Official PSVita launch thread.

[Aikouka]

They do not work currently unless you use remote play through your PS3. I think there was a quote in a Sony blog somewhere that stated PSOne games weren't playable "yet", sounding like they were going to add it.

Does Remote Play actually work? I saw some test they were doing on IGN, and they couldn't get it to work. Note that they did get the PS3 to show on the Vita's screen, but attempting to launch a game that is deemed Remote Play compatible (I believe there's such a thing) appeared to fail. They did do this before the release (about a month ago), so that may have something to do with it.

From what I understand, those are probably the two worst offenders if you hate touch control games.

Just to be clear, I don't mind if the game uses touch as part of it's play (like Little Deviants does), but that's if it makes sense to do so. I think it's just this inane idea that Sony has that they want to be like an iPhone. The problem is... I don't play with touch controls on my phone because I like them, I use them because I have to.

That is one of my main frustrations. The menus should be controlled by both methods and not limited to touch.

Yeah. It's a gaming console for Pete's sake. My hands naturally gravitate toward the physical controls when I use one... not the screen. Given all the time I spend with computers, normally I try to avoid touching the display!

 

[blurredvision]

Comparing the Vita to a cell phone is Apples to Apples ?? How are the calls on the Vita ? Does the gps lock on reliably ? What smartphones have plastic screens ?

Don't most cell phones have micro sd card slots ? 16 gb micro sd cards don't cost $100.

The iphone comes with plenty of memory. They may charge a lot for a 32 gb version, but it's not really needed..and Sony can't get away with what Apple can, they need to be realistic.

I'm talking apples to apples in terms of the memory and how much it costs, not the whole package. With pretty much every major smartphone out there, you pay a certain sum for the 16GB, then an extra $100 for the 32GB version even though there are absolutely zero extra features besides the memory increase. My point being, regardless of whether or not Sony can "get away with it" like Apple can, it's memory pricing is comparable with built-in memory in other devices that everybody likes to compare the Vita against.

Granted, I probably shouldn't have used the term "apples to apples", but you completely glossed over my entire post just to write more about how bad of a deal the Vita is (like you did in the other Vita thread).

 

[blurredvision]

Does Remote Play actually work? I saw some test they were doing on IGN, and they couldn't get it to work. Note that they did get the PS3 to show on the Vita's screen, but attempting to launch a game that is deemed Remote Play compatible (I believe there's such a thing) appeared to fail. They did do this before the release (about a month ago), so that may have something to do with it.

I was under the impression that Remote Play does work for all PSOne games. I recently watched a Vita impressions video on Youtube somewhere that showed him connecting to his PS3 and launching a PSOne game. Granted, the remote play connection crashed mid-play and kicked him back to the Vita menu, at which point he couldn't immediately get connected back, but it did work for a couple of minutes.

 

[Oyeve]

Neither. It's plastic.

Woah!? What? Plastic? So I take it its not a touchscreen like smartphones but more like the DS?

 

[SAWYER]

It has a capacitive toouchscreen

 

[Oyeve]

It has a capacitive toouchscreen

On plastic? Wow, screen protectors are a definate.

 

[lupi]

After hearing about playing and saving on one system and resuming on the other I was somewhat interested, but at this price and still having to buy 2 copies of the game, think ill pass.

 

[mmntech]

I stopped by Gamestop today and played with the Vita. It's a lot lighter than I expect. Doesn't quite feel as solid as the PSP. I played Uncharted for a bit and wow, it's just like the PS3 version. Controls the same, looks fantastic. The dual analogues are just wonderful. I can really see myself loving this.

The price is still bothering me though. It's not that I cannot afford it, I just think those damn memory cards are a poor value. I wonder how long it will be until some Chinese company puts out a Micro SD adapter for it. You know it's coming.

 

[KentState]

I'm holding out on buying a larger memory card for now. I have plenty of stuff to play and a enough room to download 4 additional games. I figure there will be a knock off sometime soon.

 

[randay]

On plastic? Wow, screen protectors are a definate.

i think you have it backwards. youre thinking resistive. capacitive you dont have to push on.

 

[zerocool84]

People spelled doom for the 3DS and look at it now? I think we just need to give the Vita some time. I do expect a price drop within 6 months and that's when I'll pick it up.

 

[blurredvision]

People spelled doom for the 3DS and look at it now? I think we just need to give the Vita some time. I do expect a price drop within 6 months and that's when I'll pick it up.

I agree. Plus, the Vita launch lineup is miles better than the 3DS and arguably the best of all time. I'm also pleased to see that Sony has produced enough units so that pretty much anybody that wants one can order it. Helps with those impulse buyers who thought they weren't going to buy one but couldn't help themselves.

 

[tornadog]

I agree. Plus, the Vita launch lineup is miles better than the 3DS and arguably the best of all time. I'm also pleased to see that Sony has produced enough units so that pretty much anybody that wants one can order it. Helps with those impulse buyers who thought they weren't going to buy one but couldn't help themselves.

like me.

 

[Beev]

Any alternatives to AT&T for the 3G service? If not then it's an easy enough decision for me.

 

[tornadog]

Initial Impressions:

Very light yet sturdy. The screen is beautiful, I think the best screen I have seen on a mobile device, the touch interafce is super responsive. If you are used to tablets, the interface should be intuitive and user friendly. Some people complained about the inability to use the analog controls on the UI, but I didnt find that a big issue.

