New PSVita-2000 out now - any takers?

So there is a new PSVita out and it must have slipped past me, as I had no idea it was coming.

This is the description on Playasia to give you an idea:
Recently announced at Sony Japan's Pre TGS conference, the PlayStation Vita PCH-2000 is the newest iteration of Sony's flagship handheld.

When compared with the original PS Vita, the physical differences are immediately obvious, as the PCH-2000 model is 20 percent thinner, 15 percent lighter and comes in multiple colours. The OLED screen has now been replaced with a 5 inch LCD display - Sony confidently stated that this new screen will still deliver the beautiful graphics found native to the system.

The original dedicated power/transfer cable has now been replaced with a micro USB, allowing convienience of use as well as portability; the original power adapter stays with the original PS Vita. With regards to actual battery life, the PS Vita PCH-2000 boast an extra hour for 4-6 hours of active use.

More importantly, and perhaps the biggest difference of all is the initial price; the new PS Vita is actually cheaper than the original model even after the price drop of the latter - hopefully fans of portable gaming who have not purchased a Vita can finally take advantage of the proposed 100 Vita titles by the end of 2013.

Though admittedly a slow start, Sony hopes to revitalize the Vita brand, especially at a crucial moment just before the launch of the PlayStation 4. For gamers, this attractively priced console is the perfect way to take advantage of all the future cross play Vita/PS4 possibilites if not to just to own one of the most powerful handhelds ever created.

Being thinner isn't a help for me, as I prefer a handheld system I can hold properly and thin isn't helpful. Being lighter is a good thing, in a way, as it was pretty heavy to start with, but I preferred the weight of the PSP1000 over the later ones, as the lighter ones felt flimsy and too toy like. Still, either way, I am not bothered.

The new screen is an interesting one though, as it was much shouted about by the fanboys, especially to decry the 3DS. Now they will have to eat crow, or like fanboys, pretend it didn't happen, or argue it doesn't matter. I imagine that is why the price is lower as the screen is a major cost in the system and also why Sony went that way, to make it competitive on price to the 3DS.

I am still waiting for a volume of games to play that bring me to the Vita. Price is important, but games are more important. So far, it just doesn't have enough to attract me. Not a single game is a must have and the best ones are ports of games I already have, like Little King's Story or Persona 4. I would like to play Final Fantasy X again, but if only SE had released on the Wii U, i would have been happier.

Still, I do expect to eventually get a Vita and snap up some cheap and decent games, When, I don't know. I actually already have a Vita game waiting for a console, as I picked up Unchartered for a measly $2 brand new - showing just how well the system is selling in Australia.

This is old news sorry oldschool, stuff on it went up in the VITA section. I'm still looking at getting a VITA to go with PS4 but wait till this out in UK, and i an get a 1000 cheap.

masofdas wrote:

This is old news sorry oldschool, stuff on it went up in the VITA section. I'm still looking at getting a VITA to go with PS4 but wait till this out in UK, and i an get a 1000 cheap.

Sorry, but I did mention it slipped me by and I didn't even think to read the Vita thread. There are barely stores in my state that even sell the Vita, so I barely even think about it these days. If they were clearing out the 100 series it would be a good time to buy for the OLED screen. If only the games would interest me.

I think there's about 7 games I want for a VITA, to me it's the PS4 most expensive accessorize.

masofdas wrote:

I think there's about 7 games I want for a VITA, to me it's the PS4 most expensive accessorize.

I think I could easily find 7 Vita games worth playing, but not at full price, so it is a hit and miss when it comes to finding a price I am willing to play. None of that adds up to a must have system - yet. I am not concerned about the PS4 connectivity, as I doubt it will be all that good, or at least as good as they wish to make it out now. Also, I am unlikely to get a PS4 until a major price drop and I estimate that to be at least 3 years away - I didn't get the PS3 until 4 years into it. Like every system, the first year will barely interest me at all as far as games go.

Looking at GAME (EB games as you would know it)

I would want to try:
Army Corps
Disgaea 3
Dragons Crown
Gravity Rush
Killzone Mercenary
Liitle Kings Story
Persona 4 Golden
Silent Hill
Soul Sacrifice
Tearaway
Unit 13

So 11 games

masofdas wrote:

Looking at GAME (EB games as you would know it)

I would want to try:
Army Corps
Disgaea 3
Dragons Crown
Gravity Rush
Killzone Mercenary
Liitle Kings Story
Persona 4 Golden
Silent Hill
Soul Sacrifice
Tearaway
Unit 13

So 11 games

I saw Gravity Rush and Unit 13 for $2 as well and still ignored them. Not my thing.

Definitely Disgaea 3, even though I have it.
Dragon's Crown looks okay.
Little King's Story is likely better on the Wii, espcially graphics, but I love the game.
Persona 4 Golden, have it on the PS2, but really want it again.
Silent Hill is a barely maybe.
Soul Sacrifice looks good.

