The Surprising Second Life of the PlayStation Vita 161
First time accepted submitter jonyami writes "It's been a slow start for Sony's latest handheld console, despite the console-like quality games that were shown off at launch, and its excellent screen and tactile controls you could take on the go, but you only have to look at the upcoming Christmas line-up to see where it's lagging behind. That said, a new article points out there's still life in the relatively-fresh handheld yet. With the arrival of the PlayStation 4 and a whole new wave of indie games and HD remakes heading to the handheld, it looks like Sony's plucky portable console is still going — but is that enough to save the Vita?"
Is that thing still around? (Score:1, Interesting)
Second Life? Is that thing still around?!
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It was great, except for the griefers, furries and zoophiles...
Re:Is that thing still around? (Score:5, Funny)
And the griefers, furries and zoophiles think it's great except for the churches.
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Your nick makes it even funnier.
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Yep. Downloading it just now, to see what all this fuss has been about. Seriously...
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Sony hasn't given up on it yet (Score:2)
There you go - no end to read the linked story. But nothing in the story suggests that sales continue to be anything but dismal.
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Indeed. And being an overpriced remote control for a PS4 is hardly a fitting existence for the handheld.
The sales aren't there to keep AAA developers interested, and without AAA games there's little to keep buyers interested.
Re: Sony hasn't given up on it yet (Score:3, Informative)
Speak for yourself. I bought a vita for the SOLE PURPOSE of using it with Ps4 remote play. And thus far I find it amazing.
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Not to mention its future collector value.
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I bought it because it blends.
Re:Sony hasn't given up on it yet (Score:4, Insightful)
Aside from Nintendo, AAA developers have never really been interested in handhelds to begin with. They usually just farm out their IP to some second rate developer, who makes a crappy handheld version, then use the lack of sales to justify their lack of support for the platform.
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Resale, rental, input, pricing, exclusives (Score:5, Informative)
Not like you can access the hardware to do anything with the thing that isn't corp approved
And you're comparing this to SteamOS boxes? I don't recall Valve or any of its hardware partners saying anything about running games on them that aren't yet approved on Steam.
As I was pointing out to some folks thinking of buying a console there really is NO upsides to the consoles over the PC this gen
Resale and rental of games. Use with no Internet connection for weeks at a time, such as by deployed service members. A tradition [slashdot.org] of using multiple controllers and one machine rather than trying to sell multiple copies to each household. Motion control (or does the Steam Controller have an accelerometer?). Possibly tying up the family PC while a game is being played. And possibly price, unless one of the SteamOS boxes with enough computing power to run games locally starts selling for $400.
and when it comes to handhelds? Well the mobile devices like tablets and phones are getting crazy powerful
Computing power can't always overcome input deficiency. PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS come with an integrated controller that has physical buttons. Most tablets don't. Tablets like the JXD S5110 and Archos GamePad do but they're much harder to find in showrooms than Sony and Nintendo products. Besides, the pricing expectations on Android encourage the development of tiny snack-sized minigames rather than meal-sized AAA games. Part of this can be blamed on Google for not getting Google Checkout (now Google Wallet) implemented in enough countries during Android's first year, so apps in Android Market (now Google Play Store) had to be priced at $0.00 with ads to reach a wide audience.
What we need is for somebody to come along and do like Valve is doing with the Steambox on the mobile front, come out with a minimum set of specs and control layout and then let all the companies compete.
I think that's what NVIDIA's Shield is supposed to do: if you have this Tegra chipset and these buttons, you can run these games.
But I think the days of separate game handhelds will soon be over, folks don't like carrying extra devices around and if your phone or tablet is already crazy powerful why not just use it to game?
Because my phone is an Audiovox 8610, which isn't exactly crazy powerful. I keep it around because if I were to upgrade to even the least expensive smartphone, my Virgin Mobile bill would rise from $7 per month to $35 per month. And because people aren't aware of an Android alternative to 3DS system sellers like Animal Crossing: New Leaf or Pokemon Y ("Pocket Money"?).
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As I was pointing out to some folks thinking of buying a console there really is NO upsides to the consoles over the PC this gen
Resale and rental of games. Use with no Internet connection for weeks at a time, such as by deployed service members. A tradition [slashdot.org] of using multiple controllers and one machine rather than trying to sell multiple copies to each household. Motion control (or does the Steam Controller have an accelerometer?). Possibly tying up the family PC while a game is being played. And possibly price, unless one of the SteamOS boxes with enough computing power to run games locally starts selling for $400.
console games are fun to play because you sit on the couch in your living room. computer games you play at a desk, facing a wall. i spend all day at work facing a wall. why would I want to do it again at home?