Games:

Uncharted is definitely the showcase game. The visuals are as good as the PS3, and the controls are just the same. The touch controls are very well implemented, and makes platforming redundant in the game, which may or may not be such a great thing.

Modnation Racers is the game I am spending the most time with. The game is as good as it PS3 counterpart, and features the same level of customization and options.

Little Devaints is a good showcase for the Vita's features, and is fun for a while. Kids loved it a lot but it can get monotonous after a while. Since it came with the bundle, I am not complaining. But I wont pick it up separately.

There were some bugs in the setup. When adding your psn account, it tells you to update,. But when you click update it tells you to select your account. Work around was to use a guest account, then update, and then add your psn account. The Near feature was interesting. It shows other Vita users in a 10 mile radius, what they are playing. You can communicate with them and setup matches, I guess. You can set your privacy levels, like hide your location, hide your games, etc. I definitely wont want people to see I am playing my vita at the workplace!!!

Battery life is pretty good. Out of the box the brightness is set to about 75% and it drains the battery pretty fast. Once I set it to like 30% which is still very bright in a well lit room, it went to almost 5 hours. Also when you put it on standby, the drain is very little.

The bundle came with a 4GB card. I dont plan to buy anything bigger, since its mostly for stuff you buy off PSN and I dont see that happening a lot. You can always backup stuff to your ps3 or PC. So if you run out of space, that is always an option.

I downloaded NBA2K12 for the psp from the store. And it plays just as it did on the psp. There is an option to make the graphics a little bit more sharper on the vita. But its not very noticeable.

 

[LookBehindYou]

Any alternatives to AT&T for the 3G service? If not then it's an easy enough decision for me.

No, it's at&t only. Kind of the same way a kindle is used, those ones are sprint only, or an ipad before they made them for verizon, was only at&t.

I'm on the fence about getting one, but i'm not going to use another service and pay for more data. If i get one, it'll be a wi-fi only and then I'll look into using my phone as a hotspot.

 

[Aikouka]

Battery life is pretty good. Out of the box the brightness is set to about 75% and it drains the battery pretty fast. Once I set it to like 30% which is still very bright in a well lit room, it went to almost 5 hours. Also when you put it on standby, the drain is very little.

Does it drain the battery when it's turned off? That's my biggest pet peeve about the PSP. I'll want to play Lumines (1 or 2), and my PSP is dead because I left it sitting there for a month without being plugged in. I turned on my DS Lite after over a year and it had a full charge! :|

Man, I really want to play the new Lumines.

 

[tornadog]

Does it drain the battery when it's turned off? That's my biggest pet peeve about the PSP. I'll want to play Lumines (1 or 2), and my PSP is dead because I left it sitting there for a month without being plugged in. I turned on my DS Lite after over a year and it had a full charge! :|

Man, I really want to play the new Lumines.

I was very impressed with the battery drain on standby, practically non-existent.

 

[Aikouka]

I was very impressed with the battery drain on standby, practically non-existent.

Well, I'm not too worried about standby mode as I never used it on my PSP (at least never intentionally). I assume there's the usual ability to turn it off (e.g. how you hold the PSP button down for ~3 seconds).

 

[tornadog]

Well, I'm not too worried about standby mode as I never used it on my PSP (at least never intentionally). I assume there's the usual ability to turn it off (e.g. how you hold the PSP button down for ~3 seconds).

Yes there is, but I have not turned it off like that yet. Also last night, all 3 games had updates available, so they are being proactive about fixing issues.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Got one today. Guy had the First Edition Vita Bundle on Craigslist for $320. I offered him $280, and apparently I am a Jedi or he's a dyslexic Jedi , because he eventually talked himself down to $270, so I got the 3G unit, a 4GB card, Little Deviants, a case for $80 cheaper than Amazon is selling it for.

Seems pretty nice, I'm kind of in awe at how vibrant the screen is. I know it's a plastic screen, but it feels solid, I'll still get a screen protector for it tho, probably on my way home. Updated the firmware on it, downloaded the Uncharted demo and checked it out. Damn that game looks good.

Going to spend more time with it later, think I've wasted enough work time messing with it, lol.

 

[phantom404]

Beat uncharted last night and and must say the story was just as good as the other ones imo. the way they did treasures and puzzles this time makes me want to go back and actually get them all.

 

[KentState]

Well, ran into my first hardware issue today. I was playing a round of Hot Shots of Golf and put it in standby while went to take care of something. Came back an hour later and now it's locked up. The PS button is lit, but I'm not able to get it to reboot or anything. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[blurredvision]

Well, ran into my first hardware issue today. I was playing a round of Hot Shots of Golf and put it in standby while went to take care of something. Came back an hour later and now it's locked up. The PS button is lit, but I'm not able to get it to reboot or anything. Anyone have any ideas?

Hold down the power button for about 20 seconds until it reboots.

 

[blurredvision]

I had been perusing Craigslist earlier this week just to see if anybody was giving some good deals on Vita stuff. Noticed one posting where a guy was selling a BNIB FEB plus still sealed ModNation Racers game for $350. Fast forward to this morning when I see a second posting for the same thing for $320. The phone numbers matched up, so I know this guy is looking to get rid of this thing. I offered him $300 cash and would pick it up today, and he took it.

Canceled my WiFi preorder from Amazon, which would've cost me $265 after tax, so an extra $35 was a no-brainer.

Loving this thing so far. Just waiting on the game deals in the coming week to pick up a few. I've now got Lumines and Little Deviants. I still have ModNation sealed, not sure if I'm going to keep it or try to sell it.