PS Vita

[SixTwoSixFour]

Hopefully, the publishers will get on it and drop those PSP game prices, but I won't hold my breath.

[Yantelope V2]

yeah, the UMD passport shouldn't even matter, they just need to get on dropping PSP games in the PSN down to $10.

[fuchikoma]

WTF - This is true. Actually, I've trivially transferred a demo from PS3 to Vita now without even doing any real "setup." I've tried time after time after time to get demos from PS3 to PSP, but they never started for me, even after reauthorizing the PSP. Also, any sharing between English and Japanese accounts had to be done separately per memory card. Sadly, for a "region free" system, I still cannot load apps from my Japanese account, even from my English account. I'm not even allowed to log into my Japanese account from it, so it's actually region-semi-restricted and the 6 demos/apps I have on JPSN are locked out while there's only one on the English service I plan to fire up, try, and throw away... but I've read conflicting reports that the system is locked to the account or the card is locked to it. Hopefully it's just the card - that'd be fine.

 

Yantelope - Definitely. I can understand a lot of their reasoning - for instance, I have no problem with the memory card issue. Not being able to copy MP3s, pictures and movies without PSN seems overboard though, much less not being able to transfer any content at all without updating the firmware. I guess it does have the intended effect though - I don't really plan to jailbreak it because it'd be a massive pain hiding from them, risking my PSN account, and getting stuck at too old a firmware to play newer games...

Edited February 24, 2012 by fuchikoma

[Mister Jack]

I'm not holding my breath for them to drop PSN store prices.

[MasterDex]

I got some brief hands-on time with the Vita yesterday. I like it, it fits nicely in the hands, if not in the pocket and I found the touchscreen pleasantly responsive. I'm still going to hold out for a pricedrop though and to see if Sony treat it well. Hopefully, they get the remote play of PS3 titles in as a standard feature with it.

[Cyber Rat]

[WTF]

Just to get this bit clear. In order to transfer content from the PS3 to the Vita even if all your content shows up. Both the Vita and the PS3 must be signed on to the same login. It's like if you try to use multiple steam accounts on the same user login (usually this means that for the account that it wasn't purchased on it'll show up as demo).

 

You can transfer your Japanese demos and content to your Vita from your PS3 once the vita is signed into that account. Switching between logins is a 3-5 minute process. Just go to settings, format and restore the PS Vita system. It'll ask you to deactivate the device for your login (do it) and once that's done it'll ask you if you want to format your Memory card as well for which you say no. After that you've to sit through the silly intro video that takes a few minutes and then set it to your JP or other region account, transfer the files to your memory card and then switch back to your main account. If you have enough space on your cart you can store a lot of content. The thing is you can't play purchased content on your login and get trophies but you can play demos.

 

This is pretty much how you use the same memory card to have multiple accounts. The downsides are that you need to factory reset and sit through the video each time you switch accounts and you can't play purchased content between accounts.

[fuchikoma]

MasterDex, it comes with Remoteplay installed, so whatever PS3 games can support it should work fine. I was never much fan of it myself, but I have dabbled a bit with the PSP. IMO it's best for streaming videos.

 

Thanks, WTF. I got some demos loaded on, and the NicoNico app even works in my main account. Minna to Issho failed though, being a more PSN-centric app... it even wiped the icon and info screen blank when I tried to update it! I'd heard both that the memory cards would only work with one account and that the account was tied to the card and the system, but with this it really seems it's only to the system and maybe each app.

 

I've noticed something interesting on my screen... When the system is displaying black, or almost-black, I see a faint blob of darker pixels always in the same place and shape, with smaller spots across the screen. It's completely unnoticeable when displaying other graphics - at first I thought it was like the HDMI ghosting I've seen with the PS3, but it actually seems to be inherent to the screen itself. Has anyone else seen something like this?

 

 

I'd say it's far from defective, it's just... odd.

Edited February 26, 2012 by fuchikoma

[WTF]

No Probs .

 

The blotchiness is symptomatic of OLED screens, if memory serves me right this is super amoled plus because of the arrangement of the pixels. I forget where I found someone having investigated that, prior to that it was believed to be just Amoled. Anyway the blotchiness is nothing to worry about, it would be the same as those with S2 or Note phones.

[fuchikoma]

The pixels are a square grid of vertical sets of three bars in a square aspect ratio. It may be SAMOLED+ - it seems as if the touch sensor is one with the display: the protective screen over top isn't very thick or far from the display surface, so I'm pretty certain there's no separate digitizer layer on top. I also forget when I saw it, but it seems there are little square groups around 1cm or less visible on the screen under certain conditions, though I'm not sure what that's indicative of.

 

I'm a little paranoid now because I'm reading today that lots of OLED devices have severe problems with screen burn-in. Lots of Nexus and Galaxy users complaining about it now that I look... This thing does have bright, fixed display elements that can't be moved, but it does also explain why the status bar at the top is slightly dim. Hopefully it doesn't become an issue later on.

 

Still, I'm being critical because it's a new thing - overall it's great. Entertainment on day one, as opposed to my 3DS which had some novelty factor but IMO is only starting to get ok as a game system.