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console games are fun to play because you sit on the couch in your living room.
The same is true of computer games once you connect your second computer's HDMI output to your TV's HDMI input and connect an Xbox 360 controller, USB HID controller, Steam Controller, or Lenovo's N5902 handheld Bluetooth keyboard and trackball [microsoftstore.com]. Have a look in the controller-friendly section of Steam.
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once you've gone to all that trouble, why don't y ou just play xbox. pc games aren't designed for living room use.
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once you've gone to all that trouble
What trouble? The nonexistent sort of trouble?
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
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Let me guess, you're one of those cheap-ass former pirates who only buys games on Steam Sales and then wonders why PC development houses and publishers aren't paying as much attention to the PC.
It's because the console gamers are subsidizing development! They see it this way:
Console gamers: Willing to pay $60 bucks for an immersive game with lots of playtime like Skyrim
PC Gamers: Cheapskates who are only willing to pay $5 for the same game, not even taking into account the Eastern Europeans and BRIC'ers w
PlayStation Greatest Hits vs. Steam sales (Score:2)
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Perhaps Skyrim is a bad example, but how is it losing when we see the following sentence so often on Slashdot:
"I only buy games during Steam sales... I paid $5 $X game."
For being cheap - check out games like Skyrim, still 40-30â (not cheap dollars lol) and still consistently in the top 10 best selling.
I strike a little too close to the target, Euro-gamer? We all know that Europe, especially Eastern Europe is a pirate haven.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2013/05/15/finally-some-objective-figures-on-games-piracy/ [forbes.com]
http://chartsbin.com/view/1188 [chartsbin.com]
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Oh please, even if Eastern Europe gets economic parity, it'll still be a piracy haven. The people there now expect free media/games, they got into the habit of not paying and they're not going to start.
Do I need to point out all the .po, .hu, .ru, .ro etc hosted piracy websites.
If they can't pay for it, they shouldn't steal it. Just because I don't have big bucks for a Ferrari doesn't give me the right to take it.
And don't give me that "Software is just bits and piracy doesn't deprive the original owner"
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> "I only buy games during Steam sales... I paid $5 $X game."
I've paid my dues of buying games at $60 for years ... most of them were crap.
I'll wait till a game has a Metacritic score of > 85, and 2 years when the "gold" version comes out with all the patches. Plus I can turn all the details on High and have a nice smooth framerate.
> check out games like Skyrim,
Skyrim is STILL $30+. Not buying it until it is $20. I have 300 games in my library to play UNTIL then.
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I'll wait till a game has a Metacritic score of > 85, and 2 years when the "gold" version comes out with all the patches.
You're missing out on some good games that way, there are some good games that get lower scores because they are "niche" in some way.
Skyrim is STILL $30+. Not buying it until it is $20.
What? $30 is too much for a game with a metacritic score over 90, that has won game of the year/RPG of the year awards on all 3 platforms that is available on, and that has been out for 2 years and the "Gold" edition ie "legendary edition" came out a few months back? The game who's predecessors by the same company were also highly regarded? The game with more gameplay than
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The SMART gaming houses have ALREADY FIGURED OUT how to make mad money even WITH the Steam sales..ready to have your mind blown? here it comes....its called DLC!
Oh, DLC, you mean that thing that a good portion of Slashdot thinks is the DRM Devil-in-Disguise and not worth paying for? You've obviously seen the hate for DLC on Slashdot.
But hey you wanna get assraped by consoles that treat you as a combination walking wallet and shoplifter?
Don't be a misogynist and use the term "ass-rape". And how am I getting "ass-raped" Game companies are businesses, they're in the business of making money, they're going to see us as a wallet. You're in favor of DLC and you don't think they see the buyers of DLC as a wallet? That's what some on Slashdot say!
But if the devs weren't making money on Steam sales guess what? They wouldn't HAVE THEM. Its called supply and demand,
Perhaps they only have t
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> You're missing out on some good games that way, there are some good games that get lower scores because they are "niche" in some way.
