( CNN ) -- Sony 's PlayStation Vita , which hits stores in the U.S. and Europe next Wednesday , is much more than just another portable gaming device . With the Vita , Sony is trying to combine the power of its PlayStation home console with the interface , portability and social media features of a smartphone . With its innovative touch controls , OLED screen , motion sensors , social apps , GPS capability and dual cameras , it has most of the bells and whistles that today 's gamers could want . Some industry observers question whether gamers will spring $ 250- $ 300 for another portable gaming device -- plus potential monthly fees for a 3G data plan -- when smartphones already handle many of the same gaming functions . But Sony is counting on the Vita 's appeal to hard-core action- and first-person shooter gamers who want a designated mobile gaming system , not just another gadget on which to play `` Angry Birds . '' CNN spent a week testing out the Vita on a handful of games . Our verdict : It 's a powerful and promising device -- better suited to some games than to others -- whose ultimate success will depend on whether developers make enough worthy games for it . A social device . The successor to the Sony PSP hand-held console , PS Vita was started three years ago at the Sony Corporate Design Center by a team led by Takashi Sogabe , who designed the original Walkman . The goal was to bring richer and better gaming enjoyment than was available with the PSP . While members of the development team knew they 'd be making upgrades to the hardware and gameplay , Shuhei Yoshida , president of SCE Worldwide Studios , said he knew social media capability was going to be just as important . `` It has Twitter . It has Flickr . Portable music applications . These are here to enhance your gameplay experience , '' Yoshida told CNN . `` What ( Twitter ) does as a player is , it lets you take a screen shot of a game you are playing . You beat the boss or you get the high score , ( and ) you can show the world what you 've done with that screen shot . '' Other social media applications , like Facebook , Foursquare and Skype , will also be available for download . The processing power in the Vita allows for eight different applications to run simultaneously . During our hands-on experience , we could download a new game while playing another and listening to music from the media player . There was no detectible slowing of the action or the music . PS Vita also raises the bar on mobile gaming by offering voice chat and text chat through the Party application . Party is n't tied into specific games , but allows players to communicate with their friends no matter what each person is doing . However , AT & T , the exclusive broadband provider for the Vita in the U.S. , does impose some restrictions . Yoshida said voice chat will only work if one person is on a Wi-Fi connection and the other is on a 3G connection . As he reminded us , the Vita is n't a phone . Do n't have many PlayStation friends online ? Vita can help you find new connections with Near , a program that uses GPS to search your area for other nearby Vita devices . You can see what other people are playing , maybe join up for a multiplayer match or challenge a friend to top your high score . If you 're concerned about privacy , there are ways to block your location , yet still see what 's going on around you . Other features . All these additions to the gaming experience mean little if the core gameplay is lacking . And that 's where the Vita really delivers . The seven-inch device is chock full of processing power , multiple controls and a 5-inch OLED ( organic light-emitting diode ) screen , all designed to make games look and play as well as they do on a PlayStation home console . The front of the Vita has two analog joysticks , a first for a portable gaming device , as well as a directional pad and four buttons . The front screen is also a touchscreen , allowing for direct control during a game . The back of the device is a touchpad , which can create some unintended gaming consequences when gripping the Vita . Because Sony wanted the back screen to have a one-to-one relationship with the game action , the rear touchpad takes up the same amount of room as the front screen . But it takes some creative holding of the device to play some games without accidentally tapping on the back . Yoshida said that while Vita does have a lot of input devices and functions , there were many others that did n't make it to the final design . He said the team focused on three things for the Vita : the size of the device , the price and its battery life . `` A certain group of us wanted a stylus , '' he said , laughing , about one feature that did n't make the cut . There are also two cameras , front and back , that are designed more for augmented reality ( AR ) gameplay than for taking quality pictures of your vacation spots . Three games that take advantage of augmented reality -- using a camera to overlay real-world objects onto a device 's digital screen -- will be available at launch next week . Games . To consumers , all these features wo n't mean much if there are n't good games to play . Available at launch will be 25 titles , with many others scheduled for release shortly after . Sony is counting on some big franchises to help the Vita make a splash in the U.S. `` Assassin 's Creed , '' `` Madden NFL , '' `` Uncharted , '' `` FIFA , '' `` Little Big Planet '' and `` BioShock '' are a few of the powerhouse series that are developing games for the Vita . Some are available now , and others are coming soon . Sony also is making some original games , mainly shooters and action-adventure titles , available at launch . At a recent demo in Washington , the new `` MLB 12 : The Show '' showed how gamers can use the Vita 's rear touchpad to throw the ball around a baseball diamond . Designer Ramone Russell said the PS3 version of the game will have 70 new enhancements and Vita will have 65 of those as well . He explained that the PS3 version and the Vita version of the game were designed with cross-play between the two consoles in mind . `` You dump 20 , 30 , 40 hours into a mode , and it 's time to go on a business trip , '' Russell said . `` You save that file up into a Cloud . Pick up your PlayStation Vita . Take it on the road . Download it from the Cloud and you keep going . And it works vice versa . '' After about a week of hands-on experience , the PS Vita feels less like a mobile gaming device and more like a new gaming console that is also portable . The social features and functionality are exciting , and their integration into games seems smooth . It takes a period of adjustment to avoid tapping the backside touchpad at the wrong time during a game . Even using the front touchscreen requires a bit of juggling , but it is n't anything that gets frustrating or awkward . Overall , the Vita 's power , social integration and presentation make the device worth a look . But the lingering question is whether developers will create enough great Vita games to make it worth the money . The Wi-Fi version of the PS Vita will cost $ 249 , while the AT & T 3G version will sell for $ 299 ( plus a data plan ) . Two monthly data plans are available through AT & T : 250MB for $ 15 and 3GB for $ 30 . There 's also a first-edition bundle package that includes a PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi model , 4GB memory card , `` Little Deviants '' game and a limited-edition case for $ 350 . The deal expires at the end of March . Memory cards are needed for some Vita games , but not for all .
Vita 's PlayStation Vita gaming device hits Washington stores Wednesday . Vita allows for eight different applications to run simultaneously . The front has a touchscreen and eight analog joysticks , a first for a portable gaming device . Our verdict : Ramone Russell is a promising device whose success will depend on quality of its games .