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Post by Tross on Oct 27, 2014 0:30:58 GMT -5
I've done some additional research on the PlayStation Vita. It appears that Sony quietly released a slimmer 2000 model earlier this year; when I learned this, I knew I had to look up comparison videos on YouTube. It seems that compared to the 1000 model, it is quite inferior. Or at least in terms of screen quality. The 1000 model sports a brighter, more vibrant OLED screen whereas the 2000 model uses an LCD screen that completely washes out the colors in exchange for an additional 1 hour of battery life. That's not worth it to me, however I am partially intrigued by the fact that the 2000 model has wider finger holds on the backside so that it's not as easy to accidentally touch the rear touch pad (especially considering how big my hands are). However I feel that the screen quality is of high importance, so I'll try to get my hands on one of those. And by the looks of things, the 1000 model can still be bought new from Amazon sellers at $150, which is an agreeable enough price, I think (though it does not come with a Micro SD card if that's the case). So what do you think? Have you ever had your hands on both systems to conclude that the 2000 model's screen is that much worse, or is it possible that the videos make the difference more noticeable than it really is? I haven't invested in a 2000 model myself, so I can't say firsthand, but I've seen a comparison vid, and the difference doesn't appear to be skewed in the 2000's favor. Even if the new model looked better though, I wouldn't have invested in one, just because I'm not one to bother investing in new editions of systems I already own, regardless of how much of an improvement they are, unless I have an additional reason for doing so. For example, my old PS3 died, so that was a good reason to get a Super Slim. My original DS's battery was awful, so I figured I'd just get a new system (though my experience with the DS Lite was less than stellar).
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Post by OttselHero on Oct 27, 2014 9:12:07 GMT -5
I've done some additional research on the PlayStation Vita. It appears that Sony quietly released a slimmer 2000 model earlier this year; when I learned this, I knew I had to look up comparison videos on YouTube. It seems that compared to the 1000 model, it is quite inferior. Or at least in terms of screen quality. The 1000 model sports a brighter, more vibrant OLED screen whereas the 2000 model uses an LCD screen that completely washes out the colors in exchange for an additional 1 hour of battery life. That's not worth it to me, however I am partially intrigued by the fact that the 2000 model has wider finger holds on the backside so that it's not as easy to accidentally touch the rear touch pad (especially considering how big my hands are). However I feel that the screen quality is of high importance, so I'll try to get my hands on one of those. And by the looks of things, the 1000 model can still be bought new from Amazon sellers at $150, which is an agreeable enough price, I think (though it does not come with a Micro SD card if that's the case). So what do you think? Have you ever had your hands on both systems to conclude that the 2000 model's screen is that much worse, or is it possible that the videos make the difference more noticeable than it really is? I haven't invested in a 2000 model myself, so I can't say firsthand, but I've seen a comparison vid, and the difference doesn't appear to be skewed in the 2000's favor. Even if the new model looked better though, I wouldn't have invested in one, just because I'm not one to bother investing in new editions of systems I already own, regardless of how much of an improvement they are, unless I have an additional reason for doing so. For example, my old PS3 died, so that was a good reason to get a Super Slim. My original DS's battery was awful, so I figured I'd just get a new system (though my experience with the DS Lite was less than stellar). I didn't think you owned both models, just wondering if you happened to know someone who had one or played around with an on-display system at Gamestop or something. Sounds like the pressure's on; I can't bring myself to buy a new system what with other expenses about to pop up, but waiting too long will jack up the price of the 1000. I'll wait and see how much I get back in tax returns before making any decisions. Veering off topic a bit, how is the Super Slim doing for you? I heard it was made of cheaper parts, so that was always a worry of mine should anything happen to my fat model as the first slim is now out of print.
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Post by Tross on Oct 29, 2014 12:14:31 GMT -5
I haven't invested in a 2000 model myself, so I can't say firsthand, but I've seen a comparison vid, and the difference doesn't appear to be skewed in the 2000's favor. Even if the new model looked better though, I wouldn't have invested in one, just because I'm not one to bother investing in new editions of systems I already own, regardless of how much of an improvement they are, unless I have an additional reason for doing so. For example, my old PS3 died, so that was a good reason to get a Super Slim. My original DS's battery was awful, so I figured I'd just get a new system (though my experience with the DS Lite was less than stellar). I didn't think you owned both models, just wondering if you happened to know someone who had one or played around with an on-display system at Gamestop or something. Sounds like the pressure's on; I can't bring myself to buy a new system what with other expenses about to pop up, but waiting too long will jack up the price of the 1000. I'll wait and see how much I get back in tax returns before making any decisions. Veering off topic a bit, how is the Super Slim doing for you? I heard it was made of cheaper parts, so that was always a worry of mine should anything happen to my fat model as the first slim is now out of print. Cheaper parts or not, it will be easier to get repaired if anything should happen to it, which is the main reason I invested in it. So far it's working just fine. I both love and hate the top hatch design. On one hand, my disc won't be lost if anything ever happens to my system, but the discs flex a little when I take them in and out, which concerns me. It hasn't been a problem yet, mind you, and I guess it is a nice throwback to the PS1. The system itself doesn't have as many USB ports, or any of the fancy card slots that the old system does, but I never used more than two USB ports at once(and am struggling to remember a time I used more than one), and those card slots were probably for the tech crowd who raised a fuss over the removal of Linux OS support. As a gamer, I had no use for them. The new system is smaller, so it fits nicer on my shelf, and I don't have to worry about it being unable to ventilate(I always made a point of taking my old system out when I turned it on). The one thing I do miss is PS2 support, but that was always a novelty for me, since I have a PS2, and it works perfectly fine, plus I buy PSN downloads now for PS2 games that interest me that I don't have. All in all, it looks like Sony took note of the features people generally use and don't use, as well as potential flaws in the original design. Of course, PS4 games feed into the system again, so maybe the top loader thing is just a PS3 thing to combat possible disc loss.
