So I heard that Game Stop, along with select other retail outlets now have their demo PSV units in store. Having already pre-ordered one despite having never seen or held one in person, I felt obligated to check out what I was buying before my order shipped. Seeing as how the nearest GS is about a ten minute walk from my apartment, it was no problem even if they didn't have one, but they did.
My first thought upon seeing the demo unit was that it's smaller than I thought it would be. By no means did I think it was going to be like an e-book reader or anything, but for some reason I had it in my head that it was a fair amount larger than the actual unit. Essentially, it looked like a slightly oversized PSP-1000. I'd even go so far as to call it pocket-sized although I'm not sure who would actually walk around with a game handheld in their back pocket. I figure most will want to keep theirs in a sleeve or case, making it inside jacket pocket portable rather than back pocket portable.
The second thing I noticed is it was a lot lighter than it looked in the pictures for whatever reason. I'm thinking it might have something to do with my expectations for heft of tech devices since I'm used to Apple's "aluminum in everything" designs. At any rate, the PSV feels like it's so light that it may have a fair amount of empty space inside the case if that's believable. On the downside, that same lack of heft makes it feel a little cheaper, much like a lot of plastic-y Android phones compared to an iPhone.
The D-pad is possibly the best feeling D-pad I've used based upon initial impressions. It's made out of the same clear material as the shoulder buttons, but more importantly, the pad has a slight contour from the tips of the cross to the center.
The twin analog sticks are a bit smaller than I thought they would be, but actually have better spring and feedback than the DS3, possibly due to the small size. At any rate, they are very solid feeling and unlike the rubber tipped DS3 sticks, won't wear down like erasers with use. The real test will be how well their tension holds up over lengthy usage.
The face buttons are small. Without having a PSP in hand for comparison, I'd say the PSV buttons are smaller, but it's possible they're the same size, but look smaller on the larger handheld. Just like the D-pad, the feedback is positive and distinct when pressed.
Other than that, the physical button restrictions over the DS3 pad everyone's so accustomed to would be lack of 2nd set of shoulder buttons (I'm sure L and R taps on the back touch panel could fill in fine) and the lack of R3, L3 analog stick click buttons.
The OLED display has a reasonably tight dot pitch given the resolution and dimensions. Without a working browser, I couldn't do a text test, but it's sharp and defined with an excellent viewing angle. Like any glossy display, there's a significant amount of glare, particularly with the exact kind of overhead lights present in Game Stop. Go figure. Based on the amount of smudgy fingerprints on the display unit, I made two assumptions, one, it doesn't have an oleophobic coating and two, nobody who uses the demo models in Game Stop washes their hands before shopping (the in store smudgy tablet PCs would seem to back this assumption up). Those who eat Cheetos and or pizza before using their touch screen devices will probably complain. To those, I would recommend wash your dirty paws before playing.
As for the pre-installed demos, there were a bunch of game demos and one bubble that was an Intro to PSV sort of mini-game collection to showcase the different input methods. Better than reading a manual, but not exactly entertaining stuff either.
I skipped straight to the Uncharted demo. First impression; at regular viewing distances, it looks like a PS3 Uncharted game on a 5" screen. About the only visual limitation was the aliasing, which was noticeable, but hardly a jag fest or a blur fest (common for low res native render games with too much upscaling). Other than that, rock solid visuals, particularly nice fire effects/lighting. Random thought I had while playing was that some high end tablet games have similarly excellent visuals and that this is now par for portable gaming among your non $.99 and freeware type games.
During the demo, they managed to tack in a touch screen "follow the slash" finger drawing to manipulate the machete. Why not since the input option is there. On a related note, it does mean letting go with one hand to draw on the screen to follow the cues; something you wouldn't have to do with a regular controller. Other than that, the demo was too short for any other impressions other than it works like PS3 Uncharted (no combat/shooting to measure against), complete with the free roaming 3D camera (thank you 2nd analog stick).
After that, since there were no utilities or services to play with like on the 3DS, I relinquished the demo unit. There was one guy playing the demo unit when I entered the store and a few that took notice of the PSV kiosk while I was demo-ing, but hardly a line which for a Saturday afternoon, in a major metro location, would say that consumer interest is pretty subdued. GS put the kiosk in the front of the store where it's impossible to miss.
Am I looking forward to getting my PSV? Sure, maybe a bit less than I was about the 3DS. Or maybe the general let down of the 3DS after the initial novelty wore off has lowered my expectations. I forsee myself playing whatever PSP games I have through my PSN account that are compatible on my new PSV before I actually start buying PSV games.
More impressions, maybe in a new post, once my PSV is delivered.
