Playstation Vita?

Anyone own one or looked into it? I do some travelling for work and thinking of getting one mainly for when away. I read plenty but need something else to occupy me and it is easy to fall into the trap of hitting the bar every night to pass the time like others do (not good for the waistline or bank balance!).

The size of the Vita is a big plus as I only travel with carry on luggage. I’ve done some research and found a few people complaining about game availability but I would stick to mainstream titles such as Batman, Need For Speed, Fifa etc and as they are priced at $15 - $40 each I certainly wouldn't go mad buying everything that came out. Not sure that is a valid argument anyway as there’s over 100 titles. I’ve got a work tablet and smartphone but the games on those platforms are not my kind of thing (other than the Walking Dead they are not serious enough if that makes sense). The multi-player thing doesn't interest me so will be the wifi only version if I do go with it (I can always connect to my phone anyway if I change my mind).

I bought a vita a while back.

The range of games is pretty decent, and there is the added advantage of any PSP or PSOne games you have purchased on the PSNStore can then be downloaded and played on the vita.

There are also a range of pretty quirk games purely for the vita that can keep you busy, and are free! The likes of Cliff Diving, Table Football and the likes utilise the AR (Augmented Reality) abilities of the vita, and a good fun for a while. And others like Frobisher Says are just very simple mini games that get you used to the various things the vita can do (it's rather good for free). The amount of games on the PSNStore for the vita is pretty decent, and there area a number of very good entertaining indie games that can help kill the hours without being too mind taxing.

Personally I would recommend it, if you are travelling etc a fair bit.

Hey SS, thanks for taking the time to answer. I've decided to get one and ordered online as it was the best deal I could find and I'm at home now for the next 3 weeks so no urgency. The package I went for comes with a game plus a 4gb memory card. As I plan to download the majority of games I want then I will pick up a 32gb card as I read that some of the bigger games need up to 4gb alone so it's not suitable. Not got a PS3 (been firmly in the xbox camp the last two console generations) but have got a PS4 on pre-order and although for the most part I will class them as different entities I'm sure they will be times when I switch playing a certain game between the two pieces of hardware in the future.

The other plus side (I assume PS4 will do the same) is that you can use the PS3 (like I said I assume ps4 will do the same) as a form of media server, for want of a better word. I have an external hard drive (3TB) connected to the ps3, and the vita can connect to it via the ps3 via the tinterweb, so i can access my video/music files remotely, providing I am somewhere with wi-fi.

As for the memory card, I recently went form 16gb to 32, and it hold a hell of a lot. Another one to consider is there is a 16gb card on sale that has 10 games included on it (Little big planet, wipeout etc) which seems good value for someone starting out.

Not seen a memory card over here that also has games included. Will take a look at some UK sites seeing as the Vita is region free and the folks arrive for a visit towards the end of September so I could get them to bring it out with them. Kind of like those young girls in Peru but without the Colombian marching powder.

Had some good news tonight. The company that I ordered the Vita from are refunding the $50 difference now that Sony have dropped the price, meaning the package is now $200 and not $250. I had read that Sony may announce a price drop at gamescom or whatever it's called but maybe at the cost of replacing the OLED for a cheaper version so I wanted to get my order in even if it meant paying more. Thankfully I ended up with the best of both worlds.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-PlayStation-Vita-Memory-Playstation/dp/B00DF42SPI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1377074708&sr=8-3&keywords=8gb+vita

Ten quid more expensive than a normal 8gb one, but with games too it seems worth it, even if you only keep the games on that card and swithc them around with the other on.

Nice little deal you got there on the price drop. Its brilliant when the world actually works in your favour.

Thanks for the link SS, only available in Europe it seems. Vita memory cards are a little cheaper over here but are still very expensive for what they are compared to other generic memory types. Sony have got us over a barrel I guess and at least the digital versions of the games are a little cheaper than the physical versions (unlike eBooks but that's for another thread!).

Found out today that I'm going to be working away more than I thought in September so I'm glad I got on and ordered it.

I plan on getting one in the new year after the Xmas prices have dropped a bit

Steffan wrote:I plan on getting one in the new year after the Xmas prices have dropped a bit

I'm glad I got one. Spent a lot of September away from home and used it more days than not. It has a flight mode like mobiles as well so it's great for flying.

Currently have the following games-
Assassin's Creed III (came with unit), Unit 13 (came with unit), Killzone Mercenary, Uncharted Golden Abyss (free with plus membership), Gravity Rush (free), Rayman Origins (free), Wipeout 2048 (free) & GTA Liberty City Stories (free but very dated!).

Didn't rate AC III on the full sized console but think it works very well on the Vita and I've probably played that more than anything else so far. Killzone seems very good other than not being able to save mid-level (long levels make this a stupid decision). I also plan to download Fifa14 this weekend.

Would really recommend getting PS Plus if you don't already have it and you get a Vita. I only got it because I have a PS4 on pre-order (currently have a 360) but they give so much free stuff away that it's great value at $50 annually.