Official Playstation Vita Thread - Page 31

Tell that to the folks in this forum.

But seriously, this had been Sony's goal once upon a time. If they'd played their cards a little more aggressively, we could be playing PSN titles on PS3s, phones, PSPs, tablets, and Vitas. Then they started circling the wagons...

Yeah, let's hope Sony doesn't let another opportunity go by and ignore the potential of the Vita as a PS3 controller. I've read people talk about ZombiU being a potential system seller for the Wii U and its GamePad; the Vita could easily duplicate that functionality.

And a Playstation Mobile analog to XBox SmartGlass might be a good idea, too. Let's hope someone at Sony is looking at that.

The problem is that Sony does have intelligent people who planned for that. But then the rest of Sony corp gets their hands in the cookie jar, and it all goes to hell.

What PSN titles? PS3 PSN titles? Those games are compiled for a Cell and RSX dude. Just because a game like Everyday Shooter looks low-fi doesn't mean that it would be able to be run on a tablet without a real port job.

An iPad has the same processors and setup as an iPhone. That's why an iPad can run everything an iPhone can. I don't think people would be very happy with a game console running PSP hardware (or maybe they would, look at the Ouya).

Those are all devices that allow for a log-on of one profile. I can't have my girlfriend's logon and mine both running on iOS at the same time like I can with PS3. Sony could disable that feature but people would whine about that too.

I was referring the full breadth of PSN titles, not just PS3 titles. Those include PS Minis, PSP titles, as well as PS1 and PS2 Classics. Even Sony divides content categories that way on the store. Sony's trying to take a second stab at it by releasing PS Mobile (formerly PS Suite), but I'll believe it when I see it.
Logins are easier to swap on an iPad than they are on a Vita. Regardless, my point wasn't about multiple logins on a single device, but multiple activations of a single login across multiple devices. Different issue IMO. But it is a trade-off.

According to NeoGAF, Sony has removed the street date on LBP and people can buy it now. Unfortunately, I'm probably going to have to wait 11 days for the digital version (maybe PSN will have it out early on the 18th).

Does anybody know anything about the Vita/LBP bundle? It was announced, but I see no sign of it at retail online... perhaps EU only?

It was announced at Gamescom, so AFAIK it's only for EU.

That sucks... need it for a gift. Way to go SCEA -- bundle crappy Madden, but not the superb LBP. Didn't pre-order (free skins) because I thought we were getting the bundle (I guess it's not too late though). I might just wait for retailers to bundle it together on their own.
Edited by Mikazaru - 9/14/12 at 3:33pm

Anybody try the full retail version of Madden on Vita ? Reason I ask, is because the demo version is kinda decent, but at the same time, the replays and such are so hitchy, and framey. Everything is so unpolished. Just wondering if maybe the retail version is better, or if there might be a patch or something.

The other question I would have, is ... is it possible to go into the settings and turn off the replays, so that you can get thru a game quicker, and also avoid all the stuttering that happens during the replays ?

For what it's worth, it looks like the same trick to get (some) Minis on the Vita that aren't in the store, can also be used to get PS1 games onto Vita which don't show up in Vita's PSN Store. I have a lot of PS1 games I've downloaded free through PS+, and unfortunately none of them were in the store to download again on Vita. But, you can use the trick of downloading them from the store on the PS3, do NOT install, then use Content Manager to copy them over. So far I've done 6 titles without a hitch. Have a few more to go, will report if any problems are noted.

EDIT: The Crash Bandicoot trio won't copy over. But, I did find that some minis that did not work before 1.8 are now working. Crazy as it sounds, I was really wanting the Hungry Giraffe Mini on the Vita, and not only does it work on Vita now, but it looks and sounds great!

EDIT 2: The Spyro trio still don't work either. Speedball 2 does work, good news!
Edited by TornadoTJ - 9/17/12 at 3:00pm

This is the fan-assembled list of PS1 games that won't work using that PS3 transfer trick (which unfortunately includes the Spyro and Crash games):

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Arc the Lad III
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Chrono Cross
Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Crash Bandicoot: Warped
Crash Team Racing
Darkstalkers 3
Final Fantasy V
Future Cop: LAPD
Legend Of Mana
Pocket Fighter
R-Type Delta
R-Types
Spyro The Dragon
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage
Spyro: Year of the Dragon

Everything else on the Store should be fine.

I figured I'd post a few videos about upcoming Vita releases. First off, Persona 4 Golden, an extended edition of the highly-regarded RPG that Atlus released for the PS2 back in 2008. Some folks spoke well of it in this forum back in this thread. It's due out November 20th.

