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PlayStation (Games) Television

Sony Unveils the PS Vita TV and Slimmer Vita Handheld 86

Posted by Unknown Lamer from the but-does-it-run-xbmc dept.
Dave Knott writes "Sony today announced the PS Vita TV box. Measuring 6.5cm by 10.5cm, it can play Vita games on your television, stream content via HDMI or wirelessly, and play all the existing PlayStation Network content available on the standard Vita platform. This is seen by some analysts as an attempt by Sony to compete with such devices as the Ouya and Apple TV. The PS Vita TV is so far announced for a Japan-only release in early 2014 at a price of approximately $100 US. In related news, Sony also announced a lighter, slimmer, more colorful iteration of the standard Vita handheld console." The $100 model does not come with a controller; a $150 model was also announced that will include a Dualshock 3 and an 8G memory card.
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Sony Unveils the PS Vita TV and Slimmer Vita Handheld More

Sony Unveils the PS Vita TV and Slimmer Vita Handheld

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  • multiple account support! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by neuro88 ( 674248 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @06:41PM (#44803415)
    I think this is a great idea if they can finally start allowing your vita to have multiple accounts at once. Currently, the only way to switch accounts is to reset the thing to factory defaults (which involves watching an annoying video when it starts for the "first" time), as well as format your memory card. This is pretty inconvenient on a portable, but would be flat out ridiculous on more of a home console type system.
    • This is Sony: everything they know about 'sharing' they learned from RIAA fishing expeditions...

  • Japanese release, eh? (Score:3)

    by fuzzyfuzzyfungus ( 1223518 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @07:16PM (#44803611) Journal
    I'd be curious to know how (though probably never will) regional price sensitivities will factor in to the decision to launch or not launch a device such as this in various areas:

    Especially now that 'current-gen handheld' is dangerously close to 'surprisingly endurable even on a large TV, if TV-out exists, and probably shares many components with common cellphones', the notion of shoving a cost-optimized version of one into a box along with a component video cable and calling it a console in markets too price sensitive to be good sellers for your 'serious' console might actually work pretty well. However, outside of the hardcore, it might work a little too well even among people who could afford your 'real' console; but really just want to putz around on something so why pay more?

    I wonder if that will factor into Sony's regional release strategy: a screenless, battery-less, not wildly powerful Cortex-A9/SGX543 ARM SoC board isn't likely to be getting more expensive as time passes, and online sales from the back catalog are likely to be either pure profit or pure cost recovery of a game that flopped long ago; but having such a potentially-aggressively-priced option on the market might not help move newer products...

  • Dying handhelds (Score:5, Interesting)

    by TJamieson ( 218336 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @07:17PM (#44803615)

    This seems to be Sony's hedging of their bets that maybe handheld gaming devices are in their dying days. They get to turn the Vita into a pseudo-console/PS4 accessory and keep developers on the Vita platform in general. Maybe this is what Nintendo should be doing instead of a 2DS?

    • vita did shitty due to its like 3 good games and overpriced memory. Nintendo is kinda in the opposite hear there 3ds is doing awesome the wii-u is collecting dust.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

        funny psp was shitty due to its like 3 good games, overpriced memory, and a new model every freaking year with all new accessories

        seems they did not learn much from psp

        • true at launch the psp had the same problem but it had a massive library of good games by the time it ended granted that took like the first 5 years of its life to get there. also sandisk closed thpse overproce cards and made cheap ones the price on pro duo went from insane to nearly overnight. as for the new models there was a reason for this. psp 1001 model original fat model with ir quit bulky and heavy and power hungry.it was also known for the umd door spring to fail. psp 2000 slimmer lighter ir remov

    • This seems to be Sony's hedging of their bets that maybe handheld gaming devices are in their dying days. They get to turn the Vita into a pseudo-console/PS4 accessory and keep developers on the Vita platform in general. Maybe this is what Nintendo should be doing instead of a 2DS?