1. RPGs suck up a lot of time: Last year I played Diablo 3 for 1 month (total waste of money), Borderlands 2 for 1 month, Torchlight 2 for 1 month, BF3 for 2 weeks, 1 month on Resident Evil 5 (which was crap); this year I've spent 3 months playing PoE, 1 month on Tomb Raider (which is the epitome of everything with the game industry.) Where am I supposed to find the tim
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Skyrim: Legendary Edition (which includes 3 addons) is on sale for $20.39 for a few days.
http://store.steampowered.com/sub/28187/ [steampowered.com]
Like I said, $30 is $10 too much. It pays to wait for Steam Summer / Christmas sales.
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I was referring to the following sentence we so very often on Slashdot:
"I only buy games during Steam sales... I paid $5 $X game."
Yes, there are full price games on Steam, just like there are $5 games on PSN....but it seems most steam aficionados on Slashdot are the "wait till it's 5 bucks" consumers....who then wonder why developers treat the PC as an after thought.
And did I hit a little close to home on the Euro-pirate thing?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2013/05/15/finally-some-objective-figu [forbes.com]
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Oh yes, the piracy in eastern europe - why they even pirate whole *consoles* there! They don't even settle for the games! the humanity! Nothing what so ever to do with steam except that steams zone pricing might actually reduce piracy. Which is a good thing no?
Might... yeah well it's become custom now... they just expect free games and media now. It's why they like the PC so much, easy piracy. Heck that's why eastern european developers are PC centric... most of them are full of pirates who grabbed every Speccy/Amiga/Soviet TRASH-80 clone game they could. Consoles had import duties/restrictions/weren't sold there and piracy wasn't easy.
Now they're getting a taste of their own medicine.
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Trouble:
hauling your computer into the same room as the tv, then back out when you want to get work done
setting up a selection of games mostly designed for play with keyboard/mouse to work with a controller
having a big computer with a noisy fan sitting there in the living room
The Steambox is, admittedly, designed to attack all these points, so maybe soon it will be the year of PC Gaming In The Living Room.
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pc games are designed to be up close. all the font is 16 point. the on screen systems are very information dense. this doesn't work from across the room, regardless if its an xbox or a computer.
Font size (Score:2)
pc games are designed to be up close. all the font is 16 point.
This is true of some PC games, I admit, but not all of them. Look for controller-friendly designations in Steam and other stores. And before you buy, look at screenshots or YouTube playthroughs. If the text is still readable when a screenshot is resized to 432x240, or when a video is played at 240p, they'll still be readable at a TV seating distance.
this doesn't work from across the room, regardless if its an xbox or a computer.
Xbox brings up a good point: Dead Rising is among the console games with the same problem of having tiny type.
Games that start out as PC exclusives (Score:2)
once you've gone to all that trouble, why don't y ou just play xbox
Because at least one of the games I want to play is not available for Xbox. I go to the game's web site and see this:
Indie games especially tend to be (or at least start out as) PC exclusives.
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what game is that? that one with all the blocks that only dorks play? i can't even remember the name of it, which is the opposite of dorky
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once you've gone to all that trouble
I assume that you mean the trouble of buying a controller, instead of the whole XBox?
why don't y ou just play xbox. pc games aren't designed for living room use.
The only difference between playing many modern games on XBox and a PC is that I have to use a mouse to start them. Even that isn't the case if I'm using the full-screen Steam launcher interface. In case you haven't noticed, many games are ported from console to PC. The biggest experience difference between my PC playing Skyrim and my friend's 360 playing it, is that mine looks a hell of a lot better.
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And just FYI... I own a 360, and I still prefer many of the PC versions on a 360 controller over using the 360 itself.
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Console games are fun to play because you sit on the couch in your living room. computer games you play at a desk, facing a wall. i spend all day at work facing a wall. why would I want to do it again at home?
You have no wall behind your TV?
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yes but i'm sitting 12 feet away. at my desk i'm looking at a wall.
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I think I know your problem. You're supposed to look at the monitor.
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all PCs can do everything that consoles can.
Except play console games that never get released for PC. Some genres, such as fighting games, tend to be full of games available only for consoles.
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as the homebrew guys get a better handle on a system it doesn't take them long to create a good working emulator.
But they don't always bother to add a good 10-foot-capable front-end.
Oh and unlike your Sony and Nintendo products thanks to emulators you can play every game from the NES-Wii on the Nintendo side and PS1-PS2 on the Sony side
Good luck emulating an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4 game on a PC. Among games for systems that can be emulated, their graphics are widely perceived to be inferior to current console games, and sport games lack updated rosters.
so you don't have to worry about losing your old games just because you got a new system
Good luck dumping cartridges to a PC. As a PC builder, if you advertise that a machine is useful for playing ROMs downloaded from the Internet, you induce infringement. See MGM v. Grokst [wikipedia.org]
Gamepad accessibility (Score:2)
You can adjust font DPI and sizes in the OS.
