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Sony's PlayStation Vita: first hands-on impressions
We've seen Sony's PlayStation Vita, and more importantly, what it can do -- but this evening, we touched that Next Generation Portable for the very first time. How does it compare to its single-sticked predecessor? And will we make another Madonna joke? Find out after the break.Update: Sony wouldn't let us take any pictures or video of the Vita at the time of this post, but we just got some on the E3 show floor.
Sony press conference wrapup: PS Vita rears its touchscreened head
So close, and yet -- no! Just close. Very close to achieving a rare E3 prediction Bingo, as seen in the marked-out card above. There was certainly no shortage of news between the pricing and naming of the PS Vita and a metric ton of Uncharted demos -- but man, if we'd gotten a new PS3 bundle, we would have been made in the shade. Check out the full wrapup after the jump!
Ruin to bring social-action-RPG hybrid to PS Vita and PS3
Sony has announced a fairly neat sounding application for the PS Vita's beefy social networking features -- it's a "social-action-RPG" called Vita, which sees players create their own hero and lair, and siege the lairs of their friends (and rivals!) The top-down, Diablo-style lootfest will also have a PS3 version, which allows players to transfer (transfarr?) their saves between the two versions at-will.
PlayStation Vita launches globally by end of 2011, starting at $249
Before Kaz Hirai or any other Sony officials announced the actual price of the recently renamed PlayStation Vita, the company's PR wing tipped us off to the price and release date: PlayStation Vita will launch worldwide starting "by the end of 2011," and will arrive in two models starting at $249. SCE detailed the two separate PSV models as a 3G/Wi-Fi version running $299/€299/¥29,980, and a Wi-Fi-only model for $249/ €249/¥24,980. The release is unclear as to which territory will receive it first. Sony excuses the bizarre name by explaining its Latin roots, saying "Vita" was specifically chosen for its meaning of "life." Apparently Sony believes mobile gaming is life? We're trying here, but it's ... it's kind of a bizarre name.
Sony's PlayStation Vita official: $249 for WiFi, $299 for 3G
Details about Sony's new handheld have been trickling out for months in the form of spec sheets and fantastic footage of its quad core capabilities. All that, and we still didn't know how much she'd cost or when we could get our grubby paws around one. Thankfully for those tuned in at E3, said mystery is a mystery no more -- the Vita will be listed at $249 for the WiFi-only model, or $299 for the 3G version. Sony's Kaz Hirai confirmed will be available exclusively through AT&T, with both models shipping worldwide toward the end of 2011. For those of you camped out overseas, prices are set for ¥24,980 (WiFi) and ¥29,980 (3G) in Japan, while those closer to that other pond will see tags of €249 and €299.The device, also known as the PS Vita, offers up six-axis motion sensors, dual analog controls (proper ones, with thumbsticks), front- and rear-facing cameras, an OLED touchscreen, and a touchpad on the back, too. The company showed off a number of top-tier titles, including Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a hack-and-slash RPG called Ruin, a new ModNation Racers, LittleBigPlanet, and Street Fighter x Tekken, each showing off plenty of motion and touch interactivity... things that we couldn't be more elated to try for ourselves in due time. They're all looking quite good, and honestly a bit more advanced than what the 3DS has delivered so far -- for the same money.Update: Check out our hands-on impressions from E3!%Gallery-125550%
NGP officially named 'PlayStation Vita'
It's not exactly the world's best kept secret, is it? Sony's next handheld officially became the "PlayStation Vita" this afternoon at the company's E3 2011 press conference. And you can stop pronouncing it "Vite-Uh," as Sony Computer Entertainment head Kaz Hirai repeatedly pronounced it "Veeta." Hazaa! We'll have a ton of hands-on coverage with PlayStation Vita's games as the week progresses, but we'd love to hear your reaction to the new name right now in the comments.
BioShock universe game coming to NGP
You guys read that headline? Cause that's what we know. The illusive Ken Levine just said that there's a "pet project" that Irrational's been kicking around for a while that will live on NGP. And it's BioShock-related. That's all we know. But like, isn't that enough to pique your interest? It's enough for us. Man, when did you guys get so jaded?
