PS Vita slim
|

Sony's slimline PS Vita is two steps forward and one gigantic leap back.

The new device is noticeably lighter with a 40g reduction in weight, and it's quite a bit slimmer than the original Vita. It's a subtle redesign, sure, but it's enough to make the old model feel like a bit of a brick in comparison.

But such changes haven't come without compromise, and Sony has replaced the glorious OLED display with a cheaper LCD screen. The result is a display that's dramatically washed out, desaturated, and lacking in vivid colours. Deep blacks look grey, and bright whites look a bit yellow.

It's still sharp, though it does suffer from a little motion blur at times. It's still bold, eye-catching, and enormous. And if you'd never seen the old Vita screen you probably wouldn't have anything to complain about.

PS Vita Top: Slim PS Vita. Bottom: Original PS Vita

But if you do have the original Vita, it's impossible not to see this LCD screen as a disappointing step down. That makes it very difficult to recommend it as a replacement.

Other than that, there are some aesthetic changes. There's a subtle chamfer to the front fascia. There's no gaudy chrome trim any more. And now there's a weird border around the screen which almost makes it look as though you could pop it out and use it as a smartphone.

The controls are practically identical, except for the fact that the Start and Select buttons are now upraised and easy to access (they were buried beneath the surface before). And the power light has moved onto the outer rim of the device (and now it's green! OMG!).

PS Vita Top: Original PS Vita. Bottom: Slim PS Vita

The propriety charging cable has been ditched in favour of a micro USB port, and that mysterious top port has completely vanished. It also has about an extra hour of battery life, according to Sony.

Also, the rear touchpad is a lot smaller, and is now 5cm away from the edge rather than 3.5cm which means you're less likely to tickle the touchpad (a constant annoyance for me) during play.

The Slim also comes with 1GB of internal memory. That's great, because it means you won't need an overpriced memory card if you're only going to be playing retail games and the odd downloadable title.

But, that doesn't mean you'll have 9GB of space if you plug in a 8GB card. You cannot use the internal memory at all while a removable memory card is inserted, which is going to be a bit annoying if you have a bunch of saves on internal space and then go on to buy a memory card down the line.

PS Vita

The slim PS Vita is better than the original device in every way but one. But this isn't like losing the headphone jack on the Gameboy Advance SP or the DSi ditching the GBA cartridge slot.

The Vita's epic OLED screen is its calling card and this new desaturated display will affect every game you play. It's a monster compromise which makes it impossible to recommend that you buy one to replace your Vita.

And if you're about to buy a Vita now (while the old device is still in stock and hasn't been completely replaced with the slim)? I say go for the older model. It may be fat and chunky, but it's sure got a pretty face.

PS Vita slim

This slim and light PS Vita is a welcome redesign to Sony's impressive handheld console, but the downgraded screen is too much of a compromise to stomach
Score
Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer