The PS Vita carries the weight of great expectation on its diminutive shoulder buttons. Not only does it have to make a break from the foibles of the PlayStation Portable and PSPGo!

Sony's much anticipated response to Nintendo's 3DS is here. After an incredibly disappointing launch in Japan (where sales dropped exponentially in the second week of release), the PS Vita hits shelves across Europe and North America today.

While Sony has seen some success in the portable gaming market, it has always struggled to compete against Nintendo. With a solid fan base since the launch of the original Game Boy, Nintendo has always had a solid lead over Sony and their efforts in portable gaming.

great design; two analog sticks; blazing fast processor; spectacular screen; apps

proprietary memory cards; no video out feature; no Flash support; poor quality cameras; mediocre battery life; no 3G in Canada just yet

The PlayStation Vita doesn't hit Australia until February 23, but it's now arrived in Japan. And Kotaku has already spent some quality hands-on time for this in-depth first look!

On the plus side it is stunning to play with. Games look amazing on the 5-inch OLED screen, which despite the size impresses with its crisp visuals, clarity and depth. I played about 10 minutes of two levels of the launch title Uncharted Golden Abyss and that was enough to sell me on the console.

Handheld gaming has come a long way in the seven years since the release of the original PlayStation Portable. The PSP had a 333MHz processor and a 3.8-inch, standard definition display. Needless to say, it's gotten rather dated, even with the release of upgraded versions and the PSP Go.

That focus is - as you'd expect - squarely on games. More specifically, the Vita's goal is to provide portable gaming on par with the best home console titles. We've been here before, of course, with the Vita's predecessor PSP striving for the same ideals.

If you don't consider yourself a gamer, then the PlayStation Vita isn't going to change your world. Buy a tablet or a smartphone and you'll get ample gaming goodness and a device you can use for other things. If you are a gamer, however, the Vita is just about the best it gets.

That includes technology sites like CNET, PCMag.com, Gizmodo, Digital Trends, PC World and ArsTechnica.com. You also can find coverage at general interest sites and publications like Time Magazine, The Washington Post and The New York Times. Early owner reviews can be read at Amazon.com.

Large and responsive OLED touch screen; Terrific graphics; Dual analog controls; Rear touch-panel control; Good game library at launch

Expensive; Proprietary memory not included; Nongaming functions and features draw mixed reviews; Battery life could be better; Transferring files is cumbersome

I'm not sure why target is selling these for [...] when they've always sold them for [...]. The system is not worth buying at this [...] price point, but if you can find it for [...] you should buy it. Very bad value here.