      Nintendo's problem is really that the Wii U doesn't have any games. 3DS games are designed for dual screen and touch, so you can't put those on a TV, and a Wii U accessory to stream the games that don't exist for the Wii U solves nothing.

      The approach they are taking is probably the best course of action: Fix the lack of games on the Wii U.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by aiadot ( 3055455 )
      Dying handhelds are a thing of the NA and EU (I don't like the "west" generalization). In Japan, handhelds are the main platforms. The thing is that for a global company like sony to release a region exclusive console simply doesn't make sense in the big picture(specially now under the "One Sony" plan). That is why in my opinion the VitaTV can potentially be a stroke of genius.

      1) In Japan there are these popular PS3 accessories called Nasne and Torne which help integrate the PS3 and the TV more allowing TV

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        1) In Japan there are these popular PS3 accessories called Nasne and Torne which help integrate the PS3 and the TV more allowing TV show recording alongside a few other minor features. The vita TV seems to be the PS4 version of these devices.

        So THAT'S where Microsoft got their Xbox One ideas. Only a matter of time before it records, or maybe that's why the Japanese release is delayed... built in video recording...

      • There's a PS3 TV device in Europe called Play TV. It is not very successful but it has a niche as a cheap way of making a PS3 into a PVR.

    • And practically for free, too. They already have the hardware suppliers and game developers and software catalogue. It'd be a mistake for them not to cover the "microconsole" market when the risk is so low.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Therad ( 2493316 )
      The problem is that most 3ds-games have dual screen in mind so nintendo will not be able to ditch one screen.

      The 2DS strategy is simply a trick to get more children to play nintendo games. It is more durable than 3DS and no 3D (if you are afraid that your children will be damaged by that)
    • Nintendo's already sort of bridging the gap- it's a fascinating strategy really. They've got a console that works on a TV, but can also be played using only its own controller with built in screen. In addition to that, they're working on improving integration with their current handheld, the 2/3DS for games such as the upcoming Smash Bros, allowing multiplayer between the handheld and console versions. Personally I'm still torn on whether or not to get both!

      It's a bit risky- they're not the most powerful

  • awesome! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Gravis Zero ( 934156 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @07:25PM (#44803679)

    it's like buying a half-assed PS3 with equally half-assed games! games designed for a small screen are not going to translate well to a large screen. i'll stick to my PS3 and (soon) PS4.

    • it's like buying a half-assed PS3 with equally half-assed games!

      I'd say it's more like the GB Player all over again, but as you note without the massive good collection of games.

      games designed for a small screen are not going to translate well to a large screen. i'll stick to my PS3 and (soon) PS4.

      See, the former is not the issue in theory*. The latter is more the issue. If you're likely to have to buy a bunch of games anyways to enjoy the system, you might as well get a full console. The catch, of cours

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        It's too bad Ouya turned out to be such a massive fail.

    • You are not the target audience. Sony already has your money. The untold millions who might buy a $100 Android phone or tablet over a Vita or PS4 are the real audience.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gspeare ( 470147 )

      I don't have a PSP and wanted to play Valkyria Chronicles 2 on a real screen with a real controller. This sounds like exactly what I was looking for...except for the Japan-only part.

  • I already have one (Score:3)

    by Anubis IV ( 1279820 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @07:43PM (#44803809)

    It streams video to my TV from Sony's video delivery platform, plays Sony games on the TV, does Netflix, etc., etc., etc..

    For some reason they call it a Playstation 3 though...

  • Is to convince people to BUY PS Vita and it's games. It has the worst adoption rate of ALL handheld games, Even the out of date PSP still outsells it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Dzimas ( 547818 )

      Is to convince people to BUY PS Vita and it's games. It has the worst adoption rate of ALL handheld games, Even the out of date PSP still outsells it.

      Then it's a good thing that the Vita TV will also play PSP and PSOne games.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Osgeld ( 1900440 )

        who cares, psp already does that as well, on your tv, whats my incentive to shell out more money for 5 games that dont suck

      • Then it's a good thing that the Vita TV will also play PSP and PSOne games.

