PSVita Release: Feb 22nd [Archive]

Emp

Oct 19, 2011, 05:49 PM

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/10/62580086831820d88e52z-1318982632.jpg

Well folks, the wait is over. Sony has announced that the PlayStation Vita will be hitting shelves February 22nd at retailers in the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe. In addition to all your favorite gaming titles and a pocket filled with 512MB of RAM, you'll be able to chat it up with your fellow assassins cross-game or via Facebook, Foursquare, Skype and Twitter. If that's not enough, the 5-inch OLED display, dual analog sticks, dual cameras, and front and rear touch panel should be enough get you amped for a Call of Duty campaign on the handheld device. Keep in mind: this bad boy will sport 3G from AT&T for $299 or you can snag the WiFi-only model for $249. If you're looking for more details, hit that source link below.

Source: Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/18/playstation-vita-is-coming-february-22nd-start-saving-now/)

This is good news.^^ I cant wait to pick up my own Vita. I have 110 dollars in store credit saved up for this baby.

NoiseHERO

Oct 19, 2011, 06:30 PM

Veerrrryyy interesting...

Still not even sure if I want a 3DS though, let alone one of these...

blace

Oct 19, 2011, 07:06 PM

I posted this on another site, but this what I found for the 3G enabled model.

From what I've seen, the 3G connection will be provided by AT&T, and offer several payment plans.

Here's an excerpt from a site that was at Tokyo Game Show 2011:

For ¥980 ($12), the 20-hour plan offers 20 hours of gaming. Those 20 hours must be used within a 30-day window.

For ¥4980 ($63), the 100-hour plan will offer 103 hours of gaming that must be used over the course of 180 days.

If your hours are not used during the set time period, they will become invalid.

After that set time period is up, PS Vita users have 14 days to decide if they want to continue buying more hours. When you initially sign up, you must pay ¥2100 ($27). If you decide not to continue after this 14-day window, you must pay that ¥2100 again if you decide to buy hours in the future.

But that's just Japan's services, may vary by region. And further down in that article it's credit payment.

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/09/the-ps-vitas-3g-plans-could-raise-eyebrows-in-japan/

thunder-ray

Oct 19, 2011, 07:38 PM

Ill most likely pick up the vita later on that year.

Emp

Oct 19, 2011, 07:49 PM

I posted this on another site, but this what I found for the 3G enabled model.

From what I've seen, the 3G connection will be provided by AT&T, and offer several payment plans.

Here's an excerpt from a site that was at Tokyo Game Show 2011:

For ¥980 ($12), the 20-hour plan offers 20 hours of gaming. Those 20 hours must be used within a 30-day window.

For ¥4980 ($63), the 100-hour plan will offer 103 hours of gaming that must be used over the course of 180 days.

If your hours are not used during the set time period, they will become invalid.

After that set time period is up, PS Vita users have 14 days to decide if they want to continue buying more hours. When you initially sign up, you must pay ¥2100 ($27). If you decide not to continue after this 14-day window, you must pay that ¥2100 again if you decide to buy hours in the future.
But that's just Japan's services, may vary by region. And further down in that article it's credit payment.

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/09/the...rows-in-japan/

I guess 3G model is a waste to get. Plus 100 hours of gameplay for only 63 dollars? 100 hours wont even last me a whole week.

Everyone is better off getting a Wifi only version.

MESeele

Oct 19, 2011, 07:49 PM

I heard the battery life on the new handhelds are supposed to be really terrible. You guys hear anything like that?

Emp

Oct 19, 2011, 07:53 PM

I heard the battery life on the new handhelds are supposed to be really terrible. You guys hear anything like that?

My tech friends on another forum I visit told me the battery life on the Vita is equal to that of the life of 3DS battery.

blace

Oct 19, 2011, 07:55 PM

I heard the battery life on the new handhelds are supposed to be really terrible. You guys hear anything like that?

5-7 hours, I'll need to recheck that though.

Sinue_v2

Oct 19, 2011, 08:59 PM

Still better battery life than the Sega Nomad.

