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Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 vs. PS Vita screens vs. TGS videos
The hyper turbo action of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is heading to Vita, and Capcom has seen fit to take some screenshots of the action. There's also a mess of new videos for the console version of the game from TGS.
We're live from the Tokyo Game Show 2011!
That's right! We're back in Japan for this year's Tokyo Game Show, and obviously we'll be getting intimate with the closer-to-final PlayStation Vita along with, hopefully, some of its just announced launch titles. While Nintendo's absent as usual (though it did throw its own party on Tuesday), we're still expecting some fresh goodies from the Xbox and PlayStation folks that should keep us entertained for awhile, plus we'll be scanning the show floor for the eccentric peripherals and other odd pieces, so wish us luck. Oh, and be sure to also check out our sister site Joystiq to get your extra dosage of TGS -- you know you want it. To follow all the action from TGS, use the tag TGS 2011.
Here's how you set up your PlayStation Vita
Wondering how you'll set up your PlayStation Vita come ... whenever it launches in the US? Well, it turns out that we've got this handy presentation straight from Sony's TGS 2011 presser earlier today, courtesy of our cohorts at Engadget. You'll get an idea of how to peel back a virtual page and, um, describe yourself. For instance, how old are you? Do you even know? You look so young!
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%
Sony announces bucketload of PlayStation Vita launch games, teases PSP downloads for UMD lovers
Wondering how many games the PlayStation Vita will be launched with on December 17th? 26 is the answer, with 100 games in total to be released. Launch titles include Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Power Smash 4, Fish On, Project N.O.E.L.S and more in the photo above. These will be followed by Metal Gear Solid HD Edition, Rayman Origins, FIFA, etc. If new titles aren't enough to whet your appetite, Sony announced that as many as 500 to 600 PSP titles will be available for download via the PlayStation Network, given that you're willing to re-purchase your last-gen favorites. Don't toss out your UMDs just yet though -- Sony said they are working on a solution to bring your old games to your new handheld, mentioning "special download plans" that they will discuss at a future point. We wouldn't hold our breath, but hit the break for a splash image featuring the full list of launch games you will be able to get -- good luck with the Japanese.
Toro and Kuro join Street Fighter X Tekken on PS Vita
Perhaps not as fitting an announcement as Cole McGrath duking it out in Street Fighter X Tekken on the PlayStation Vita, Sony has announced the inclusion of another mascot -- one who's too cute to have its face punched, we might add. Toro, a cartoon character popular in Japan (also known as Sony Cat) has been confirmed for the lineup during Sony's pre-TGS briefing. Kuro, his neighbor in the toons, will also be playable. Keep an eye on our liveblog for up-to-the-minute coverage!
Sony PlayStation Vita debuts in Japan on December 17th, partnering with NTT DoCoMo for 3G (updated)
Sony's just announced in Tokyo that the PlayStation Vita will debut in Japan on December 17th, and it'll partner with NTT DoCoMo for the console's prepaid 3G service. Customers will have two choices of connection here: 980 yen ($13) for 20 hours, and 4,980 yen ($65) for 100 hours -- see press release after the break. Alas, the rest of the world will still have to wait until 2012, but you'll know more concrete dates as soon as we do. For now, head over to our sister site Joystiq for the SCEJ press conference liveblog.Update: Capcom's Yoshinori Ono came on stage to mention that Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 would launch simultaneously with the console. Square Enix also announced that the PS2's Final Fantasy X will be remastered for the PS Vita, and it'll be in PS3-like quality; sadly, there was no date nor demonstration.Update 2: The first 500 units sold will come with 100 hours of prepaid 3G connectivity. Want in? Pre-orders open on October 15th.Update 3: We now have a video demonstration of the Vita's interface. Enjoy!%Gallery-133612%
Rumor: Super Monkey Ball coming to PS Vita
Sega of America's Flickr stream teased three images for Super Monkey Ball labeled for PS Vita earlier today. Sega has yet to officially announce Super Monkey Ball for Vita, and it has since removed the images. We assume an eager employee accidentally posted them, or someone was monkeying around the Sega offices. Sorry. We had to. To apologize, below are the three images, which look extremely similar to previous versions of Super Monkey Ball.
