's storage feels overpriced, and a real kick in the teeth when you've already forked out for the console itself.

Sony does offer a 4GB Vita card for £10 (about $12 in the US), but like the 1GB of on-board storage, that won't last you long once you download a game or two.

Vita Slim vs. Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL

The Vita Slim doesn't exist in a vacuum -- there are plenty of other gaming gadgets competing for your cash. So how does Sony's system fare against the competition?

Nintendo's 3DS console is considerably cheaper -- the original version is a little harder to find online, but can be yours for around £133 from Amazon UK, or $186 on the US site. The larger 3DS XL version (which sports an upper screen that's similar in size, if not in resolution, to the Vita) is available to brits for roughly £150, or $200. You might also save some money on memory as, unlike the Vita's pricey, proprietary cards, the 3DS stores data on regular SD cards -- the kind used by most digital cameras.

The 3D effect offered by Nintendo's system works remarkably well, and doesn't require glasses -- but in our experience it doesn't add a huge amount to gameplay, and there's every chance you'll switch it off after a few minutes' gawping.

 

The 3DS has some other things going for it however. The House of Mario's system is similarly comfy to grip and play with for long stretches of time, and battery life on the 3DS XL was around 4 to 7 hours in our tests -- an improvement on the 3DS' 3 to 5 hours (though not significantly better than the Vita Slim which, as noted above, managed a little under five hours of non-stop intensive gameplay).

In terms of games, CNET's sister site GameSpot charts a healthy 28 3DS titles that have scored eight out of 10 or higher. Only 20 Vita games rank in that same category. That doesn't tell the whole story though, and anyone considering splashing out on either system would do well to check out a list of exclusive titles -- if you're a Mario, Zelda, or Phoenix Wright fan, the 3DS is a no-brainer, but if Spelunky, or the warmly-received Persona 4: Golden tickle your fancy, consider the Vita.

Both systems offer an online shop where you can purchase games for download, but Nintendo's system falls short when it comes to apps. The 3DS has an Netflix app, but is missing social networking basics like Facebook and Twitter apps. The Vita has these, plus Skype, and its higher-resolution touch screen makes Web browsing a much more pleasant experience.

Dedicated gamers will spurn the lack of physical controls that gaming on a touchscreen-only gadget offers, but for more relaxed players, you could save yourself some effort -- and plenty of cash -- by turning to your mobile.

Both iOS and Android offer an almost endless array of downloadable timewasters, many of which are free, and almost all of which can be yours for under a few dollars. From disposable 30-seconds-at-a-time titles like Ridiculous Fishing, Temple Run 2, or Candy Crush to more ambitious PC-conversions like Xcom: Enemy Unknown, or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, there's enough out there to ensure you're never bored at a bus stop again.

These mobile games are the biggest threat to traditional handhelds like the Vita Slim and 3DS XL, and for good reason -- for most folk, a dedicated gaming gadget isn't really necessary when a vast ocean of cheap games can be downloaded directly to a smart phone or tablet.

Vita software and processor

Internally, the Vita Slim hasn't changed. It's running the same software as the older model, so existing Vita users among you will feel right at home. All your apps, services and installed games are shown as colourful, rounded orbs on your home screen -- simply prod one to load up a game or menu. To go home, poke the physical PlayStation button to the right of the screen.

It's a very simple interface and won't take long for new users to get used to. Playing a new game simply requires you to pop in the cartridge and the console will do the rest. You'll need to log in with your PSN account if you want to use the store or any social sharing services, but otherwise the interface is relatively hassle-free -- less time spent messing with settings means more times fragging your foes.

The Vita Slim uses Wi-Fi to connect to the internet, granting access to the web browser and allowing you to browse the shelves of the PlayStation store. The store offers classic older titles such as Final Fantasy 7, or Coolboarders, but you can also download recent releases like Killzone: Mercenary. If you don't fancy waiting for a physical game to be delivered or just don't want to leave your cosy flat, buying from the online store is a great option. Just make sure you have enough available storage space.

The Vita Slim's rubbery frame hosts the same quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor as its forebear, along with a quad-core GPU, which seemed every bit as powerful in the slim model as it did in its chunkier predecessor. Its power made short work of graphically demanding titles like the aforementioned Killzone: Mercenary, which ran very smoothly, even when bullets and explosions were flying.

PlayStation Now

Sony has promised to bring streaming gaming service PlayStation Now to the Vita, following a launch on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

Eventually, this will mean gamers will be able to stream games over the Internet. This may not sound a natural fit for portable handhelds like the Vita -- which will spend much of their time away from a Wi-Fi connection -- but it could provide a broader range of games to play before very long.

Importantly, because graphical processing in streaming games happens elsewhere, PlayStation Now could open up the Vita to games that its processor couldn't otherwise handle. Sony has also promised access to TV and movies via PlayStation Now.

The problem with this service is that it's not live yet, and we don't know how much it will cost, how well it will work or whether the list of available games, movies and TV shows will be in the least bit compelling.

As such, we can't consider imminent PlayStation Now access a point in Vita Slim's favour, but it's reassuring at least to see that Sony has some more ambitious plans for its handheld. rest assured, when PlayStation Now does launch later this year, CNET will be on hand to let you know if it's any good or not.

Conclusion

The Vita Slim's lighter, skinnier frame is a welcome design tweak, and it's reassuring to find that the new LCD screen isn't any worse than the previous OLED offering.

Elsewhere however, some of the same gripes we had with the original Vita remain, particularly around the pricey, proprietary memory cards. 1GB of on-board storage is a step in the right direction, but will be quickly exhausted by game saves and the odd download. In the face of stiff competition from smart phones and tablets, we'd have liked to see a more aggressive update from Sony, that offered customers better value-for-money.

The Vita Slim is a powerful, capable console however, and if there are Vita-only games you're desperate to play, it has the power to do those titles justice. Our recommendation is to peruse a list of the Vita's best games. If there are plenty you want to own, the Vita Slim is a wise choice. If nothing captures your imagination, ask whether you'd be better off with a Nintendo 3DS XL, or the cheaper, almost-infinite array of games on a mobile gadget such as the iPod touch.