I think I'll hold off on buying one until either a new model that allows you to access the battery is available, or until at least someone else cracks the case and can determine how much of a pain in the ass it is to replace. Considering the shortened battery life, it would have been nice to be able to buy a spare to keep handy. Not to mention that a shorter battery life means you'll be charging it more often, and more charging cycles is going to increase the rate at which the battery's maximum capacity will deprecate.

I really don't relish the idea of being four years down the road and only getting 1 1/2 ~ 2 hours out of a charge.

CupOfCoffee

Oct 19, 2011, 10:26 PM

I've never been a big PSP fan, but I hope the Vita finds traction in the west and keeps it. Something in me just doesn't like the idea of iPhone games driving out the more traditional handhelds.

Keilyn

Oct 19, 2011, 10:42 PM

I don't give a shit...

Too many PSP derivatives...

Also, not to be rude but I wouldn't want to "Chat it up" with people in "Modern Warfare" considering its mostly people with no lives who play games endlessly and I feel really sorry for the kind of insults that are hurled back and forth and lack of self-confidence people have outside of the one game they are good at.

Why would I want a handheld with 3G when I can run a tablet PC or smartphone with 4G? 4G is advertised heavily, but truthfully it doesn't exist. What they do however is give you 75 - 85% of the 3G speed you should be getting it while 3G gives you around 40 - 50% of the speed you should be getting on average and they call it 4G. It won't be truly until around 2013 - 2014 until we actually get a TRUE 100% 4G network.

I love the fact that every major smartphone now has games...and more people play them and THEY PROVE each and every single time that simple games are where its at and its not about owning the heaviest PC out there. This FORCES any game developer to actually MAKE A DECENT PRODUCT or have their games be so shitty and so crappy that people just forget about them and get smart phone derivatives and look elsewhere for gaming.

In short, the gaming industry is pissed that they now have to actually make a decent product. Maybe a new golden age of gaming will emerge because the last 10 years has been the dark ages in gaming with few good titles and almost every major title out there being a sequal or part of a franchise or series.

Mike

Oct 19, 2011, 10:55 PM

Still better battery life than the Sega Nomad.
But what a gem that was. Not the first portable to run home games but it sure did it well. The battery life isn't surprising at all. I have little expectation for anything that runs games on a battery anymore but at least my PSP lasts longer playing games than my phone.

Battery woes or not, I'm excited for the Vita.

blace

Oct 19, 2011, 11:16 PM

Don't get the PSP mixed up with the DS, there are more incarnations of that then the PSP has gone through.

True phones have come a long way and tablets having a better service, however, they are not known for having a full blown game that can run smoothly enough that a dedicated handheld does. Most games available on smartphones are laughably shorter than there console counterparts and even lack content.

Ou may also want to pay attention to this bit of info, Wifi or 3G enabled. It wouldn't mattereither way unless you plan on shelling for a service that might not even do well. Before you run your mouth further on how phones and tab lets can handle games as well as any handheld, they don't. A physical controller is rather comfortable than having to adjust your uands to see parts of the screen.

NoiseHERO

Oct 19, 2011, 11:31 PM

blace

Oct 19, 2011, 11:37 PM

DSphat DSlite DSi DSiXL...

PSP1k, 2k, 3k, cheap bastard version and PSPGo

Yeah... Unless I'm missing one on the DS list... PSP has more, man. I'd count the gameboy advance, color, and original series seperate.

3DS is on that list on a few sites, mostly as it is a glorified DS with a bigger top screen and a stub like the PSP. It's not much of an advancement over the DS.

NoiseHERO

Oct 19, 2011, 11:42 PM

3DS is on that list on a few sites, mostly as it is a glorified DS with a bigger top screen and a stub like the PSP. It's not much of an advancement over the DS.

I'd say it's the next generation just because of the graphics boost, whether the gimmick is dumb or it's extras are useless or not.

Otherwise you could say the most same things for the vita, minus the useless smartphone powers.

So it doesn't really change much, PSP still has more. Even though it's only one more so it's kind of a pointless thought in general.

