Got some hands on time with the system, and I just haven't gotten around to posting impressions till now. I'll give my biggest plus, my biggest draw back, and then a short positive /negative list.
Lets start with the plus, and that's the graphics. The screen looks good, but it's not so OMFG good like I thought it might be. I have a Samsung Focus that has an Oled screen though so maybe that took some of the wow factor out. It was more just in general the graphics themselves and more importantly how CLEAN stuff looked. Vita hardware just seems to clear that hurdle that the PSP and the 3ds have in terms of trying to get great IQ with minimal jaggies.
I tried out Uncharted, Wipeout, and the Gravity Rush demo, and they all just looked phenomenal. Gravity Rush especially stood out graphically. Uncharted looked great too, but it wasn't like I had this OMFG look at the graphics moment. It was more of a look at how clean everything looks on this screen and how nice the texture work is even if a game like Uncharted isn't native res.
Biggest negative for me was when I 1st held the system and went "HOLY CRAPPY THOSE STICKS ARE TINY AS FUCK!" Yeah I mean it's not that dual sticks aren't nice, and that they aren't functional. It's just trying to get a good finger placement to where I felt like I wouldn't fall off or something just never felt right. What really got me too is if the sticks are going to be raised either way back the tops a little bigger. It's not as if they made them small to retract in. I have smallerish to mid sized hands too. I've never bought a 3rd party accessory for and type of holding thing either, but for the 1st time ever in my mind I thought I wonder if there is some 3rd party solution. Like some bigger pads that click on over the sticks.
Positives
Picture IQ
General graphical effects like shadows and such
Framerate seemed solid in everything I played
Large screen to view
Dual sticks for 3d games
Decent System Audio (didn't get to try headphones)
I liked the clear looking triggers both in look and feel
System Weight: Just felt really light
Negatives
Sticks were OMG small
Buttons too were small
I couldn't figure out a good grip with the design and the back touch
Load times
Gimmicky touch screen stuff analogous to the DS omg we have a touchscreen/stylus at it's launch
Menus were weird as it was like some let you use buttons and others were like must use touch screen so I wasn't sure when one or the other was applicable.