PlayStation Vita – all the latest!

It’s been announced the PlayStation Vita will debut in Japan on December 17th, 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. That’s great news for Japan and not so great news for everyone else but good news for everyone is that Sony has also announced that the Vita will be region free. That’s excellent news for a number of regions, the PSP is infamous for having great games that were never released in all regions and often in fact were released nowhere but japan, further this news will make it easier to source great deals, buy games overseas (a usefull ability in a portable gaming system) and will go some way in curbing piracy. That last might seem unusual but one of the leading reasons (excuses) that hackers often target systems is get around region locking.

Sony also has a slew of upcoming accessories to go with the PS Vita and some are very slick indeed. There are no less than three types of case for the PS-Vita as well as wrist straps, screen protectors as well as the usual earphones, car adaptor and USB connectors. My personal favourite is the portable charger which seems like it will make a great addition to the Vita and go a long way to resolving its one flaw, its short battery life. Sadly whilst most of the accessories are optional extras some are actually mandatory, since the Vita has no internal storage at all you will be required to purchase at least one of Sony’s proprietary format memory cards. Watch the Video below to get a look at these accessories and see the table for approximate pricing (though do be aware that gaming accessories are often pricy in japan and things may indeed be cheaper when they reach SA).

 

 

Still Hardware is nothing without the Software and so I am pleased to announce that there will be no less than 26 games launching this December 17^th and many more will have reached the shelves by the time the Vita makes it way here to SA.

• BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus
• Browser Sangokushi Touch Battle
• Project N.O.E.L.S.
• Fish On
• Dynasty Warriors Musou Next
• Shinobido II
• Power Smash 4
• Uncharted: Golden Abyss
  
• Hot Shots Golf 6
• F1 2011
• Dream Club
• Disgaea 3: Return
  
• Katamari no Biita
• Shin Kamaitacho no Yoru
• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
• Yuusha no Kiroku (turns your calendar into a RPG game)
• Dark Quest
  
• Lord of the Apocalypse
  
• Michael Jackson Experience HD
• NicoNico Douga (Japan’s equivalent of YouTube)
• Sawari Makuuru
• Ridge Racer
• Monster Radar
• @field
• Minna to Issho: Friend Network 
• Army Corps of Hell

If these 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, if you’re willing to re-purchase your last-gen favourites that it is. 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.

If all this was not enough the Vita may already be Sony’s answer to the Wii U and the final nail in the coffin for Nintendo. In a recent demo at the Tokyo game show Sony demonstrated the Vita’s ability to output video from the PS3 over a wireless connection as well as to act as a controller for the console. Both abilities are big selling points of the Wii U and since the PS3 and Wii U are already at near graphical parity it may mean the Wii U is already a flop before it has even left the gate.

The more we learn the better the Vita is looking, we have a long wait ahead of us but in a way Im glad we get to observe the Japanese and guage their reactions before we are asked to commit ourselves.

Playstation Vita – Specs Confirmed

Earlier this year we heard horrible rumours that the PS Vita was having some of it’s RAM cut to bring down the price of the new portable console. Thankfully with the release of the PS Vita’s official specs we can confirm this is not the case. This should make all gamers happy as the PS Vita is now as far as such devices go a RAM powerhouse and a good thing too as more and more developers are citing low RAM as the greatest limitation they experience on such devices.

Check out the full spec list below

 

Full PlayStation Vita Technical Specifications

• Platform Name: PlayStation Vita
• Model number: PCH-1000 series
• CPU: ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-A9 core (4 core)
• GPU: SGX543MP4+
• External Dimensions: Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
• Screen: 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED (Touch screen) Multi touch screen (capacitive type)
• Main memory: 512MB
• VRAM: 128MB
• Rear touch pad: Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
• Cameras: Front camera, Rear camera
• Frame rate: 120fps@320×240(QVGA), 60fps@640×480(VGA)
• Resolution: Up to 640×480(VGA)
• Sound: Built-in stereo speakers, Built-in microphone
• Sensors: Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic, compass
• Location: Built-in GPS (3G/Wi-Fi model only), Wi-Fi location service support
• Keys / Switches:
• PS button
• Power button
• Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
• Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
• Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
• Right stick, Left stick
• START button, SELECT button
• Volume buttons (+/-)
• Wireless communications:
• Mobile network connectivity (3G/Wi-Fi model only)
• IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
• Bluetooth(R) 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)
• Slots/Ports:
• PlayStation Vita card slot
• Memory card slot
• SIM card slot (3G/Wi-Fi model only)
• Multi-use port (for USB data communication, DC IN, Audio (Stereo Out /Mono In), Serial data communication), Headset jack (Stereo mini jack) (for Audio (Stereo Out/Mono In))
• Accessory port
• Power: Built-In Lithium-ion Battery,AC adaptor
• Supported Music: MP3 MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer 3, MP4 (MPEG-4 AAC)
• AV content: WAVE (Linear PCM)
• Videos: MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, High/Main/Baseline Profile (AAC)
• Photos: JPEG (Exif 2.2.1), TIFF, BMP, GIF, PNG

