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Sony unveils Crystal White PlayStation Vita, limited digital diva edition
Remember that line-up of colorful consoles we eyed back at TGS? One of eight of those mock-ups is about to become a reality, at least in Japan. On June 28th, color conscious gamers will be able to pick up a WiFi or 3G Crystal White PlayStation Vita for ¥24,980 and ¥29,980, respectively (that's about $312 and $375 if you're counting in greenbacks). If the absence of color is a bit too bland for you, a limited edition Hatsune Miku handheld will hit shelves two months later, commanding a ¥10,000 ($125) premium for the privilege of plastering Sega's digital diva on your Vita's rear touch panel. On the plus side, Vocoloid's poster girl packs a 4GB memory card and a copy of Next Hatsune Miku: Project Diva to offset the limited edition's larger sticker price. No word yet when or if these Vita variants will hit the western world, but we'll let you now if we hear anything. Until then? Try to satiate yourself with the video after the break.
Sony updates PS Vita sales figures: 'over 1.2 million units worldwide', 2 million in software
As of recently, the PS Vita has become available in the locales of America, Europe and PAL territories, and now Sony's updated sales figures are in. How does "over 1.2 million units worldwide" sound? Because that's how many systems were purchased as of February 26th. If you'll recall, just two days after its December 19th arrival in Japan, the Vita rushed out of the gate, with Sony citing 321,000 units sold. Sales quickly slowed, however, despite the system making its way across Asia, as that number only rose to 500,000 by the time CES hit in January. Considering that means an additional 700K+ units were moved in less than two months, it seems that Sony's latest handheld isn't doing too shabby. Furthermore, it looks like a healthy amount of early adopters stocked up on games, as Sony also noted that more than two million pieces of software have been sold (out of 25 currently available titles) via retail and the PlayStation Store -- that said, there's no telling how popular those slightly cheaper digital editions have proved. Hit up the press release after the break for all the details, courtesy of the House of Kevin Butler Kaz Hirai.
Joystiq's PlayStation Vita launch guide
The PlayStation Vita launches this week in the form of a "First Edition" bundle. The for-real hardware launch will take place on February 22. We'll be covering the hardware and its games continuously through that period, and rounding it up here for ease of reference.
PlayStation Vita review
Look familiar? It should: that's the PlayStation Vita, Sony's up-and-coming challenger to the mobile gaming throne. It's made the rounds a few times before, from E3, to Tokyo Game Show, to San Francisco's Vita Hill Social Club, and it even took an early pass through Engadget's review gauntlet -- courtesy of the Land of the Rising Sun, of course. After a strong start in its homeland (followed by a quick holiday slump), the budding portable hit the books, brushed up on its English and barreled its way back into Engadget's game room, demanding another review. And why not? We're happy to oblige. And here it is, an extremely familiar looking slab of plastic, glass and electronics that calls itself the North American 3G / WiFi PlayStation Vita. Sony's new region-free tradition ensures that it won't be too different than Japan's native model, but we're diving in for a more detailed look anyway. Read on for a peek at its content management system, backward compatibility, the particulars of its fancy new thumbsticks, the latest firmware update's contribution to the platform and much more.
Canadian gets PlayStation Vita early thanks to faith, good works
Today's lucky beggar award goes to Graham Innes in Canada, who wrote in to tell us that he found a PlayStation Vita sitting on his doorstep. It wasn't a total surprise, since he'd ordered one from Amazon, but what's weird is just how soon it arrived -- the early-bird First Edition doesn't launch until February 15th and the general release is a whole week after that. We're not sure what Graham did to deserve this, but we do know from our Joystiq buddies that he's not the only one -- Amazon.ca has apparently sent out a few of these premature parcels. If the injustice burns, console yourself with the thought that Graham and his blessed compatriots probably can't access the store to download any games.Update: Graham emailed again. He has store access. He has games. Joyousness.
Sony PS Vita demo hardware drops in at US GameStop locations, lets you go hands-on (update)
Live within the United State's borders? Fingers itching to spend some quality with Sony's latest portable gaming sensation before the First Edition Bundle lands on February 15th? Good news is here then, since GameStop has equipped "over 3,300" of its retail stores with PlayStation Vita demo kiosks. The rigs will allow you to score some quality hands-on time with many of its upcoming titles, including the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss and wipEout2048 -- perfect if you're not sure about reserving one just yet. Hit up the source link below to find a Vita-packing location near you, and don't forget to check out our review of the Japanese variant if you need even more help making up your mind in the meantime. Full press release after the break. Update: We're hearing from many of you in the comments, noting you're finding Vitas at some GameStop locations locked-up, and for your eyes only. So heads-up: your mileage may vary. We also want to add that according to GameStop's website, it currently has 4,460 stores in US, meaning there's a very solid chance the one near you might not be included in the demo. Update 2: Also worth note, a few other folks have mentioned that certain BestBuys will also let you get paws on one. [Thanks for all the feedback, everyone.]
