I’m the weakest target market for the Vita: I don’t travel much, I’ve never owned a dedicated handheld gaming system, and I already have access to both Android (Droid X2) and iOS (iPad 2) portable devices.

Surprise, surprise: I won’t be buying one. My sole interest in it is as a gadget hound, but I can only imagine how quickly those analog sticks will get messed up unless you use a case – and that *really* defeats the purpose.

David Hughes:
I’m the weakest target market for the Vita: I don’t travel much, I’ve never owned a dedicated handheld gaming system, and I already have access to both Android (Droid X2) and iOS (iPad 2) portable devices.

Surprise, surprise: I won’t be buying one. My sole interest in it is as a gadget hound, but I can only imagine how quickly those analog sticks will get messed up unless you use a case – and that *really* defeats the purpose.

those to devices you mentioned aren’t gaming devices.

I am getting a PS VITA because I am a gamer at heart and with the PS VITA I have access to the PSN store games on the go with real gaming controls and amazing graphics and will be able to pick up my game save on the PS3 or the other way around. Like for MLB The Show I can take my season with me.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by  Jason.

I firmly believe any device that plays games can be defined as a gaming device. PCs weren’t really considered gaming devices when I bought my first one. Hell, I had to MAKE my own first game just so I could play something (FYI, it sucked). Having said that, I really want to go out and purchase a Vita tomorrow. I wasn’t sold on the thumb sticks when I test drove a Vita a few weeks ago but it’s essentially what I really wanted to have when I bought my PSP years ago. Portable console gaming with a button layout that is intuitive and user friendly. I’m excited about the Vita’s prospects and if I traveled consistently I would have pre-ordered the day the were announced. There just aren’t many opportunities I have in which I would play Vita games.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by  Todd Fuller.

Jim Hunter: The way smartphones are used today is a complete 180 from what they were previously used for. They’re not simply business devices for email and phone calls. They’re multifunction devices that also are capable of making phone calls. Most of the people that I know who own smart phones use that whole “makin’ calls” feature way less than everything else they can do, which includes playing games.

Just about the only feature that the Vita doesn’t have in relation to smart phones is the phone call thing, but I’m guessing it won’t be long before there’s a Skype app for it. It’s got a microphone, it’s got cameras, it’s got Wifi (and sometimes 3G). You can check your email, browse the web, post on twitter, and play games.

I’m not discounting the awesomeness of the tech– that’s my primary draw to it in the first place – but simply writing off other devices because Sony says it “wasn’t meant ” to compete with them isn’t a great place to be. The public is just eating their marketing and not thinking for themselves.

There’s more parity between the Vita and existing smartphones than most people want to believe. At least the Vita has real controls instead of relying simply on the touch screen.

I see what your saying, there is skype on PS VITA though and apparently you can recieve text but not send them right know who knows what other apps will come it has tons of game features though obviously because it is primarily a games machine and the microphone is cool because you talk to people in multiplayer without a headset, you could be waiting in line, bored somewhere doing nothing, waiting for food at a restaraunt or just at home pick it up and own some people in Wipeout HD multiplayer with real controls or schedule a match with someone on a multiplayer game

By the way, Jason I caved and bought a Vita yesterday. I talk about it on Rocketjump this week. I still don’t have many opportunities to play Vita games but I sure wanted to play Uncharted.

I can’t personally justify it either. Plus, I have the added, um, incentive that my wife would kill me if I did buy one!

Oh how the turntables have…

Uh, I got one today. I had $160 or so in credit plus a $25 gift card. My out of pocket for the Wi-fi with a 4GB memory card would have been about $95 or so. When I dumped the memory card and got the 3G (which comes with an 8GB card), my out of pocket was $117. I’m glad I shelled out the little extra.

Its a sweet machine. Considering I left Target not 3 or 4 days ag and wasn’t sold. Having it in my house to play with at my leisure on my couch, its nice. Very nice. I still don’t know if I’ll pay for the one month of data to get the one month free (and Super Stardust). It seems like a ripoff. Having to pay $15 to get your free stuff. But I might.

I must add that Gamestop trade ins values are much better than I remember. They beat Amazon for nearly everything. $50 for the PSP (because I ass getting a Vita), $85 for my old 120GB iPod, and a few dollars more for each game I traded in. I was blown away.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by  JJ.

David, you say you’re the weakest market for the Vita…I may have you beat. I haven’t owned a handheld gaming device since the Gameboy Color, haven’t found them worth the money. I also don’t find smartphones or tablets worth the money: I use my phone so little I’ve brainstormed just cutting the 30 dollar month-by-month cricket plan off.

I drive to both school and work, at work I’m not allowed any phone on my person, at school I have my laptop. At home I have my laptop and my console. No commute to any other places. My friends live multiple hrs away, and thus are all contacted via Skype or Trillian IM.

I will fully admit to being on the outer fringe of gamers for this, but I’ve always found handhelds to be not worth the money due to the fact I’ve always been in a position to where owning one didn’t make any sense. Hell, I’m a use-case where even a smartphone or tablet makes no sense. The Vita is like “hey, have a device that does everything you have no need for it to do.” ~shrug~!