I would also add:
Ragnarok Odyssey
Valhalla Knights, maybe (a lot of the series has been ordinary at best)
Murumasa Rebirth, cheap as I have the Wii game, which was terrific.

And that is it, so just 9 for me. Not enough for a console purchase.

Looking at the preorder list, the only games I interest for me I could see were:
Ys Memories of Celceta, because I like the series.
Final Fantasy X, which I am happy to buy again, but I would prefer a home console version.

Still not a lot for me. I am confidant the list will grow and eventually justify it for me, as did the PSP. However, it feels like a slow grind at the moment.

What know gravity rush, isn't that suppose to be one of the best games on a VITA.

Forgot about
Ragnarok Odyssey
Murumasa Rebirth

Thanks to PSN and it being region free.

masofdas wrote:

What know gravity rush, isn't that suppose to be one of the best games on a VITA.

It is a puzzle game, and with a bare few exceptions, I really don't care for Puzzle games, along with pretty much every FPS made.

Gravity Rush isn't a puzzle game. It isn't slightly a puzzle game! I don't even think the game ever contains any puzzles! It's about jumping around flipping gravity and fighting monsters.

Gravity Rush is a absolutely brilliant game by far

andyman949 wrote:

Gravity Rush isn't a puzzle game. It isn't slightly a puzzle game! I don't even think the game ever contains any puzzles! It's about jumping around flipping gravity and fighting monsters.

Okay, it is a platform game, which is also not a genre I am a fan of, with a few exceptions. Reading up on it doesn't make it any more appealing to me, especially after playing games that you manipulate the world like Echochrome (which was good, but ultimately boring). The concept is always far better than the game for me.

Not interested. Like the 3DS XL this seems to be an exercise in cost cutting, though unlike the XL there aren't any tangible benefits to make up for it (bigger 3D screen, comfort).

Gone (like with 3DS to XL) is the single piece of plastic that covers the entire front of the screen, with the construction looking noticeably cheaper. The plastics seem reminiscent of the PSP E1000 too.

I was actually really pleased to hear they ditched OLED for LCD -- Vita's screen produces noticeably inaccurate and garishly oversaturated colours, and has a horrible amount of screen grain (most noticeable in settings) which adds texture to solid colours. It's better than a cheap LCD panel like 3DS's but certainly no where near as nice as the high quality IPS LCD panels in premium smartphones and tablets.

But sadly Sony have replaced the panel with a cheap LCD one, which is what put me off entirely. Viewing angles aren't meant to be good, and I'm not expecting great colour reproduction. Even the Xperia Z's screen is subpar for a high end smartphone, and poorly calibrated.

What I do like though is the new colours. Vita 1000 looked horrific in red and black, with Sony 'doing it wrong'. With these new models Sony have taken a similar approach to Apple's fifth gen iPod Touches by having white or black screen bezels combined with a coloured back. Looks great!

fronkhead wrote:

Not interested. Like the 3DS XL this seems to be an exercise in cost cutting, though unlike the XL there aren't any tangible benefits to make up for it (bigger 3D screen, comfort).

Gone (like with 3DS to XL) is the single piece of plastic that covers the entire front of the screen, with the construction looking noticeably cheaper. The plastics seem reminiscent of the PSP E1000 too.

I was actually really pleased to hear they ditched OLED for LCD -- Vita's screen produces noticeably inaccurate and garishly oversaturated colours, and has a horrible amount of screen grain (most noticeable in settings) which adds texture to solid colours. It's better than a cheap LCD panel like 3DS's but certainly no where near as nice as the high quality IPS LCD panels in premium smartphones and tablets.

But sadly Sony have replaced the panel with a cheap LCD one, which is what put me off entirely. Viewing angles aren't meant to be good, and I'm not expecting great colour reproduction. Even the Xperia Z's screen is subpar for a high end smartphone, and poorly calibrated.

What I do like though is the new colours. Vita 1000 looked horrific in red and black, with Sony 'doing it wrong'. With these new models Sony have taken a similar approach to Apple's fifth gen iPod Touches by having white or black screen bezels combined with a coloured back. Looks great!

Good to know the extra detail. What stands out from that is if it has anything in common with the PSP E1000, then that can only be bad. That is one really horrible console. It is so cheap and nasty feeling and clearly designed for price only. I also wan't aware of the OLED screen issues, so both sound pretty poor.

No problem! Yeah, it really does look cheaper (have a close look at the front and you can see that the screen now 'slots' into the chassis, for example).

Sony love to use PR buzzwords like the OLED screen in the original model when it suits them. Funny since they have now changed their tune and are marketing the Vita-2000's LCD screen as having superior colour reproduction.

