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Sony's new portable eclipses Nintendo's latest on more battlefields than ever before, outclassing it not only in graphical output, but in touchscreen technology, controls and button layout, user interface design and, perhaps most importantly, game selection at launch.

Overall, the PlayStation Vita is the most advanced portable gaming system ever made. While the price is deceiving because of a hidden cost, gamers are getting an impressively complete package right out of the gate.

While there is still more work to be done to make the Vita all that it can be, this is a much more impressive start than I had expected. In terms of ethos and delivery Sony have come a long way since the PSP launched back in 2005.

All told, the PlayStation Vita is an excellent handheld gaming console that’s worth paying for if you demand more from your mobile gaming experience than smartphone or tablet games can provide.

It offers the most power, the widest variety of input methods, and the most convenient method of getting new games, of any handheld system in history.

With both phones and laptops creeping up on the traditional turf of the computer, the Vita feels uncomfortably without a place that makes sense, falling short of either side—it's not out-phoning your phone or out-consoling your console.

I want to love this device and I suspect a dedicated gamer will find it far superior to any other device, the Nintendo 3DS included. But I feel this will be the last iteration of the “dedicated gaming” handheld we see.

Why buy a Vita in what’s quickly become a smartphone/tablet world? Because you want to play serious, console-style games (with console-style controls) on the go. That’s the Vita’s exclusive promise at launch, anyway.

If the Vita is going to be an argument for the worth of dedicated handhelds, then it is a nearly perfect argument.

Right now, the PS Vita is an amazing piece of hardware with an impressive launch lineup and software that hints toward a bright future, but until Sony addresses concerns about the price, it is destined to appeal to only a niche audience.

PlayStation Vita excels with its excellent graphics, a superb 5in screen, dual-analogue and touch screen controls and a host of other goodies. The PlayStation Vita narrows the gap between console and handheld, and reminds you why a dedicated mobile gaming device is a good idea.

Most handhelds have had to offer altogether different types of experiences than you find on the traditional consoles, but the Vita takes the opposite approach, striving to take what works on the PS3 and make it work in a smaller, portable format.

For now, it's just a fantastic, if pricey portable games machine, and as fantastic, pricey portable gamers, that will certainly do us.

I believe if gamers get a chance to play with the Vita, they may think twice about playing games on their iPhones.