The PS Vita is due for release in western markets later this week, and if you’re like me and on the fence but not willing to fork out the cash for one, here are a few reasons to make you feel a bit better about yourself.
1. The price tag
As with most new technology, the Vita comes with a premium price tag. It doesn’t matter which country you live in, but the cost of a Vita, the mandatory memory card and a game, and you could probably get a new PS3 or 360 with a few AAA games for the same price.
It also wasn’t too long ago that the 3DS launched with a similar price, only to be slashed a month or two later due to lack of sales. The Vita’s 2nd week sales were also dissappointing in Japan, and retailers are already unofficially selling the Vita 3G model for 20% under RRP, so I wouldn’t be suprised if the price drop comes sooner rather than later.
2. Lack of games
As with the 3DS, the Vita’s launch lineup isn’t exactly compelling, with only Uncharted: Golden Abyss being the clear standout. The rest of the games seem to be ports of existing or upcoming console games, so it seems to me the Vita experience isn’t as well defined as it should be yet. Again, give it some time and we’ll see exclusive Vita games which make full use of it’s features.
3. 1st generation syndrome
As with all technology, game consoles and handhelds usually go through several revisions which add new features, or just improve things in general. Between all the PSP and DS models, we’ve seen bigger screens, added cameras, smaller forms, better battery life and so on. Even the 3DS is getting a 2nd stick accessory, which will probably be built into the console in the near future sometime.
Holding out for a while might net you a Vita 1.1 with better battery life or a camera, but of course I could be totally mistaken and the next revision of the Vita could actually have less features, as with the case of Sony and the PS3.
Well there you go. While I love shiny new stuff, personally there isn’t a clear enough reason why I’d get a Vita yet. It took the PSP quite a while to get some momentum and get some good games on it, as with the 3DS, so my call is to wait until there’s something you really want to play on it.
