PlayStation Vita

Resistance: Burning Skies dev finds Vita not that different to PS3

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:22:00 +0000

Resistance: Burning Skies developer Nihilistic hasn’t struggled with the transition from PlayStation 3 to Vita development.

“[Sony] were looking for PS3 developers to milk the power out of the Vita, and I think that’s definitely the right way to go because it’s got a lot of power,” Nihilistic’s Rob Heubner told the US PS Blog.

“It’s got all the shaders, it’s got a lot of CPU.”

Huebner said similarities between the PlayStation 3 and Vita’s capabilities meant it wasn’t “really that big of a change” for the studio to switch over to the new portable.

“We’re a PlayStation 3 company. That’s our engine, that’s our technology,” he said.

The developer also teased upcoming “surprises” foregrounding Vita’s unique controller set in addition to announced touch screen and twin-stick schemes.

No release date has been set for Resistance: Burning Skies

Sony: There’s a “real strong” market for rich portable gaming

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:20:00 +0000

Sony’s research has convinced it there is a market for portable gaming of the kind smartphones can’t yet provide.

“When you look at the type of consumer that’s playing cell phone games currently, it’s someone that enjoys smaller ‘kill time’ gaming and has not gravitated to the larger, richer, deeper experiences that true handheld gaming provides,” Sony’s John Koller told Gamespot.

“We’ve certainly seen that on the PSP, and I know Nintendo has probably commented on it for their products, but as we go toward the PlayStation Vita, I can tell you that as we started looking at that product and the market opportunity several years ago, we saw a real strong demographic for those deeper, richer, console-type experiences.”

The hardware maketing director said the controls which make Vita unique in the portable space set it apart, appealing to both core and casual users.

“That ‘new ways to play’ idea, particularly for Vita, really differentiates from what’s available on mobile phones or tablets and, frankly, what will be available on those platforms over the next three to five years,” he said.

“You’re going to see PS Vita expand what a lot of people believe to be true about handheld gaming, and you’re going to see a lot of those current mobile phone and tablet gamers come over to Vita. We’re very convinced of that.”

Alien Spidy Revealed For PlayStation Vita, Includes User-Generated Content

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 06:18:00 +0000

It’s a good time to join the PlayStation family, with the PS3 having been cut to an affordable price and the upcoming PlayStation Vita starting to look better every day. Along with the announcement of several social apps, Sony revealed a new IP at gamescom for the PSV called Escape Plan, now, they have announced yet another game.

Titled Alien Spidy, the game follows the story of “a strange and friendly being from outer space with special powers and the size and look of an earthling spider.” Spidy must face a tiny world of insects in order to rescue his alien friend from the evil Mantis Emperor Virgi in over 25 levels.
The key features highlighted are:

Game mechanics base on controlled physics
Collect power-ups and items for special abilities
Great variety of enemies, including Final Bosses
Over 20 different game maps of great beauty and fun
A fresh story with an original and humorous plot
Use Spidy’s friends skills to surpass obstacles and threats
Unblock new game content solving puzzles and performing achievements
Co-Op & Competitive multiplayer modes for up to 4 different aliens
Create, play and share your own game maps with the Online Community

The map editor allows for user generated content, so you can create new game maps to play and share.
The Official PlayStation site’s listing for the game says that the game will have cross format compatibility with the PS3, but this has not been confirmed.

PlayStation Vita dev kit priced

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:18:00 +0000

GDC Europe: Studios looking to make games on PSP successor will only have to pay €1,900

Speaking at GDC Europe, SCEE's George Bain has confirmed the price studios will have to pay for a PlayStation Vita development kit.

"The PS Vita development kit is going to be very affordable," said Bain. "And when I say affordable I mean €1,900 plus VAT."

The price, which Shuhei Yoshida told Develop would be within the financial reach of smaller studios back in June at E3, will come as good news to numerous small and medium sized studios. Web speculation to this point had suggested the price would be around $3,000.

The €1,900 price tag is significantly lower than the €20,000 charged for PS2 and PS3 dev kits at launch, and the initial €15,000 fee for a PSP dev kit. Those dev kits saw their prices significantly reduced in 2009.

"There is no cost to join the PS Vita Develop Program," Bain added. "There's just that cost of the dev kit. If you're a small developer, we happy to talk to you about this. It will help if you have a games portfolio. There's no reason we won't speak with smaller studios about joining up."