Sony NGP (PSP2) Priced at $250 and $350 for 3G?

Apparently Ubisoft has conducted a survey to see how likely people will be to buy a NGP. Hidden within the survey seems to be some evidence pointing to a $250 price point for the non 3G version of the device and $350 for one with a 3G module.

Since SONY hasn’t announced pricing yet we can only speculate about what this means, but Ubisoft is one of the biggest development studios, and this could be the first sign of what pricing for the NGP will be, come the end of the year.

For more information regarding the NGP you can check out our NGP Vs 3DS post here:
http://thetechduel.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/the-ngp-and-the-3ds-compared/

Source: SlashGear

3DS Hands-On Impressions

As mentioned previously both myself and David had a chance to attend the press launch of the Nintendo 3DS in South Africa. As you might remember from a previous post I have had several misgivings about the device; would the 3D effect which can only be experienced in person be as good as promised?, Will the sweet spot in which the 3D effect be experienced be too restrictive? And can anything overcome the devices shortcoming in the form of a 3-5 hour battery life?

The night began on a high note when it was revealed that the retail price of the 3DS in South Africa was to be R2700. While by no means cheap and as usual a little more expensive for us then our friends overseas the price proved to be far more reasonable than many had expected. Given all the 3DS offers it is also I feel entirely reasonable. Less exciting was the follow up announcement that new games for the 3DS would be priced at R499. That’s more expensive then some Playstation games at the moment and too my mind very pricy for handheld games, this therefore soured some of my excitement.

Still despite my misgivings about the device my hands on experiences with the 3DS and a few of its opening and upcoming releases has done much to erase them. First off after having held the device in my hands I can assure that the 3D effect is indeed noticeable and by no means a gimmick. The 3DS is indeed capable of creating spectacular depth in its top most screen. As reported before, the device only creates depth and does not make items appear to come out of the screen. Whether a failure of the technology or a deliberate choice on Nintendo’s part I think it has worked out very nicely. The depth sucks you into the screen and immerses you so well into the gameplay that your world shrinks to the screen before you, I think objects and characters coming out of the screen rather would be a constant reminder that your actually just playing a game on a 3DS’s small screen. While the sweet spot for the 3DS to work is a real concern I found it to be quite forgiving in the vertical but that even slight shifts to the left or right in the horizontal could break the 3D effect. Still after my time with the device I am less concerned with how difficult it will be to remain in the sweet spot. Further while I only had a short amount of time on the device with several frequent and short breaks in between different games I can happily report that neither I nor anyone I spoke to at the event reported any headaches or eye strain.

The second thing that struck me about the 3DS was just how far it has come in regards to its predecessor in regards to graphical performance. It was one thing to know to expect a leap in graphical performance from this new handheld it was anther to see it in person. More effort has been put in some games compared to others but beyond an inevitable loss in resolution caused by the smaller screens I feel confident in saying that Street Fighter IV looks as good on the 3DS as it does on Xbox. Further Resident Evil Mercenaries looks almost as good as some of the triple A titles on either PS3 or Xbox and Metal Gear Solid 3 looks better on the 3DS then it ever did on the PS2. Nintendo has finally achieved putting a real console into the gamer’s hands!

 

Beyond the obvious improvements offered by the 3DS enhanced graphics and 3D effect were the new controls. The new analogue stick is great and something that was sorely lacking on the DS. It immediately felt natural in my hands as someone used to gaming on an Xbox and PS3. Still and analogue stick at the end of the day is still just an analogue stick, no what truly impressed me was the devices new motion controls. The 3ds is aware of its motion in all 3 planes of motion and even aware of its position in relative space. While the games I tried that used this feature felt more like tech demos than actual games I am very excited to see where Nintendo takes this feature. Of course to remain in the sweet spot of the 3DS during such acrobatics it required that I remain standing. While this did not bother me at the press event I do worry about the implications for longer gaming sessions at home.

