Feature: Playstation Vita Slim Overview

Japan had it first, Europe had it second and now finally the new PS Vita slim is available in North America.  In this article I won't necessarily be doing a review but I will be talking about the differences between the Vita 1000 and the new Vita 2000, or slim for short.  I also apologize ahead of time for the lack images in this overview, as I lack a decent camera to take comparison photos. Taking mediocre pictures would not do any justice to the comparison.  So let's compare the differences between the two sku's. 

The Screen 

Out with the OLED and bring forth the LCD.  The Slim boasts an LCD display that gives games a much more natural color tone.  The OLED on the other hand, is much brighter and displays much more brighter colors.  Some would argue that going from an OLED screen to a LCD screen is a downgrade but that isn't the case in some instances.  The LCD screen really shines in games that go for a more photo realistic approach, such as the MGS HD Collection, FFX HD, Soul Sacrifice, Uncharted and Ys.  I noticed that game textures show more detail than on the OLED and that may be due to the oversaturation of colors that don't allow some of the finer details of the game.  In games like Persona 4 Golden, Demon Gaze, Conception 2, Hatsune Miku and iinde games the LCD really did not do the justice that the OLED gave.  These games felt dull on the Slim's LCD screen, the OLED gave these games life and that is where the LCD falls short and should be taken into consideration when deciding which model to buy.  The questions that you should ask yourself are, Do I play Anime styled games or photo realistic games?   

Form Factor 

Now let us talk about the form factor of the Slim, trust me when I say that the Slim is way lighter and thinner.  As an owner since launch day of the OLED Vita, holding the Slim for the first time almost made me believe I was holding the successor to the Vita rather than a new revision of Sony's handheld.  The OLED Vita weighs in at 260g and the Slim weighs in at 215g, a 45g difference may not sound like much but trust me when I say it makes a noticeable difference when I put in longer hours of game play.   

 I also felt that the Slim was much more comfortable to hold compared to the OLED.  Accidentally tapping the back touch pad was an annoying occurrence when playing on the OLED Vita, especially in a game like Tearaway.  The back of the Slim is shaped in a way that your hands wrap around a bit better and more comfortably. So all of you with bigger hands will feel comfortable playing on the Slim for extended periods of time.   

The Slim may look cheap to the eyes with the handheld having plastic molding that gives off a cheap feel to it but Sony has really improved the quality of the Vita.  The Vita is already a really well built piece of hardware and the Slim definitely feels like a step up.  The L and R triggers feel much better and responsive, as well as for the joysticks.  Playing shooters definitely feel much better in the handheld, playing Borderlands 2 felt great.  Now lets move onto the battery life. 

Battery Life 

On the OLED Vita, Sony claimed a four hours of batter life with continuous use and on the Slim, Sony is claiming around 6 hours of continuous use.  I tested the length of the Slim's battery life and I got 6 hours and 10 minutes of continuous use while playing Borderlands 2 and FFX HD.  I got 5 hours and a half with the Wi-Fi on, so be cautious when playing online as the battery drains faster.  Sony has done a great job improving the batter life on the new Slim by removing the OLED screen.  For those with long commutes the Slim is definitely perfect and the Slim is an obvious choice when debating whether you should get the Slim or the Vita 1000. 

Verdict 

If you own the Vita 1000 from launch and are looking to maybe buy the Slim.   I would say save your money.  To some the Slim will be a bit of a downgrade especially if your Vita gets much use as a JRPG and Anime machine.  The colors will not look as vibrant and this will really disappoint potential buyers.  The Slim also really seems to be tailored made for those who commute or who like to use their Vita outside of their home.  The Slim also is a better purchase if you are going to be a new potential Vita owner.  As the Slim comes packed with Borderlands 2, 1gb of internal memory and a 8gb memory card.   

For those who don't own a Vita and are debating whether to get a Vita 1000 or Slim, look back at the points I made and decide whether or not the Slim is right for you.   Thank you for reading and if you have any more questions about the Slim please feel free to ask me on Twitter @gloriousbagel