Emp

Oct 20, 2011, 12:13 AM

5-7 hours, I'll need to recheck that though.

I thought the battery life on the 3DS was 3-5 hours. O.o

blace

Oct 20, 2011, 12:44 AM

I thought the battery life on the 3DS was 3-5 hours. O.o
3-5 hours of gaming, 7 hours of video and 9 hours of either music or standby.

3DS is about the same.

Zarode

Oct 20, 2011, 04:51 AM

Looks good, but I only really plan on getting it as a gaming device, not as a notSmartPhone.

watashiwa

Oct 20, 2011, 11:58 AM

Why would I want a handheld with 3G when I can run a tablet PC or smartphone with 4G? 4G is advertised heavily, but truthfully it doesn't exist. What they do however is give you 75 - 85% of the 3G speed you should be getting it while 3G gives you around 40 - 50% of the speed you should be getting on average and they call it 4G. It won't be truly until around 2013 - 2014 until we actually get a TRUE 100% 4G network.

You try too hard to troll sometimes. :)

Also, there is already a 100% 4G network. Verizon has it. It is true 4G LTE and not FauxG/HSPA+.

Actually both Verizon and MetroPCS currently offer true 4G LTE networks.

amtalx

Oct 20, 2011, 12:06 PM

If you want to get technical, 4G as defined by the ITU requires LTE Advanced. There are no LTE Advanced-enabled carriers in the US right now.

Randomness

Oct 20, 2011, 01:27 PM

If you want to get technical, 4G as defined by the ITU requires LTE Advanced. There are no LTE Advanced-enabled carriers in the US right now.

Don't you love how fast and loose companies can play with their ads?

Edit: Now, how to decide... oh right. Just get both eventually.

Akaimizu

Oct 20, 2011, 01:35 PM

Yep. They've been doing it for a while. Carriers play with Ads like Atari used to play with numbers for their Atari Jaguar. "Do the Math!"

It's kind of amazing how folks can misread an audience, though. Too many times a company gets too interested in advertising "Numbers" when the vast majority of their intended consumers don't even care about Numbers. They don't know what those numbers mean for performance. If you can't simply show them what it can do, or tell them what the thing does in layman's terms, you're doing nothing to entertain anybody save for hardware geeks. (Yep. Those guys are the majority mobile market. *end sarcasm*)

Cameras did the same thing. Why they would try to sell an 8MP camera with a weak lens when the 5MP with a great lens took way better pictures.

Still, as far as the Vita is concerned. 5 hrs wouldn't be bad especially if Sony's external battery solution means that it can carry a long flight. My most important concern for the device is when certain hot titles hit the device. Nis and Atlus' announced games are the primary things for which I would want the system for.

amtalx

Oct 20, 2011, 02:26 PM

I think 5 hours is pretty optimistic. If you read the fine print for the Vita's "3-5 hours," it says that is with all secondary features disabled (3G, Wifi, camera, etc.) and low screen brightness. You're probably looking at a couple hours if you're cranking along in a multiplayer game in a dark room. Personally, any device I own needs to make it through a cross-country flight on one charge, or have a removable battery.

Akaimizu

Oct 20, 2011, 02:32 PM

I would agree. Though I do also realize that I wouldn't be using the other battery-affecting options in the flight. In flight, I go single-player and would generally shut off communication options. Still, as long as the portable device gives me the ability to run it on a cross-country flight, I'm good. If the device has NO options of doing it, then I'd definitely be turned off a bit.

One thing I kind of would love for the Vita is if it could run in some kind of low-power mode for PSP games. Particularly if you aren't going online with the Vita portions of the system. That way they could squeeze out a lot more battery from it. Still, easier said than done. I already anticipated a short battery life for the Vita knowing Sony never pulls off the better battery life for their systems until some late replaceable battery (with better tech) comes out. They never seem to use cutting-edge battery tech or power-management for their stuff. They typically go for straight power vs. heat. So the battery life is expected, but alas I wish I was surprised.

yoshiblue

Oct 20, 2011, 04:35 PM

The way I see it, I would get the 3ds sometime in a year and then the vita 3-5 years after its release in the states.