 

All in all I was greatly impressed with Nintendo’s latest handheld offering. It is a significant improvement over the DS in every way and well worth the investment if you’re a fan of portable gaming. Personally I plan on waiting for a 3DS XL which I hope will be announced in a few months time. I would prefer a larger device, larger screens and hopefully the longer battery life the device might offer. Until then I’ll be forced to while away my time on my Nintendo DS XL with dreams about what I’m missing out on.

 

Speaking of which lets look at a few of the games they had on offer. I should point out I never managed to sample them all but the ones I did were:

 

Resident Evil Mercenaries

The best looking game by far that I tried that night Resident evil Mercenaries would not look out of place playing on my PS3. The 3D was also superb for this title and looked all the more impressive when zooming down the scope of a sniper rifle. Still for all that I found the controls for this game a little clunky, though given that the demo throws you waist deep from the start it may just have been that I need more practice with the title. The touch screen meanwhile is used to control your inventory on the fly. All in all REM is a very powerful demonstration of the 3DS’s capabilities.

Street Fighter IV 3D

Simply put, it’s a port of the console version of the game onto the 3DS, however, it looks just as good, plays the same and now comes in 3D. The touch screen is used to display one touch quick buttons for special combo moves allowing for Super and ultra combos to be performed with ease for by those who don’t possess the finger dexterity required for such a complex fighter.

Nintendogs 3D

This is not my kind of game, still by accident it was the first game I had opportunity to try. It was also while playing fetch with a cute digital puppy and kitten (the fact I enjoyed it will haunt me for a while) that I realised just how improved the graphics of the 3DS had become and how immersive the 3D effect could be. This is family friendly title that any child would love.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

A 3D remake of a beloved classic Ocarina of time is bright and crisp with the same gameplay as before. Simply put it’s a good game that’s got better thanks to 3D!

Augmented Reality Game

A hit of the show was the augmented reality games on display. If anything they were more of a demonstration of the 3DS’s technological prowess than actual games but for all that they proved extremely enjoyable and impressive. The one I tried had an augmented reality playing card turn into a dragon once I held the 3DS camera over it. I was then required to circle the table, and hence the dragon, and raise and lower the 3DS camera so I could get the right firing angles to take down the dragon with my arrows. It’s amazing to see the potential for the 3DS and I look forward to seeing where such innovation leads.

Paper Mario

While only a looping video of gameplay was on offer the game does look impressive even if graphically it has not advanced much from any handheld Mario game, Do they ever? Still given that at its heart Paper Mario is a game that involves changing the game world from 2D to 3D perspective and vice versa to safely transverse the games levels it may be that the 3DS is the platform that every Paper Mario game was always intended for. I’ll be very excited to see the finished product in action

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D

Again only a video of the game was on offer and I could not take away much detail from it, except that the game is stunningly beautiful. If the 3DS has other games this beautiful waiting in the wings it will prove itself to be a handheld worth having. However here is a screenshot of the improvements the 3DS has made over the PS2 version of the game.

The NGP and the 3DS compared

We’re currently enjoying the seventh generation of handheld gaming, namely the Nintendo DS and the SONY PSP. However, the eight generation of handhelds are just around the corner and the future is looking good. Nintendo’s latest offering the 3DS has already been released in Japan on the 26^th of February and the rest of the world can expect it March 26^th. We’re going to have to wait slightly longer for SONY’s successor to the PSP, codenamed NGP or Next Generation Portable, which has been set for a fourth quarter release date in 2011.

What’s most interesting is that as we move into the eighth generation of handhelds strong opening salvos are being fired by both SONY and Nintendo! Nintendo seeks to maintain the status quo wherein it has traditionally dominated the handheld market whilst SONY, naturally, finally seeks to knock them from their perch. I happen to own both systems and can confirm that overall the Nintendo DS is the better gaming system but my favourite games are on the PSP. I don’t want to spoil my article too soon but it looks as if the eight generation battlefield might be stacked in SONY’s favour. That of course is terrible news for Nintendo with them seemingly having saturated the world market with their Wii system, with its successor seemingly still in hiding and with them reporting a loss in 2010 Nintendo is going to need their handheld to do well. Let’s look at both systems and try seeing if you agree with me however.

