Another Reason why I love my job

[This Guy]

Getting stuff free is awesome....getting it before its even released is even better....

 

[PeepShow]

How is this different from the PSP?

 

[Italian Outsider]

Booo, I hate you.

 

[monkeystyle]

How is this different from the PSP?

It's going to tank hard. HARD.

Been reading about this a bit elsewhere and so far the biggest thing I understand is that you will not be able to transfer your old PSP discs to the Vita in the North American release. Japan can though. So all those games you bought for the original PSP that you'd like to transfer over? Fuck you pay for them again. And they won't even give a discount, which from what I understand Japan also gets through something called the passport system.

I love portable systems and was kinda interested in this one but it seems to me (and by all means correct me if I'm wrong) that Sony just took a giant dump in a box and slapped a price tag on it. Of course all those Sony fanboys will try and tell you it smells like roses.

 

[monkeystyle]

Oh and you obviously have to pay a monthly fee for the 3G capabilities.($30/month for 3gb through AT&T) Do you really think most people are going to want that added on to their already existing bills? Fuck, no.

And finally for us poor Soviet Canuckistanis apparently the 3G version is being mad delayed here too.

This entire system just feels dead in the water before it's actually on sale in NA. Combine that with horrendous Japanese sales I wouldn't invest one dime into this.

 

[nation]

It's going to tank hard. HARD.

Been reading about this a bit elsewhere and so far the biggest thing I understand is that you will not be able to transfer your old PSP discs to the Vita in the North American release. Japan can though. So all those games you bought for the original PSP that you'd like to transfer over? Fuck you pay for them again. And they won't even give a discount, which from what I understand Japan also gets through something called the passport system.

I love portable systems and was kinda interested in this one but it seems to me (and by all means correct me if I'm wrong) that Sony just took a giant dump in a box and slapped a price tag on it. Of course all those Sony fanboys will try and tell you it smells like roses.

You obviously haven't seen the hardware specs. It's a shame that you can't transfer UMD discs but it's really not a big deal. Backwards compatibility isn't mandatory anymore, a lot if not most people bought PSP games on PSN which you can still play and transfer, any used games could be transferred if Sony offered the program and here over in the West as everyone knows used games are a huge problem because so many people buy games used. The better treatment in Japan is what is, Sony and Nintendo reward their consumers and treat them better in their home territory.

Not to mention, it's not like the PSP was very successful and all of the PSP games are really cheap if you haven't ever owned a PSP.

I'm interested in it for it's ridiculous hardware alone. Show me another handheld device that has early PS3/360 graphics?

The biggest thing about the Vita besides it's hardware is it's price. It's a bargain price for it's specs.

 

[This Guy]

Okay, so here is the real deal.

1) Its graphics are on par with the PS3
2) Much easier interface. And faster too. (Makes remote play with the PS3 actually worth using unlike on the PSP)
3) Despite sony`s claim that all digital PSP games are playable and can be redownloaded on your Vita that is actually not true (at least not as of yet) I have both Little Big Planet & Mod Nation Racer digital copies for PSP (which I got under the welcome back program) and neither of them are compatible with Vita. Also when you look on the PS Store on Vita the list of available games for purchase on PSP is much shorter then on the PSP version of the PS Store.
4) Even in Japan you can`t just transfer your UMD games to your Vita. The passport program they have there allows them to re-purchase digital copies of there game at a discount. They still have to buy the games again too. (But yeah kinda silly not to offer the Passport program in North America)
5) The 3G version of the Vita is no different then the people who pay for 3G on there iPads and other tablets. Having it though does over some additional features, but ultimately is not that vital, and as Monk stated indefinatly delayed in Canada, because the stupid CRTC`s taxes on 3G device capable devices and guidelines is insane, and makes it damn near impossible to have 3G compatible device other then a cell phone made for use in Canada. Either way not a huge loss.


Ultimately it is a solid handheld, and in my personal opinion (and this is coming from a long time Nintendo Portable supporter and genreally feel Sony is inferior to there competitors on the grand stage of things) but I don`t see this thing failing in the long run. I do think it will have a ruff launch in North America, but the truth is so did the Nintendo 3DS, and also in Japan both systems were not well received at launch. However the 3DS is doing just fine now, and so with the Vita.

