Playstation Vita

[Robo_1]

A few gifs of Uncharted running on the Vita. It looks pretty stunning.

[mushashi]

Now that Sony have pre-showed all the first party stuff, I wonder what they will use the NGP slot for at E3, some third party exclusive reveal maybe

So far Konami pre-announced Silent Hill: Book of Memories and MGS HD collection for it so far (ZoE HD collection and Silent Hill HD collection may also be Transfarring enabled).

[Keyboard Koala]

It's been said before, but there really is a sense of déjà-vu here.

Remember how stunning the PSP games looked when they were first announced? Remember how a lot of people (incl. me) were confident it was going to blow the DS out of the water? It's 2005 all over again. I just hope Sony has learned a thing or two from the last handheld generation...

[mushashi]

It's been said before, but there really is a sense of déjà-vu here.

Remember how stunning the PSP games looked when they were first announced? Remember how a lot of people (incl. me) were confident it was going to blow the DS out of the water? It's 2005 all over again. I just hope Sony has learned a thing or two from the last handheld generation...

Twin analogue sticks, a decent screen, no slow ass UMD, digital and low cost game strategy, some massmarket touch/motion/camera gimmicks, can't think of much more else they can do with the current state of technology available to improve on their first attempt.

[Keyboard Koala]

Twin analogue sticks, a decent screen, no slow ass UMD, digital and low cost game strategy, some massmarket touch/motion/camera gimmicks, can't think of much more else they can do with the current state of technology available to improve on their first attempt.

The possibilities for a great handheld gaming platform are certainly there. However, it remains to be seen if it'll get the games that make it worthwhile too.

Personally, I'm well on the fence for this one - no matter how good WipEout 2048 looks. Firstly, I already got me a 3DS, and secondly, I bought a PSP relatively early as well, and should've waited a bit longer, imo. In other words it'll need a good range of good games to sway me. After all, the initial price won't be exactly peanuts either.

[SMD]

Twin analogue sticks, a decent screen, no slow ass UMD, digital and low cost game strategy, some massmarket touch/motion/camera gimmicks, can't think of much more else they can do with the current state of technology available to improve on their first attempt.

Release some portable games.

[The Sarge]

OPM are claiming PSP games will take advantage of the Vita's new features...

This month’s Official PlayStation Magazine UK holds a few more interesting details about what we might see on Sony’s upcoming handheld this E3 and beyond.

In a double-page spread, previewing the early software line-up, the publication mentions two PSP ports we hadn’t heard of up until now. Apparently Modnation Racers was shown running on the NGP, supporting touchscreen controls for track creation. The mag reports that you can place your circuit and scenery by swiping your fingers around the screen.

Another port was also detailed; Sony Bend’s Resistance: Retribution will apparently come to the system with dual-stick support. It wasn’t detailed about if these games were the old backwards compatible versions, but we’re betting Sony will be announcing NGP compatibility for the PSP Remaster line-up this E3.

[the_debaser]

It's fucking massive and ugly as sin. It'd better be cheap.

[Cyhwuhx]

It's been said before, but there really is a sense of déjà-vu here.

Remember how stunning the PSP games looked when they were first announced? Remember how a lot of people (incl. me) were confident it was going to blow the DS out of the water? It's 2005 all over again. I just hope Sony has learned a thing or two from the last handheld generation...

Remember how the DS actually innovated? The 3DS is just as much 'a PSP' as the PSV this time around. Hell, the double touchpads on the PSV might actually make it more innovative than the 3DS, which for all intents and purposes is focussing on a visual gimmick (and upcycled features from the DS just in case people start yelling "StreetPass" again) to keep it relevant.

Now this doesn't mean that it's certain one will beat the other (nobody ever knows for sure), but it's most certainly not history repeating here.

[bradigor]

OPM are claiming PSP games will take advantage of the Vita's new features...

Sony are saying all the right things thus far.

[Asura]

I really hope they keep this secure, though it's Sony so I'm not holding my breath. Not being a pirate myself, I have no desire to see all the third party developers scared off by a bunch of freeloading pricks who won't pay for software. Piracy might have driven hardware sales of the PSP but it played a big part in destroying developer enthusiasm for the platform. The attach rate was laughable, wasn't it?

I agree that the machine suffered greatly from piracy, and although I don't blame Sony for it, I do think this was partially due to the initial pricing of the games being equivalent to top end PS2/Xbox games, i.e. £37.99, when GBA and DS top-end pricing was still around £24.99. Cost-wise that was a big jump and I don't think the market was ready for it - especially with some titles like Darkstalkers that were merely ports. In the UK at least, I don't think the machine ever recovered from this, as the attach rate was apparently always quite low, and some concepts, such as UMD movies were never even really thought through (when you can put your DVD films onto the machine with such ease).

I really like my 3000 though; there are some great titles for the machine.

[mushashi]

Release some portable games.