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Post by OttselHero on Oct 30, 2014 11:16:16 GMT -5
I didn't think you owned both models, just wondering if you happened to know someone who had one or played around with an on-display system at Gamestop or something. Sounds like the pressure's on; I can't bring myself to buy a new system what with other expenses about to pop up, but waiting too long will jack up the price of the 1000. I'll wait and see how much I get back in tax returns before making any decisions. Veering off topic a bit, how is the Super Slim doing for you? I heard it was made of cheaper parts, so that was always a worry of mine should anything happen to my fat model as the first slim is now out of print. Cheaper parts or not, it will be easier to get repaired if anything should happen to it, which is the main reason I invested in it. So far it's working just fine. I both love and hate the top hatch design. On one hand, my disc won't be lost if anything ever happens to my system, but the discs flex a little when I take them in and out, which concerns me. It hasn't been a problem yet, mind you, and I guess it is a nice throwback to the PS1. The system itself doesn't have as many USB ports, or any of the fancy card slots that the old system does, but I never used more than two USB ports at once(and am struggling to remember a time I used more than one), and those card slots were probably for the tech crowd who raised a fuss over the removal of Linux OS support. As a gamer, I had no use for them. The new system is smaller, so it fits nicer on my shelf, and I don't have to worry about it being unable to ventilate(I always made a point of taking my old system out when I turned it on). The one thing I do miss is PS2 support, but that was always a novelty for me, since I have a PS2, and it works perfectly fine, plus I buy PSN downloads now for PS2 games that interest me that I don't have. All in all, it looks like Sony took note of the features people generally use and don't use, as well as potential flaws in the original design. Of course, PS4 games feed into the system again, so maybe the top loader thing is just a PS3 thing to combat possible disc loss. The slim PS2 had a top hatch design as well. I feel like that should be the norm should anything happen to the system while in play, but I don't quite understand why that hasn't been the case yet. The fat PS2's disc tray was evil; it would close in on itself without my having pushed the eject button, so a number of my discs would get caught as I was taking them in/out. And it always happened to my Kingdom Hearts disc. T_T
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Post by Tross on Oct 30, 2014 22:43:54 GMT -5
Cheaper parts or not, it will be easier to get repaired if anything should happen to it, which is the main reason I invested in it. So far it's working just fine. I both love and hate the top hatch design. On one hand, my disc won't be lost if anything ever happens to my system, but the discs flex a little when I take them in and out, which concerns me. It hasn't been a problem yet, mind you, and I guess it is a nice throwback to the PS1. The system itself doesn't have as many USB ports, or any of the fancy card slots that the old system does, but I never used more than two USB ports at once(and am struggling to remember a time I used more than one), and those card slots were probably for the tech crowd who raised a fuss over the removal of Linux OS support. As a gamer, I had no use for them. The new system is smaller, so it fits nicer on my shelf, and I don't have to worry about it being unable to ventilate(I always made a point of taking my old system out when I turned it on). The one thing I do miss is PS2 support, but that was always a novelty for me, since I have a PS2, and it works perfectly fine, plus I buy PSN downloads now for PS2 games that interest me that I don't have. All in all, it looks like Sony took note of the features people generally use and don't use, as well as potential flaws in the original design. Of course, PS4 games feed into the system again, so maybe the top loader thing is just a PS3 thing to combat possible disc loss. The slim PS2 had a top hatch design as well. I feel like that should be the norm should anything happen to the system while in play, but I don't quite understand why that hasn't been the case yet. The fat PS2's disc tray was evil; it would close in on itself without my having pushed the eject button, so a number of my discs would get caught as I was taking them in/out. And it always happened to my Kingdom Hearts disc. T_T Yikes! Thankfully I haven't had that problem with my fat PS2. Still one of the most appealing system designs IMHO, but I suppose aesthetics aren't everything. The PS3 in particular probably benefits from having a top hatch. I really need to get my original PS3 fixed so I can sell her, and also so I can get my Ni no Kuni disc back. Thankfully I already finished the game by that point, but I would feel better if it was back in its case where it belongs.
