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Crackle's free video service comes to the PlayStation Vita
PlayStation Vita owners looking for a free video fix no longer have to dig through YouTube -- after a long wait, Crackle has launched its service on Sony's handheld. Much like on other devices, Vita owners can now stream no-cost movies, TV shows and shorts, whether they come from Crackle itself or major studios. You don't need an account unless you're keen to sync your viewing list across multiple platforms. If you're the sort of gamer who'd watch Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee after a round of Tearaway, you can visit the new content portal today.
Should you buy the new, slimmer and pricier PlayStation Vita?
Decisions, decisions, decisions. Saying it three times won't make things any easier, but that's where we come in. Sony's latest iteration of the PlayStation Vita handheld, which we're going to call the Vita Slim from now on (as seems to be the fashion), is coming to the UK, having previously only been available in Asia. It's up for pre-order right now and will launch a week from today -- so, do you want one? The choice is ultimately yours, of course, and it's a delicate one, but if the pressure is too much to bear, then head past the break where we explore how the Slim stacks up against the Vita of old, and whether it's really worth the extra £50 (or roughly $80, in US terms) for a console that delivers essentially the same experience.
Sony's slimmer PlayStation Vita coming to the UK for around £180, pre-orders start today
Alright, so perhaps we took Sony's invite to its London PlayStation event a little too seriously when we speculated Vita TV news was on the agenda. Although it's not technically the "slimmest" PS device, Sony's brought us here to welcome the late-2013 PlayStation Vita iteration (aka the PCH-2000) to UK shores. Thinner, lighter and with better battery life than its predecessor (partly due to the use of a new LCD panel instead of the older OLED one), this is the first trip for the new Vita outside of Asia. That plane ride ain't free, though, as the £180 price tag (around $300) is a significant mark-up on the cost of the handheld in its homeland (18,980 yen; around $185), and it's also a tenner more than the original Vita model currently being sold by Amazon UK. Pre-orders for the device start today, with the proper launch penned in for February 7th.
PlayStation Vita TV review: Sony's first mini-console has some growing pains
Sony had a tiny surprise to share just ahead of the Tokyo Games Show: the PS Vita TV, appearing from inside SCE President Andrew House's jacket pocket. Having already announced a new, slender PS Vita handheld less than an hour earlier, Sony showed off this minute console -- roughly the same footprint as a smartphone -- that plays Vita games, PlayStation games and streams video content, as well as music and video from Sony's own store. It can also connect with multiple PS3 DualShock controllers, allowing for proper, responsive gaming -- something we're not quite used to getting from something so tiny. You could see it as a brutal counterstrike from the PlayStation team against the cheap, mini-console likes of OUYA and GameStick, even Huawei. Aside from contemporary Vita titles and indie games, you can also tap into an ever-increasing catalog of hits from yesteryear -- something that the Android and iOS platforms also dip their feet into, but with the peace of mind (read: stability) of PlayStation hardware, and the ability to steer the action with a DualShock controller. Sound like something you'd like to try out? Well, unfortunately, unlike the new PS Vita, this is currently a Japan-only deal. What's more, availability in Nihon is directly tied to compatibility there, too; you'll need a Japanese PSN account to even use it. We're still getting a vague line from SCE on whether it will eventually arrive outside of Japan. (It would be a convenient bit of hardware to sell alongside Sony's PlayStation Now streaming-game service, set to launch in the US later this year, right?) So, is this just a tenuous experiment or a whole new console line for PlayStation? Or, given that it's practically got all the same internals, would you be better off just buying a Vita?
One of gaming's most-used engines arrives today on PlayStation Vita
With PlayStation Vita getting Unity game engine support in today's update, one of gaming's most widely used game engines is heading to Sony's latest handheld. And that means it's all the easier for the dozens of great Unity engine games to head to the Vita as well, to say nothing of future developments. It also means that, when games are ported, they'll have access to the full suite of PlayStation Network features (matchmaking, trophies, etc.); previously, many developers took the PS Mobile publishing route, leaving out rich features many other Vita games enjoyed. As content is the lifeblood of any game console, we're thrilled to see what today's update means for 2014 with PlayStation Vita. Unity's also promising PlayStation 4 support in the near future, which hopefully means that applicable Unity engine games will also have crossbuy support. We can dream, can't we?
