Official PSVita launch thread.

[dagamer34]

Memory pricing is a complete rip-off. /facepalm

Micro-SD, and Sony could still sell their own 'branded' memory that folks would gladly pay 3-4x the normal amount for.

Perhaps, except proprietary memory ensures a certain level of speed that developers can count on. Though I still think the prices are outrageous.

Consider that 10 years ago, people paid $30 for 8MB (MEGABYTES) on the PS2. Or that a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card was $150 when the PSP launched in 2005. So we've come a long way.

 

[blurredvision]

Only Uncharted is $50, and honestly, if there's an argument for Uncharted games on the PS3 being worth $60, I think Golden Abyss is definitely worth $50. I'm around 4-5 hours in, and for all intent, it's apparent that a lot of work went into it, along with pretty quality voice acting.

Uncharted GA is $39.99 at ToysRUs this week.

 

[Aikouka]

Amazon is doing a Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal on Vita games.

I picked up Rayman, Uncharted and Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

 

[mmntech]

Perhaps, except proprietary memory ensures a certain level of speed that developers can count on. Though I still think the prices are outrageous.

Consider that 10 years ago, people paid $30 for 8MB (MEGABYTES) on the PS2. Or that a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card was $150 when the PSP launched in 2005. So we've come a long way.

I remember paying something like $60 or $70 for a 4gb MSPD for my PSP back in 2007 or 2008. At the time though, that was a lot of space. The PSP Playstation Store was non-existent at the time, so only people using it as a PMP bought cards that size.

Sony's obsession with proprietary formats has, more often than not, hurt them instead of help them. UMD, Memory Stick, MiniDisc, BetaMax, ProDisc. None of these really gained consumer acceptance. Mainly because these formats cost a lot more than their competitors' and typically offered less storage capacity. The Vita cards are no different. When the PS3 offered non-proprietary upgradable storage, that was a huge step in the right direction. The pricy Vita cards are two steps back.

 

[blurredvision]

Second update for the Vita, 1.61, was just released tonight. No update notes, just claims to improve the system. Two updates before the official launch, yep, this is a Sony system.

 

[JD50]

I probably would've pre-ordered one if it wasn't for the proprietary memory, that kind of thing just pisses me off. I have the money, it's just the principal of the thing.

 

[Adrenaline]

UC is $39.99 at target.com

 

[randay]

Nothing to see here!!!

 

[mmntech]

every sony system has had something like that built into it. its kinda their thing.

The PS3 never did. I suppose you could argue about Bluray. Mind you, it did win the format war for video. It also was the technically superior format at a comparable price. Having a user upgradable hard drive in a console was a big deal when the PS3 launched. Especially compared to Microsoft's pricy proprietary drives.

In the original PSP, I think UMD was the best option Sony had at the time. The discs were easy to mass produce, dirt cheap, and has a huge storage capacity. While the DS used flash carts, they were quite small. Up to 512mb. Apparently as capacity went up, performance went down by quite a bit. By contrast, UMD holds up to 1.8GB.

 

[Aikouka]

<Bluray> also was the technically superior format at a comparable price.

I don't think I can agree with this. At the time when HD-DVD and Blu-Ray were competing, HD-DVD had a far superior feature advantage, and its only downside was the lower data held per layer (15GB vs. 25GB). That was somewhat remedied by the fact that it was possible to make triple layer HD-DVDs (45GB).

Blu-Ray's biggest fault in the beginning was the lack of restrictions on codecs. Some of the earlier transfers were encoded in MPEG2 (same as DVD), and they didn't look that great. HD-DVD required VC-1, which was considered a positive and negative as the quality is good, but it's a proprietary Microsoft codec. Although, VC-1 wouldn't save HD-DVD from what was simply a bad transfer (neither would h.264).

Blu-Ray did eventually catch up with a lot of its interactive features and other features that were added in subsequent revisions of the specification. Although, it did kind of alienate some users that couldn't upgrade their machines. Some people don't even like having to update just to play a movie. My mom doesn't keep her PS3 up to date, and I recall her complaining to me about Back to the Future not working.

Just as a note, I owned both a Blu-Ray and a HD-DVD player during "the war".

In the original PSP, I think UMD was the best option Sony had at the time.

I think the issue with the PSP would be the memory sticks not the UMDs. While UMDs were definitely different, I never had any qualms with them. The casing kept them fairly well kept.

 

[randay]

...

 

[mmntech]

I don't think I can agree with this. At the time when HD-DVD and Blu-Ray were competing, HD-DVD had a far superior feature advantage, and its only downside was the lower data held per layer (15GB vs. 25GB). That was somewhat remedied by the fact that it was possible to make triple layer HD-DVDs (45GB).

Blu-Ray's biggest fault in the beginning was the lack of restrictions on codecs. Some of the earlier transfers were encoded in MPEG2 (same as DVD), and they didn't look that great. HD-DVD required VC-1, which was considered a positive and negative as the quality is good, but it's a proprietary Microsoft codec. Although, VC-1 wouldn't save HD-DVD from what was simply a bad transfer (neither would h.264).

Blu-Ray did eventually catch up with a lot of its interactive features and other features that were added in subsequent revisions of the specification. Although, it did kind of alienate some users that couldn't upgrade their machines. Some people don't even like having to update just to play a movie. My mom doesn't keep her PS3 up to date, and I recall her complaining to me about Back to the Future not working.