I'm aware of the procedure for setting font size based on monitor size and seating distance [pineight.com]. But a 10-foot UI is more than big enough text; it's also making sure that 1. windows don't have more information than will fit on the screen at a larger font size, and 2. the user can efficiently navigate the interface with a few keys on a gamepad rather than a mouse and keyboard.
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Uhhh...you DO know that you don't HAVE to stick with the default shell,yes?
I know this. The vast majority of the public does not.
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A chicken-and-egg situation (Score:2)
Who gives a shit about the vast majority of the public?
It's more profitable for a producer of goods to target the majority of consumers than a niche, especially in something like commercial off-the-shelf entertainment software where non-recurring engineering costs greatly outweigh costs per copy. And currently, the majority of people who game on a couch game on a console. This means major video game developers who want to target couches will target consoles. It's a chicken-and-egg situation: people don't buy living room gaming PCs because there aren't enough ga
Joe and Jane don't know Hairyfeet exists (Score:2)
guess whre Joe and Jane have to go when they want an HTPC? To...drumroll...guys like me who know about such things
That'd be fine if Joe and Jane even knew that local HTPC builders like you exist, or where to find local HTPC builders like you in their respective areas. What Sony and Microsoft have over local HTPC builders like you is more marketing power to get their products into users' awareness and into major retailers.
one of the few positives of the new metro UI is OOTB it makes a great 10 foot UI.
I was under impression that OOTB the Metro UI didn't work with an Xbox 360 controller. One would need to learn that XBMC exists (or learn that somebody like you, who knows XBMC exists, exists) and then
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3DS dumped? (Score:2)
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I think Valve has said SteamOS will be open to replacements and stuff.
However, getting onto Steam isn't easy. There's an ad-hoc process called Greenlight that's iffy at best, and in the end, it's really a lot more like a harder version of the App
Ivy Bridge equals the last-gen; SteamOS streaming (Score:2)
people don't and won't read system requirements
That's why Google Play Store hides the Buy button for games that don't meet a device's requirements. Valve could implement something similar.
They'll purchase a game on Steambox, and if they bought the super cheap one with Intel graphics and have it run as crap
A well-behaved PC game is supposed to degrade gracefully to previous-gen graphics. Ivy Bridge could already run a PS3-class game (Skyrim) playably according to this Anandtech review [anandtech.com], and Haswell is already out. Besides, even if your SteamOS device is cheap or a game hasn't yet been ported to Linux, the game will still run as long as there's an available PC on the LAN.
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I don't recall Valve or any of its hardware partners saying anything about running games on them that aren't yet approved on Steam.
From what I understand, SteamOS is Linux-based OS. Valve's been quoted as saying that users "can alter or replace any part of the software or hardware they want". That certainly sounds like you're free to run any game that'll run on Linux anyhow.
Resale and rental of games.
Meh. I've never sold a game; not about to start.
Use with no Internet connection for weeks at a time, such as by deployed service members.
Can't really argue with that point. Almost all of the AAA games in the last few years have been DRM-laden, with online authentication via Steam, Origin, Battle.net, et al. It's less of a problem for me; the last few g
Can manufacturers lock out sideloading? (Score:2)
Valve's been quoted as saying that users "can alter or replace any part of the software or hardware they want".
Does your quote (from this page [steampowered.com]) apply to all devices that ship with SteamOS or only to commodity PCs onto which the end user has installed SteamOS? If SteamOS device manufacturers lock out game sideloading the way AT&T did for the first six months that it offered Android phones, SteamOS in practice will end up as closed as the major consoles. I'd like to see the source of your quote so that I can try to glean more information from the context. I guess I'll just have to wait for the release of SteamOS d
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And you're comparing this to SteamOS boxes? I don't recall Valve or any of its hardware partners saying anything about running games on them that aren't yet approved on Steam.
Considering that it's a Linux distribution, Valve is encouraging users to replace both hardware and software, and Valve isn't going to even be making any SteamOS exclusives, the possibility of them locking it down are near zero.
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As I was pointing out to some folks thinking of buying a console there really is NO upsides to the consoles over the PC this gen
When has there ever been? The draw for consoles is, as I'm sure you're aware, the couch aspect and easily connecting with friends. The steambox is meant to solve these problems for PC gamers at the same cost (or less hopefully) as having a gaming PC *and* and a console. Buy once - play anywhere. Keep in mind that you'll still need that gaming rig to stream from as long as developers continue ignoring linux. It's also worth noting that because of this, the steambox is currently useless to people who only pla
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When has there ever been?
