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Sony officially discontinues the PlayStation Vita
You knew the PlayStation Vita wasn't long for this world, and now it's official: Sony has discontinued the last two Vita models. The move marks the last step of a long, gradual phase-out that included a halt on first-party games in 2015, the discontinuation of physical games and the end to PS Plus freebies. If you're looking for the handheld, you'll either have to get lucky at a retailer (if there are any units left) or track down a second-hand model.
You can now overclock your PlayStation Vita for reasons
Today, Wololo spotted that the PSVita plugin LOLIcon can overclock the handheld's CPU beyond its official limits. This allows the CPU to operate at 494 MHz, which is not officially supported.
'Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night' delayed until 2019
Things were looking rosy for the upcoming release of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night -- the game had even gotten as far as a private beta demo. But, citing similar reasons to its previous delay, the team at ArtPlay has announced it'll be held back again, this time until somewhere in 2019.
Sony isn't ready to give up on portable gaming just yet
While the PlayStation Vita didn't exactly set the world alight, there still might be a future in portable gaming for Sony. Gaming division head John Kodera said, according to Bloomberg, that Sony is testing mobile gaming efforts, which he believes should be a part of PlayStation's overall strategy.
PlayStation Plus won't include free PS3 and Vita games next year
Changes are afoot for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Starting next March, the smattering of monthly free (with subscription) Instant Game Collection offerings won't include titles for the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita. It won't affect any games you downloaded previously, however, according to a post on the PS Blog. "Your game saves and other benefits of PS Plus will also remain the same -- the only change is that no new PS3 and PS Vita games will be added to the PS Plus monthly games lineup beyond March 8th, 2019."
'Secret of Mana' remake gameplay video delivers throwback fun
Less than two weeks since it was announced, Square Enix is offering the first look at gameplay from the Secret of Mana remake. The clip is from the demo unveiled as part of the developer's Pax West showcase, which was captured in a Twitch livestream. It boasts almost ten minutes of in-game footage from the highly anticipated remaster of the classic RPG.
‘Secret of Mana’ returning as a 3D remaster on PlayStation and PC
Next month, a horde of nostalgic Nintendo heads will get the chance to relive the Secret of Mana on the SNES Classic Edition. But, if you're a gamer with modern sensibilities, then its 16-bit world may not suffice. Fortunately for you, developer Square Enix is giving the iconic title the 3D treatment. An upgraded version of the JRPG is heading to the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Steam next year.
High-profile Kickstarter games see delays, port cancellations
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, was crowdfunded to the tune of $5.5 million last year, with an ETA of March 2017. It promises to be a spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, but this week, project lead Koji Igarashi (known colloquially as IGA) personally announced via Kickstarter that the game will now be pushed back to "the first half of 2018." The delay, IGA says, is because the game is currently at risk of not "meeting [his] quality standards." To that end, he's adding additional developers to the team, who will hopefully be able to put the project back on track. He also offered his apologies to anyone affected by the delay.
Play 'Guacamelee' and 'Severed' in one bundle on your PS Vita
If you scored a good deal on a PlayStation Vita and aren't sure how to get started on game shopping, Drinkbox might have the answer. The developer is launching a bundle, the simply-titled Drinkbox Vita Collection, that includes all three of its Vita games (Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, Guacamelee and Severed) plus Guacamelee's DLC add-ons. You may not be all that familiar with Mutant Blobs unless you tried it during the Vita's early days, but this is otherwise a great introduction to some classic handheld gaming -- it's hard to top Guacamelee's lucha libre-inspired 2D action, and Severed puts a very surreal twist on the concept of a first-person dungeon crawler. Drinkbox hasn't yet said how much its bundle will cost, but it'll likely be modest when it shows up on July 13th. Update 7/13: The bundle is available for $25, which isn't too shabby for three titles.
Twitch introduces a PlayStation Vita app
Twitch has released streaming video apps for just about every modern game system under the Sun, but the PlayStation Vita has remained the odd one out... until today. The livestream provider has rolled out a Vita app that, much like the PS3 version, lets you tune into live and pre-recorded gaming sessions as well as follow the channels you can't stop watching. You can't stream anything yourself, alas -- you won't be broadcasting OlliOlli or Severed sessions any time soon. Even so, this could be helpful for those moments when you aren't near your phone, or for kids whose Vita might be their only handheld viewer.
'World of Final Fantasy' coming to PS4 and Vita this October
World of Final Fantasy, the upcoming RPG from Square Enix, is coming to PlayStation 4 and Vita this October. The worldwide releases are almost simultaneous: October 25th in North America, October 27th in Japan and October 28th in Europe. If you're unaware of what World of Final Fantasy is, or why Cloud Strife looks so damn cute in the image above, it's essentially a chibi-fied take on the Final Fantasy games. It's being pitched at both long-term fans of the series and youngsters, blending kid-friendly visuals and storytelling with classic Final Fantasy combat.
