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"Sony's next-generation handheld gaming system, the PlayStation Vita, has finally made its official debut. How does it stack up against Apple, Nintendo and the rest of the competition?\nWe had an extended chance to play with the PlayStation Vita at Sony's E3 press conference in Los Angeles. After going topsy-turvy while shooting robots in Little Deviants and shooting baddies in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, we have a few thoughts on Sony's new gaming system and where it fits into the gaming ecosystem.\nHere are our first impressions of the PlayStation Vita:\n\nThe Vita feels big but light in your hands. It's significantly bigger than an iPhone or even a Droid X or an HTC Evo, but it's easy to carry.  The casing is made of plastic, so it doesn't have the nice feel of glass or aluminum, but this doesn't actually detract from the Vita experience.\nThe controls are nice.  The analog sticks are smooth, and we had no problem with the touchscreen controls. The killer feature, though, is the touch interface on the back of the device, which opens up a ton of new gaming possibilities. Apple should take notice.\nThe screen resolution is killer. We loved playing games on the device. We could definitely watch movies on this thing.\nLittleBIG Planet for Vita has some fun game play. Unlike some of the other games we played, it really knows how to combine the analog and touchscreen controls for a seamless experience.\nThe tennis game we played though can be played with just touchscreen controls or just analog controls.  Sure, you can use both, but there's no point. Games need to figure out how to integrate the two control inputs.\nThe $249 price tag will scare some people off, but it's affordable for a handheld gaming system of this quality. Still, only true gamers will be dropping money for this, especially when the so many high-quality smartphones with gaming capabilities are on the market.\nThe front- and back-facing cameras make for some interesting augmented reality gameplay. Little Deviants is a good example of how to make augmented reality gaming work, though you won't want to play that game on the train or the bus station.\nThe biggest question: Is the Vita better than the Nintendo 3DS? While Nintendo's implementation of 3D on the portable is actually pretty good, the Vita feels like a system with more power. If you're a more casual gamer, you'll want the 3DS, and if you're more on the hardcore side, you should get the Vita.\nDoes the Vita bring enough to the table to warrant getting it if you already have a smartphone? It's all about paying for a deeper gaming experience. The Vita isn't cheap, and its games will cost more than the standard mobile game. What you get in return are games with greater gameplay and more replay value. Once again, this is a device the hardcore gaming crowd will love, but we don't think there's enough to get the casual gaming crowd interested.\n\n\n\nPlayStation Vita\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlayStation Vita\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlayStation Vita\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAT&amp;T Is PlayStation Vita's 3G Partner\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlayStation Vita\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlayStation Vita\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLittleBIG Planet\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStreet Fighter X Tekken\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlayStation Vita\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlayStation Vita\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlayStation Vita Station\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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