Note: I don’t write often, but a recent article on GamePro has reminded me that video game journalism is a dying breed, slowly being replaced by wannabe writers who don’t know the first thing about integrity.

So let’s jump right in, shall we?

If anything, there’s now a huge laundry list of reasons for not buying it at launch: it’s expensive, the battery life is frustratingly limited (but you can buy a power pack!), compatibility for PSOne Classics won’t be available at launch, they’re making you pay twice for the UMD games that you already own, the launch titles list is weak, and you don’t even get to choose where your saved game data goes.

Huge eh? Well, it appears our definition of “huge’ differs greatly. If you tell me something is huge, I think Ron Jeremy. But apparently huge in the case of GamePro is a list of six. But hey, that just makes this article a little easier to break down. So, let’s attack this “huge” list one item at a time.

“It’s expensive”. Alright, so I’ll concede that $249.99 is indeed a good sum of money to spend these days. That could buy you almost 70 gallons of gas! But putting things in perspective, we KNOW the smaller the electronic, the more expensive it generally is. Look no further than cellphones and Apple products. But when you consider Nintendo released the 3DS at the same price, it’s amazing Sony was able to hit the same price-point. Now, many will be quick to point out that Nintendo unceremoniously dropped the price this summer to $169.99 for the 3DS. This is true, and there’s a reason…it was overpriced. The hardware is lackluster, the 3D is an afterthought in most games, and it’s launch line-up was abysmal, but more on that later. The PSVita on the other hand has nearly the same power as a PS3, a gorgeous 5″ OLED screen, and finally…a second analog stick. Expensive? Definitely not. Look back at the applause Sony received when they announced the price at E3 this year.

“The battery life is frustrating”.  3-5 hours depending on usage/screen brightness. Nothing amazing here, and I’ll completely agree I was hoping for closer to 8-10. But when you look at the hardware, it’s easy to see how the PSVita got this rating. Now, keep in mind the original PSP had a rating of 3-6 hours, yet I often found myself getting over seven hours with the screen brightness on the lowest setting. Assuming an average of even four hours, seldom to people play straight through for four hours and not have an outlet close by. What’s most important is the PSVita will last long enough to play on your transit ride to and from work, assuming you don’t plug in during the day. Chalk this one up as “manageable”.

“PSOne Classics won’t be available at launch”. Oh noes! Decade old games won’t be available at launch for me to play on my ridiculously powerful machine…I is now a sad panda :( But let’s be real, the novelty of playing PSOne Classics will wear off within a week. But fear not, Sony has announced that they will be announcing their plans soon. I don’t expect them to skip on the opportunity to offer $5 games to the masses. I think it’s fair to assume that if you’re buying a PSVita, you’re interested in the new games coming out for the system.

“They’re making you pay twice for the UMD games that you already own”. Um, Sony isn’t making you do anything. If you want to play your PSP UMD-based games on your PSVita, Sony has generously offered an option to get a discount on a PSVita-compatible version of your games. Backwards compatibility seems to have taken a backseat this generation, but considering I still have my PS2 Slim hooked up and ready to go, this isn’t an issue for me. Realistically, if you have invested in a  large quantity of PSP games, it’s safe to assume you’re keeping your PSP handy anyway.

“The launch titles list is weak, and you don’t even get to choose where your saved game data goes”. I’ve combined these two because they are quite possibly the most laughable reasons to hate on a video game console or handheld. First the save game “issue”, and by issue I mean WHAT?! Seriously, you’re going to complain that you can’t choose where to put your save game data? Really? You must be trolling me, there’s no other excuse. So long as the game actually saves, that’s all that matters to me. Now on the topic of the article, the PSVita launch line-up. I’ll make this simple, below is a list of First-party launch titles…I’ll let you the reader decide if it’s good or not:

  • Uncharted: Golden Abyss
  • WipEout 2048
  • Reality Fighters
  • Little Deviants
  • ModNation Racers: Road Trip
  • Everybody’s Golf
  • Escape Plan
  • Top Darts
  • Hustle Kings
  • Unit 13
  • MotorStorm RC

Yeah…it’s awesome. Not sure what the GamePro guy was doing when he thought this most ridiculous of thoughts, but the PSVita launch line-up is quite possibly the best line-up we’ve seen for a console launch in decades. You have heavy-hitters from a variety of developers, but most importantly, a little bit of something for everyone. And the third-party offers currently quadruple that of the list above, though most third-party titles are slated for TBA 2012, but some will make it in-time for the launch. Either way, it’s safe to say the PSVita is shaping up to be one of the most amazing handhelds ever to be released. It’s now up to Sony to support it and entice third-party developers to bring their games to the machine.

/rant