Sony files for 'PS Vita' trademark in Europe, intends to do something Next Generation with it
The words "PS Vita" and "PlayStation Vita" have just made their way through the EU Trademarks and Designs Registration Office, courtesy of a set of new applications from none other than Sony Computer Entertainment. The name PS Vita showed up in some source code on an official Sony site late last week, though it's still not certain that it'll be the official branding for the company's Next Generation Portable. "Vita" means "life" in Italian, so a literal translation would be PlayStation Life. For now, all we know is that the NGP will be large and in charge at E3, and the best way to find out how this Vita moniker relates to it will be to tune in to our Sony keynote liveblog later today, which can be found right over here.
Sony 'PS Vita' logo appears on EU trademark registry filing
On friday, while no one was peeking, Sony Computer Entertainment was quietly filing to trademark the name "PS Vita" and a logo in Europe. But NeoGAF forum user B.D. noticed, and pointed out the Trademarks and Designs Registration Office of the European Union (breath) filing this morning, which again hints at the repeatedly rumored final name of Sony's codenamed handheld, the NGP. Additionally, Sony Computer Entertainment filed for the name "PlayStation Vita." Unfortunately, none of the listings specifically spell out what exactly the trademark is for -- each of the three listings denotes a wide range of potential applications, including gaming (and specifically handheld gaming). It's likely we'll find out what's what tomorrow evening, when Sony's E3 2011 presser kicks off, and the company is expected to put a final name on its upcoming handheld.
E3 2011: The big schedule
The big week is almost upon us, folks: E3 2011. And if this week is any indication of days to come, we'll have a constant flow of news mainlined directly from Los Angeles to your think meat. With that in mind, there are a handful of focal points throughout the week that will assuredly strike you as high priority, and as such, we thought a roadmap guiding you to those particular moments -- whether you're in Shibuya, or Queens, or anywhere else for that matter -- would be of particular use. After the break you'll find just that: a guide to the biggest presentations of E3 2011. We'll of course be on the ground in LA, keeping you as up to date as our brains and hands will allow. Wondering where to find it all? For E3 specific coverage, head to Joystiq's E3 Hub for all things E-triple.
Sony NGP soaks up the pre-E3 glitz in official demo videos
With E3 2011 just around the corner, expectations for Nintendo announcements are mighty high, but you can get a glimpse at the heat Sony's packing before another day goes by. The official PlayStation.Blog spat out some footage of the quad-core NGP in action, and it's not just playing last-gen games; rather, there's yet another glimpse at Uncharted, a brand new platformer called Sound Shapes where you build levels with a music sequencer (and which procedurally generates tunes as you play) and a taste of the cross-platform PS3 vs. NGP wireless racing you can expect in Wipeout HD. There's definitely a lot of dual-analog action here, but demonstrators are also taking advantage of that five-inch touchscreen, and Wipeout will apparently use the front-facing camera to beam taunt-filled pictures and video of the victor to the losers in each race.You'll note that Sony's focusing on software over hardware here, and that's not by accident -- the company's careful to state that we're looking at early dev units. "They're the right size, but they don't possess that final PlayStation-quality fit and finish," says the official blog, "What you'll eventually be able to pick up in a store will look a heck of a lot better." Two more vids after the break.
Konami announces Silent Hill: Book of Memories for NGP
During its pre-E3 presentation (at approximately 22:20), Konami revealed a brand new title in the Silent Hill franchise, Silent Hill: Book of Memories. The game is slated for release on Sony's upcoming NGP (or is that PS Vita?) handheld. Series producer Tom Hulett offered few details on the game, saying only that it will be exclusive to Sony's portable and that it will be released "later on down the road" from the newly announced Silent Hill Collection.
Sony NGP confirmed to be backwards compatible with downloaded PSP games
There was a bit of confusion over what sort of backwards compatibility the Sony NGP would have when it was announced earlier this year, but it looks like that particular mystery's now been cleared up. Eurogamer reports that the NGP (or whatever it's eventually called) will be indeed compatible with existing PSP games -- of the downloadable variety only, of course. What's more, the site says that it has actually seen Resistance: Retribution demonstrated on the handheld, and that all PSP games are run via a software emulator that will let you turn upscaling on or off to suit your preference -- games will also be able to take advantage of the NGP's dual analog sticks (to control your character's view in Resistance, for instance). As Eurogamer notes, that sounds similar to Sony's remastering effort for PSP titles on the PS3, which also promises to add cross-device playability. Might the NGP also get in on that act? We should know more at E3 next week.