The morning after: PlayStation Vita sales go cold during first full week in Japan
It's hard to set much store by early sales performance, particularly after the evergreen 3DS faced such a rocky road. Nevertheless, the Vita's latest stats do look disappointing for such a highly anticipated -- not to mention high-quality -- console: after shifting a remarkable 321,000 units during its first two days on sale in Japan, it could only muster 72,500 in the whole week between December 19th and Christmas Day. In comparison, the PS3 sold 76,000 units during the same period, while the 3DS rang up half a million. This doesn't necessarily reflect a lack of interest, however: there have been stock shortages, and it's also possible that buyers are waiting to make sure that all the launch bugs get cleaned up. As for us, our alarms remain firmly set for February 22nd.
Sony PlayStation Vita review (Japanese edition)
It's hard to believe that Sony's venerable first portable has just reached its seventh birthday. The PSP launched in 2004: a year when the Motorola RAZR V3 claimed top phone prizes and tablets were called tablet PCs. Since then, its closest rival has undergone several substantial transformations, but the PSP has remained largely untouched, aside from getting a little slimmer. Sony's hoping its new portable superstar is less evolutionary, more revolutionary. And it may have to be. Mobile gaming is snapping at its heels, with game developers continuing to boost the scale and polish on smartphone offerings. Even Sony has been attempting to get in on the mobile action, with underwhelming results so far. So here's the PlayStation Vita, attempting to breath new life into the portable gaming market. There's no 3D screen, it doesn't do phone calls (although our test model is the 3G-connected variant) but there is, however, a load of power underneath that 5-inch OLED hood. It looks to be the answer to more "traditional" gamers' prayers, but there are plenty of questions we've been itching to answer. Is a portable gaming console still a valid gaming option? How long will the battery last? What's that rear touchscreen all about? Read on and see how Sony's next-generation portable stacks up. %Gallery-142174%
PlayStation Vita gets a content management app, plays nice with PS3 and PC
Worried your PlayStation Vita is going to be so full of repurchased PSP content that you won't be be able to store it all? Yeah, neither are we -- but if you want another place to keep your Vita's picture, video, music and game content, Sony says your PC and PS3 will do nicely. An application page on the Japanese PlayStation website details a Vita app that lets users transfer data between the three platforms, noting that content can be purchased on the PC or PS3, and then transferred to the Vita for use later. Gamers looking to save scratch on that not-so-optional memory card will be able to use this content sharing feature to get the most out of whatever size storage they can afford. Sure, 4GB of storage the cheapest Vita memory card offers isn't ideal, but at least Sony is throwing you a bone to make it work.
PS Vita is region-free
The PS Vita will officially be region-free, as tweeted by Sony Computer Entertainment president of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp). Asked if it has been confirmed that Vita is region-free, Shuhei tweeted, "Yes, it is." And on the seventh day, there was confirmation. Vita will drop on December 17 in Japan, at $390 for the 3G model or $325 for wi-fi only -- with no region locks, this means American and European buyers can order the Japanese version and have it before any of their lame, Vita-less friends. And then when those friends tell them to get a life, they can hold up their Vitas and say, "I already have one." And then they'll have no friends, especially if they tell them this joke.
Sony PlayStation Vita battery life: as little as three hours on a charge
We've had plenty of QT with the Vita on the floor at TGS, but battery life is hard to judge when you can't take the device away with you. Back at our earlier hands-on in June we were told that longevity should be on a par with first-gen PSPs, which were all rated at 4-6 hours and -- with the PSP-1000 -- achieved around 3.5-5.5 hours in real-world tests. Now though, Sony says the Vita has just enough juice for 3-5 hours' gaming. We need to play this thing to death before we can be sure, but this does sound like a potential 15-25% drop in minimum play time. Do we care at this point? Not particularly. We're too busy salivating over this.
Sony shows off PlayStation Vita's initial setup process and user interface (video)
While we're still months away from seeing the PlayStation Vita show up in the stores, Sony continues to tease us with more live demonstrations here at the SCEJ press conference -- what we saw just now was a quick walkthrough of the initial setup procedure, and our first look at the interface in action. Setup is simple and predictable: select your region, create or log into your PSN account, enter your birthday -- pretty standard for today's handheld gaming devices. The UI itself looks primed to make smartphone users feel right at home, spreading a cloud of large, friendly app icons across the Vita's five-inch touchscreen.Our hosts skipped through a few media applications, showing off a pair of movie trailers and concurrently running the device's music player and photo viewer. We didn't see it live today, but Sony suggested that cross-app multitasking is compatible with games as well, stating that a player could hop out of a game session, pop-into a Twitter app, and then jump right back into the game. We'll give you a more detailed account once we've hit the TGS show-floor. Can't wait? Peek our gallery below, or see Sony's live demo above.%Gallery-133574%
Escape Plan preview: More than a touch of disappointment
[Ed. note: Fun Bits address some of our issues with controls, as you can see in this interview.] Can I tell you how excited I was to check out Escape Plan? 'Cause I was, like, really excited. It had potential game of the show written all over it, with its black-and-white aesthetic, quirky main characters, and bold showcasing of the PlayStation Vita's many control inputs. And after sitting through a presentation at Gamescom, I was promised hands-on the next day. Ooh, goody! My excitement, however, was immediately rattled after putting just one finger on the game. I was trying to wake up Lil, the thinner of the game's main two characters and introductory plaything, but pushing on the screen to wake her initially didn't do much. After mashing my finger repeatedly against the Vita's touchscreen, Lil finally woke up. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of my problems.%Gallery-130793%
PlayStation Vita media roundup: New trailers for Uncharted: Golden Abyss and 11 others
Sony always makes a big splash at Gamescom and this year is no exception. In addition to a newer, cheaper PSP and a cheaper, if not newer, PS3, Sony is also ready with plenty of PlayStation Vita materials. You want a dozen trailers showing off what the device is capable of? After the break you'll find video of everything from Uncharted: Golden Abyss to LittleBigPlanet Vita to augmented reality app Tag. We've also got some screens for the newly titled Resistance: Burning Skies and the newly announced Smart As.