Then there's New Little King's Story, a sequel/remake of Little King's Story, a Wii exclusive game from 2009. Apparently this game combines the RPG, RTS, and simulation genres. It's due out on PSN on October 2nd.

Here's an obscure one: Virtue's Last Reward, a sequel to a Nintendo DS game called 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. Apparently it's an interactive fiction containing some puzzle elements. It's due out October 23rd.

Those upcoming games look terrible.

Those are all high quality releases, but one is a PS2 re-release, one is a sequel to a WiiWare game, and the other is a sequel to a DS game (and a 3DS port). Where are the exclusive, unique Vita properties that Sony keeps promising?

Being an also-ran and dumping ground for ports doesn't bode well for the long-term health of the platform.
Edited by confidenceman - 9/18/12 at 10:09am

Yep, these games won't do much to increase the Vita's popularity. They're niche titles, and they don't take advantage of the Vita's capabilities. But I'm always glad to see something different; I don't own a Wii or a DS, so I'm happy for the opportunity to try something previously exclusive to those platforms.

So far Tearaway looks like the only forthcoming exclusive that really shows off the Vita.

Or, even worse, to change the perception that the Vita is irrelevant.

It's a device that is still full of so much potential. But it's being perpetually hamstrung by Sony's own ambivalent attitude toward the device. To market it or not? To support it internally or wait for third parties to jump in? To add features or take them away? To open it to PSN or to close it off? To be consumer friendly or to be publisher friendly? And now, to push new IP or keep rehashing old content?

While Sony waffles, nothing is getting accomplished on the platform, and we just keep getting cast-off content thrown to us.
Also, IMO these are far from "niche titles." Persona 4 was a commercial and critical success. Little King's Story was one of the few hits on the WiiWare platform, and got a lot of positive press. And 999 was one of the bigger RPGs on the DS, second only perhaps to The World Ends with You. It really is a good thing that these are coming to Vita, even if they are IPs from other platforms.

But your last point about the "Vita's capabilities" is an interesting one. What exactly are the Vita's capabilities? Sony's inability to answer this question is a big reason why it's floundered so much at retail and among third-party publishers. So far, it's biggest "capability" has been the ease with which developers can port other platforms' games to it. Which, admittedly, is a good thing. But it shouldn't be the only thing the Vita can do well.
Edited by confidenceman - 9/18/12 at 11:15am

We've previously discussed that the system is intended for PS3 owners, being able to have that 'on the go' console experience. The sales numbers thus far would suggest that PS3ers aren't too enamored with Vita yet. You would think that, at the very least,Vita would have enjoyed decent 'early adopter' sales but it's been pretty lethargic since launch. I'm just wondering if overall, the Playstation brand is losing some of the buzz that surrounded it during the PS1/2 days. There was MASSIVE hype and anticipation for the Ps3 launch; I don't think we'll see the same buzz for Ps4. But I'm going off-topic there a little, as far as the Vita is concerned there is literally NO momentum for it right now.
Edited by dragonyeuw - 9/18/12 at 5:00pm

There's plenty of momentum. It's just not forward momentum.

But to your point, if Sony wanted this to be a device tailored to PS3 owners, Sony would have made a more concerted effort early on to connect the two devices. But in yet another waffling stance, they kind of want it to stand on its own, and they kind of want it to build on connectivity with the PS3. The net result is that it ends up in no man's land, neither standing on its own nor complementing the PS3.
Edited by confidenceman - 9/18/12 at 4:16pm

I believe the opportunities for Sony to deliver the on-the-go console experience will be there in the near future. I just don't know if Sony will act on them. Borderlands 2 is a great example. I would love to start the game on my PS3 and then take it with me when I travel. Gearbox is evening willing to assist in getting that to happen. But will Sony recognize the opportunity for what it is. And even if they do will they recruit a low end developer and make the game unplayable like Resistence. So much Vita potential being left on the table.

The problem is that because Sony couldn't (or wouldn't) invest initially in marketing and third-party licensing, they've gotten the device stuck in a downward spiral that it can't easily get out of. They simply can't justify the expense of adding big feature upgrades and promotions (Remote Play, Cross-Play, Cross-Buy, etc.) without selling more units. Instead, they're eking those things out in tiny increments hoping to keep the device moving--even if slowly.

Meanwhile, those with a Vita are stuck in a holding pattern, waiting eternally for Sony and third parties to ramp up support. But without a dramatic increase in sales, it'll be much further than the "near future."

Lol, touche.....

I agree that if they wanted this truly to be Ps3's little brother, they would have had the connectivity functionality down pat from day one. I wonder if Sony would have been better off launching the Vita this fall instead of when it did. It would have given them the opportunity to flesh out all the details( PSone support, cross-play/buy, etc etc), instead of their 'features are coming soon' approach which has people taking a 'wait and see' stance. It literally is a catch-22; the developers are waiting for people to buy the system, and people are waiting on the developers to roll out the high-production software.