Just as a note, I owned both a Blu-Ray and a HD-DVD player during "the war".



I think the issue with the PSP would be the memory sticks not the UMDs. While UMDs were definitely different, I never had any qualms with them. The casing kept them fairly well kept.

Fair enough assessment that I can't argue with. I'll disagree with you on UMD though. They've always been the biggest gripe from PSP owners because of the low transfer rates and access times. Especially on the PSP-1000 model, which lacked the buffering the later models had.

 

[ViRGE]

I originally had no interest in the Vita, but boy am I seriously considering running down to the local games store and picking one up tomorrow. The lack of new DS and PSP games means I need a new handheld, and I can't get over the 3DS's stupid 3D screen and terrible battery life.

 

[KentState]

I'm surprised about how many units are already out. Last night, there was over 20 people playing in my area. Mind you, I live in the burbs so it's not like neighbors are on top of each other. I need to get WiFi setup at work so I can see how many are in the Atlanta area.

 

[Aikouka]

Fair enough assessment that I can't argue with. I'll disagree with you on UMD though. They've always been the biggest gripe from PSP owners because of the low transfer rates and access times. Especially on the PSP-1000 model, which lacked the buffering the later models had.

I definitely don't disagree about UMD being slower. I guess I just consider its capacity benefits kind of equal out. I recall hearing about some games that had some awful load times, but none of the games that I played seemed to have those issues.

I guess we were fortunate with the PSP as we could hack it and transfer games to the memory stick.

I originally had no interest in the Vita, but boy am I seriously considering running down to the local games store and picking one up tomorrow. The lack of new DS and PSP games means I need a new handheld, and I can't get over the 3DS's stupid 3D screen and terrible battery life.

The battery life on the PSV is supposed to be kind of bad too.

 

[ViRGE]

The battery life on the PSV is supposed to be kind of bad too.

Very true. It's not that it's any better, but if I have to lug around an extra battery anyhow I may as well get the device that has thumbsticks and better graphics. I'd really rather have something pocketable, but a short battery life generally nullifies that advantage.

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

Is the battery on the PSV removable? The device is light, but at the same time it looks quite bulky. The two analog buttons doesn't have much travel, seems very restricted, and feels much cheaper compared to the ones on the standard PS3 controller.

 

[Aikouka]

Is the battery on the PSV removable?

No

 

[blurredvision]

The battery life on the PSV is supposed to be kind of bad too.

I actually find the battery to be better than expected, but everybody's opinion on battery life will differ based on expectations and what they use it for.

I charged mine to full yesterday and after unplugging it, tried some remote play to my PS3 over the internet for about 10 minutes to play FFVII. I then handed it over to a co-worker who played it for about 15 minutes. Fast forward to last night after I got home, I put in another 30 minutes in remote play on the PS3. When heading to bed, I played a match in FIFA and then browsed the net on it, in all about 40 minutes worth.

The entire time I wasn't using it, it was in stand-by, not turned off. When I got up this morning, I checked the store to see if it had updated and the battery marker is still at around the 80-85% mark.

The only time I saw the battery drain really fast is when I first got it and 3G was left on. I now keep the 3G and bluetooth turned off at all times, WiFi stays on.

On a side note about the battery, if you're going to charge it from your computer, you need to turn the unit off, it won't charge in stand-by. Hold the power button for two seconds until you get the power off option.

 

[Broburger]

I was interested in the PSVita until I read that the battery was non removeable. That is a huge deal breaker for me.

Originally Posted by ExarKun333
Memory pricing is a complete rip-off. /facepalm

Micro-SD, and Sony could still sell their own 'branded' memory that folks would gladly pay 3-4x the normal amount for.

I give it a few months before some chinese company creates an adapter that lets you use your SDHC cards.

 

[LookBehindYou]

Well shit, I kept telling myself I didn't need this and wasn't going to get it.

I pre-ordered one yesterday on way home from work and I'll pick it up today on the way home.

Willpower. I lack it.

 

[mmntech]

The battery life on the PSV is supposed to be kind of bad too.

From what I've heard, the battery life is no worse than the 3DS, iPhone, or the original PSP.

 

[Nemesis13]

I have mine for a week now and have to say I'm very surprised at how well everything function (browser aside). I Have MvsC3 and its on par with its big brother. Downloading all the AR games now and the Unit 13 demo. I would tell any1 to get a Vita wish i wouldn't have got the 3G but o well maybe the data plans will drop in price.

 

[Nemesis13]

From what I've heard, the battery life is no worse than the 3DS, iPhone, or the original PSP.

I have a 3ds and the Vita's battery life is much better, assuming u have the 3D turned on the 3ds. I see people comparing the battery life of the two but leaving off the 3d, function this makes no sense the 3D is the 3ds claim to fame.

 

[mmntech]

I have a 3ds and the Vita's battery life is much better, assuming u have the 3D turned on the 3ds. I see people comparing the battery life of the two but leaving off the 3d, function this makes no sense the 3D is the 3ds claim to fame.

The problem with parallax barrier displays is they require more light to function. They require 25% more backlighting according to Wikipedia. That's where the biggest power draw comes from.