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Post by OttselHero on Nov 9, 2014 17:03:20 GMT -5
Huh, looks like buying a refurbished unit might be the way to go. People seem really happy with it on Amazon; many of them say it was hard to distinguish from a new unit.
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Post by Tross on Nov 10, 2014 14:00:43 GMT -5
Huh, looks like buying a refurbished unit might be the way to go. People seem really happy with it on Amazon; many of them say it was hard to distinguish from a new unit. I've never invested in a refurbished system before, mostly because I like to be sure my systems are in working order, so I tend to buy them new. However, if refurbished systems have gotten good reviews, then it sounds safe enough, and you should get a warranty with a return period should something be off. The Vita is a solid system IMHO. It doesn't have a wide selection of mainstream AAA titles, but it is a well designed system and if you enjoy the types of games it offers then it's a great buy.
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Post by OttselHero on Nov 10, 2014 17:23:01 GMT -5
Huh, looks like buying a refurbished unit might be the way to go. People seem really happy with it on Amazon; many of them say it was hard to distinguish from a new unit. I've never invested in a refurbished system before, mostly because I like to be sure my systems are in working order, so I tend to buy them new. However, if refurbished systems have gotten good reviews, then it sounds safe enough, and you should get a warranty with a return period should something be off. The Vita is a solid system IMHO. It doesn't have a wide selection of mainstream AAA titles, but it is a well designed system and if you enjoy the types of games it offers then it's a great buy. I'm usually quite particular with buying new myself for the same reasons. But since the original system did not include a memory card, and many of the better deals from Amazon sellers are mostly from newer profiles with little feedback, I feel like a factory recertified unit might fit the bill should I choose to buy one, that way it's $170 for the system and $30 or so for a memory card. Of course, I'm slightly irked by the two Amazon reviews for the refurbished system that sounded less than perfect (one claiming that light scratches were visible and another that claimed that it didn't work at all), but it seems like everyone else was thoroughly impressed with how new it looked that it might be worth biting the bullet. Ah well, we'll see what tax returns will yield before I make any decisions. So much of me wants to settle on a 2000 model just to assure myself that I'd get something that works, but that screen…
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Post by Tross on Nov 12, 2014 23:19:13 GMT -5
I've never invested in a refurbished system before, mostly because I like to be sure my systems are in working order, so I tend to buy them new. However, if refurbished systems have gotten good reviews, then it sounds safe enough, and you should get a warranty with a return period should something be off. The Vita is a solid system IMHO. It doesn't have a wide selection of mainstream AAA titles, but it is a well designed system and if you enjoy the types of games it offers then it's a great buy. I'm usually quite particular with buying new myself for the same reasons. But since the original system did not include a memory card, and many of the better deals from Amazon sellers are mostly from newer profiles with little feedback, I feel like a factory recertified unit might fit the bill should I choose to buy one, that way it's $170 for the system and $30 or so for a memory card. Of course, I'm slightly irked by the two Amazon reviews for the refurbished system that sounded less than perfect (one claiming that light scratches were visible and another that claimed that it didn't work at all), but it seems like everyone else was thoroughly impressed with how new it looked that it might be worth biting the bullet. Ah well, we'll see what tax returns will yield before I make any decisions. So much of me wants to settle on a 2000 model just to assure myself that I'd get something that works, but that screen… I did hear somewhere that the 2000 screen isn't quite as bad as it looks in the video comparison, but as that's all I've seen of the 2000 model, I can't verify that, and the difference looks like night and day. I do love tax returns. They're a great way to pay for things without having to spend too much out of pocket...usually. I have had years where I didn't get very much back though I suppose I'm fortunate to have yet to owe money.
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Post by OttselHero on Dec 6, 2014 13:31:22 GMT -5
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Post by Tross on Dec 9, 2014 2:51:22 GMT -5
From what I understand when the system was originally launched there was a model that supported 3G wifi, but only in the US and I don't think it sold well due to it being a little more expensive. Maybe it is being brought back. If so, I probably wouldn't bother with that particular model unless having more connectivity is important to you. For what you plan on using the system for, you're probably better off investing in one of those bundles that actually come with a game, or shopping around for other deals.
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Post by OttselHero on Dec 9, 2014 11:31:11 GMT -5
From what I understand when the system was originally launched there was a model that supported 3G wifi, but only in the US and I don't think it sold well due to it being a little more expensive. Maybe it is being brought back. If so, I probably wouldn't bother with that particular model unless having more connectivity is important to you. For what you plan on using the system for, you're probably better off investing in one of those bundles that actually come with a game, or shopping around for other deals. I think that in the end, it would be realistic to see a $50 price drop in one of the bundles sometime this year. When that happens, along with a 15% off general merchandise weekend at Meijer, I think I would buy one. We'll see what happens.
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