Vita tech specs laid out

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Want to know what’s on the inside and outside of Sony’s snazzy new handheld? Gaze upon numbers and measurements within.

The specifications below come direct from Sony.

Platform Name: PlayStation Vita
Model number: PCH-1000 series
CPU: ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-A9 core (4 core)
GPU: SGX543MP4+
External Dimensions: Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
Screen: 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED (Touch screen) Multi touch screen (capacitive type)
Main memory: 512MB
VRAM: 128MB
Rear touch pad: Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
Cameras:
– Front camera, Rear camera
– Frame rate: 120fps@320×240(QVGA), 60fps@640×480(VGA)
– Resolution: Up to 640×480(VGA)
Sound: Built-in stereo speakers, Built-in microphone
Sensors: Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic, compass
Location: Built-in GPS (3G/Wi-Fi model only), Wi-Fi location service support
Keys / Switches:
– PS button
– Power button
– Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
– Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
– Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
– Right stick, Left stick
– START button, SELECT button
– Volume buttons (+/-)
Wireless communications:
– Mobile network connectivity (3G/Wi-Fi model only)
– IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
– Bluetooth(R) 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)
Slots/Ports:
– PlayStation Vita card slot
– Memory card slot
– SIM card slot (3G/Wi-Fi model only)
– Multi-use port (for USB data communication, DC IN, Audio (Stereo Out /Mono In), Serial data communication), Headset jack (Stereo mini jack) (for Audio (Stereo Out/Mono In))
– Accessory port
Power: Built-In Lithium-ion Battery,AC adaptor
Supported Music: MP3 MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer 3, MP4 (MPEG-4 AAC)
AV content: WAVE (Linear PCM)
Videos: MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, High/Main/Baseline Profile (AAC)
Photos: JPEG (Exif 2.2.1), TIFF, BMP, GIF, PNG

Vita's RAM Wasn't Downgraded to Reach $249.99 Price

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 06:43:00 +0000

Just prior to the Vita being named and priced at E3, a report circulated suggesting that the system's RAM had been halved, getting cut down from 512MB to 256MB. This was supposedly in order to make it possible to sell the system at a price between $250 and $300 for the low-end model. When a $249.99 price was announced at E3, this was generally accepted to be true -- but that's not the case, as we learned today.

Sony issued a press release today talking about Vita's social media support -- namely, it will support Foursquare along with Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. It also lists many of Vita's internal specs, including the fact that Vita sports 512MB of RAM along with 128MB of dedicated VRAM.

That should help put to rest any fears that the system had been compromised in order to be sold for $249.99. The original PlayStation Portable, by contrast, had only 32MB of RAM, while later revisions doubled that to 64MB.

An exact release date for Vita has yet to be announced. It's coming this year in Japan, followed by sometime during early 2012 in both North America and Europe.

Sony to make 5,000 yen loss on every PS Vita sold, says analyst

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:41:00 +0000

SMBC Nikko Securities analyst Kazuharu Miura has estimated that Sony will initially make a loss of 5,000 yen (roughly £40) on every PlayStation Vita unit sold.

Speaking with Bloomberg (via Andriasang), Miura added that he expects the figure will likely drop to 2,500 yen per Vita in the fiscal year ending March 2013.

Furthermore, the analyst reckons Sony will flog 2.5 million Vita units and seven million Vita games by the end of the current fiscal year ending March 2012.

Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), previously said the platform holder expects Vita to turn a profit in under three years.

PlayStation Vita is due out in Japan by the end of the year, with a western release pencilled in for early 2012.

Silent Hill on Vita will be a top-down, multiplayer experience

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:11:00 +0000

News out of Konami’s gamescom presser has revealed some intriguing details about the handheld game’s key features.

Early footage of PS Vita game, Silent Hill: Book of Memories, has revealed it to be a viewed-from-above, multiplayer experience.

Joystiq has one screen of the game – shown below. It’s taken from Konami’s press conference but, frankly, it raises more questions than it answers.

In the shot, three character names can be seen on-screen: Harry, Maria and James – all from previous Silent Hill games, alongside what look like health meters.

Putting on the Cap of Speculation for a moment: the game’s title perhaps lends itself to the inclusion of previous experiences of the three protagonists, or could be could be something else entirely. Details are scarce at the moment, but hopefully more will be revealed during gamescom.