If you can find a cheap Vita-1000 it's certainly worth it, given you're into Japanese curious like me -- Sony saving the system in Japan has pretty much guaranteed a steady stream of Japanese games for it (some of which will be localised).

Interesting that this sold 60,000 in Japan in launch week...

Axis1500 wrote:

Interesting that this sold 60,000 in Japan in launch week...

It is a decent one week number, but only if it sustains more than 20k a week into the future. I think it will barely be a blip on the radar in the west.

I wouldn't trade my launch Vita in for a solid gold pig. It's probably the finest piece of handheld kit I've ever purchased.

After having a look at a few more reviews of the system from tech sites, I have to say the new Vita looks pretty nice, the thinner design in particular looks great, as do the new colours in general. Gone is the faux metallic plastic strip around the side, too, and it just looks cleaner in general.

And the start/select buttons are no longer tiny ovals -- the one part of Vita's system buttons (everything else, including D-Pad, was excellent) that was a sticking point for me.

Just a shame about how the screen fits into the top, really, doesn't look as nice.

But if I hadn't picked up a Vita I'd certainly import this model over the first one.

As far as games on the vita go, the PS3 download games that have cross buy get the most play from me. Stuff like Stealth, Retro City Rampage and pinball games. It seems like the pefect platform to play indie games and the like. I also use it to play play psone games which seem to look a lot better on the vita screen than the tv.

Tearaway sounds really good but I still feel it isn't enough to pick up a vita, maybe the fact I already own 3 systems to buy games for is a factor as well.

I keep looking at the limited editions on eBay. Must not be tempted!  

I bought one! White and blue, from Japan. It's really neat.

Over the past few weeks I've been sizing it up, and it really is a nice upgrade in every way to the original Vita.

Things I've noticed which have improved:

[Micro USB port. Not a major improvement but welcome over the proprietary mess that the original had. My cable for that already frayed and it's nice for Sony to adopt the standard that we use with nearly all smartphones.

New chassis. It's a lot thinner and in general, nicer looking than the original. The gaudy fake chrome around the sides is gone. Now it's just one curved shape, and it looks great. New material feels more premium, too, and if you have a two-tone colour model it's really nice. Mine's blue underneath, complementing the white screen bezels.

Glass screen. Separating the screen from the plastic chassis is also welcome, but the glass is also oleophobic, so fingerprints rub right off really easily. I've never managed to keep my Vita-1000 fingerprint free, but the 2000's a doddle. The glass also feels far, far better to touch.

It's lighter. In addition to it being thinner you'll notice the difference in your hands immediately, and once you're used to it the original model feels downright odd.

Home, start, select buttons hugely improved. They are slightly raised above the surface of the Vita, too, so it's really easy to press them this time around.

The screen. Whether you'll like the screen is subjective, but it's objectively better. Sony's chosen a far better LCD IPS panel than I suspected, which delivers good contrast, great viewing angles and is far, far more readable outdoors or in sunlight than the low brightness OLED the original sported. The oversaturated, fake colours are gone, too, so games do look different, but now they are being displayed as intended. I personally prefer this -- even the best OLED panels now have options to calibrate the colours so they look right, and it's a shame Sony didn't add this option into the Vita-1000.

Battery life. I get at least 5-6 hours on mine with the brightness halfway up.]

So overall, if you're planning to pick up a Vita, don't overlook the 2000 model. I'm really impressed.

I do like the two tone systems and the colours etc of the slim. I'm not sure about the screen looking at unboxing videos, I don't like how the screen is kinda separated from the system. I prefer how on the 1000 it's all flat it looks better, I've also watched screen v screen to me I prefer the vibrant colours especially playing things like flower. But I do like the sound of everything else and seeing how much I'm enjoying my VITA at the moment I would consider importing a nice one from japan.

masofdas wrote:

I do like the two tone systems and the colours etc of the slim. I'm not sure about the screen looking at unboxing videos, I don't like how the screen is kinda separated from the system. I prefer how on the 1000 it's all flat it looks better, I've also watched screen v screen to me I prefer the vibrant colours especially playing things like flower.  But I do like the sound of everything else and seeing how much I'm enjoying my VITA at the moment I would consider importing a nice one from japan.

You see, I thought that before about the screen being separated, but now I see it as a plus.

The move from plastic to glass is probably partly why: if the front was entirely glass like a smartphone, it wouldn't suit the bit with the buttons, but also it makes it far easier to clean the screen.

On my original Vita cleaning the screen meant cleaning the entire plastic on top, which was a nightmare. Now you only have to focus on cleaning the glass panel in the middle, and the plastic where the buttons and D-Pad are doesn't really pick up fingerprints either. I'd say the trade-off is worth it.

Definitely import one from Japan (or search for people on eBay selling their Japanese ones in the UK, I saw a white/lime green one went for £170, in good condition with 64GB memory card and Tearaway which is a steal) if you're getting one, especially given how much it goes for here anyway.