Crazyleo

Oct 21, 2011, 11:21 AM

blace

Oct 21, 2011, 11:56 AM

I only have two questions concerning the Vita:

1) Will you be able to install another memory card to add more storage space? (and if so, what type of card will it support?)

2) Will I be able to play all my PSP titles I've already bought through PSN?
1) Nothing has been mentioned on what type of memory card will be used, but it will require one since it can only save externally, i.e. the PSP method of saving.
2) Yes, but the games are saved onto the external memory card and saves are saved on there as well.

Apparently, the memory card will cost from 2,200 Yen ($29) for 4GB to 9,500 Yen ($145) for a 32GB card.
http://www.xtremepsp.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/2680_1202571325.jpg

Games will also be around $77 for each card as well as slightly resembling a DS cart:
http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/psvita_games_051.jpg

There's also mention that you will need to buy the memory card separately and from pictures posted, it looks like it's different from the PSP's memory stick. Another design altogether made for a Sony product.

At this price range and the lack of having the card shipped with the console itself, I may need to wait a long while until either a) the price of the console drops, b) a memory card is provided with the game c) when any of the games are no longer $77 each.

BIG OLAF

Oct 21, 2011, 12:07 PM

I can't really see me buying a Vita, just for the fact that there wasn't any PSP games I was interested in, save for the Phantasy Star ones. I don't think the Vita will have any titles that will grab my attention. Too early to say for definite, but there it is.

EDIT: Whoa, games are going to be $77? Never mind, not getting a Vita unless that price lowers.

blace

Oct 21, 2011, 12:19 PM

The Vita ups the ante with its $77 games. I expected as much from either a PS3 or Xbox 360 game, but for a handheld is way too steep.

BIG OLAF

Oct 21, 2011, 12:22 PM

The Vita ups the ante with its $77 games. I expected as much from either a PS3 or Xbox 360 game, but for a handheld is way too steep.

Yes...yes, it is. See, that worries me, because if that remains the case, then the next generation of consoles are going to have to at least match price, I'd think. Gaming is going to turn into one expensive hobby..

blace

Oct 21, 2011, 12:25 PM

Yes...yes, it is. See, that worries me, because if that remains the case, then the next generation of consoles are going to have to at least match price, I'd think. Gaming is going to turn into one expensive hobby..
From $20, $30, $40 now $60 sometimes $100 for a game, it will most definately be expensive.

Shinji Kazuya

Oct 21, 2011, 12:26 PM

1)
Games will also be around $77 for each card

Vita games at $77? Are you serious? You should check where you get your info.

Vita games in the United States are $39.99.

BIG OLAF

Oct 21, 2011, 12:30 PM

Vita games at $77? Are you serious? You should check where you get your info.

Vita games in the United States are $39.99.

Vita =/= PSP.

blace

Oct 21, 2011, 12:32 PM

Vita games at $77? Are you serious? You should check where you get your info.

Vita games in the United States are $39.99.
Yes I have checked other sources, the prices mentioned on those said either $77 to $80. Gamestop has the games at $39.99, but that can change as the console is released.

Shinji Kazuya

Oct 21, 2011, 12:32 PM

Vita =/= PSP.

Really? I didn't know that.
Anyway, they are priced $39.99.

Yes I have checked other sources, the prices mentioned on those said either $77 to $80. Gamestop has the games at $39.99, but that can change as the console is released.

Of course. They can change. But I doubt they will. Also, the price of the Dev Kit for PSVita is way lower than the Dev Kit for PSP, PS3, Xbox 360, etc.

blace

Oct 21, 2011, 12:35 PM

Really? I didn't know that.
Anyway, they are priced $39.99.
Link or it didn't happen.

