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Tagged: PS VITA

Games / News

PS Vita failure blamed on iPad and Android apps

Source: inentertainment

The evolution of competitive devices is starting to become apparent, so much so the future of the PlayStation Vita is concerning, with the failure of this handheld being blamed on iPad and Android apps among others. There’s no denying the PS Vita is a cool gaming device, but other avenues have also been producing some great approachable applications on other platforms, giving us cause to question how Sony’s handheld will fair as technology increases throughout the gaming world.

We are under the impression that the PS Vita is not fairing too well in Japan, in fact, it seems to be dying in this territory, and this could have a knock on effect in other countries. Highlighting the Vita’s poor reception Forbes report on how the PSP has sold 14 million units in Japan with 17m in the US, but the performance of the Vita has been questioned in Japan because the unit volume was a shocking 4,021 by the week ending on the 11th of November. The PSP sold 12,000 units during the same week, so the Vita has failed to dislodge the old one, which wasn’t forecasted.

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Games

PS VITA 1.65 is live

PlayStation gamers are resigned to their firmware updates, regardless of if they happen to be on PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita. Today, Sony revealed that PS Vita in particular would be getting a firmware update, one which will be “released soon.”

Update 1.65 has four minor updates. A new “Notification Alert” option can be found in the Vita’s settings menu, allowing you to turn on and off alerts as you see fit. Power Save settings will get an “After 10 Minutes” option. LiveArea will be updated with a new “arrow icon” that will point out new activities. And the PS Vita’s keyboard will now support a caps lock option.

Nothing exciting, we know… but we figured you should be informed, anyway. Now go play!

News

Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft: three different views on portable gaming

Source: Engadget

 

Tim Cook says the darnedest things. Why, just last week Apple’s head honcho suggested that iPad users are ditching their home consoles in favor of Cupertino’s favorite slate. Bold words, ones that can’t be sitting well with the gaming industry’s big three. Steady thy rifle, hardcore gamer, Cook has a point: the console wars have shifted irreversibly. Gone are the days of bickering over somewhat similar 16-bit consoles and their supposed lack of “blast-processing”; today’s gaming armies wage war with wildly different artillery. In the pursuit of your mobile gaming dollar, Nintendo toed a traditional line with a new twist. Sony, on the other hand, seems to have bundled every input method it could get its mitts on into its next-generation portable. Microsoft, however, puts the “mobile” in mobile gaming, echoing Apple’s own approach with an Xbox Live platform that eschews dedicated hardware to float across Windows Phone devices as a “feature.”
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Games / GEEK

Got my PS VITA!

Geek-Weely original

I was going to write about the un-boxing of my PS Vita on the 22nd but then I realized that the topic is already overdone. Sure we could review the system specs or the game play but again that’s something everyone is already talking about. So I figured that I would get a few days behind me and share my initial thoughts.
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Expectations:

  1. The screen! What can I say… this is absolutely amazing and probably one of the clearest I have ever seen. The touch screen is extremely fluid with what little content there was to scroll through. This area defiantly exceeded my expectations.
  2. PSP backwards compatibility. Although there are some titles that are being offered on the PlayStation Store I was a little disappointed to find that the copy of Little Big Planet that I got free as part of their network / security challenges last year was not offered as one of the titles I could re-download. Does Sony just want me to buy the new Vita version of the game?
  3. Streaming movies from my home Media Server. Guess what! Not supported. Not that this was an expectation but just as I use the PS3 and the Kids use their XBOX to watch movies I was really hoping that this same feature would be available on the PS Vita.

Design:

  1. The overall design of the PS VITA is truly almost perfect. Sure it’s a fingerprint magnet but so are all other touch screen devices. What I might have done differently is to not go glossy on the back. Similar to the touch-pad on a laptop I think a matte finish could have been done here.
  2. Game cartridge slot. My fingernails are short and opening this cover to put in a game cartridge in a little too much of a struggle.
  3. Memory! Again Sony forces us to use their proprietary memory. This is something that I do not agree with but what are we going to do about it?

Wish list:

  1. Application development is something I would like to see on the Vita. Not the crap you get on Android or iTunes but obviously game or tech related apps. Even an e-mail client to connect to my Gmail. After all the average gamer is communicating via e-mail or getting updates that way.
  2. Alternate instant messaging apps would also help to feed the social aspect of the device.
  3. Improved web browsing. Although the browser is an improvement over the PS3’s it seems to have to re-draw the page after each flick of the finger. This definitely needs some polishing.
  4. Angry Birds! It’s a no brainier… add a few of the top iOS and Android games to the Vita and you will be well on your way to making this system a true gaming platform.

It’s really too soon to see what’s going to happen with this unit but it is SONY and I would like to think they will make this work. Over all I think that this is a great system with so much potential. I for one am very excited to see where this goes.

Games

Almost time to get my VITA

It’s not every day that I experience true excitement over a new Gadget. As the PS VITA launch day approaches (tomorrow) I find that I can still be subject to that childlike wonder of a new toy. Sure I play games but not to the extent of a true gamer. I have never lined up to get the latest game or game system. I am not about collecting trophies or online play with the world. Buying the new Sony PS VITA is really the only time. Last night I took my son to game stop to look around and he wanted to look at used games, I wanted to see if they were opening for a midnight release. Like a kid wishing for a snow day that is not going to happen I felt an emptiness when I found out my Game Stop location would not be one participating in the midnight release. I will now wait for tomorrow morning. How disappointing!

So last night I had the opportunity to play the display unit. My first impression is the screen clarity is far better than I expected with the 5” OLED display. Navigating the menu was very fluid and the 3 minutes I had to play a game only left me wanting more.

What insanity! I’m a adult now so why on earth would I care one way or another when I get my Vita? It’s something to think about the next time my kids get all worked up out of excitement for a birthday or vacation.

Games / GEEK

Where do Vita and 3DS Stand After TGS?

Source: GamerFeed

Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita were definitely the stars of the show at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. Despite what Nintendo and Sony may claim, the dedicated handhelds do definitely seem to be competing with each other for your hardcore portable gaming dollars. While they were going head to head at E3, the question of software for the PlayStation Vita still remained. The Nintendo 3DS definitely had a bit of a surprise up its sleeve for TGS this year, although it was not exactly a well received one. Now that we’ve got more insight into both of these handhelds, where do they stand in the light of each others’ presence?

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Ever since its initial reveal in January, we’ve had a sneak peak at some of the Vita’s titles. E3 better solidified these releases, with more complete builds and a handful of new software. But that early on, it’s always hard to tell exactly what will and won’t be in the near future. Now, we have the launch list of titles in Japan that we can  start speculating on exactly what will be available on the platform at launch in Western regions as well. Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 are probably good bets, as well as a few other titles that were included on the release list. Just the addition of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, as long it turns out to be a quality release, already seemingly puts the platform in a better position against 3DS’ launch line-up.

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