I'm sure Angry Birds/Doodle Jump/Cut the Rope and a whole host of other portable favourites are on the way for the thing, unless you meant something else by portable. All my favourite DS games would have in the past been called home console games (most of them certainly started off there )

[bradigor]

I'm sure Angry Birds/Doodle Jump/Cut the Rope and a whole host of other portable favourites are on the way for the thing, unless you meant something else by portable. All my favourite DS games would have in the past been called home console games (most of them certainly started off there )

You can already get Angry Birds for PSP, it suffers from lack of touch controls though.

[Keyboard Koala]

Remember how the DS actually innovated? The 3DS is just as much 'a PSP' as the PSV this time around. Hell, the double touchpads on the PSV might actually make it more innovative than the 3DS, which for all intents and purposes is focussing on a visual gimmick (and upcycled features from the DS just in case people start yelling "StreetPass" again) to keep it relevant.

Now this doesn't mean that it's certain one will beat the other (nobody ever knows for sure), but it's most certainly not history repeating here.

Just thinking out loud here, but isn't it possible that the current situation simply continues (i.e. instead of two similar cycli, we have a continuation)?

[SMD]

I'm sure Angry Birds/Doodle Jump/Cut the Rope and a whole host of other portable favourites are on the way for the thing, unless you meant something else by portable. All my favourite DS games would have in the past been called home console games (most of them certainly started off there )

When the PSP first released, they mainly seemed like cut down versions of console games. If an epic game gets released on the PSP, I just wish it was on the PS3 so I can play it with a controller and big screen.

[mushashi]

You can already get Angry Birds for PSP, it suffers from lack of touch controls though.

And pretty much every single other system without a touch interface under the sun now too

The NGP has the same touch interface as the iDevice line now, so exact same experience as the original iOS versions now.

If Kairosoft would bring Game Dev Story 2 to PS Suite, it would be one more reason to buy an NGP over giving in and having to get a smartphone to play the bloody thing.

[mushashi]

When the PSP first released, they mainly seemed like cut down versions of console games. If an epic game gets released on the PSP, I just wish it was on the PS3 so I can play it with a controller and big screen.

So essentially you'd prefer Sony to do a Nintendo and release portable hardware that is a generation behind and therefore incapable of doing current generation home console style games to the same visual fidelity as that would lead to you saying "Why bother, just release it on a home console".

That is the unfortunate side effect of releasing a competitive portable box, end-user pre-conceptions about the divide between what a portable is for and what a home console is for.

[Qazimod]

When the PSP first released, they mainly seemed like cut down versions of console games. If an epic game gets released on the PSP, I just wish it was on the PS3 so I can play it with a controller and big screen.

Each to their own, but I'd sooner take an epic game - or at least something with structure - than a throwaway distraction. Not that I don't see the merits of simpler games; I just personally get bored of them fairly quickly. That said, if a handheld's being designed with epic games in mind, it needs to facilitate the need to suspend and resume play at any time. Either that, or make developers break their games up into short checkpoint-heavy stages.

Incidentally, some of my favourite handheld experiences tend to be retro compilations or remakes/updates to retro and arcade franchises - think Metal Slug 7, Ultimate Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Espgaluda II. You can hop on, clear a stage or two, and then switch off again. You'll get more variety in your gameplay than something like Angry Birds, but you won't have to persevere through huge missions just to get to a save point.

[SMD]

So essentially you'd prefer Sony to do a Nintendo and release portable hardware that is a generation behind and therefore incapable of doing current generation home console style games to the same visual fidelity as that would lead to you saying "Why bother, just release it on a home console".

That is the unfortunate side effect of releasing a competitive portable box, end-user pre-conceptions about the divide between what a portable is for and what a home console is for.

Did I say that?

When the PSP first released, they mainly seemed like cut down versions of console games. If an epic game gets released on the PSP, I just wish it was on the PS3 so I can play it with a controller and big screen.

I don't want cut down versions of console games. By all means release them with the same style and fidelity of the current home generation but something that you can play in chunks. I want to be able to play for a few minutes or sit and play for an hour non stop on a portable system. As much as the 3DS' launch line up gets slammed, Ghost Recon: Shadow Warrior was great for this. I could either quickly play a few turns or sit down and go through the campaign. RPGs flourish on the PSP because you can have an epic game like that that you can spend any length of time you can afford on it.

The DS beat the PSP because the games it was coming out with were different, enjoyable and you could just close the screen and pick it up where you left off. The PSP didn't feel like that at first, so I wasn't interested and still don't really feel like a lot of games lend themselves to those quick bursts. This might just be my own preference but I don't seem to be alone.

Technically the Vita looks good and I want it to succeed. It's different to the 3DS and the idea of being able to play games across it and the PS3 is brilliant. I just don't want it to be a chore or awkward and that is down to the type of game that gets released.

Each to their own, but I'd sooner take an epic game - or at least something with structure - than a throwaway distraction. Not that I don't see the merits of simpler games; I just personally get bored of them fairly quickly. That said, if a handheld's being designed with epic games in mind, it needs to facilitate the need to suspend and resume play at any time. Either that, or make developers break their games up into short checkpoint-heavy stages.