PlayStation Now actually works! (update: hands-on video)
You'll excuse us if we didn't expect PlayStation Now to work so well. It's a game-streaming service, and the history of game-streaming services is littered with dead bodies. When Sony spent an unbelievable $380 million on Gaikai, it seemed impossible that the service could ever live up to that incredible sum. While PlayStation Now may not live up to that massive payout, it does, in fact, work. And it works really well. We got our hands on PlayStation Now today at a CES 2014 PlayStation event, where we tried God of War: Ascension on a Bravia TV (without a PS3) and The Last of Us on a Vita. Both games played like there was a local PlayStation 3 (including the incredibly long initial load for The Last of Us) and ran without a hitch. There was zero perceptible lag in our (admittedly brief) playtime, and we suspect that the internet Sony's using is of the very strong variety.
IRL: A look back at the original PlayStation Vita
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. For now, the new PlayStation Vita is available in Japan only, which leaves US gamers with a tough predicament: pay through the nose to import it, or settle for the old model. Even our own Mat Smith, who owns the original Vita, is finding it tough to recommend it over the 2013 edition. But oh, how he does miss that OLED screen.
Minecraft creeps to PlayStation 3 on December 17th
The extensive console exclusivity period Microsoft enjoyed with Minecaft on Xbox 360 is coming to a close, as the first-person world-building game digs in on PlayStation 3 tomorrow. Like its 360 brethren, Minecraft on PS3 is limited by the console's minuscule RAM -- the procedurally-generated worlds you'll explore are just a wee bit smaller than what's possible on a computer. Of course, PlayStation 3 isn't the last stop for the Minecraft train: Vita, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions are all expected at some point in 2014. It's unclear whether the PlayStation version of Minecraft will experience the same flood of add-on, PlayStation-specific content as DLC post-launch, but developer Mojang says that, "would be cool!" We can't help but agree. As far as price is concerned, Mojang and Sony aren't saying; we're gonna take a wild guess that it'll be about the same as on 360, where it's $20.
PlayStation 4 and PS Vita bundle now available in the UK, but it's no bargain
Remember that rumored PlayStation 4 and PS Vita bundle that was due to reach the UK in time for the holidays? It's now official -- if not the discount that some were hoping for. Sony UK head Fergal Gara tells Eurogamer that some stores are carrying the device combo starting today, but it will cost only slightly less than the £500 ($816) you'd pay to get the systems one at a time. Appropriately, a few shops will offer a "soft bundle" that involves regular PS4 and Vita boxes. The kit doesn't make much financial sense, then, but Gara describes this as a philosophical move that highlights the PS4's Remote Play feature. To us, the real problem will be supply; when the PS4 is flying off shelves, there may not be many bundles to sell in the first place.
Sony suspends PlayStation promo code support following network trouble (update)
Sony's PSN woes aren't over just yet. The company has temporarily stopped taking PlayStation promo codes following a surge in traffic on the gaming service; for the moment, money cards and game vouchers won't work. There's no estimate for when code redemption will return. It's easy to see the potential causes, however. Between the weekend, the PlayStation 4's European launch and a big discount on PlayStation Plus subscriptions at Amazon, there's guaranteed to be a deluge of PSN activity -- Sony may have unintentionally created a perfect storm. Update (12/1/13): According to the PlayStation Europe Blog, Sony is "continually increasing the availability of the voucher redemption functionality," so you should see it soon if it's not on your system already. The next step, which we should hear more about tomorrow, is to switch on the What's New activity feed and Live Item in the Content Information Screen for users outside North America.
Is Sony prepping a PlayStation 4 and PS Vita bundle for the UK?
It's the hardware marriage we all assumed (and hoped) would eventually happen. A report over on gaming site MCV claims Sony is planning to offer an 'Ultimate Edition' PlayStation 4 bundle that would include its portable console, the PS Vita, as a pack-in for the UK. Further corroborating this rumor is an alleged image of the bundle (pictured above) said to be featured in MCV's upcoming print edition. If this turns out to be true, Brits could very well see the next-gen PlayStation combo hit retail in time for the holidays, although there's no word on how much it'll cost. Aside from being a match made in gamer heaven, the purported move is somewhat of a no-brainer for Sony, given the PS4's much touted Remote Play functionality (which streams next-gen games to the handheld) and the Vita's less-than-stellar install base. With about a month to go before holiday mania sets in, we should know sooner rather than later just how real this bundle fantasy is and whether it's also destined for US shores.
