A lot of products come out each week — we don't highlight all of them, but all of them make it into The Verge Database. In Spec Sheet, a weekly series, we survey the latest product entries to keep track of the state of the art.
Sony is finally bringing its slimmer and sleeker model of the PlayStation Vita to the United States, releasing it as part of a $199.99 bundle that includes Borderlands 2 and an 8GB memory card on May 6th. The redesigned Vita,
sometimes called the Vita 2000, went on sale in Japan last October and
came to the UK this February. With its bundled deal and broader
availability, the Vita is now a more competitively positioned handheld
gaming device than ever. We're taking a look across the landscape of
current handhelds to see how the new Vita fits in.
Click the image above for full specs on all six handhelds.
The new Vita is an improvement in many ways, but not all
The new Vita is 20
percent slimmer and 15 percent lighter than the original model. It has a
few cosmetic design tweaks and a thinner profile that's supposed to
make it a bit more ergonomic, but it's largely the same design as it's
always been. There's one really key difference between the two though,
and it may partly speak to why Sony's been able to drop the price: the
original Vita used an OLED display, while the new Vita uses an LCD
display. Sony says the difference is negligible, but it's worth
remembering that the change is for most a downgrade, however slight,
from the vibrant colors that the original model's OLED display could produce.
Even so, the Vita is
still unquestionably more powerful and capable than Nintendo's line of
3DS handhelds, which includes a standard and XL model alongside a less expensive model that doesn't do 3D.
Though neither Nintendo nor Sony fully disclose what's on the inside of
their handhelds, it's fairly obvious when looking at their games that
the Vita is capable of producing graphics closer to the level of a last
generation consoles than the 3DS is able to. When looking at what specs
we know about, that makes sense: Sony says that the Vita has a quad-core
processor, while Nintendo is believed to be using a single- or
dual-core processor running even slower. Full details of their RAM and
graphical capabilities aren't stated by either company as well, but here
it's also believed that Sony takes a significant lead.
Sony's handheld has the
better display to run it all on too, be it OLED or LCD. The Vita's
display is 5-inches diagonally with a resolution of 960 by 544 pixels — a
density of about 220 pixels per inch — while the primary 3DS models
have lower resolution displays of 800 by 240 pixels on top and 320 by
240 pixels on the bottom. That top resolution's longer side is
effectively cut in half too, since the pixels are split in two to create
its flagship 3D effect. It makes the 3DS line's pixel density look
exceptionally low in today's world of 1080p smartphones, with about 95
pixels per inch on the 4.9-inch 3DS XL to about 132 pixels per inch on the 4.3-inch 3DS and 2DS.
Despite its larger
display, neither Vita is dramatically larger than any 3DS. The new Vita
is still longer, measuring over 7-inches wide, but it's slightly thinner
and even a bit lighter than the 3DS models too. The Vita is also better
set up for serious gaming, including dual control sticks rather than
the single one found on the 3DS line. Both handhelds have their gimmicks
too, and you'll have to decide which sounds more meaningful: the 3DS
lines' dual screens and 3D picture, or the Vita's rear touch panel.
Nintendo and Sony aren't the only players in portable gaming
Those aren't the only
handheld consoles in town any longer though. Last year, Nvidia released
the Shield, a far more capable handheld that's effectively a gaming
controller with a 720p display strapped to it. It can push games over
HDMI, stream games from local PCs, and has access to everything on
Android. It can deliver an impressive portable gaming experience,
but it's in some ways limited by its use of Android too: since most
games aren't designed for use with a controller, the Shield's familiar
body can at times feel underutilized.
Of course, that's the sticking
point for all of these handhelds, and why specs alone have never been
the most important point in any console race yet. What matters most is
what games are on each platform, and there's a dramatic difference
between what's available on each of them. The 3DS line has the smart and
classic games that you'd expect from Nintendo. The Vitas can get closer
to delivering a console experience and have a strong mix of smaller
titles. And the Shield can access everything from Angry Birds to ports of Grand Theft Auto.
The Shield's complexity
and power suggest that it's meant more for people who want very serious
gaming on the go and anywhere around the house, but with it currently at the same price as the new Vita,
it's a worthwhile option for anyone to consider. For most though, the
decision will come down to the classic contenders: the new Vita and any
one in Nintendo's 3DS line, which current range in price from $199.99 to
$129.99. The Vita's hardware is the winner in most ways, but in the
end, it's your specific taste in games that'll make or break either
choice. There are a lot of compelling titles on both sides too, so that
final decision may not be an easy one.
If you want to learn more
about any of the products mentioned above, all of our information on
them can be found through the database box located beneath the article.
For more on game consoles and just about every product around, you can check out the full Verge Database right here.
Correction: the current price of the Shield is $199.99. This article originally stated that it was $299.99, its initial selling price.
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