There's a difference.
The PSP had one anolog nub. The PS Vita has dual-analog sticks.

Vita will be more practical for use as a controller and for possibly more games than the PSP could.

What about L2 and R2 do you guys think they will use the back touch screen to replace those buttons?

@ Ju
Psp phat can be used as a controller if you have the right tools.

It's good that Vita can be used as a controller, it will open up plenty variations of control. But... rumble?

The WiiU is now neutralized, DreamCast 2 in the making.

So let me get this right, just follow nintendo.
so predictable sony but imo i read a great article in a magazine this morning it hit the nail on the head the vita is destined to fail unless it gets its own identity.

250$ controller imo for the ps3 with all the motion stuff and expensive pheriples and 3d add ons talk about a 1000$+ set up that does it all.

people dont want the same ps3 port on the go they want something new and fresh i will wait to see how the vita goes but i have a feeling it may turn into a gimmick machine to match witts with the competition.

What are you talking about? Follow Nintendo?

The Vita (formerly known as NGP) was unveiled half a year before the Wii-U.

It's NOT just a $250 controller.
Do you know what its identity is? It's a full-fledged portable gaming system. The fact that it has more features doesn't mean that it lacks "identity".

You don't know what people want. And no, the PS Vita isn't just for "PS3 ports" as you call them.
Games will make use of the multi-touch screen and pad, motion sensor, etc, makes for games that can't be experienced on a console.

You telling me the GameBoy, GBA and other portable gaming systems are simply for console ports?
PS Vita delivers more handheld gaming features than previous portable systems which, again, can't be done on consoles. And you telling me the opposite?
Get out of here with that.

@#1.1.9

"So let me get this right, just follow nintendo."

Here is a point-of-view to balance any bias one might take from that statement:

The idea of controller current gen consoles with portables was first on the PSP and Ps3 via remote play . Infection was probably the first game where the PS3 could load up data and "infect" the PSP so, Sony basically introduced the concept of integrating console and portable in a low-level API manner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Sony also allowed the Dualshock 3 control work with PSPGo so, in terms of sharing controls between platforms, Sony has been doing that quite a bit. Sony are not strangers to cross controls by any stretch of the imagination.

"people dont want the same ps3 port on the go they want something new and fresh i will wait to see how the vita goes but i have a feeling it may turn into a gimmick machine to match witts with the competition."

The market changes from time to time and currently, mobile, low priced/budgeted Indy games are quite popular. Sony has begun to secure their plans with matching the mobile market by implementing and acting upon plans which support the mobile indy devs (loaning dev kits, pub funds, etc). The plans so far have also included securing console indy devs like the team like Queasy Games, which won multiple E3 awards for their PS Vita game, "Sound Shapes". So, Sony are expanding beyond living in the shadow of the console crowd.

Even so, one can not ignore that from its humble roots, handheld gaming has always had influences from consoles, arcade, PC, etc.. Sonic, Mario, Streets of Rage, spider solitaire, God of War are just a few portable titles that got fame from having IP on other more powerful hardware and they are great portable games. It is always about the implementation of the software not the fact one can notice the IP in the list of more powerful hardware it was conceptualized from because it could in fact be better on portables either subjectively or objectively (depending on software/hardware).

I would recommend Gravity Daze for you. It is a very cool title if you are into JRPG's and wish to see the implementation of PS Vita's unique features like Gyro, analog sticks, touch, etc. Peace. :)

@ fat starr

Maybe thats why the 3DS is doing poorly it has majority console ports.......... riiight?

What everyone seems to forget is "tacked on" features rarely succeed or is even supported. Doesn't matter if you have the niftiest features, but it is not used.

That is where the Wii U will shine, it comes standard and that basically guarantees support and something the PS Vita may not get.

If studios want to support the Wii-U and other consoles, they must make their games work without that Wii-U controller. That make the whole thing an option in the first place. An option which you can also support on the PS3 for those who have a PS3/Vita combo.

And, btw, costs. Yeah, add the costs for an extra handheld if you ever want to take your games with you - oh, forgot. Pointless, because you can't.

***If studios want to support the Wii-U and other consoles, they must make their games work without that Wii-U controller. That make the whole thing an option in the first place.***

My point was that the screen on the controller is standard to the Wii U, whereas on the PS3 it is not. It is an additional purchase and an additional support.

***An option which you can also support on the PS3 for those who have a PS3/Vita combo.***

The way I understood PS Vita support is the game actually runs on the PS Vita, which means a whole extra layer of work for an add-on (see my point above). While on the Wii-U it is standard.

Either way, the only way this is going to really work is if PS Vita is a really huge hit (with PS3 owners), otherwise it will just fade into obscurity like Remote Play has on the PSP.

The one thing the Vita lacks is HDMI out, I wish Sony had done that. Other than that, I can't wait.

You're getting carried away.

Big difference is that Wii U supports this as a native feature. PSV does not and devs must assume that the majority of people do not own both products. Hence, much like the Move, if support is optional, we wont see the same level of support for this feature as we will for the Wii U

From the moment they showed the PSV at E3 I'm saying that it can do the same stuff the N-tablet controller does and more, because it's a complete gaming system with its own library of games + cross platform gaming, so it's not dependent of another hardware device to work...

What I said, is, that companies supporting things like an inventory system on a second display (for example, Wii-U controller is the inventory) and they also want to sell those games to the PS3/360, they must also (!) implement a system without that second screen.

From a design point of view this will make this an option, no matter if the WiiU will have it as standard or not.

Until the WiiU reaches a critical mass, selling games to PS3/360 will be important, exclusives for the WiiU possibly just coming from big N themselves.

Now, if you already design such an "option" adding some recognition code to figure out if a PS3 is configured with a PSV should be Sony's highest priority and be part of their SDK - when WiiU hits.

That said, the effort to support this on PSV/PS3 should be minimal in Spring 2012. The install base of the PSV will certainly exceed the WiiU early 2012, and we'll see how the WiiU will sell (price anyone?).

Without an installbase, PSV/PS3 is as legit as a non existing product at this time.

"What I said, is, that companies supporting things like an inventory system on a second display (for example, Wii-U controller is the inventory) and they also want to sell those games to the PS3/360, they must also (!) implement a system without that second screen."

That is the thing, they don't have to implement on PS3/Xbox 360, because that feature might not be a requirement to enjoy the game, but it might make it MORE enjoyable or even more convenient like how voice control exist in ME3 for Kinect.

They can even implement extra things on it... Nintendo could advertise it as extra special sauce on Wii U version!

Cross-game chat....?

Also, I wonder if they even originally intended for the Vita to have this functionality, or if it was just spurred on by the unveiling of the Wii U.

Nevertheless, it all sounds pretty damn cool and it will most likely be awesome as long as their is the software to support the Vita + PS3 functionality.

...the PS Vita is a full-fledged portable gaming system.
While he Wii-U's controller is only, well, a controller with a screen that can't be taken anywhere outside of the room.

So, not EVERY game needs to support this feature as it's not part of the PSV's or PS3's gimmick, unlike the Wii-U. PSV and PS3 are two beasts on their own and don't exactly NEED each other. But more features like this is always welcome.

@abczby
PS Vita(NGP) was unveiled half a year before the Wii-U.