This is how the PlayStation 4 and Vita hook up via Remote Play
When the PlayStation 4 launches in ten days, it'll need a day one patch to make its touted Remote Play functionality work. The Vita's already all set, having just received the patch it needed to enable the PS4 Link application. We even gave you an idea of how the new feature works from the Tokyo Game Show earlier this year. The only missing piece of the puzzle, then, is how the Vita and the PS4 actually hook up -- Sony is thankfully illuminating that final piece today in the video we've dropped just below the break!
PocketStation app brings the niche peripheral joys of 1999 to the PS Vita
That big important announcement regarding Sony's PocketStation? Well, it was a little zealous to call it important, because rather than anything as thrilling as a hardware revival, Sony's brought back its memory-card-with-a-screen as a charming but limited app for its Vita handheld. Having said that, the company's already gone to the effort of crafting a dedicated portal for compatible games (including Metal Gear Solid: Integral and Final Fantasy VIII). The app isn't standalone, and requires one of those compatible titles to function at all. For now, it's an exclusive free download for PS Plus users in Japan, and there's no official noises so far that it'll appear anywhere beyond those shores at least for now. However, the original hardware did work with compatible overseas titles pre-millennium, so there's at least a chance, if not a particularly huge one.
Sony updates PlayStation Vita to let it remotely play PS4 games (video)
Sony has been crowing about the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita's love affair since last February, and with the latter's latest software update Hirai and pals are making good on those promises. Perhaps its most important feature is the PS4 Link, which acts as a sort of wireless umbilical cord between the next-gen console and the portable. PS4 Link allows certain PS4 games to be played on the Vita, and it turns the handheld into a second screen for some titles as well. Also tucked into the patch are parental controls that govern playtime and content ratings, changes to messaging, tweaks to the friends list and a panoramic camera option. In further good news, the update also allows you to automatically download future patches (finally!) and send messages between Vita, mobile devices and PS4 users. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're off to hibernate for 11 days so the PS4 Link can make itself useful.
Sony's PlayStation 4 will require a Day One update, mobile app to be released pre-launch
Sony's PlayStation 4 US launch is now less than a month away and -- surprise, surprise -- it's going to require a Day One system update. The company just announced today that a significant software patch (about 300MB in size) will be necessary to enable a slew of functionality, like Remote Play on PS Vita and the Share button, that Sony's been championing through the year. Also going hand-in-hand with this patch is the release of Sony's second screen PlayStation App, which will be available on November 13th in the US (just two days before launch) and on the 22nd in Europe on both Android and iOS.
Weekly Roundup: HTC One Max review, PS Vita review, Apple confirms iPad event and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Daily Roundup: NVIDIA Gamestream, Playstation Vita review, an interview with Pebble and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
PlayStation Vita review (2013)
It's about time Sony's next-generation handheld got a redesign. Not that the new PS Vita is so different from the original models. The screen's no bigger, and it hasn't lost any backward compatibility either. In fact, nearly everything that Sony's changed here is for the better (and that includes the fizzy new array of colors too). Perhaps the biggest negative, however, is that the new Vita is a Japan-only device, at least for now. But importers delight: our non-Japanese PSN account worked fine (as did our game cards), and with 1GB of built-in memory, there's the possibility that you won't need to pony up more money for Sony's pricey Vita memory cards. But how does that cheaper screen fare against its predecessor's sparkling OLED? And can you play it for more than five hours? Keep reading, folks: we've got some good news and some bad news.
PlayStation 4 mobile app headed to Vita in next update, dubbed 'PS4 Link'
When is Sony's PlayStation 4 mobile app coming to Android and iOS? That's still unknown, but apparently it'll arrive on Sony's own PlayStation Vita handheld in the "next update." That's according to SCE Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida answering questions on Twitter (as per usual). He also refers to the app as "PS4 Link" -- in previous sightings, the software was referred to as the "PlayStation App." As for when the next update arrives on Vita that's another unknown, though we'd expect as much before the PS4's November 15th retail launch. Sony says the app will enable browsing your friends list and messaging players, watching and sharing streamed gameplay clips, and more -- it also stands to reason that Vita's version of the app will enable Remote Play functionality, though we'll have to put it to the test later this year when Sony's new game console arrives at Engadget HQ.
Weekly Roundup: iPhone 5s and 5c reviews, Droid Maxx review, iOS 7 available to download, and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
