vita

Low Latency is a weekly comic on CNET's Crave blog written by CNET editor and podcast host Jeff Bakalar and illustrated by Blake Stevenson. Be sure to check Crave every Thursday at 8 a.m. PT for new panels!… Read more

I've had the PlayStation Vita for a week. In that time, I've been impressed with the system's potential, and I appreciate the effectiveness of its dual analog sticks, but I've come away with one conclusion stronger than all the others:

The Vita needs to be a phone.

By that I mean, in a phone. The current PS Vita, despite coming in a 3G version with AT&T mobile broadband, is far too large, and obviously couldn't be a phone, unless you used a Bluetooth or wired headset (then again, the Samsung Galaxy Note is basically the same size). However, the fingerprints of a phonelike OS are everywhere. The large, multitouch OLED screen, the gesture-based motions, the Android/iOS-like app icons, the open app pages, the Web browser, the Twitter app, the front- and rear-facing cameras...the PS Vita is so much like a phone that it becomes confusing to describe to anyone who hasn't heard of it before.

I've explained the Vita to several people who didn't know about it, and while "next-generation PSP" does get used quite a bit, so does "like a phone." The interface and the downloadable music, movies, and apps are phonelike, not gamelike.

Here's why I think it could, and should, happen.… Read more

Sony yesterday delivered a host of new games and applications to its PlayStation Store ahead of today's PlayStation Vita launch.

The game company delivered three augmented-reality titles to the PlayStation Vita's game selection, including Cliff Diving, Table Soccer, and Fireworks. Augmented reality is made possible with the Vita's cameras, which identify user movement. In my experience with it on the Vita, augmented reality is by no means a key reason to buy the device, but it's a fun add-on--especially when friends are interested in trying it out.

In addition, Sony launched a number of new Vita … Read more

We finally put the celebratory Champagne away after last week's episode, just in time to bring you a ton of new rumors, hot off the rumor mill press.

Wouldn't that make our jobs so much easier? If there were an actual rumor mill press? Since there's not, Emily divulged that she did some research on Wikipedia and IMDb this week. She really pulled out all the stops!

In honor of our 21st episode, because we always find something to celebrate, we brought on special guest Madissen De Turris! And she even brought us presents! We love that. … Read more

The PS Vita is a pretty phenomenal piece of hardware that's technically capable of being backward-compatible with the entire PSP library. Alas, at this point, the list of PSP games you can download onto your PS Vita is limited. Sure, there are plenty of great older games (and lots of great brand-new ones, too), but there are many missing titles. Browse the list for yourself.

Sony says the list of backward-compatible games will continue to grow, but why wait? There are actually plenty of other PSP games you can play on your PS Vita right now, but you'll need a PS3 to make it happen. They may not be listed on Sony's backward-compatibility list, but they certainly work.… Read more

I think the Vita is an amazing portable gaming system (check out my official CNET review), but owning one isn't going to be cheap. There will be a total of 25 games ready for launch on February 22, but not every single title is worth your hard-earned cash. The last thing you want to do is buy a launch game that you'll regret soon after.

Instead, shop with some insider knowledge by checking out what I think are (in no particular order) the Vita's best launch games. … Read more

Yes, it's a loaded question, but a necessary one with the PlayStation Vita finally making its U.S. release. There's no denying that platforms like iOS and Android have changed the face of portable gaming forever, but do they provide the best experience?

Just like choosing which home console to buy, this is a decision that needs to be made on a personal level, depending on what exactly your budget and preferences are.

In my opinion, the best "gamer's" games are the ones experienced with actual tactile buttons. While touch gaming might be more accessible and ultimately more affordable, I do believe if you limit yourself to that specific medium, you're missing out on a lot that the world of portable gaming has to offer.

With that said, let's look at the current portable gaming landscape.… Read more

Recently, I wrote an article titled "What if the Vita had an Apple logo instead of Sony's?" Some readers didn't appreciate that I'd talked about the Vita in the context of Apple or as one reader put it, "Damn, CNET has to talk about Apple all the time???"

Worse yet, another reader chillingly removed us from his Google home page, stating that our articles don't have enough "variety and range" for him anymore.

Ironically, a couple days ago I ran into an Apple employee at an event who complained that … Read more

I went to Sony's PlayStation Vita page and counted the number of non-gaming apps promoted for its next-generation handheld game system: 18. That's it. The iPhone? Well over half a million (games included).

Sure, the Vita's 18 apps beat what most other handheld game systems have by a landslide. That's just on day one; I expect at least a solid handful of other apps to follow. Still, it's a concern. More than that, I see it as the Vita's biggest key to surviving: apps must be a focus. Games, too, of course, but most definitely apps.

We no longer use handhelds for a single purpose anymore, for the most part. The PlayStation Vita is, undoubtedly, a superior piece of gaming hardware. I've been playing with one for the past few days, and despite its familiar looks, the quality of the hardware bleeds out the pores. From the screen to the controls, it's designed to stand out. Sony's expertise in making games is also largely uncontested. Let's put both of those elements aside, because few will question the Vita's ability to play excellent games.

What many will question, though, is how versatile the Vita is, and how approachable to nongamers.… Read more