First let’s examine the 3DS. Exactly like its predecessor the 3DS consists of two screens in a clamshell like design with the bottom screen also being a touch screen. Further like its predecessor the Nintendo 3DS also includes a microphone but more importantly the 3DS advances include an analogue stick which is predecessor sorely lacked and motion controls the like of which we first saw in Nintendo’s Wii. The Nintendo 3DS’s greatest marketable asset is however its ability to produce a 3D effect without the need for any special glasses via a process called autostereoscopy. This technology in a handheld is impressive and people who have had hands on time with the device report that it truly works, this should make for some impressive possibilities in games. However, this aspect of the 3DS comes with some truly horrendous drawbacks! Firstly the device has been reported by Nintendo to have a 3-5 hour battery life while the 3D effect is active, you can turn it off for longer gaming time but in a device called the 3DS that should not be necessary. Even the best case scenario of five hours of 3D gameplay is simply an unacceptable battery life for a PORTABLE gaming device! Worst case scenario there are local flights never mind car rides that would see this gaming portable become an expensive brick before you reach your destination. Further although the 3DS won’t require you to wear glasses to experience its 3D effect it does require you to keep your head inside of a sweet spot, a small window off angles and distance from the screen that allow the 3D effect to be noticeable. I don’t know about you but that does not sound conducive to playing the 3ds lying in bed or slumped on a couch, my preferred means of playing handhelds. Of course as Nintendo itself has pointed out the 3D effect can be turned off to increase battery life or to remove the need to stay in the sweet spot. This however seems a poor way to enhance a device called the 3DS however.

One thing the Nintendo 3DS has going for it as all Nintendo handhelds invariably do is an incredible line-up of games. The 3DS backwards compatible with all the games of its predecessor the DS and what’s further Nintendo has reported that the 3DS will have a virtual console service much like that of the Wii so that games for Nintendo’s older handhelds like its game boy advanced may be bought and downloaded to be played. Of course what you’re really interested in future upcoming games and in this Nintendo does not disappoint. Of particular interest are:

Pro Evolution Soccer 3DS

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition

Samurai Warriors: Chronicles

Rayman 3D

Ridge Racer 3D

Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars

Another Professor Layton game is always exciting and preview footage for Ghost Recon looks superb but by far the most interesting is the long awaited return of Kid Icarus who has been missing from Nintendo’s line-up for over a decade.

The NGP will be the main competition for Nintendo’s 3DS. While it may be the PSP’s successor the NGP and the PSP are only vaguely similar. A lot of evolving has taken place in the last five years you see. Unlike its predecessor the NGP has two analog sticks (Real shooters on handhelds are now a possibility) a whopping 5 inch OLED capacitive touchscreen (at 220 ppi [pixels per square inch] which is reasonable compared to the Iphone 4′s 326 ppi), 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and built in GPS. Beyond this the NGP boasts a touchpad on its back surface and full Six-axis motion sensing, a front and rear facing cameras (though how many megapixels has gone unannounced, I’m expecting 5) and a three axis electronic compass. Powering all of these features is a 4 core processor and a very powerful graphics processing unit. That’s right, a quad core processor in a handheld device!

While little has been revealed about launch titles so far we do know that developers are working on new games for the NGP for the following franchises:

Call of Duty

Killzone

Little Big Planet

Resistance

Wipeout

Uncharted

Beyond these announced games however, various developers have showed in tech demos the NGP rendering ports of PS3 games such as Metal gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots. The fact that this handheld has that kind of power speaks volumes as to what we can expect from it. It has also shown to be backwards compatible with downloadable PlayStation Portable titles. You can also lay your fears to rest; the UMD optical media of the PSP is gone, replaced by a new proprietary flash storage format. Finally NGP games, it has been reported, will have trophy support!

Further news of interest is that Unlike the PSP and PlayStation 3, the NGP does not use the XrossMediaBar interface. Instead it uses a touchscreen-based user interface dubbed LiveArea, which includes various social networking features via the PlayStation Network. The best bit however is that the new User Interface and the NGP device have been designed to be compatible with Google’s Android OS and SONY will introduce the SONYSuite, an Android app and game marketplace place for the device.

While lacking the ability to broadcast in 3D my money so far is going to be saved up for a NGP over a 3DS. The device is far more powerful then the 3DS as evidenced by its ability to port PS3 games. Furthermore, SONY is gaining ground on the Nintendo’s traditional areas of touch screen and motion control. When Android apps and subsequent access to the disposable gaming it provides is added to the picture it really seems that the NGP will be pushing SONY to the fore of the handheld market both this and coming years. Still both I and David will be attending the press launch of the 3DS this Thursday and it may be possible that hands on time with the device could change our minds. We will report back to you ASAP!