Also unlike the 3DS which launched with no major titles (No Mario, No Zelda, No Pokemon at launch), Sony was at least smart enough to wait for one of there major franchised titles to be ready (Uncharted). So all in all I think there might be more sucsess.

The store I worked at when the 3DS launched does more buisness then the one I`m at now. At that store we had no Pre-orders for 3DS (which was a first for any console). The store I`m at now, again much slower, and I have well over a dozen pre-orders. And also one of the stores in my area has so many pre-orders for Vita they actually are doing a midnight launch for the Vita. (also a first for a console)

My final statement is this. Based on what I`ve seen and played so far, I would definatly drop money on it (had I not got it for free) however, not with just the inital launch. Like the 3DS, for me since I`m not a huge Uncharted fan myself, there isn`t enough games out yet to make me buy it. Which is why I didn`t buy a 3DS right aways either. But I think the Vita has the potential to give Nintendo a run for their money in the hand held business, something no company including Sony has ever been able to do before.

 

[PeepShow]

lmfao @ paying a monthly service fee. You can't just hack someone elses internet like you could on the PSP? What a joke.

 

[This Guy]

Thats not what he ment. From a wi-fi stand point the Vita is no difference then the PSP or anyother Wi-Fi device. But there is a 3G model as well, which is done through the cell phone carriers. Just like if you have an iPad with just Wi-Fi, you connect to yours or anyother Wireless internet network, but if you aren't near one, and your iPad has 3G as well, you have to subscribe to a 3G network like AT&T, Verizon etc to connect anywhere. The Vita works the same way. The basic model is just Wi-Fi, so it works over wireless internet connections, but the 3G models if you want to use 3G you need to get a data plan for it through a cell phone carrier. Now if you have a Cell Phone with the company you hook your other device (like iPad) with, lots of times its only an additional few dollars a month. For example I have an iPhone, and if I had a 3G iPad and hooked it up with Bell (who is my provider for my phone) it would only cost $5 more a month on top of whatI already pay for my phone. And the two devices would share the data (I have 1GB of data per month) But if I say took my iPad to Rogers and got them to hook up the 3G instead, since I have no phone with them then its about $30/month for 1GB of data. You are by no means required to do this with the Vita. Its just an option.

 

[This Guy]

BTW: another reason for you to all hate me, the same day my Vita showed up, also got a free copy of Darkness 2 for 360 & Star Wars the Old Republic for PC. Woot!

 

[PeepShow]

Ah, ok thought it was like a smartphone or something where if you bought it, you HAD to purchase the $30 plan in order to really do anything.

 

[nation]

Sigh, I wish there was a gamestop around here. It's weird for LBP and MNR to not be on the store but I'm sure that will be fixed ASAP. Isn't Resistance Burning Skies and Gravity Dash out at launch?

 

[This Guy]

I'm hoping the PSP digital compatibilty as well as the PSone Classics is just a patch thing that hasn't happened yet. Like if you look at my trophies on the Playstation web site or through the PS3, it doesn't show the Vita ones yet either. So I'm assuming that too is a patch update that just hasn't happened yet since its not officially out yet.

As for Resistance & Gravity Rush, I'm not 100% sure, but I don't beleive so. I'm sure our reps would have given us promo cases for those as well since they gave us ones fohe 5 games currently released all by Sony. The only games we have in our store that are street dated for the launches is Fifa which is Wednesday with the 1st Edition Bundle Launch. Then we have F1 for the following week for the Official launch and one other that is escaping me at the momment which is the Tuesday (the 28th) after that. The only promo sleeves they have sent is for MLB 12, which if I recall is March 6th. Pretty sure between Sony and EB we would have seen Resistance promo stuff by now if it was a launch title.

 

[nation]

Guess not, it just got announced for release in late May. Out of all the Vita games, I think Gravity Rush looks the most promising. How is Uncharted Golden Abyss?

 

[This Guy]

I haven't tried it yet. I don't really have any money to buy any games right now.