PS VIta Slim: Hands-On Impressions

Posted by Daniel Mann

Whilst in Akihabarara last night, I got a chance to try out a demo model of the new PlayStation Vita Slim. Thoughts? It is pretty substantially different to hold. The drop in weight is clearly noticeable. It felt like it had no heft to me with its reduced weight and thickness and certainly feels a little cheaper in its build quality compared to the original Vita. The best comparison I can make is that it feels a lot like the original PSP slim. Maybe slightly lighter then that. Like I said, pick it up and it is incredibly light which is something of a plus and detriment. The plus being that its maybe a little more comfortable. The detriment being that it definetly makes it feel like a cheaper product. It's curved around the edges, has a little bit more of a matte finish around the trimmings rather then the plastic finish that the original Vita sported. Face buttons are all pretty much the same as the original model. The same can be said for the analog sticks, nothing has changed in those departments. The back touch is a little smaller and is no longer 1 for 1 with the front screen. But what about that LCD? That's what you all really want to know about right? Well it is a noticeable difference. Response time seemed pretty good on it. I played the Project Diva demo and I didn't notice any ghosting or too much in the way of blur in that demo. The contrast levels are noticeable though. Black levels are nowhere near as deep as the original OLED model was. The typical LCD saturation is definitely there. But for the most part, it didn't seem as bad as I feared. Response times seemed good enough and the screen still looks rather nice. Just not that OLED type of nice. I still think I would stick with my original model but I gotta say, the new model isn't as bad as I feared it would be. Will you be importing a PS Vita Slim? Let us know in the comments below, yo!