Why I'm excited about the Vita

Normally, I'm an early technology adopter, especially when it comes to gaming. There are a few reasons for this: I'm excited to see the promise of What's Next, I'm easily swayed by marketing hype (but if I know I'm buying the pitch, is it okay?), and I have more money than sense. When Kaz Hirai made his infamous reveal of the Vita's partnership with AT&T, I decided I was going to pass on the 3G Vita. I'm perfectly happy with my AT&T 3G service for my iPhone...but only because I HATE using my iPhone as a phone, and most everything I do on it is done over wifi, anyway. The extra $50 just seemed silly for a feature I wouldn't use that much. I stuck to my guns when it came to preordering a Vita, skipping the "Early Adopters" or "First Edition" bundle or whatever they called the 3G version people could get their hands on this past week. I'm glad I did, but I'm more excited for the Vita's launch than I ever thought I would be.

The Vita I get this week will be functionally the same as the First Edition, just minus that extra bit of connectivity I didn't plan on using. With that in mind, I've been reading Vita game previews, hardware reviews, and of course watching the Giant Bomb quick looks. Like Jeff has said on multiple occasions, I"m not sure I truly want "the console experience" in a portable device, but that's not what I'm seeing out of the Vita so far or what I'm looking forward to the most. Games like Lumines and Wipeout 2048 appear like they'll be good or at least good enough as launch titles, considering the low bar we've seen with recent system launches. The same goes for Uncharted: Golden Abyss, which seems worthy of a play through to test out the Vita's different control schemes. The four titles that have me the most excited though, seem to offer a taste of "the console experience" in smaller chunks, perfect for gamin on the go or as a diversion during commercial breaks or at night right before bed.

Hot Shots Golf, Mortal Kombat, Pinball Arcade, and MLB The Show 12 are my reasons for looking forward to the PS Vita. Assuming there are decent save mechanics implemented in each, The Show, MK, and Hot Shots all seem perfect for when I have limited time to pick up the Vita and play a few holes or a few fights or a few innings. Again, making an assumption about mechanics, these also might be ways to improve my console skills fopr games where I also play the "real" versions on the PS3 like MK and The Show. I'm also not too proud to admit I downloaded the "free" iOS Pinball Arcade and couldn't resist unlocking the four launch tables after a few rounds of each. I can't wait to see hoe it plays with dedicated shoulder buttons.

Do I expect any of these to be on par with what I get from a console game? No, not really. But for bite sized, quick gaming with capable hardware and controls designed for gaming, I'm optimistic about what's being launched this week.