Fun Bits explains Escape Plan controls and the vocabulary of Vita
You might think it's a privilege to be among the first to develop for a new platform, and you'd be right. You're getting to play with a new toy, plus there's plenty of extra publicity being a launch title. You get to play pioneer for a couple of years! But, as Escape Plan developer Fun Bits will attest, being the first on a new console also means pressure. Sure, there was the usual "How do we exploit this tech to get the best graphics?" but, on the PlayStation Vita, there's was a whole new challenge: "What are we supposed to do with all these inputs?" %Gallery-130793%
Famitsu reveals new Vita games
In this age of A/V overload, it's rare that you get the opportunity to really flex those imagination muscles, but today presents just such a chance. Famitsu got its hands on nine Vita games, but since details are scarce on some and we don't know if others will actually come to America, it's the perfect opportunity to revitalize that atrophied fantasizing gland. A big chunk of the nine were previously announced Ubisoft games (including "Luminous Electronic Symphony," which we assume is the Vita Lumines game). But the magazine also featured some new titles like Game Arts' Ragnarok Odyssey, a "hunting action" game that borrows elements from MMORPG Ragnarok Online and, presumably, the Monster Hunter series. Also, D3's bringing Dream Club Zero to the portable, but since it's a port of a 360 dating sim/visual novel that will never, ever come to the U.S. you probably don't want to waste too much imagination on that one. Perhaps the most intriguing on the list is Acquire's Sumioni, a 2D action game with an inky art style (as you can see in the screen Siliconera ran). Apparently, you'll use both touch pads and an analogue stick to brush away enemies with your ... magical, brushy, ink powers. (C'mon, imagination!) Rounding out the list is Moe Moe Daisensou Gendaiban++, the latest in a strategy series that mysteriously hasn't caught on in the US.
Team Ninja will consider Vita game following Ninja Gaiden 3
A Ninja Gaiden game for PlayStation Vita remains an immaterial idea while Team Ninja gets Ninja Gaiden 3 ready for its 2012 launch. The developer has received a PlayStation Vita system to test and eventually chop in half mid-air, in an incredibly expensive variant of Fruit Ninja, but hasn't progressed beyond the consideration phase. "We've received a PlayStation Vita system and are thinking about it," said team lead Yosuke Hayashi in a recent PlayStation Q&A. "Having said that, right now we're focused on Ninja Gaiden 3 for PS3, and after that's complete we'll start to look at ideas such as bringing out Ninja Gaiden on PS Vita because of course we'd like to expand the series." Alright, let's toss in another concept tinged with "of course." Beyond the Wii U port (and planned 3DS game), Team Ninja will need some way to sell at least one more iteration of its latest Ninja Gaiden game. A Vita port mashed up with a Greek letter seems like a solid alpha bet.
Command tiny radio-controlled tanks in Vita AR game
Here's one to be filed in the verbose category of Games That Are Unlikely To Leave Japan But Contain Items That Suit Our Interests. Konami announced AR Combat Digi Q, an online tank combat game that relies on the PlayStation Vita's incredible capacity to augment reality itself. Or, you know, a neat camera-based game. According to Andriasang, the Konami-published title is derived from its own line of infrared-controlled combat toys (read an insanely detailed review here). The Vita's analog sticks act as the remote control and the miniature vehicles are replaced by polygonal representations on-screen, placed atop whatever background is in view of the camera. That might be a few too many layers of abstraction if you just wanted to drive a tank like Pierce Brosnan did, but at least it cuts down on toy litter in the living room. Speaking of toy litter: Isn't it about time someone brought back Re-Volt?
