The PlayStation Vita won't replace your smartphone — it isn't a telephone and it's too big to fit in your pants pocket. But if you love gaming on the go, you'll find room for the Vita. It's the most beautifully designed portable game console ever, built to deliver the kind of adventures you can't get in the Apple's App Store or in the Android Market. For the most part, the buttons are close to where they are on Sony's DualShock. In between the thumbsticks is the real showstopper: a dazzling 5-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen with vivid colors and sharp contrast. And as bright as the display is, the Vita's battery life isn't bad, allowing about five hours of play between charges. The OLED display also serves as a touch screen, which gets the most use when navigating menus. There's a second touch pad on the back of the unit that lets you control onscreen action without blocking it with your fingers. The Vita also has built-in motion sensors and cameras on the front and back of the machine let you superimpose game graphics on top of real-world settings. Sony has thankfully jettisoned the dreadful Universal Media Disc (UMD) format that added so much weight to the PlayStation Portable. Instead, games come on tiny cards that are about as wide as and slightly longer than a quarter. The Vita has a couple of built-in social apps. “Near” lets you see what other Vita players in your neighborhood are up to, while “Party” lets you chat with friends over the PlayStation Network — even if you're playing different games. Game prices range from $10 for PSP classics to $50 for brand-new releases like “Uncharted: Golden Abyss.” The Vita is targeted at gamers who want to take PlayStation-quality games on the road, and it delivers beautifully.
