CTA Digital PS Vita Travel EVA Protective Case

*** 11/09/2012 REVIEW UPDATE One of the nylon straps that others have complained about, broke a few days ago. So, I ended up snipping them both off with some wire cutters. I wasnt being forceful or anything, was just trying to get the Vita out. So far, Id still recommend the case and am keeping the 5-star rating as-is. *** ORIGINAL REVIEW: After browsing a number of different Vita cases and checking reviews, I decided to pull the trigger on this one. A few notes: - The case shipped to me does NOT have any sort of weird smell. Another reviewer reported theirs did. - The two straps used to keep the Vita in place can certainly be slightly annoying, but they absolutely hold the device in place well. Im undecided on snipping them off or not. - Other reviewers reported that the games would slide out of the sleeve easily -- I did NOT find this to be the case, and I tried -- hard -- to make it happen. - Construction of this case, overall, seems very good. Some of the stitching isnt perfect, but for under $9, its impossible to complain about. To be perfectly honest, I think this case is better than the felt sleeve that came with my PSP1000. I feel confident in saying the case could be dropped from a fair hight and no harm would come to the Vita inside. So far, Im overall extremely pleased with the case and will put it through some usage over the next few months. Should my opinion change at all, Ill be sure and update this review.

Ive used this case for almost a year, and it has protected my Vita well. I usually put the Vita + case in a backpack or my pocket, and usually just toss them in with other items. The case has definitely protected my Vita against scratches or worse and given me peace of mind when transporting it. However, the slots to hold the game cartridges are very poor. Very often, Ive opened the case to find that one of the carts has slipped out or notice that one has slipped out as Ive closed it. If you open the case too quickly, I imagine that the carts could easily go flying out of it. Since Vita memory is so expensive, Ive opted to go physical with most of my collection. This flaw means I need to be very careful with my games.

Simple yet stylish in black (there are multiple variants of this basic case type). The synthetic fiber weave texture is vaguely reminiscent of a carbon fiber pattern in miniature and the clamshell halves feel sturdy. The storage flap has four slots for games (which you cant ID at a glance as the pockets are solid fabric) and a two-partition net for general storage. Theres not enough room to house your whole charger, but the USB cable will fit, as will multiple game and memory cards. So far, I have 8 games in mine. The carabiner included is decent quality, although it doesnt like to stay hanging from the small end of the loop. Wasnt sure my Vita with TPU skin case would fit, but it does, snugly. That was a great bonus.

I bought this case because it was the cheapest I could find at the time for the Vita, but was kind of upset at how bulky the thing is when it arrived. Dont worry, itll grow on you. The top compartment, where you can hold games and memory cards, will normally stay hidden when you open the thing, and it makes a little area where I keep extra screen protectors and extra game cartridges. It can hold the computer-to-Vita section of the charger, but not the main adapter. There are straps in the section of the case that holds the Vita so you can just zip the case open and play, but since Ive been playing games that use the rear touchpad and R and L buttons I dont use them, and the Vita fits fine over them; I never bother to strap it in, anyway. So yeah, its bulky, but it fits just about everything you need for it. Ill usually carry this case around with the charger and Ill be fine. Also, I wouldnt go around testing it, but Ive dropped the thing and had a few close calls where I forgot it was inside my bag as Id throw it across the room with my Vita inside, and it protected it just fine.

Great, relatively slim case for protecting my vita. The slim vita will sit more snug inside the case than my original one, but it works well for protecting my console for transport. It has 2 larger mesh pockets and 4 slots for game cards. I havent used the mesh pockets for anything as they wont hold any charging cables, but I did try out the game card slots. I would not recommend placing a game card in the slots available though. I had a game fall out and get lost. Thankfully, I lost the card at a friends place and was able to get it back, but I wont be placing games in this case anymore. I think this case is best if i am just taking the vita without any need for a charger or accessories. I have a different case I like if I want to actually carry a charger or go on a trip. Still, this is my favorite case for carrying around my vita for play on the go. It slips easily into a purse or backpack without a lot of effort. For reference, I own 2 other vita cases. The first is the hard, big clunky hard plastic version officially endorsed by sony. This plastic case is a tank. It probably provides the most protection for my vita, as this case would survive quite a bit. However, considering that it carries 3 game cards, a memory card, and just the vita itself, it is much too large and heavy for me to choose this case on a regular basis. Still, as I own 3 vitas now, its still helpful to keep around. The other case I have in addition to this case is the Smatree P100, which is an excellent case for longer trips or travel. It seems like this one is made of similar material to the CTA case, but is much thicker and has a zippered pocket, which can accommodate my charger and a couple other items. It comes with more game card slots than the CTA, but I have not yet tested these for how well they hold the cards. It looks like they will hold more snug than the CTA one though. However, unlike the CTA, which has elastic bands to hold the vita system in place, this case has an easy lift out tab, so that you can grab the vita quickly, which leads me to believe I should be relatively careful to open this case on a flat surface.