Sony's strategy/ PR talk is like a piece of paper blowing about in the breeze....' We want the Vita to be an extension of Ps3'....' No no, we don't want the Vita to be strictly a port machine....' Cross-buy! Buy the PS3 version, get the Vita version for dirt cheap and take the experience on the road!!'

I NEVER played Zen pinball on the PS3. Thought it was hokey.

But on the Vita, Zen2 pinball is pretty fun! Almost more fun than the Williams tables.

The Williams tables are more "authentic" so having a huge TV screen help.

These Zen2 tables are fun in their own portable way.

The problem is pricing and marketing. The price is all wrong. Right now, you can find Vita's on Craigslist and via various places for like $160. The public has spoken. That is about how much they are willing to pay for this thing. I think a $189.99 or $179.99 retail price would be the right move, but I guess Sony just can't afford to lower it that much, this fast. Game prices need to come way down too. The whole $39.99 per game thing just isn't going to fly right now. Lower the prices to $29.99 to start, and then in the future, if the Vita gets much more popular, then go ahead and raise the prices up a bit for the big triple A games. People walk into stores and see the prices for the system and the games, and they shake their heads.

Yep, in terms of pricing I actually think its fair for the tech BUT, its about what you can sell it for, not what the tech is actually 'worth'. Generally, I think the gaming public at large has a sweet spot when it comes to handhelds( as well as home consoles), and $249 is simply beyond that, especially when Sony made what I feel was a major blunder by overpricing memory and/or not including on-board storage for game saves at least.

Perhaps they thought that people would 'get over' the overpriced proprietary memory because of the historical power of the Playstation brand. But then this is the same company who boldly declared that people will work OT or get a second job in order to afford a $500-600 console. The PS3's struggle out of the gate should have clued them in that diehard fanboys and early adoptor enthusiasts aside, the average buyer wants a gaming product that offers the best combo of games, features and pricing, irrespective of the name on the box. IMHO of course....

As for marketing....well its non-existent.
Edited by dragonyeuw - 9/20/12 at 7:16pm

LBP is up on PSN via search now. It's 1.1 GB and costs $35.99. Astronaut costume is free for a week and there is a demo available. Tokyo Jungle for the PS3 will be out later today and supports remote play on the Vita.

Thanks for the tip on PS1 games. I redownloaded Castlevania Symphony of the Night that was free with PS+, and it installed and ran great on the Vita.

Maybe even better than running it on the PS3.

The problem is that - and this is Econ 101, so it's missing some details - that if you cannot set your short-term prices to "average variable cost", then you shut down. In other words, if Sony needs to drop the price so low that they end up losing a ton of money on each system sold, and if Sony needs to drop the price of memory to take away the profit from accessories, maybe this thing was just never feasible.

Sony's policy for a long time has been to hold the line on pricing and it worked out okay for PS3 and PSP. So it's no surprise they are doing it here.

It's entirely possible that it's not feasible. To me, Sony's mentality hasn't changed since 2005 when PSP launched. You can't get away with a $250 portable console in 2012, if Nintendo couldn't and they're a far bigger icon in portable gaming, Sony is dreaming if they think they can. Vita is about the only game system released in recent memory without any kind of included storage, whether external or internal. I personally think Sony is still drunk from the champagne of Ps1/Ps2's success, and thinks as long as their offerings carry the 'Playstation' label, it will sell no 'ifs' and 'buts' about it. IMHO the PS brand doesn't carry nearly the same 'buzz' it once did, and in the current gaming market and especially in this economy, extreme fanboys aside people will flock to what they perceive gives them the greatest bang for the buck.

I'm going to paraphrase something I read on another site, which I think summed it up quite nicely: the market is saturated with gaming devices. Wii,Ps3, 360, Ipod touch/Iphone, tablets, smartphones. WiiU, xbox 720, Ps4 is on the horizon..... all of them fighting over increasingly smaller pieces of the pie. Nintendo will survive the portable gaming wars( after a price-drop which was quite a bitter pill to swallow) albeit with a smaller piece of the pie, because their franchises have greater mainstream appeal among gamers from all walks of life. Sony's IPs don't have, IMHO, nearly the same name recognition to carry the Vita in the same way Mario/Zelda/Pokemon/Metroid can carry a Nintendo handheld. Especially since the Vita with a decent-sized card( let's be honest, 4gb and 8gb is absolutely paltry in 2012) and a game is anywhere from $300-$350 out the door. That's simply not going to cut it nowadays....
Edited by dragonyeuw - 9/26/12 at 12:08pm