Well, consider 2001, when I could get an Xbox for $300 and a game for about $60. In comparison, my gaming PC at that time cost close to 3x that much, and the games cost a similar amount. Also, there's the simplicity factor. It's a little more complicated than "plug in the cartridge and turn it on" now, but there's also an OS that maintains itself, no need to worry about system requirements, etc. It's disingenuous to say that consoles don't have any features that someone's going to consider an upside. I pref
3DS had a slow start too (Score:4, Interesting)
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Initially I read that as "3DO had a slow start too," which is also true.
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+1 for 3DO reference.
Re:3DS had a slow start too (Score:4, Interesting)
While it's true that handhelds cycle more slowly than full sized consoles, in the case of the 3DS it was clear after the first year that it was going to do okay. Nintendo's price cut lit a fire that has kept burning since, and the console was well on its way to a long and prosperous life by the summer of 2012.
The Vita on the other hand is coming up on 2 years old now - it launched in the US in February of 2012 - and its position keeps getting weaker, especially in the West. The number of new games that are known to be in development from major western publishers is tiny. It's like 3 or some such absurd number; The Lego Movie Game, MLB 14: The Show, and maybe a new Assassin's Creed game. Everything else is either a port, be it titles like Borderlands 2, God of War, or Final Fantasy X, or a translated game out of Japan. The Vita will likely continue to do well enough in Japan, but in the West there's a distinct lack of investment in the platform by the major publishers.
Consequently there's no real sign of an upswing here; western publishers tried, failed, and have seemingly moved on. They're finishing out their schedules for 2013 and haven't announced anything new for 2014 and beyond. If it continues to survive in the West, it will be as an odd agglomeration of a PS4 remote control, an indie (but not open) handheld console, and a Japanese import handheld console. Which is going to be okay for some people, but for those of us that bought it expecting a more traditional range of games it'll pretty much be the end of the console.
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Nintendo also tends to have a slow start with almost every console and handheld they put out, though. As their first party library grows, they get a year or two into development, and start releasing their onslaught of killer apps, which pushes their console sales extremely hard. As an example, Pokemon X/Y sold millions of 3DS + variant units. Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land combined are a third of all 3DS software sold in 2011. Nintendo has always had strong first party support, but it's been the mains
boooo (Score:1)
not really sure... (Score:2)
...but I just don't think the world needs another gaming platform, and definitely not one whose second life is a friggin controller.
now, if they could figure out how to get really cool games to work on, say, a mobile phone that's always in my pocket?
yeah, that would be cool.
Re:not really sure... (Score:4, Funny)
No joke.
Why the FUCK doesn't Nintendo or Sony build a fucking gamer phone.
Microsoft is going to build Xbox Too: The Phone and it's going to be angry bald men all the way down.
Phones have a recurring fee (Score:2)
Why the FUCK doesn't Nintendo or Sony build a fucking gamer phone.
Because a lot of parents don't have $35 per month (source: virginmobileusa.com) for yet another phone line. Or if the child already has a phone, a lot of parents don't have $28 per month extra (the difference between Virgin's cheapest dumbphone rate and its cheapest smartphone rate) to add a data plan.
Re:not really sure... (Score:5, Informative)
Why the FUCK doesn't Nintendo or Sony build a fucking gamer phone
They did [wikipedia.org].
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I bet if Nintendo called Google and said "Hey Googs, we at Nintendo want to build the Nexus Mario with you guys. Love, Miyamoto" Google would be all about building that shit.
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>Why the FUCK doesn't Nintendo or Sony build a fucking gamer phone.
The 3G version of the Vita has everything necessary to be a phone, except a phone app. It even has a phone number assigned. This lack of a phone app appears to be deliberate.
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The NGage and Xperia Play also sucked.
I think this is just a market segment no one has done right yet. Once they "pull an apple," all the other gaming device manufacturers will be hurting desperate to catch up.
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both of them were ok in their own regard.
ngage as the best s60 phone when it launched. for geeks anyways as it had 4x the free ram of 3650 on which it was based on(so you could keep irc on while reading slashdot - that was a big thing back in the day and to buy some other smartphone during that timeframe would have cost you 4x the money, no shit). the biggest problem of the 1st and 2nd editions of s60 was that they chose a shitty screen resolution(if it had 320x200 you could have ported a lot of stuff easie
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xperia play works well for what it is, an android phone with a game pad. the analog touchareas suck. but it is really good for playing snes games on the go(it has all the right buttons and a nice screen for that). it's not a bad android phone either.
