There comes a point in LA Noire where everything falls neatly into place. The criminal is squirming in the interview room, shifting uneasily as a barrage of proof is plastered in front of him, revealing their misdemeanours and guilt. At this point the player feels all powerful, the epitome of the hard nosed cop sticking it to the man and keeping the streets safe for its citizens. Common sentiments would then suggest there is everything else and for every euphoric collaring there is a bout of investigative indifference where confusion and bluster creates a sense of abstraction. As a byword for disappointment, LA Noire could arguably have the award sewn up and in the bag before anything else gets a look-in, but taking a step back reveals that while the game suffered from a complication of creative intent and grandiose desires, a fact that ultimately affected many areas of the title, the core is still a fascinating achievement.

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If the PSP was one thing, it was a very attractive piece of technology. Maybe not a massively successful software platform in the west but in terms of what ended up in gamers hands there could be few complaints (bar that horrendous analogue nub).  So its recently released successor, the Vita, has one aspect to emulate and another to improve upon. The first is to retain that badge of perceived quality, the overall sheen and shine of a product that wants whoever is using it to know the equipment is a class above. The second is to become a viable platform that sells software instead of a piracy magnet where the least profitable part is the only one that sells any recognized volume in all markets.

Of those two only the first can be commented on right now. The initial impression is of overt familiarity. The form factor is slightly larger but a shade thinner, a design that fits as nicely now as it did in the first iteration. This is complimented by a surprisingly light weight adding to the very impressive way it seems to fit just right into both hands. The unit as a whole is very comfortable to hold, the rounded edges and indented sections in the back providing a natural pathway for the fingers to grip to.

The rear touch panel proves to be slightly trickier to judge, primarily due to the titles this reviewer has available making light use of the functionality. Due to its width reaching the centre of it can be difficult, even more so trying to identify where the fingers are without any on screen indications. Not all titles will suffer from this of course, and as developers get more comfortable with the technology better indicators will become present. The front is much more successful, providing the same degree of functionality seen on most Apple devices alongside the same amount of intuition during use.

Which provides a great excuse to discuss the fantastic screen that has been created for the Vita. The screen epitomises everything that the handheld stands for; Big, bold and to the highest possible quality. The clarity it achieves is outstanding, its size almost jumping out at the user and everything appears sharper and clearer than any other handheld device currently available (possibly bar Apples retina display). It truly is wonderful to play any software on. Aurally the sound output is fantastic through the built in speakers and even better when using good quality headphones.

The composition of the buttons and sticks is for the most part smart and comfortable. The analogue sticks are true sticks and not a disc based system utilised by the 3DS. Both are responsive and just the right size to be comfortable to move with the precision required, soon becoming second nature under the fingers. The amount of travel in both is perfectly pitched and bar the possibility for finger cramps after prolonged use they are a massive improvement over Sonys first attempt. The sticks are placed just under the D-Pad and face buttons on the left and right respectively and are level with each other.

From a useability perspective the unit is incredibly impressive, from the touchscreen to the physical inputs on the front of the console everything has been cleverly designed to provide a real sense of quality that is actually backed up when the device is used. What is less successful is the OS implemented.

After the near universal adoption of the XMB interface throughout Sonys hardware the Vita has moved to using bubbles to signify both the applications and games that have existed on the machine both past and present. The issue is that the bubbles are big and cannot exist in any form of folder structure, new bubbles are added at the bottom and have to be dragged upwards to get to the first screen that is seen during start-up. Any new game started will have the bubble automatically added to the bottom of this pile, causing a chore to have to scroll, access, drag and then access.

Added to that the system never truly closes a running program unless it is swiped closed. Returning to the home screen does not stop what was being used running in the background, instead the user has to swipe to the side and then confirm the closure.  While not a huge problem in itself it can be confusing and cause a larger battery drain due to the confusion over what is, and what is not, running.

The actual applications installed are mostly standard fare. Web browsing, music, video and trophy browsing are all present and correct. A social package called near is the Vita Streetpass alternative but proves to be confusing and unwieldy to understand, so much so that currently it seems to be stating a lot of facts that are hard to believe.

As a whole package it is supremely well put together, despite the introduction of a new OS that at times prioritises interesting concepts over clarity. Like the original PSP the unit is a supremely well put together piece of technology that justifies Sonys attempts to position it as the premier handheld device on the market. Whether it will succeed is a different question, the competition has diversified far more than the launch of the first iteration and brought in new ways to both access and play software on the move. But right now, with its breadth of first party software that could be developed for the system, the Vita is a compulsive device that is well worth trying.

The bump of a newly received parcel to gamers is like the sound of the end-of-school bell for children: a promise of excitement to come. The thrill of the new can rarely be dulled, and the expectation keeps building until the disc is finally in the tray. The game starts, the player leans forward in anticipation, and then it happens… it asks for a code to be punched in to grant access to online play, bonus content or some other extra that is sitting on the disc. And that’s if you’re lucky. Many titles now require a code to be submitted and content downloaded before the game is even started if any pre-order bonuses are to be available when the adventure starts.

With an increasing reliance on a digital distribution methodology for gaming bonuses on a console and software distribution platform that is still reliant on physical stores, are we facing a future where players are going to be locked out of content due to either a lack of internet connectivity or a download cap that means they have exceeded their limit before they get to the good stuff? continue reading