PlayStation Vita To Support Twitter, Skype, Facebook And Foursquare

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 06:18:00 +0000

Post-launch, the PlayStation Vita will support four different social networks in the form of standalone apps. Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Skype will each be accessible from the device. The four apps will be downloadable for free through the PlayStation Store.

Three of the apps are obvious, but Foursquare can sound odd in ones ear. It's mainly an application to show people where you are. You can check-in in a location and if you are lucky you will find all the people in your neighborhood in just seconds.

Escape Plan announced, is Vita exclusive

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:38:00 +0000

Sony has just announced a brand new title coming to the Vita, titled Escape Plan.

The game features a black and white aesthetic with two uniquely styled characters. One is named Laarg, a giant rotund figure, and the other a small skinny character named Lil. As the title implies, the two characters must try to escape by any means necessary. The game features moving platforms, giant hammers and plenty of gruesome ways to die.

Sony Launching a New Wi-Fi-less PSP for €99, only for Europe!

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Apparently unwilling to give up the older PSP platform despite launching the PS Vita successor next year, Sony has just announced a new regular PSP that doesn't have Wi-Fi and will only come out in Europe. Price for this new baby? €99!

Resistance Vita gets 'Burning Skies' subtitle

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:03:00 +0000

The PlayStation Vita version of Resistance has been given a subtitle. From now on keep your eyes peeled for 'Resistance: Burning Skies'.

The title was revealed only moments ago during Sony's GamesCom conference in Cologne.

Developers from Nihilistic Software then took to the stage to show off the handheld version of Resistance, emphasising that the controls on the Vita are the same as on the console.

The difference is that Vita makes use of touch to throw grenades (should you choose to use it) and secondary fire, along with the Sixaxis controls, which are used to peek over cover.

Gameplay footage will come shortly on the facebook page/youtube channel.

PlayStation Vita Ubisoft launch lineup announced

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:49:00 +0000

If you haven’t been watching our live blog of the Sony gamescom 2011 press conference, Ubisoft just announced their launch lineup for PlayStation Vita!

As tweeted by Ubisoft PR representative Alex Monney, “Just announced our Vita lineup. Assassin’s Creed, Rayman Origins, Lumines, Asphalt, MJ: The Experience and Dungeon Hunter.”

Asphalt and Dungeon Hunter, for those of you who don’t game on iOS, are iPod Touch and iPhone games that released to critical acclaim.

Vita to Reach Europe in February or March

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:12:00 +0000

Still too long to wait?

We know Vita is pushed back to 2012, and we've been taking a look at the implications of the delay in a series of recent features, but now we've come to terms that the console won't be sitting under any Western Christmas trees this year, with a six month wait looking likely.

According to newsletters sent out by various departments of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, the console will find its way to retailers across the continent in February or March 2012. Interestingly, Sony UK is the only division to stick to "early 2012", with others going for a more precise February or March.

Hopefully we'll find out some solid information about the release date at Gamescom 2011 this week.

Vita Launch Will Be "A Car Wreck" says UFC Trainer Dev

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 06:47:00 +0000

In a world of corporate spin and carefully worded PR speak, it's rare to hear a developer truly speak what he or she feels. That's not the case with Lyle Hall and Matthew Seymour of UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System developer Heavy Iron Studio though, as they recently let fly with a few jabs at Sony's upcoming super-portable.

Hall believes there are lessons to be learnt from the 3DS's slow sales so far, saying:

If people aren't willing to pay $249 for a Nintendo 3DS why would they pay $299 for Vita? People don't want to carry more than one thing in their pocket, that’s why Android and iPhone have done so well, they are the devices of choice, they offers multiple functions outside of gaming

Just as Vita does, of course. It was Seymour who really spoke out about the machine's chances at launch though:

With all due respects to Sony and Vita, it's a car wreck. And how about Xperia Play? I'd love to pull up the numbers on that.

Of course, Xperia Play hasn't received anywhere near the marketing that Vita undoubtedly will, but has the tide shifted too far one way: do consumers want a machine that's predominantly gaming or a useful device that offers gaming on the side?

Sony Wants to Know What PlayStation Vita Peripherals You Want

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 06:30:00 +0000

UMD drive, HDMI cradle, and support battery among popular responses.

Continuing a series of surveys at the Japanese PlayStation Vita Community Site, Sony has opened a question asking readers what peripherals they want for the platform. Free responses are being accepted through the 17th. If you've got the nihongo skills, voice your opinion here.