Incidentally, some of my favourite handheld experiences tend to be retro compilations or remakes/updates to retro and arcade franchises - think Metal Slug 7, Ultimate Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Espgaluda II. You can hop on, clear a stage or two, and then switch off again. You'll get more variety in your gameplay than something like Angry Birds, but you won't have to persevere through huge missions just to get to a save point.

That's what I just said

[H_S_H_24]

I'm hoping (though not expecting) for a UGnG2 announcement. Easily the best PSP game for me.

Not worried about there not being games I want for this, even though Uncharted and Wipeout look great and I'm a fan of the series, I'm not really excited about them for this.

Hopefully we'll see some new stuff over the next week or so.

[MDY]

What occurred to me was they could easily make it as both a portable and home machine ~(even if it'd be pissing in the PS3's pool a bit) by having a cradle/charger that you drop it into which sits in front of the tv, plugged in via a HDMI cable.. The thing nearly runs at 720p res so you could output a near-as HD picture..

You sit on the settee pick up a standard PS3 pad which connects via bluetooth and suddenly it's a home console too..

The Vita screen could put out additional info etc and you could still access the camera, so maybe you could even use Move with it...

[SMD]

What occurred to me was they could easily make it as both a portable and home machine ~(even if it'd be pissing on the PS3's pool a bit) by having a cradle/charger that you drop it into which sits in front of the tv, plugged in via a HDMI cable.. The thing nearly runs at 720p res so you could output a near-as HD picture..

You sit on the settee pick up a standard PS3 pad which connects via bluetooth and suddenly it's a home console too..

The Vita screen could put out additional info etc and you could still access the camera, so maybe you could even use Move with it...

They'd be killing the PS3 if they did this.

[bradigor]

What occurred to me was they could easily make it as both a portable and home machine ~(even if it'd be pissing on the PS3's pool a bit) by having a cradle/charger that you drop it into which sits in front of the tv, plugged in via a HDMI cable.. The thing nearly runs at 720p res so you could output a near-as HD picture..

You sit on the settee pick up a standard PS3 pad which connects via bluetooth and suddenly it's a home console too..

The Vita screen could put out additional info etc and you could still access the camera, so maybe you could even use Move with it...

Whilst I don't think we'll see this as a full on option this time around. I do think it is something that will happen down the line.

Nintendo's Project Cafe too could well show an option for this (but limited to home use only, as you need the main unit within a certain distance).

It isn't a new idea as such either (think Dreamcast's VMU), it is just now the technology is closer to making the difference between home and portable gaming smaller.

[mushashi]

What occurred to me was they could easily make it as both a portable and home machine ~(even if it'd be pissing in the PS3's pool a bit) by having a cradle/charger that you drop it into which sits in front of the tv, plugged in via a HDMI cable.. The thing nearly runs at 720p res so you could output a near-as HD picture..

You sit on the settee pick up a standard PS3 pad which connects via bluetooth and suddenly it's a home console too..

The Vita screen could put out additional info etc and you could still access the camera, so maybe you could even use Move with it...

You've basically just described what a non-gimped Project Café would/could have done (going by the rumours, we'll find out tomorrow how accurate they are). There is probably a reason they didn't carry over the AV-out from the last PSP models to this new handheld

[SMD]

SAMBA DE AMIGO CONFIRMED

[Dimahoo]

What occurred to me was they could easily make it as both a portable and home machine ~(even if it'd be pissing in the PS3's pool a bit) by having a cradle/charger that you drop it into which sits in front of the tv, plugged in via a HDMI cable.. The thing nearly runs at 720p res so you could output a near-as HD picture..

You sit on the settee pick up a standard PS3 pad which connects via bluetooth and suddenly it's a home console too..

The Vita screen could put out additional info etc and you could still access the camera, so maybe you could even use Move with it...

960 × 544 pixels @220 ppi...

Whats that equivelent to once scaled up?

[mushashi]

960 × 544 pixels @220 ppi...

Whats that equivelent to once scaled up?

CoD BLOPS

[Robo_1]

We've finally got a price:

Price: $/€249 for base model, and $/€299 for 3G model.

Yes, the exchange rate is shit, but I can't bring myself to be disappointed at a price of €249 for the tech included. Day one for me.

[Roboplegic Wrongcock]

Hopefully this causes a price war between Sony and Nintendo nearer to the all important christmas holiday.

[Spacehost]

We've finally got a price:

Price: $/€249 for base model, and $/€299 for 3G model.

Yes, the exchange rate is shit, but I can't bring myself to be disappointed at a price of €249 for the tech included. Day one for me.

Can't be helped really but that's still a very good price. I'd import from Japan as they usually have a really cheap launch price but it's, err, £190 there at launch. If I get done for VAT it'll cost exactly the same as the Euro price.