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Tag: PS Vita TV

  • PS Vita TV Might Make It To The U.S. After All

    Earlier this month, Sony announced a slimmer, lighter PlayStation Vita. At the same time, the company announced a set top box called the PlayStation Vita TV that allows users to play Vita, PSP and PS One games on their TV. At the time of its announcement, Sony had no plans to bring it to the U.S., but those plans may be changing.

    In an interview with Engadget, Sony’s Masayasu Ito said that the company has seen a strong response from North American and Europe regarding the Vita TV. In fact, the demand from European and U.S. gamers was more than they expected.

    So, all that demand must mean we’re going to see the Vita TV launch in the West, right? Well, not so fast. Ito says that Sony is considering a U.S. launch, but that it has to consider the timing of a potential launch. More importantly, he says that Sony also has to “watch the environment carefully.”

    The environment that Ito speaks of is the growing segment of microconsoles that are hitting U.S. stores these days. The Ouya launched earlier this year to a collective “meh,” but other competitors like GameStick are just about to launch. Sony may be watching to see the reception these microconsoles receive before jumping headfirst into the U.S. market.

    Of course, Sony would have an instant advantage over the Ouyas and GameSticks of the world if it launched in the U.S. The PS Vita TV has access to thousands of titles available on the PSN for both the PSP and PS One. I’m sure some people would buy a PS Vita TV just to play some of their favorite PlayStation titles, like Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon, again. Not to mention the PS Vita TV’s Remote Play functionality that allows it to stream PS4 games to another TV in the house.

    In short, the PS Vita TV would have a leg up on the current microconsole competition in the U.S., but it doesn’t mean that microconsoles themselves will be anything more than a passing fad. Sony has to take that into account before it thinks about releasing the PS Vita TV stateside.

    [Image: playstationjp/YouTube]

  • Sony’s PlayStation Vision Previewed in New Video

    Early this morning, Sony held its big Tokyo Game Show presentation in Japan. In addition to some new game previews and a Japanese release date for the PlayStation 4, the company also chose the venue to tout its new, slimmer Vita and a set-top box it’s calling the Vita TV.

    The Vita TV in particular is a bit confusing. It can stream movies and TV the same as other set-top boxes, but it can also play PS Vita, PSP, and PlayStation One games on a TV using a PlayStation 3 controller. In addition, it will be able to network with the upcoming PlayStation 4 console to provide remote play on other TVs.

    Just how this all fits into the variety of other PlayStation devices Sony has can be confusing, so the company has put out a video showing all of its devices working together. The video demonstrates how Sony is imagining gamers will interact with PlayStation over the course of one day using their smartphones, PlayStation 4s, and Vitas. It also includes how parents might use the the Vita TV to avoid family conflict over the living room TV and a vivid demonstration of how Sony is using wireless streaming to turn the Vita into a mobile PlayStation 4:

  • Sony’s PlayStation Vita TV Isn’t Compatible With All Vita Games

    This morning, Sony announced the PlayStation Vita TV at a Japanese press conference. The $100 micro-console plays Vita, PSP and PSone titles on your TV using a DualShock 3 controller. There’s just one little problem – the DualShock 3 doesn’t have the touch screen that a few Vita titles require.

    In response to that little issue, Sony has published a list of all the Vita games that will be compatible with the Vita TV. The compatible titles are those that make extensive use of button controls, like God Eater 2, Soul Sacrifice, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Rayman Origins and others.

    What you won’t see on this list are some of the best titles currently available on the Vita, like Gravity Rush or Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Both titles make extensive of both the front and back touch panels on the Vita for its gameplay, and it just wouldn’t work on a DualShock 3 controller.

    Of course, this does present a problem. When designing games for the Vita, should developers design games with the non-touch Vita TV in mind? Will it cause a split in how developers approach the Vita? Most likely not as the list of compatible games already shows that many Vita games make minimal or no use of the touch controls. That’s probably not going to change in the future. In fact, the only upcoming Vita title that makes extensive use of touch is Tearaway.

    For any current or future games that make use of the Vita’s more unique features, Sony has made it more affordable for gamers to jump in with a slimmer, cheaper Vita that even comes in multiple colors. It’s still $200 compared to the Vita TV’s $100 price point, but you are paying a premium for portability and features that make wonderful games like Gravity Rush playable.

    The PS Vita TV will be available in Japan on November 14. There’s no word yet on when, or if, the PS Vita TV will be made available in the U.S.

    [Image: playstationjp/YouTube]
    [h/t: Engadget]