The fleshed out feel continues with a clutch of system apps that while not quite a match for the 3DS's gaming freebies do a much better job of introducing both the Sony faithful and newcomers to the various features. It's simple and instinctive and made me realise how much the PS Vita benefits from the touch screen. If you are done with it you can simply swipe your finger, tearing the leaf off the screen, and it will be discarded. This suspends play, but you can instantly jump back in by selecting it from the recent applications screen. You can launch a game by touching its icon then jump back to the home screen by tapping the PlayStation button.
It's not until you notice how much of a departure this is from the Cross Media Bar of the PlayStation 3 or original PSP that it hits home how much work has gone into this, and how much of a departure it is for Sony. It's snappy and tactile and makes great use of the touch screen. Start up the PS Vita and you are met with Sony's new interface, part smartphone part games machine, part Xperia part PSP. You can read it in any number of features the new handheld includes, but more than this its the sense of finesse that really brings this home. No longer able to rest on their laurels, the PS Vita is testament to Sony's recent more attentive stance. It wants to be liked and lets you know it - something that in market-leader mode the original PSP (or PSPGo!) never quite managed. This was obviously much more than simply PSP 2 or a derivative Next Generation Portable as the Vita's previous code names might have suggested.
However, the reality of the unit felt much weightier and significant than I had anticipated. While I was still excited to get my hands on the US/European PS Vita a little bit before launch I thought I knew what to expect.
With the Vita being available already in Japan, and having read various import reviews I wasn't expecting to be all that surprised by the arrival of Sony's new handheld console on my home shores.
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