Hands on: Playstation Vita

Having just returned from the Vita Rooms event in Manchester and I've put some of my impressions below. Apologies if it seems really brief but my talent for writing is RUBBISH ;).

General

The device itself is quite light but felt really sturdy in my hands. The analog sticks themselves were smaller than I had thought and did take some getting used to. Overall though, I liked the look of the device and throughout the 3 hours I spent at the venue. There weren't any problems with the touch screen, though I did at times accidentally hit the rear touch panel which sometimes caused some minor gameplay issues. The screen looked brilliant in all the games I played. Speaking of which, here's a few opinions of what I played:

Little Big Planet



I tried 2 levels of LittleBigPlanet, the first being a standard platform level (which you've probably seen around online), while the other was an Air Hockey level for 2 players. The main level was good to demonstrate how the screen and rear touch panel would work with the game and in general looked really good.

Everybody's Golf



Played 6, birdied 6 :). The game actually looked a bit low-res at times but ultimately, it's Everybody's Golf :). I did test out all the new camera options and enjoyed playing the game.

Escape Plan



This was one of my favourite games at the event and out of our group of 3, the most played as well. The demo we played put us in as Lil and using the touch and rear touch screen to help Lil escape. If you mess up, you return to the start of the current room. The game shows a lot of promise and left a great impression on all of us.

Gravity Rush



Another favourite from the event and has been regarded as one of the most interesting games of the launch. The demo was basically a tutorial and a run up to and including the first boss. I sadly didn't really see anyone else playing the game but it's certainly the one that I'd purchase without thinking - just for the visuals!

Other games I played:

WipeOut 2048
Top Darts
ModNation Racers
Reality Fighters
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
FIFA Football
Touch my Katamari
Michael Jackson: The Experience (a guilty pleasure at the show!)
Hustle Kings
Super Stardust Delta

Overall, a good day out and a great chance to see what to expect when the Vita launches on 22nd February 2012. I've added a couple of games to my list of wants, and confirmed a few games that I'll decided to leave.

If you want any other impressions on games I didn't cover above, let me know on the comments, or via my Twitter (@HiddenAway1).