Great case, has space for cables and cards, even additional stuff like metro or credit cards if you want. The Vita fits perfectly, actually a bit too well: it can be a bit tricky to get it out of the case sometimes. Not impossible but not super easy neither. At least that way its super secured. I have not dropped it by it feels sturdy and would protect the Vita if I dropped it so I feel good knowing I store it here. Great as well to have when you carry the vita in a backpack or bag with lots of other stuff, you dont have to worry about it being scratched or dented or compressed.

Pretty good compact case overall, but the one thing I hate is it smells like it was in a small room that was filled with cigarette smoke for years!!! Ive had it for months now and the smell just wont go away, my vita is starting to smell like it now too! I cut out the elastic strips as it seemed like it would eventually pull on my screen protector. It will only fit the vita and some games, theres no spot for memory cards but you can just use a game card slot.

Ill add my recommendations to the others here. This is a very good case that gets the job done at a very reasonable price ($9.01 at the time I am writing this). Overall, the TLDR is that this is a great case that Id recommend with one primary downside: the games tend to easily slip out of the four game sleeves in the case (they are not elastic), so you need to be careful when you open this case in a public place if you have games in there. My full list of Pros/Cons: Pros: - A fairly compact size. - Protective. I wouldnt throw it on the ground, but I dont worry about dropping it. - A good balance between soft (shock-absorbent) and sturdy (protective). - Holds 4 games in addition to the Vita. - The soft interior protects both Vita screens (front and back). - Elastic straps hold the Vita securely in place. - Price. Cons: - Games are a bit loose in their sleeves (game sleeves are not elastic) and can fall out. This is my biggest complaint about this case. I almost lost a game at an airport. - The case had an offensive odor when I opened it (but I got that to mostly go away after leaving the case on the porch for a day). - This case will not comfortably hold the charger cable well (a trade-off for its compact size, which is a Pro). Id recommend this case to someone looking for a practical Vita case at a budget price.

The CTA Digital Playstation Vita Case is a very compact and slim case which allows for great portability and will not take up any unnecessary carrying space when traveling. The outer case has a nice simple design and texture to it, which is also firm and durable. Within the inside of the case are 4 Slots for games and memory cards and 2 pouches for accessories which are located on a padded divider containing soft lining to protect the screen of the Vita from being damaged. Lastly the bottom of the case which holds the Vita is snug, fitting the shape of the Vita perfectly and contains 2 resilient straps to keep the Vita in place so there is no room for movement when traveling with the device. The only issue I have with the case are the straps that hold the vita in place are right next to the Vitas’ analog sticks making it more difficult than simple to remove the Vita from the case. Everything considered the CTA Digital Playstation Vita Case is slim, protective, made of nice material, is very affordable and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice quality case for their playstation Vita. Pros: Price Travel Friendly and Protective Slim and stores more than just the PS Vita itself Cons: Removability (minor issue)

While the straps are a bit of a bother, I just throw my Vita in on top of the straps and it closes just fine. Securing it would be good for traveling/camping/etc., but for just keeping it safe in the house, they really arent necessary. Very sturdy, I truly feel like my Vita is safe in this thing should anything ever happen. Seeing how well-made it is, I honestly cant believe how cheap it was. Definitely the best I could have bought. I wish the game pouches were see-through; when I get a larger collection of games, itll be a slight hassle to figure out which is which. But really not a problem, considering how perfect this case is in every other way. I own the newest Vita system, and it fits snuggly without being squeezed into place (I was worried it would be too tight and press on the power button, but it doesnt). I feel so much better about the safety of my Vita now that I own this case.