A quick scan of the current responses shows some expected results: a UMD drive, a cradle with HDMI out, a compact full keyboard, and a grip adapter with a secondary battery built in. UMD drive does seem to be the most popular response so far. Sony will be sharing a formal look at the results after submissions end.

Sony previously asked readers what types of non gaming apps they want released for the system. The results of this survey will be shared in a future update.

Key’s "Little Busters! Converted Edition" To See PlayStation Vita Release

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 06:24:00 +0000

In 2009, Japanese developer, Prototype, ported Key’s popular Little Busters! visual novel to the PlayStation 2, in the form of Little Busters! Converted Edition. This game is now being ported to the PlayStation Vita as well, Prototype announced this week at their “Prototype Fan Appreciation Day 2011" event.

The Vita port will contain a few new features, such as higher resolution visuals (even better than the original PC version, Prototype said), and the ability to play the mini-games using the Vita touchscreen. No release date for Little Busters! Converted Edition has been announced yet.

Analyst expects Vita to move 2.5 million units in Japan by end of March 2012

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:47:00 +0000

SMBC Nikko Securities analyst Kazuharu Miura has forecasted units sales of 2.5 million for Vita by the end of March 2012, and sales of software for the handheld reaching 7 million units during the same period.

According to a Bloomberg Japan report, Miura said these numbers could vary depending on the interest in software released for Vita. Sony has admitted that it will take a loss on each Vita sold.

During E3, Kaz Hirai told Bloomberg the Sony won’t see a profit on Vita for at least three years, which is pretty much standard when releasing new hardware. Sony took a loss on PS3 when it was first launched as well. However, Miura expects this loss to hit at around ¥5,000 ($65.12) per system at first, falling to ¥2,500 ($32.56) per system during the end of FY13.

By the end of Sony’s next fiscal year, ending in March 2013, Miura expects Vita to have sold 8.5 million units and software for the system to have moved 28 million units.

The report also cited Ace Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda, who seemed unsure of the handheld, as he believed the systems higher resolution specs will cause longer development times. He also expressed concern on whether enough developers will create titles for a kit that’s unproven.

Vita launches this year Japan and in early 2012 in Europe and North America. A date on the Japanese release is expected during TGS in September.

Sega to have two launch titles at Vita launch

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:55:00 +0000

Sega West CEO Mike Hayes has told VG247 the company will have two games ready for Vita’s launch.

One title that has been confirmed for the launch from Sega is Virtua Tennis 4, as announced at E3, whie the other is an unknown. But Hayes said it will give its full backing to the system.

“On Vita, we can came out pretty early on and said we were going to give support to the hardware,” Hayes told us in a phone interview yesterday.

“And we will have at least two titles at the launch of Vita. When exactly that’s going to be of course, we don’t know, but we’re assuming it’s going to be by the end of the Sony financial year, we guess, so we’ve got that.”

Sony has confirmed it’ll launch Vita in Japan by the end of this year, with a launch in the US and Europe by early 2012.

First Look At Disgaea 3 Return And The Vita Game’s Two New Characters

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 06:40:00 +0000

Nippon Ichi is bringing Disgaea 3 back on the market with an expanded PlayStation Vita port. Disgaea 3 Return has four new scenarios and two brand new characters. According to this teaser trailer, the girl with a tail is named Ruchiru.

Other tweaks include tera class magic and better character animation during cutscenes. All of the downloadable content from the PlayStation 3 version is included in Disgaea 3 Return too. That means you’ll have 20+ extra characters, 40+ music tracks, item world command attack, class world command attack, item world survival attack, trophies, extra save icons, and the Raspberyl chapters.

Disgaea 3 Return will be a PlayStation Vita launch title in Japan.

PS Vita is 'technically brilliant,' says SEGA West boss

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:56:00 +0000

SEGA West overlord Mike Hayes has heaped praise on PlayStation Vita, labelling Sony’s shiny new pocket brick as ‘technically brilliant.’

Chatting with IndustryGamers, Hayes made it clear that the company is fully behind the tech-heavy handheld, making note of Sony’s desire to target hardcore gamers with the device.

"We had Virtua Tennis World Tour on PSP when it first came out. It was one of the biggest 3rd party sellers - obviously bigger in Europe than it will be in the States, but we've managed to use a lot of the functionality of Vita. And we've made it very clear we're going to support Sony with that title," said Hayes.

