PS Vita (and Sony Walkman) designer Takashi Sogabe has told CVG that he'd like to make future PS Vita iterations thinner than the launch model.
"Speaking not only about the PS Vita, we always have a battle between engineers and designers. The original design of the PS Vita, for example, was very much thinner than the current retail product," he said. "From a designer's point of view, thinner is better-looking, but the engineers wanted to put all the features in.
"Maybe it will become thinner in the future, but the engineers would have to come up with a means to do that. The main effort for me was to make this product happen. The buttons and analogue sticks were perhaps not in the best position from a design point of view, but we felt they were the best solution from a publisher's point of view.
"As a designer, I wanted to use metal rather than plastic," he added, "but because there are a lot of antennae in the body, we couldn't use metal."
You can read the full interview with Sogabe here, in which he also discusses the challenges involved in designing Vita's dual analogue sticks.
Are you picking up a Vita at launch and if so, which model are you going to plump for? Cast your eyes over our PS Vita review, if you haven't already, and don't forget the PS Vita release date is less than a month away now.
Comments
14 comments so far...
me4pd on 24 Jan '12 said:
Next BMW could be longer. Next porn actress could have larger boobs.
Silly story.
gmcb007 on 24 Jan '12 said:
Ugh filling up space again are we CVG with this 'water makes you wet' story. Why does this need a separate page? I suppose I answered my own question.
ensabahnur on 24 Jan '12 said:
Christ this is really getting bad when we're already talking about the Vita being redesigned and the thing isn't even out over here yet.
How's about the thing gets released, people get a few months play out of it , then start talking about redesigns.
To me its like saying "buy this now but as we'll be redesigning it again and re-releasing in a few months start saving up again"
JBoo on 24 Jan '12 said:
It looks ok. Within time it will get slimmer i bet. It looks F-IN SEXY to me:P
mikedmeyer on 24 Jan '12 said:
"We designers wanted it to be thinner, and made of metal, but the engineers felt it was important for the thing to actually work."
squatch on 24 Jan '12 said:
Essentially confirming they are working on a VitaLite...
And why do ppl only point out Nintendo doing hardware updates?
KMakawa on 24 Jan '12 said:
This is basically Sony keeping it thick so that they can then bring out a slimmer version later on..
OracleOfPokemon on 24 Jan '12 said:
Great way to make customers feel that they spent their money well. "Yes, our console is great and the memory cards are insanely expensive, but we are going to release an even more expensive model later this year." Money well spent.
voodoo341 on 24 Jan '12 said:
so they designed it thick so they could make it slimmer......
DiggerTRock on 24 Jan '12 said:
Now I don't have a brilliantly paid job , far from it but if I see something I like I save and I get it. PS Vita is pre-ordered, deposit down on console 16gb memory card and 2 games . Once i in my PSP with games and my iPod touch all in all it'll cost me about $70 , which i can cope with as I resurrected my iPod Nano ha. My friend got a Vita from Japan a few weeks ago with games including Dynasty Warriors ( which I have ordered to get on release day ) and must say it is pretty f***ing EPIC , smooth controls , fantastic graphics and great NON lagging gameplay. I've never played 3Ds but I recommend you try the Vita out. Can't wait till Feb
KippDynamite on 24 Jan '12 said:
Yeah, if you guys actually read the article you might notice that he said that, as a designer, he WANTED it to be thinner, but that this was not possible. He said that the engineers would need to figure out how to make the components smaller before they could make the whole Vita smaller. Sony does not appear to be making it fatter than it needs to be just so that they can redesign it later.
vitorfernandes83 on 25 Jan '12 said:
PS Vita could have never been made, I wonder where do people walk around with playstations in their pockets, I for one never see anyone. Phones are getting bigger. I can image someone with a playstation on the left pocket, huge android on right pocket, big wallet on the back, mp3 player stuck somewhere elese. Clothes designers must start putting an ipad pocket as well, oh and since you have the hands free you can allways take the laptop as well, and connect them all wirelessly, how awesome is that? If you happen to have an extra pocket somewhere take as well your e-book reader. You'll be the coolest kid in town and get popular with the girls. Or as an idea, buy a smartphone that does everything, and experience gaming on the big screen at home. I dont see the point of a tablet, is just a smaller less powerfull laptop, from my experience with the first PSP it was pointless, controls hurt my hands, reflections on screen, barely could see anything outside, abismal battery life and so on. I'd rather read a book. I dont see the point of having internet all the time, if you want to quickly check the emails or facebook the phone does that perfectly. So instead of making redesigns for a pointless console, why not work really hard on the next ps4? I am willing to pay 500 pounds for it, provided its not a disapointment like current generation consoles.
yuggenst on 25 Jan '12 said:
A personal comment requires a personal response. Here I come.
1) Never seen a person with Playstaions in a pocket? - Playstaions? Not "playstation"?. I hope you mean Ps's VITA, than maybe it's cause it's just been released in Japan. Don't want to be petty, but playstaion (PS 1,2,3) is big for anyone's pocket, let alone "playstaions"
just because it's pointless for you and your giant hands - it does not mean it is for others. Thank God Sony does not employ you.
2) Phones are getting bigger - great news for some. but big phones require bigger hands. Not everyone has them.
3) Pockets for everything - actually that's not far fetched.
4) Coolest kid and popular with girls because of an e-reader? - Really?? Maybe I leave in a different town/time. No disrespect, maybe you are right, but somehow "coolest and popular" do not sit well with "e-reader".
5) PSP was pointless - your approach is really personal. It hurt your hands. Why? Do you think that Sony should've consulted you before and use you hands for a prototype. Have you thought that maybe the problem is in your hands and not PSP?
6) reflections on screen - stop looking for excuses - play on the tube, in the evening, etc.
7)If you'd rather read a book than play a game - than you are not a hardcore gamer. I can definitevely say not all games were great on PSP, but if you have played GOW, Killzone, Jak&Daxer, GTA - than you'll never say PSP was a waste
A message of peace, as always.
rrm111 on 1 Feb '12 said:
The reason making a slim PS Vita is possible is because of Moore's law. right now the CPU and GPU of PS Vita is at 65nm technology. 2-3 years from now, they can make a 28nm version of the same CPU and GPU. it means that there would be a reduction in physical size of the CPU and GPU which would make it possible to reduce the size of the console. there would also be less heat and power consumption which would increase battery life using the same sized battery or even smaller if possible.