I own a Play and just got a Nexus 4 for some perspective, and what I've decided is that they should have bit the bullet and put more CPU and RAM in the Play, even though it would have raised the price. They should also have offered an accessory to make the phone fatter and add more battery, which would have been easy enough to do given the location of the ports. Since they cheaped out particularly on RAM, it was too difficult to shoehorn ICS onto the device and it was abandoned when the rest of the Xperia l
Only in Japan (Score:2, Insightful)
The Vita has a pretty good library considering its age - but you need to speak Japanese to play most of it.
The situation does seem to be getting better with a lot of localization announced recently, but they unfortunately still tend to lag months or even upwards of a year behind the original release date.
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Just one hit (Score:1)
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Great. Now tell me why an "indie" would go through the typical game console manufacturer bullshit (pay thousands of dollars up front IF Sony decides you're worthy to be let in) to make a game for the Vita, which is collecting dust on the shelves, instead of on a iOS or Android, which are flying off the shelves and have low/no cost of entry?
The only thing the Vita has to offer is actual gaming controls. Nintendo has that too, plus an actual customer base.
Buttons are exactly it (Score:2)
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I want the Brack Friday Bunduru (Score:2)
Too bad I already own a Vita and the PS4 is only getting released in Japan in February.
On a side note, I'd love if sony made the rumored PS VR headset compatible with the Vita as well. There are some funny applications I can think with a handheld+VR system.
PS4 + Vita Bundle (Score:2)
Is rumored to come out this Christmas. If they get it in for $600, that may be the death kneel for the Xbone. IF they match the price of the Xbone, 100% over. And it'll drive people away from the 3DS as well. The Vita is a great piece of hardware, they just have no games really worth investing in.
Disclaimer: Owner of 360, PS3, Wii U, Wii, 3DS, Vita, etc etc... No trolling. I'd prefer the Xbone to be the better system, but from a business perspective, there's no way they could stop a bundle like that.
Moave? (Score:3, Informative)
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Probably the brick that turns Vita into something that could at least be considered "outsider art".
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How to fund free game software? (Score:2)
Vista is proprietary, which means it's still garbage
In an article about video game consoless, I don't see how switching to a free software licensing model would work. Video games are proprietary for two reasons. First, console makers ban copylefted software [slashdot.org] so that publishers can't avoid paying a console maker its royalty by using another game's "Installation Information" (GPLv3) or "scripts used to control compilation and installation" (GPLv2). Second, I haven't seen anyone demonstrate a viable model for funding AAA production values in a video game that wi
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Indeed. The PS Vita itself is great. But the games that come out leave a lot to be desired. I'm not interested in indie platformers and ports from lower quality devices. And of the rest, almost everything is for kids. Sony USA thinks that small kids are the ones plonking down $200+ for a console and $40 for games for it. They've lost all touch with reality.
It's sad, but I find myself using my old PSP 2000 a lot more than I use my Vita. Because there are more games made for it. And a game in native r
What Apple does right and Sony does wrong (Score:2)
too big, especially for children's hands [and] too heavy for long stretches of gaming [and] too expensive [and has] too little memory
Yet children manage an iPad, which shares these drawbacks. That leaves games in genres popular in Latin alphabet markets and marketing support from the manufacturer.
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> Yet children manage an iPad, which shares these drawbacks
You DO realize there is a difference between touch screens and D-Pads right?
Re: (Score:2)
You DO realize there is a difference between touch screens and D-Pads right?
Yes. A touch screen is good for absolute positional input, and a directional pad is good for directional input with tactile feedback as to which direction the player is pressing. What other difference were you thinking of?
Re: (Score:2)
The point was that children don't need the fine motor controls to use a touchscreen in contradistinction to a D-pad.
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Defiance is a shitty Borderlands MMO-like without the humor and beautiful "Guardian Angel" (Britanni Johnson.)
Input (Score:2)
Add to to that the fact that Apple and Android based phones have pretty much made the Gameboy-style dedicated gaming console obsole
Other than Sony's Xperia Play, whose controller slides out in much the same manner as that of its PSP Go, which phone ships with gaming buttons? Phones tend not to even come with a QWERTY keyboard anymore.