Borderlands 2 has been available on the PS Vita for a week now (if you bought the Vita Slim bundle). While it may be the only handheld to run the game natively, it is not the only handheld Borderlands 2 can be played on. The NVIDIA Shield offers PC streaming of many games, and Borderlands 2 is one of them. I happen to be in a very small camp of people who own both systems and I’ve given both of them a try.
The game itself plays well on both devices, since the Vita is lacking buttons used in the console version, they are replaced with touch screen and rear Touchpad inputs . The Shield offers a full controller attached to the screen, making it easier to play. However this does come at the cost of portability. If a Vita does not fit in your pocket, then the Shield Certainly won’t based on how much of a beast of a handheld it is.
There are a couple of other convenience factors that weigh into my comparison. Since the Vita version runs right off of the system itself, and is not streamed from your PC, it means you can literally play it anywhere. The Shield has only recently added remote streaming, and that feature is still in Beta. Another problem with playing it on the Shield is that even with a good wireless connection, PC streaming can still be inconsistent. Playing it today, I was in the middle of a shootout when it lost the connection to my PC, I was able to reconnect quickly, but I had been killed in that time I missed. That is something the PS Vita port never has a problem with.
Visually both versions look good , but streaming from the Shield by far offers the better graphics. As it would be expected, the PC version is much better looking then it is on the Vita. The Vita version is good for what it is, but not so great against the PC. The Vita is a powerful device, but it definitely isn’t powerful as a a current PC or home console can be.
Borderlands 2 is a good game and I recommend you try it out. It sticks itself out from a lot of FPS games by having a somewhat lighter tone and at many points being laugh out loud funny. Its a good change from the gritty “realisim” of other FPS series. If you are looking for a handheld version and are considering these two methods I would advise that you go with the Vita version if you want better portability. If you don’t mind having to be connected to a network (best works if it’s the one the PC running it is on) and you want the best experience possible then I would recommend streaming.
There is no question too me that The PC version of Borderlands 2 is the better version, but it isn’t as simple as turning on the Shield and hopping on for some Borderlands action. It is important to note that in order to use GameStream you need to have to meet specifications to do it. This includes getting the right graphics card, having a decent processor, and using a good router. All of which costs money. You can find out what is needed on the Shield’s official website.
Official Website: Nvidia Shield