        Only selected PSOne games. And you'll have to buy them again. Got a PSOne game on CD? Got a PSP game on UMD? Vita don't play that. Here, buy it all over again to get the download.

        • True, but once you do, you can have it on multiple devices at once.

        • I imagine that people who already own a lot of PSP and PSone games will just play them on their PSPs and PSones. I haven't had the latter since the early '00s and never owned the former so they're actually a big part of the Vita's appeal.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Lumpy ( 12016 )

        REally? where do I insert the disc?
        Oh wait, you cant.

  • ny portable playstation product doesn't want to live. No one cares how solid the platform is. No one cared how solid a neo-geo platform was either, or even how simple it was to program for the Game Gear because it reused 99% of the SMS platform. NO ONE'S GOING TO BUY IT, JUST LIKE NO ONE BOUGHT THE LAST ONE.

  • Lack of touchscreen is not a problem. (Score:3)

    by goruka ( 1721094 ) on Monday September 09, 2013 @09:02PM (#44804285)
    If using the DualShock 3 poses the problem of lack of touchscreen for some games, I'm sure Sony will allow using a PSVita as controller, so you can actually.. oh, wait..

  • That made so many people just shit rainbows with their psp! Wasteland of shovelware, half the features are broke or useless and what does Sony do? release a slim model, that doesnt work with any of the shit you already have.

    Good job guys, thats how you dominate the handheld market, not that pussy shit like Nintendo did ... backwards compatibility for damn near 30 years and a great library of games, no sir! its fucking usb cables and controller sales!

    • what does Sony do? release a slim model, that doesnt work with any of the shit you already have.

      But if you already have a PSP, why would you need a new one?

      And although Nintendo's portable platforms did have some backwards compatibility later versions of some of the handhelds reduce it. The GBA Micro doesn't play GB or GBC games for example. There's also no GBA slot on newer DS's.

      • You're right regarding backward compatibility- but at least having the OPTION is nice. Sure the 3DS can't play GBA games, but it still does DS games just fine. Likewise did the GBA happily play GB games... the Wii played Gamecube, and the Wii U played Wii. I don't need to be able to plug NES carts into the Wii U, but at least continuing to support the previous gen is nice. One less thing for me to hook into the TV.

        As a man with a broken PS2, the main thing holding me back from buying one of the cheap new

  • A lot of people are missing the best feature (Score:5, Informative)

    by brunes69 ( 86786 ) <`gro.daetsriek' `ta' `todhsals'> on Tuesday September 10, 2013 @08:23AM (#44806639)

    A lot of people are harping on about how lame this is without noticing the most important feature of this device.

    This device can do anything a Vita can do, *INCLUDING PS4 REMOTE PLAY*. IE, with this device you can play your PS4 on your bedroom TV while the PS4 is in the basement. This is a huge feature because it basically makes you able to extend your PS4 to any room in the house for $100.

    Furthermore, this works over the internet, just like the Vita. So you can bring this tiny little box on trips and hook it up to the hotel TV to play your PS4 games on the road.

    It is a HUGE product. I think Sony is not marketing it properly because no one is understanding all the features.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Therad ( 2493316 )
      Will the games play remotely without a disc in the PS4? And will it stream fullHD (since vita doesn't have it)?

    • This could be really cool if it could 'split screen' multiplayer FPS across televisions. This would be like having to PS4s.

  • I was one of those who purchased a PS Vita sometime ago. I found the selection of games to be mostly casual style games. The cost of the games is prohibitive to anyone but those with disposable income. I've seen a number of games on there cost upwards of £29, where the same game can be bought for IOS for a lot less (£2 or below). Until Sony sort this out, it's always going to be a niche player (if that) and nothing more. It a shame, as the hardware is the PS Vita is powerful enough to have

  • While many people won't admit it, most people usually enjoy fingering something in the back to give them enjoyment.

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