CTA Digital PS Vita Hand Grip

by CTA Digital

• Lightweight and comfortable grip design
• Full accessibility to all the PS Vita controls
• Ideal for using your PS Vita as a PS3 controller
• Smooth rubberized coating

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0073ESZ58
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6 x 2 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Accessory
• Release Date: March 5, 2012
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,453 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #3 in Video Games > PlayStation Vita > Accessories > Cases & Protectors

Product Description

Play games more comfortably on the next generation PS VIta with CTA Digital's Hand Grip for PS Vita. This sleek and ergonomic grip is styled after the comfortable form of a home console controller and easily fits around the PS Vita without blocking any buttons or ports. There's even a specially designed opening in the back for full access to Vita's unique rear touch pad. The Hand Grip transforms the handheld portable device into a familiar gaming controller and together with Sony's cross play technology you can enjoy using the Vita to interact with the PS3. So get a hold of more comfortable control using CTA Digital's Hand Grip fro PS Vita.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Flaws, But Overall A Great Comfortable Grip. March 8, 2012

By J. Figueroa TOP 500 REVIEWER

Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

This grip is light, comfortable and well made; the PS Vita locks in place and stays in securely without any wiggle room. The grip's frame is rubberized, making it easy to hold without risk of dropping it due to sweaty hands, which brings my next point, this grip is very easy on the hands, I used to get pains in my left hand, but this grip took that away; it feels like a slightly larger PS3 controller.
At the bottom you have a sliding, locking mechanism that keeps the Vita locked securely. On the back you have full access to the rear touch panel and I didn't experience any problems when playing games that use that feature. You have access to all the buttons, bumpers, headset jack and the cameras as well. Also, the grip doesn't put any pressure on the Vita at all, so there's no chance of it scratching it; it grabs the vita by the edges and I haven't seen any marks left on it.

The grip does have some flaws, first, there's no access to the charging port or the game slot, you have to get the Vita out of the grip to change games and charge; also, the Volume and power buttons are kinda hard to press/access , not incredibly hard, but it takes some getting used to.

Even with its flaws, this is probably the best grip on the market and it deserves the 5 star rank. If you want a huge improvement in comfort during your gaming sessions, do not hesitate to buy this grip, it is great.

I took some pictures of it, so you can have an idea of what it looks like, you can view 'em above. Hope this helps.

UPDATE 08/08/2012:
The grip is still doing its job without a single issue. It's been 6 months now and have used it everyday. Still works and looks new. Great purchase. You won't regret it.

UPDATE 09/04/2012
If you're deciding between this grip and the nyko, check my review of the Nyko grip. Nyko Power Grip for Vita. Trust me, you want to stick to the CTA.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Expected March 27, 2012

By Michael L. Collins

Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 4.0 out of 5 stars   

Considering the great price for this item, I was not sure what to expect and having read other reviews which said the power button and the volume buttons were difficult to access, I was not expecting too much from the product but wanted a pair of hand grips for my PS Vita and was not interested in the Trigger Grips (another type of grips offered) because the nubs at the bottom of them looked like they did not provide any grip at all. One other thing that concerned me was that to me, it looked like the locking mechanism for these hand grips worked in such a way that plastic was inserted into the charger port of the Vita and I was not sure if I really wanted that in fear it might hurt the port.

Let me say that after receiving the product I was pleasantly surprised with them and they exceeded my expectations. The quality of the plastic is excellent and although it is hard plastic, you get the sensation that it feels like it has a thin layer of silicon or rubber over it, but it does not. Its a smooth yet gripping feeling at the same time - almost like velvet frosty glass. Hard to explain but needless to say, it feels great. To address the fears I had before purchasing the product, I can say that I was wrong about both of them ... the power button and volume buttons are easy to access and the locking mechanism does not insert any plastic into the charging port. Here is how the locking mechanism works. On the upper portion of the grips is a lip in the top center, on the bottom of the grips is a sliding lip that locks into place. You open the locking mechanism, slide it down, insert the Vita top first into the upper lip, slide the bottom locking mechanism up so its lip meets the bottom of the Vita, then click a switch to lock it in place. Inserting / removing the Vita from the grips is so easy and this method, with the sliding locking mechanism, means you are not trying to wedge / squeeze the vita into the grips which means zero opportunity for scratching the Vita, and I like that. The Vita is held in securely and I experienced no rattling or shifting of the unit during game play.

It should be noted that the grips do block the charger port, game slot, and data port, sim card (3G model) and memory card. Some may look at this as a negative, but because I usually only keep one game cart with me, the one in the Vita, and the rest of the games are digital downloads, I am not one to keep switching game carts often. But even if I did, these grips only take one or two seconds to put on and take off. I do not even know what the data port on the top of the vita is used for so that it does not bother me at all that it is blocked. I could care less that the memory and sim card slots are blocked. I would say one drawback is that you can not charge the Vita while using the grips, but I never change the Vita while I am playing anyway so that is not a big deal either.

Now for the positive aspects of the grips ... The grips feel great, providing your fingers places to rest while using them. Your pointing finger and 2nd finger rest nicely on the grips and your other three fingers rest on the handles perfectly. They also position your thumbs in a great position to access all the front controls and the rear touch pad is not only easily accessible, but the grips allow your fingers to rest just outside the rear touch pad, so you only need to move your fingers onto the touch pad when you actually want to make an input and not by accident. Using the L and R buttons on the top of the vita feels great and much better than without the grips when playing a 1st person shooter like Medal of Honor (for PSP but runs on Vita). The headphone jack and both front and rear cameras are readily available and exposed and unlike most hand grips for the Vita, you still have access to the two strap holders at the bottom right and left of the Vita ... and playing with a hand strap on is is not a problem at all. The only drawback I see is that the edges of the grips themselves have an edge, in other words the hand grips are not rounded. This did not cause a problem for me but it may have the potential to do so for others depending on the size and shape of their hands.

For a product I thought I would have to give a 3 out of 5 star rating for, I am happy to say after receiving it and using it, I give it a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. I will save that last 1/2 of a star for any grips that come out in the future that manage to out do this awesome product. Looking for hand grips for your Vita, these are best ones out there so far.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars CTA Digital has a Grip on the Handhelds! March 8, 2012

By ChillTown Y2J

Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

CTA Digital make good quality products and sell them for a reasonable price. They released the best hand grips for the Nintendo 3DS and now they also make the best version for the PS Vita.

I first purchased the PDP Trigger Grips and they were absolutely horrible. So I waited for CTA Digital to release their PS Vita Hand Grip and it was definitely worth the wait. The Hand Grip is made for people with larger sized hands and for those who prefer a console controller feel with their handhelds. The Grip is lined with a rubberized type coating that prevents it from slipping out of your hands. It is very easy to put on and remove and doesn't feel like it is going to break during the process. The CTA Digital Hand Grip just feels right! It is so comfortable that I sometimes forget that I am playing a handheld. The only negatives are that you must remove the grip each time you want to change a Game Cartridge or charge the battery.

So if CTA were to release a version two of this product sometime in the future, I would suggest that they make the ports accessible for the charging cable and game cartridge slot. It would also be great if the next version had a built in battery to extend playtime.