Biggest and best games

The PSP's UMD software has been thankfully scrapped for Flash-based storage cards, but as well as physical products, the Vita will also be download driven. Several games have been announced for the device, including Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Hustle Kings, Everybody's Golf Next (Hot Shots Golf Next in North America) as well as new iterations of Killzone, Wipeout 2048, Resistance, LittleBigPlanet, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus, Ridge Racer and Call of Duty. In addition, several third-party studios showcased technology demos of the device by exporting existing assets from their PlayStation 3 counterpart and then rendering them on the device. Some of the games that were demonstrated include Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Yakuza Of the End, and Lost Planet 2. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd was also demonstrated to be running on the device to showcase the device's backwards compatibility with downloadable PlayStation Portable titles, which was also shown to be compatible with the PlayStation Vita's additional analogue stick. Unlike the first PSP, the PlayStation Vita will come with Trophy support for games.

Open new ways to play

There are also control inputs aplenty - the familiar Sixaxis button and motion controls supplemented by a touch screen, a rear touch panel and cameras front and back. The buttons on the face of the Vita are tight and responsive. Its D-pad is a departure from the PSP's. It doesn't feature four separate pieces. Instead it is a multidirectional dial that doesn't seem to allow for the precision the PSP's D-pad does.

The PS Vita has a touch-sensitive back so you can control the on-screen action without hiding it behind your fingers. The rear touch panel is smooth and can sense multiple touch gestures and contact points at once. The screen's multi-touch too. The combination of a touchy front and back is fascinating - Sony talks about it enabling "touch, grab, trace, push and pull hand movements." implementation of these seems a few new tricks; in Uncharted: Golden Abyss, you can adjust your view simply by titling the screen in the direction Drake is looking. Or Little Big Planet where you can plot your moves through the new touch screen technology. Or, select a club in Hot Shots Golf just by tapping your intended target on-screen.

Sony is also clearly aiming at new audiences with problems adapting to new functions - It’s amazing, in a way, that we already take accelerometer control for granted. The PS Vita includes a three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer and three-axis electronic compass for handheld-waggling motion-controlled tomfoolery.