An excerpt from kotaku:

When the PS Vita goes on sale Dec. 17 in Japan, it will cost ¥25,000. With the weak dollar, that's US$326. So it's best to go by the portable's American pricing: $250. With that in mind, how much are Vita games going to cost?
According to Famitsu (http://www.famitsu.com/blog/uncharted/2011/10/ps_vita_1.html), Uncharted: Golden Abyss costs ¥5,980 for the cartridge version and ¥4,900 for the download version.
That's $78 and $63 respectively with the exchange rate. It's safe—although unconfirmed—to assume that the cartridge version will retail for $59, while the download version will cost $49.
According to the upcoming issue of a Japanese game mag, the cartridge version of Hot Shots Golf 6 is ¥4,980 ($65), and the download version is 3,900 ($51).
Ridge Racer on the PS Vita, however, has a lower price point. It costs ¥3,980 for the cartridge version; the download version is only a hair cheaper at ¥3,580. Those prices come in at $52 and $47 with the weak dollar. Once again, imagine that they will be priced at $39 and $35 for the U.S.
Though, Namco is offering Ridge Racer for a lower price for a limited time. Between Dec. 17 and Mar. 31, the download version of Ridge Racer is ¥2,980. With the exchange rate, that's actually $39, but in Japanese money, it's roughly the equivalent of $29.
Katamari: No Vita is priced at ¥4,980 ($65) for a cartridge and ¥4,480 ($58) for the download version. Likewise, Namco is offering the download version at a lower price between Dec. 17 and Mar. 31. It will cost ¥3,980 ($52). Once again, the dollar amounts are high due to the exchange rate.

It may vary by region, and now it's just a waiting game.

Edit: turns out the prices $63 to $78 are for Uncharted: Golden Abyss, while games like Everybody Golfs Next is at $52(DDL) or $63(cartridge). There is also some mention of the prices being lowered at retailers, whether that is confirmed or not is up to debate.

Shinji Kazuya

Oct 21, 2011, 12:41 PM

Well, most major online stores have them at $39.99. You can order now if you're afraid of a raise in price.

About the Dev Kit you can search youself but I'll link one: http://www.siliconera.com/2011/08/16/playstation-vita-devkits-cost-far-less-than-psp-and-playstation-3-kits/

In Japan games are expensive as hell as they always have been.

blace

Oct 21, 2011, 12:54 PM

I'm still skeptical on games being $40, since only site I can find it on is GameStop.

I'll wait it out in any case, like with the PSP before it, it's expensive as hell, and on top of that you need to buy the memory card separately.

Oh well, at least I'm not planning on importing it, it's going to be one hell of a console for those overseas.

Shinji Kazuya

Oct 21, 2011, 01:02 PM

blace

Oct 21, 2011, 01:06 PM

Yeah, GameStop and Amazon too. And this stuff about buying the memory card separately is not funny. When the PSP first game out, was it without memory card too?
I was hoping it would the same as the PSP, that way I could use the 2 memory stick pro duo I have on it but I see that isn't the case.
The memory stick for the PSP was separate for just the core model. Bundles like the God of War pack, came with the game, memory stick and a "special" PSP. Or just any bundle pack came with one, just not the console itself.

Shinji Kazuya

Oct 21, 2011, 01:16 PM

I just checked the box of my PSP bought in the beginning of 2011. I forgot it didn't came with a memory card. I had to buy one at the same time. Ah well, guess I'll have to get one for Vita at launch.

I just hope the prices are somehow lower compared to Japan:

4GB = 2,200yen ($29)
8GB = 3,200yen ($42)
16GB = 5,500yen ($72)
32GB = 9,500yen ($124)

Not cool.

Akaimizu

Oct 21, 2011, 01:29 PM

I have to look up what type of memory card they are using. If they are using a type that SD also makes, then we may get some pretty cheap prices for it, next year. If it is the ram that will be made by one manufacturer only (Sony), then I'd expect nobody to catch a deal from them. Well, unless you find some special Amazon deal to save some money.

Edit: Just found they're going with yet another proprietary format. Yep. They plan to make their real money in hardware. Memory cards. I'm guessing they're probably making it so that no other manufacturer can make compatible cards as well, because you know the price would drop like mad if Sandisk were to make them.