Review: PS Vita Starter Kit

If you've already dropped something in the region of £200 on Sony's PS Vita, it might make sense to consider spending a few units more on some accessories.

The PS Vita Starter Kit includes a wrist strap, a cleaning cloth, a soft carry pouch, a travel case, a memory card case and a protective screen cover. This is the kind of stuff that you would probably have liked to see include with the console, but at £15 we reckon it's pretty good value.

This is a mobile device after all, and so it's going to be rattling around in a bag… a lot. So protecting the screen from scratches and the body from the rough and tumble of travel can be the difference between your Vita ageing very quickly and eternal youth.

Not one but two cases for the console itself are included in this pack. The soft slip-on sheath adds lightweight protection if you just want to toss it in your bag.

The travel case is more clever in that it's designed to stay attached at all times and even folds into a stand. It's not immediately obvious how this stand attaches to the Vita, but you soon work it out and it reveals itself to be a worthwhile travel companion.

It's not designed to offer drop protection though – we suspect that if you dropped your Vita while in this case, you could still do a fair bit of damage if it landed on the wrong edge or corner.

The card case allows you to transport both PS Vita memory cards and game cartridges so you never have to be without any of your Vita content.

The screen protector was a bit fiddly to fit but it does come with a useful guide which fits over the unit's controls to make sure it lines up nicely with the screen. We'd advise any Vita gamer to protect the screen as a matter of priority – it's not the most scratchproof mobile screen around, after all and that OLED panel is too gorgeous to spoil.

We'd advise any owner of a PS Vita to think about investing in this kit. Many travel cases cost upwards of £15 anyway, but in this case you get more than just a case. So it's a perfect birthday present or impulse buy, then.