Long-delayed 'Mighty No. 9' arrives June 21st
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you -- after more than a few delays, Comcept has announced that Mighty No. 9 is finished. Keiji Inafune's spiritual sequel to Mega Man will arrive in Asia and North America on June 21st, and the rest of the world on June 24th. The initial release is limited to console and computer players (albeit on virtually every platform), but versions for both the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita are due "at a later point." Just be sure to think carefully about your choice of media format: while downloads are more convenient, a retail copy includes the Ray add-on.
PS Vita's 'Severed' goes wild on April 26th
What do one-armed warrior ladies do best? Use a living sword to cut off the limbs of the four-armed, three-faced, four-legged monsters around them. At least that's what the latest trailer for Severed from Guacamelee! developer DrinkBox Studios would lead you to believe. The game hits the ailing PlayStation Vita, exclusively, on April 26th for $15. Dig the music in the video embedded below? Then head over to Yamantaka // Sonic Titan's Bandcamp page to either stream or buy the soundtrack for yourself.
Indie horror 'Neverending Nightmares' comes to PS4 and Vita
Neverending Nightmares will be tip-toeing its way onto PS4 and Vita before the second half of 2016, bringing its unusual brand of horror and psychological exploration in tow. The game was originally launched on PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya in 2014, following a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised just over $100,000 for developer Infinitap. Players take on the role of Thomas, a young man that wakes up from a horrific nightmare in his home. Or has he woken up? A cycle of dreams begin to form, unravelling dark emotions and memories that continue to haunt him.
'Severed' trailer shows that the PS Vita is full of life
If you need proof that the PlayStation Vita is a haven for creative games, Drinkbox Studios just delivered it in spades. The Guacamelee developer has posted a fresh gameplay trailer for Severed, its surreal dungeon crawler for Sony's handheld, and it's clear that this isn't your usual slash-em-up. The blend of a nightmarish art style with touchscreen swordplay looks exciting, and more than a little trippy -- think Mexican folk art with a horror vibe. There's still no firm release date for Severed, but the title is definitely shaping up nicely.
'Dead or Alive' maker denies restricting game launch due to sexism
You know that Koei Tecmo staffer who claimed that Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 wasn't shipping to Europe or the US due to concerns about sexism? Apparently, he was speaking out of line. The developer has posted a statement saying that the rep doesn't reflect its "opinion or business strategy." In other words, it wants you to take those sexism claims with a grain of salt.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is too sexist for Europe and US
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, the game where you play volleyball as scantily clad women, won't be making its way to the US or Europe. Apparently, the game's publisher is worried about how Western audiences will react to the way the franchise depicts women. The latest installment features a sun-tanning system (whatever the hell that means), butt fights (as seen in the gameplay trailer below) and the ability to dress the characters in a wide variety of costumes.
Your PS Vita deserves to live again
There's no PS Vita 2 on the horizon. So now what? There are a whole bunch of reasons why the now three year-old handheld may not be the mega-hit that Sony hoped for. As Kotaku's elaborated on already, the company isn't completely blameless, but that isn't to say there aren't plenty of reasons to still pick up a Vita, play the crap out of it, recharge it and do it all again. Here's a handful of 'em to start you off. We also want to hear your own recommendations, which is what our new comment system was made for.
Sony doesn't see a market for a PlayStation Vita sequel
You may be jonesing for a follow-up to the PlayStation Vita, but Sony isn't so sure that it's a wise idea. The company's Shuhei Yoshida told those at a recent developer session that the "climate is not healthy" for a Vita sequel. Simply put, he believes that smartphones have dampened enthusiasm for gaming handhelds. Why get a dedicated device and buy games when you can play free games on the device you already have? He hopes that the culture of portable gaming will live on, but he doesn't currently see Sony fostering that culture with new hardware.
PS Vita gem 'Gravity Rush' is getting a PS4 port and sequel
Gravity Rush leapt onto the PlayStation Vita in 2012, when the console was in desperate need of some "triple-A" titles to compliment its blossoming indie library. It was a beautiful game with a few novel gameplay mechanics -- to traverse the world and land on different objects, you were forced to jump in the air and pull gravity down in new, unusual directions. The handheld title was received favourably but, like Tearaway, never reached a large audience on the Vita -- so Sony is giving it the Unfolded treatment with a port-remaster-remake-thing on the PlayStation 4. It'll be coming out on December 10th in Japan -- no word yet on an international release -- followed by an all-new sequel called Gravity Daze 2 (the original was also called Gravity Daze in Japan) next year. For fans of Kat and her occasionally headache-inducing adventures, this is an unexpected treat from Sony.