[WTF]

Yeah OLED could have that issue but to be fair, these blotches seem to be something else. I'll see if I can find something deeper but as of now it's of no cause to worry according to graphics experts .

 

And I totally know what you mean, That was the reason I held out on buying the 3DS at launch (I still don't care for the 3DS launch games outside of SSF4 which is the only one I bought). I really wish there more games released here. The whole region locking thing is fairly annoying. I can deal with not getting DLC for a game but not getting a game when it's localised in English is annoying. Fortunately Vita is region free. Now all I need to do is wait for good people must die to have a translation (Else I'll just buy the Japanese version) and Time travellers. There's oddly enough more games I want for the Vita than the 3DS but regardless I am glad that fire emblem 3ds is hitting EU this year. I'm just hoping for at least 4 titles that interest me this year. I just fear that if it goes at this rate it's going to match my 360 and Wii in terms of personal attachrate. (had a pretty awesome attach rate for GB, GBA and DS).

[Thursday Next]

Well... I have to say it's a load of BS that you have to sign into PSN in order to connect the Vita to your PC via a cable. It's an unrelated arbitrary requirement that stinks of Big Brother... I'm not loading PSN content - I'm loading MP4s I encoded myself! But it absolutely refuses to progress until installing the desktop app, updating the firmware and validating a sign-in with them.

 

Dammit, Sony... putting your customers in shackles is not how to make a good first impression.

 

Once you've installed that app though it takes what? Seconds? I never even notice that it does stuff when I connect it, it all just seems to work.

[fuchikoma]

Once you've installed that app though it takes what? Seconds? I never even notice that it does stuff when I connect it, it all just seems to work.

 

The first time, it took about 45 minutes to an hour. Connected, installed new firmware, got prompted for PSN, tried about 20 passwords trying to get in (my PS3 remembers it, so I don't...) Then once I got signed in, I tried dragging files onto the Vita listed in "My Computer" but got a cryptic error message when I tried, so I looked up the error, re-read the getting started guide that came with it, looked for a manual, then looked for a manual on the device, wasted time in "Welcome Park" looking for a help system, then looked on the web for documentation, then finally found the instructions in the online help for Content Manager. Now that I know they do it backwards from any other portable device though, it's inconvenient, but easy.

[WTF]

I will say this about the Vita, it is the one device that actually is great for those who like to read digital manuals. So many features are practically hidden since they're not present in any user manual (physical).

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

So many features are practically hidden since they're not present in any user manual (physical).

 

Explain.

[fuchikoma]

The physical manual covers:

• Inserting cards
  
• Turning it on
  
• Touching the screen (yes: how to drag, tap and flick...)
  
• Initial setup that you can't skip anyway
  
• Interface elements
  
• Starting, pausing and quitting software
  
• Power, standby and charging
  

It says nothing about

• USB charging (how fast it goes, charge indicators, USB port amperage needed to charge, why you'd ever turn off the feature, etc)
  
• Loading media files onto the device
  
• Backing up data
  
• What media formats are supported
  
• Using the camera or AR cards
  
• Tech specs
  
• OLED screen burn-in precautions
  
• Best practices for recharging
  
• Everything else
  

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Oh you're talking about the manual for the Vita itself. I thought you meant games.

[fuchikoma]

So apparently there's a menu you can access by holding the PS button. That's handy since I've been running back to display settings every time.

[WTF]

Oh.. you didn't know about the menu. First thing I know about devices today is that pressing/ holding down a button brings up some function or the other.

 

There's more features than what he mentioned that are missing in the manual like taking screenshots, apps that can work in the background, the social space that tells you about updates, friend updates on the game and so on.

There's a lot of features that aren't remotely mentioned. How to check your 3G data usage.etc

[Mister Jack]

I'm thinking of downloading either Tactics Ogre, Dissidia 012, or Persona 3 onto my vita, but I'm not sure what to go with...

[TCP]

Miser Jack, I would hold on, either Dissidia 012 or Tactic Ogre will be on sale next week on the PSN via the Gamers Choice Awards.

[fuchikoma]

Another undocumented feature - you can set a transparent .PNG file as the background image for any screen of icons. I just carved one out quickly to try it and it worked right away at 960x544. Not sure how it handles non-native resolution pics, but it seems there's no real trick to it. You just change the background to one of the available animated colour sets, then change it to a picture and you'll have both.

[WTF]

Yeah I've come across that too and it adds to certain people's OCD. SInce by using such a wallpaper feature you can now make pages by publishers, content, genre, so on and so forth and arrange it in several different ways as per your choosing.

[WTF]

So for those of you planning to buy MLB the show on the Vita and possibly the PS3 (in NA of course) Bestbuy is doing a $80 bundle for both of them (not sure if it's an official or store promoted) but that's technically decent value if you were planning on getting both and something that should continue of course (considering it's a $20 drop in MSRP and i think the game has consolidated/cloud saves [not sure on that]). Plus that's pretty much like buying an LE of the game but this time having two copies instead of cheapish baubles.

[Chronixal]

Well I don't know about anyone else but my Vita appears to be knackered already. The rear camera just absolutely refuses to work. Have seen the odd thread online hear and there without any solution except for an exchange which looks like what I'll be doing. Not impressed at all.