Resistance: Burning Skies preview: One axe, two sticks
Resistance: Burning Skies protagonist Tom Riley is having a rough day. He awakes at Ellis Island to find himself alone in a stretcher, an IV still embedded in his forearm, while a massive alien attack wages on all around him. Other than his handy fire axe and helmet, Riley's ill-equipped to take on enemies, nonetheless a swarm of Chimera who are hellbent on recovering their stolen technology from the human resistance. But this is a game, after all, so I pilot Tom towards the nearest exit -- a planked up doorway which looks ripe for the axing. Success! I couldn't help but notice in my exploration of Resistance: Burning Skies' opening room that the game looks much improved over the series' previous portable spinoff on PSP. Textures are more detailed, colors are more varied, and environmental effects actually exist. While the game is certainly early (Chimeran faces resemble little more than goofy flat paper masks at the moment), it showed a lot of promise. And maybe more importantly, it demonstrated to me that the PlayStation Vita's twin analog sticks are more than sufficient at delivering shooters on the portable.%Gallery-130818%
Silent Hill: Book of Memories is really about a book of memories
In this video, Konami producer Tomm Hulett explains the premise of the PlayStation Vita's weird spin-off game, Silent Hill: Book of Memories. "You receive a strange book. When you open it, you see your entire life story written on those pages," he said. "All your memories." You can then rewrite your memories and alter reality. Apparently, judging by the gameplay, all the player-created characters then rewrite their lives as monster-filled nightmares -- with Hulett suggesting that even Pyramid Head shows up. In any other game, that would be weird, but it wouldn't be Silent Hill if the protagonist wasn't totally bonkers. Speaking of gameplay, the above video features the first (early) direct-feed gameplay footage.
PS Vita to pack 512MB of RAM, support cross-game voice chat
What's the difference between Sony's PlayStation Vita and the PS3? About 256MB of RAM, apparently. In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that the forthcoming handheld will boast a full 512MB of RAM (compared to the PS3's 256MB), allowing the Vita to support cross-game voice chat via its Party feature. Yoshida's confirmation effectively debunks earlier rumors that Sony would be halving the Vita's RAM, in order to compete with the 3DS' lower price, though the console does feature comparatively less V-RAM (just 128MB, versus the PS3's 256MB). According to the executive, however, that disparity won't make too much of a difference on the gaming experience, due to changes in the Vita's display resolution. "The resolution on the PS Vita screen is much lower," Yoshida said. "Even though it's four times the resolution of PSP, compared to the console, the amount of data you have to push is much smaller." The proof, of course, is in the pudding, but unfortunately, we probably won't be tasting it for a while.
Groove to the beat of this new Sound Shapes trailer
Here at Joystiq, it's our job to know what you want. We've heard your cries for more trailers featuring attractive 20-somethings playing Sound Shapes, so here you go.
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%
Silent Hill: Book of Memories revealed as top-down multiplayer game
The WayForward-developed Silent Hill game for PlayStation Vita is weirder than you think. Konami showed off Silent Hill: Book of Memories during its Gamescom press conference this morning, revealing it to be a multiplayer action game (we expected that part) with a top-down or isometric perspective. If you look closely, you'll notice that series stars Harry, Maria and James now exist in the same game! Of course, Konami is wisely opting to spin Book of Memories off into its own, completely unrelated story. You'll also be able to create your own protagonist, further distancing yourself from the sanctity of Silent Hill canon. Update: The Harry, Maria and James in the image above are just custom characters with cheeky names, Konami tells us. Book of Memories features melee combat, guns and what appears to be a smattering of RPG elements. We'll try to get you more specific information as Gamescom continues.
Uncharted: Golden Abyss trailer introduces the dangling participants
Sony Bend's portable Uncharted adventure exhibits all the elements fans have come to expect from the franchise: vibrant graphics, treacherous environments, and cocky fortune hunters. Nice Meryl haircut, lady.
PlayStation Vita getting social networking apps, 'winning' hashtag making a comeback next year
Wondering how you'll be able to most efficiently brag to far away friends about your new PlayStation Vita? Sony's got the answer in the form of newly announced apps for its next generation portable. Vita Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and Skype apps will be landing in the PlayStation Store in Japan before the end of the year. The US and Europe will get their shot at the free apps in early 2012.Update: It is unclear whether the apps will be available when Vita launches. The above dates are actually for the device itself.
