[Friday Five] Reasons to Get the Wi-Fi PS Vita

With the launch of the Playstation Vita only a little morethan a month away, it seems like the prime time to talk about the system. Afterit had launched in Japan to abysmal figures that were dwarfed by the 3DS’sgrowing sales, most experts predicted an early price drop like Nintendo did forits portable or even the possibility of a cancelled North American launch. Butwe’re not here to talk about that. No, I personally have faith in the PSV. Justnot the 3G model.

You’re Saving Money

Maybe it’s because I’m a miser or maybe it’s because gamesare costing more and more, but the amount you’ll be saving really adds up. It’snot just the initial extra $50 you’ll be saving, but you also have to considerthe subscription fees that will be racking up every month. Right now, AT&T's revealed plans are at $15 per month for 250MB of data and $25 for 2GB of data. It’s simply notworth it considering that…

You Might Have a CellPhone

In the age of smart phones and data plans that can get unlimited data at speeds up to 4G, depending on the provider, there’s no reason to settle for adevice that can only reach speeds of 3G for an extra subscription. Any of the socialnetworking opportunities the PSVita has, such as Facebook and foursquare, areabundantly present in any smart phone. And I’m certainly not spending an extrapremium for the luxury of telling the world I’ve been playing Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 at Denny’sversus just telling them I’m at Denny’s. Plus, with a cell phone…

Internet’s EverywhereAnyways

The tech savvy gamer knows that most phones can be used ashotspots, whether the carriers allow it or not. Many places, including Denny’s,the cheap gamer’s diner of choice, will also have complimentary Wi-Fi. Internetis either simply so abundant or found in so many other sources that it‘s just awaste to jam it into another device. Tether your phone or buy a drink at aStarbucks, because those are both better alternatives considering…

3G Speeds for OnlineGaming…Really?

Even with my 15Mbps connection, gaming is often an iffy andlag-filled affair. Giving AT&T the benefit of the doubt and having faiththat it will consistently deliver the 1700Kbps and 700Kbps upload speedsurveyed by Speedtest.net earlier this year, I still wouldn’t expect a smoothexperience. Good luck dealing with low coverage areas and dead zones, too. Remember,not all 3G is delivered equally.

Minimal HardwareDifferences

The only addition to the 3G model that the Wi-Fi model lacksis the GPS chip. Otherwise, gamers who purchase either model will end up withthe same experience. Unless developers start to utilize the GPS chip in somegames, which heavily relies on the success of the 3G model itself to berealistic, it will sit by and miss out on all the action. Oh, and did I mention how unreliable most GPS chips are indoors, where most gaming will likelytake place?