"It's interesting on Vita - technically it's brilliant, it's beautiful, and it's really great to play. And Sony has made it very clear they want to target core gamers primarily. So we take that on board with the titles that we're going to bring out."

Hayes added that he thinks one of Vita’s main attractions will be its diverse range of software prices, noting the scales won’t just be tipped in favour of high-end releases.

"The nice thing about the Vita, I think, is ultimately going to be the range of software pricing types that you can put on it so it's not just the high end game at the high end price,” he offered.

"You can do the mid-point, more like your XBLA or PSN titles and of course maybe even a small bite size of more app type software. For me, the strength of that device is the whole spectrum of software, that will either sell as physical or as digital. That, I think, is a big point of difference for us as a developer."

Marvel vs Capcom 3 listed for Vita by Amazon France

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:29:00 +0000

Amazon France has listed on its website Marvel vs Capcom 3 for a release on PlayStation Vita. This seems to only mention just the vanilla version that released ages back in February, and not the Ultimate edition that’s releasing in November. Nothing’s been confirmed yet, but chances are you’re likely to hear something in Germany next week at gamescom or at Tokyo Game Show next month.

Sony wants you to name ModNation Racers Vita

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:04:00 +0000

ModNation Racers developer Sony San Diego has called for fans of its kart racer to name the next game headed to Vita.

"We would like to tap into the brilliant minds that have conceived over two million amazing MNR creations by asking for your input. What do YOU think the title of the upcoming release should be?" asks Sony.

The developer offers some of the game's new features to think about:

- All PS3 user creations will be available on day one for the vita.
- Create a track in only seconds by drawing it with your finger.
- With the power of the back touch you can raise terrain with a simple touch. Likewise the front touch screen allows you to lower terrain in a simple yet powerful manner.
- The fun of ModNation kart racing remains intact with the advantage of dual analog sticks.

You can also see the game in action in this neat video tour of its new touchy-feely features. Your suggestions MUST be made via the comments field on the PlayStation Blog post.

Disgaea 3 coming to Vita

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:22:00 +0000

Nippon Ichi has reportedly confirmed Disgaea 3′s rumoured Vita release, and dropped hints at four new games.

Andriasang‘s Dengeki trawl turned up the new game, which will be subtitled either Return or Returns.

The game is a port of the PlayStation 3 original and will feature all the DLC for that version, as well as two new characters and four new scenarios.

No release date has been set although earlier rumours suggested a day-and-date release with the Vita.

All the PS Vita games (so far)

noreply@blogger.com (EaglEye) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 06:23:00 +0000

Sony just blew the lid off of everything PS Vita, including info on pricing and release time. Here are all the major games you’ll be playing on your shiny new quad-core gaming beast with a 5-inch OLED screen:

PS Vita Games

Bioshock NGP (tentative name)
Dust 514
LittleBigPlanet (tentative name)
ModNation Racers
Ruin (tentative name)
Super Street Fighter x Tekken
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
WipEOut 2048
Virtua tennis 4/Power Smash 4
Dynasty Warriors
Gravity Daze
F1 2011
FIFA 12
PES 12
Resistance Retribution
Silent Hill: Book of Memories
Smart As
Little Deviants
Lost Planet
Metal Gear Solid
Monster Hunter 3rd
Sound Shapes
Super Stardust Delta
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Wipeout 2048
Broken
Call of Duty
Dungeon Defenders
Yakuza
Hot Shots Golf
Hustle Kings
Killzone
Little Big Planet
Reality Fighters
Street Fighter X Tekken
Voltron
Ruin
Bioshock Vita
WWE 12
Mensa HQ
Ridge Racer
Lego Harry Potter: years 5-7
Dragons crown
StarDrone
Oddworld : fury from abroad
Blazblue: Continuum Shift II Plus
Michael Jackson:The Experience
Mortal Combat Vita
Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge
Build N Race Extreme
ModNation Racers
Marvel Pinball
Star Strike
Top Darts
Treasures of Montezuma blitz
Bang
Flying Hamster HD
Supremacy MMA
Pub Games
Robot Rescue Revolution
CastleStorm
Great Little War Game
Zen Pinball 2

Over 80 developers are working on PS Vita games. Which game(s) on this list are you most excited for?