Resistance: Burning Skies set to engulf PlayStation Vita
Sony has announced at its Gamescom 2011 press conference details about Nihilistic's Resistance entry on the PlayStation Vita. Subtitled Burning Skies, the title (which serves as an immediate prequel to Resistance 2) casts you in the role of Tom Riley, a fireman who watches the destruction of the United States from ground zero. That task is made a lot more palatable thanks to Riley's proclivity for toting a wieldable fire axe at all times. We guess it's fortunate he decided to take his work home with him! A brief demo showed off familiar Resistance action, with a few neat uses of the Vita's touchscreen -- for instance, some weapons' alternate fire modes are controlled with a single touch. That sounds like the kind of power we can get drunk off of.
Name the new ModNation Racers Vita game
Sony's launched a public request to name the upcoming PlayStation Vita version of ModNation Racers in a recent US PlayStation Blog post. Our first inclination was to suggest "The PlayStation Vita Version of ModNation Racers" in the allotted comments section, but the name lacked a certain pizazz we were hoping for. After thinking awhile longer, we figured out an absolutely perfect one: "ModNation Racers: Vita!" Take that, professional marketing guys!%Gallery-125158%
Sony's PlayStation Vita goes up for pre-order at Best Buy Canada
It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here -- or at least its pre-order page is. Sony's hotly anticipated PlayStation Vita has been on our minds since January, and now it's making its Canadian North American pre-order debut via Best Buy Canada. The product pages for both the WiFi-only and 3G editions list a release date of March 30th -- which lines up with previous reports that the console won't be gracing your stocking this Christmas -- but we'd take that estimate with a heaping fistful of salt. If you're itching to throw down some Canadian dollars, however, feel free to hop on over to the source to secure yours now.[Thanks, Silverfox]
Ubisoft bringing Assassins, Rabbids, and Future Soldiers to Gamescom
Sure, said assassins, rabbids, and future soldiers will arrive in video game form, but there's at least an air of danger in Ubisoft's Gamescom lineup. The French publisher revealed its German cavalry this week, saying that all titles will be available either in hands-on versions or hands-off presentations. From Dust (released on consoles thus far), Far Cry 3, Might & Magic Heroes VI, and Rayman Origins will be on site. Ubi will also hold a roundtable discussion titled, "Is Online Gaming Changing How We Create?" and featuring "creative leaders from Ubisoft's online teams. It'll be open to press, Ubisoft partners and the show's trade visitors. It's not necessarily bad news for you, Joe Public. While we're busy watching the roundtable, you could be jamming on some Anno 2070!
Sony PlayStation Vita handheld will miss Christmas in US and Europe
How can this be? Sony's new handheld console already passed through the FCC and was even leaked on a UK Blockbuster flyer that stated an October release date. Yet apparently these clues count for nothing, because Bloomberg reports Kazuo Hirai as saying that the Vita won't launch in the US and Europe until early next year -- with only Japan getting the device before Christmas. Why would Sony be content to miss out on all that festive trade? We have absolutely no idea, but it looks like we'll have to email Santa a revised wish list. [Thanks, Jerry]
PlayStation Vita out in October, says Blockbuster UK flyer
Blockbuster may have had its share of trouble here in the States, but that doesn't mean its British brother isn't doing well enough to have (and leak) a big-shot release date or two. According to a flyer brandishing the Blockbuster logo and that good 'ol co.uk extension, the PlayStation Vita will land in the United Kingdom on October 28th. That's ominously close to Halloween -- not that we're suggesting anybody is having pre-holiday PSV boot-shakes, or anything -- and the flyer's fall release prediction squares up nicely with Sony's "end of 2011" launch window. As always, we suggest taking rumors and leaks such as this with a grain of salt -- but considering Sony's sinkable record regarding loose lips, we'd understand a low sodium approach. Hit the break to get a peek at the Blockbuster UK flyer -- ready and waiting for your judgement.