Feast your eyes on a menagerie of new NGP game images
We may not know much about Sony's NGP (or is it PlayStation Vita?) just yet, but we do have a whole mess of new images from its game lineup. After the break, you'll find eight (eight!) galleries of brand new screens, pulled from Uncharted, Wipeout, Little Deviants, and many more.
Sony NGP may become 'PS Vita,' give us 100 percent of our RDI of handheld gaming
If you're like us, you've been spending most of your time in the lead up to E3 scouring the source code of gaming company sites searching for clues about next week's announcements. We happened to miss Sony's "Vita" namedrop in the code of a post about the "future of handhelds," but one reader managed to catch it before the company removed it completely. The inclusion of the name is the latest in a series of slip ups that lend credence to the notion that the decidedly generic Next Generation Portable title isn't the official name for the company's less investment heavy handheld. There's certainly the possibility that Sony was using the name PS Vita while developing the device internally, though mentions seem to be popping up more and more as we push closer to the big event. Either way, we're certain to get a big dose of vitamin Sony in a matter of days.
PlayStation website source code reinforces PS Vita name
It's looking more and more likely that Sony's new handheld, currently known as the NGP, may soon receive "PS Vita" as its official name. The source code on Sony's own E3 2011 contains a handful of references to the name, including two subdirectories apparently labeled "Games and Media" and "Features." Attempts to access either subdirectory leads to "page not found" errors for the moment. This is the second time the name has been discovered on one of Sony's own websites, having previously been spotted on the SCE developer site. Again, it's possible that Sony is simply using an internal codename for the device, though evidence to the contrary is certainly starting to add up.
Vita.SCEdev.net website spurs more speculation
As we all know, one website name is more than enough to confirm the rumored final name of the temporarily named NGP as "PlayStation Vita." Okay, okay, we may be getting ahead of ourselves a bit, but it is certainly interesting that Sony's developer sites contain a curious subdomain: Vita.SCEdev.net. So, why does Sony have a developer subdomain with the word "Vita" involved? Your guess is as good as ours. We do know that the site scedev.net is most certainly registered to Sony's UK branch, and a handful of other subdomains tied to Sony gaming products also work (PSP, NGP, and PS3, for instance), while random words only elicit a "page not found" error. As per usual, we've contacted Sony for comment, and are more than happy to hear from you internet supersleuths who see something in this that we don't. [Image credit: GamesPundit]
Rumor: NGP to be officially named 'PS Vita,' renamed at E3
Sony's second handheld console will undoubtedly be given the star treatment during the company's hours-long June 6 press conference at E3, but one particular rumor began circulating this morning and has been making the rounds rather quickly. According to anonymous sources speaking with two separate, unknown sites, the NGP will officially become the "PS Vita" as of just a few weeks from now, during the aforementioned E3 presser. Two images were initially posted to one of the sites yesterday -- a Blogspot site owned by someone named Hugo Miramontes -- though the shots were later taken down along with the post. In its place, a note now sits, which reads, "This has to be one of the stupidest things I've ever done. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry. I really am." We reached out to Miramontes for comment, and had yet to hear back as of publishing. A cached version of another now deleted post, which originally indicated just the "PS Vita" name, has comments from the blog's author, explaining that the images are "prepared graphics for E3." That said, all of this could be little more than a well-crafted hoax. Lest you forget, before the NGP was officially confirmed, multiple rumors pegged the system as being codenamed "Vita" and/or "Veta." Of course, Sony could've just stuck with the name, but it could also be that there are folks on the internet with plenty of extra time on their hands. Hit the poll below the break and let us know what you think of the images and the name. And hey, if you're real into Photoshop and wanna tear apart those shots for the obvious hoaxes they are (are they?), we'd love to hear from you!
