PS Vita Slim Review Roundup: Do The Critics Think It’s Worth The Upgrade?
The PS Vita Slim is here and the reviews are pouring in. The critics all have their own take on the new handheld console and hopefully their suggestions will be just what you need to decide if the upgrade is worth it.
As Nintendo could undoubtedly tell you, replacing the console you already own can be risky. From the Game Boy onward, their portable market has seen enough dramatic changes to almost compete with Lady Gaga. After all of the evolutions and eventually ditching the name of Game Boy altogether, Nintendo now technically has two handheld consoles. The Wii U GamePad is mostly the focus of its console, even though it does work on the HDTV screen.
Sony tried to copy what the Wii U does with its option to have the PS Vita connect with the PlayStation 4. Between the lack of games on the PS4 and the general apathy toward the Vita, Sony’s gamble to connect the two didn’t pay off like they’d hoped. As popular as the PS4 is in sales, they needed something new on the portable market after the console war hype died off a little.
PS Vita Slim reviews are pointing to Sony’s upgraded console being an improvement in a few ways, but lacking in others.
GameSpot says that the PS Vita Slim gives you an 8 GB memory card right out of the box, making it more consumer friendly. Included in the bundle deal is Borderlands 2 and its DLC. Such a great deal seems like a “no brainer,” but then you realize the original OLED screen is gone, replaced with a less impressive LCD version.
Expert Reviews tells us in its own PS Vita Slim review that the original console was in direct competition with the 3DS and its much larger library of titles. Even being more powerful, it couldn’t quite compete with a disturbing new trend in mobile gaming. Android and iOS were the biggest competitors, and they both had the added ability to do almost everything your computer and phone can do. Gamers are generally unconcerned with mobile gaming devices now that their phones can do even more, even at the same general price.
Making the PS Vita slimmer and less expensive might turn the tide, but can it beat the smartphone market and bring the profits for Sony?
Kotaku shows off a side by side comparison in its PS Vita Slim review, with definite cosmetic differences and a few minor improvements in where the controls are. The action buttons are a little further away from the right analog stick, possibly meaning you’re less likely to accidentally flick it upward as you attempt to hit the X button in a hurry. The same change came with the distance between the directional pad and the left analog stick. The distance is a slight one, but it could affect gameplay when it counts. The console is now lighter, but that also makes it feeling cheaper.
Do you agree with the critics’ PS Vita Slim reviews? Do the upgrades and changes make you want to trade up or even buy the console?
[image via nihongogo]
