PS Vita Handheld Device - Thread 2

[Fatbloke]

Continuing on from the Vita Thread part 1

The Device
Portable Dual Analogue Gaming Device

The Cost
Currently, selling in the region of £199 for the Wi-Fi only version. 3G version is about £260.
Wi Fi at Amazon
3G at Amazon


Vita Features

Multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display (OLED) as the front display
Multi-touch pad on the rear of the device
Dual analogue sticks
Two digital cameras (front and rear)
Software titles on small, dedicated flash memory-based cards
Three motion sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass
Wi-Fi connectivity
Free PlayStation Network access, including trophy support and new Vita features "LiveArea" and "Near"
Vita can play PSP titles, minis, PS one classics, video and comics from the PlayStation Store

Technical Specifications

CPU - ARM Cortex-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)
Touch Screen - 5-inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED Multi touch screen (capacitive type)
Rear Touch Pad - Multi-touch pad (capacitive type)
Cameras - Front camera, rear camera
Game Media/Storage - New dedicated flash-based game medium; dual slots, one for the new game medium, the other is for storage media to be utilised for personal content and download content
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
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 t(3G)
IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1) (Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)
Battery - Internal/embedded (not removable)



From the Official FAQ

Q: What does the name “PS Vita” mean?
A: “Vita,” which means “Life” in Latin, was chosen as the name for PlayStation’s next-generation portable entertainment system because it enables rich gaming and social connectivity within a real-world context.
Q: What is PS Vita’s battery life?
A: Officially, PS Vita is rated at approximately 3 to 5 hours of gaming, 5 hours of video playback, and 9 hours of music playback. Recharging the battery from 0 percent will take approximately 2.5 hours.
Q: Can you take out the battery from the system?
A: No. PS Vita’s rear touchscreen requires the use of an internal embedded battery.
Q: What is “near”?
A: “near” is PS Vita’s integrated social networking app that enables you to check in to real-life locations and pick up or leave gifts for other gamers to find and use in their games. You can also locate and connect with your PlayStation Network friends and other gamers nearby for ad-hoc communication and multiplayer sessions, whether you set up lap-time challenges in WipEout 2048 or trade costumes with a competitor in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. Using “near,” you can also see which games are the most popular and highest rated by fellow gamers near your location, which can help you locate new and interesting games..
”near” can calculate your location using a Wi-Fi location service; the 3G/Wi-Fi model includes GPS technology, which enables you to be the first to find valuable game gifts by logging into “near” via 3G with more precision…and no need to wait for a Wi-Fi hot spot!
Q: Do you need 3G network connection to enjoy “near”?
A: No. PS Vita users can enjoy “near” using Wi-Fi, but a 3G connection is preferred in order to maximize “near”’s capability. By using a 3G connection, users will be able to obtain more information and encounter new players in real time via “near”. Think of it as a geo-social gaming network that taps into your location, wherever you might be.
Q: What kinds of “gifts” can you give and receive using “near”?
A: ”near” enables PS Vita owners to access virtual game-related items that other users are sharing by checking in at geographic locations that other PS Vita users have also visited. The virtual items can come in many forms: new character costumes, weapons, and treasures, just to name a few. Sharing these items between users adds a unique dimension to the portable gaming experience on PS Vita while enhancing the social connectivity among the PS Vita community.
Q: What are the specs of the OLED screen?
A: PS Vita’s OLED screen measures 5 inches, with a resolution of 960×544 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio) and a color depth of approximately 16,770,000 colors.
Q: Is a memory card required for game play?
A: You will need a memory card for those games that require game saves or have downloadable content. You will also need a memory card in order to take photos or videos using PS Vita’s integrated cameras.
Q: Can I use the SDHC card from my phone in the Vita?
A: No - the cards are a proprietary make which currently only Sony sell. They are available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB in the UK. 32GB is available from overseas (and is very very expensive!)
Q: If you buy download content for PS Vita, up to how many systems can you copy it to?
A: Users can activate two portable systems (either two PSPs, two PS Vitas, or one PSP and one PS Vita) to their PSN account.
Q: There are three slots on the PS Vita, what are they for?
A: There is one slot is for PS Vita Cards, a slot for the SIM card (3G/Wi-Fi model only) and a slot for PS Vita’s removable media that stores save game files and downloaded content.
Q: I have UMD games for my PSP. Do I need to buy them again from PlayStation Store to play the same game on PS Vita?
A: Yes. PS Vita does not support UMD discs. Digital PSP games that were purchased via PlayStation Store will be available to download to PS Vita as long as they are included on the list of supported PSP titles. This list of legacy PSP titles will grow in time and we will confirm when new titles are added.

suggest other FAQ posts if you want to see anything more added

Where Can I Find More About Vita
Check out the Playstation Blog

[LotusElan]

Aha, just the sort of thread I was looking for!

Many thanks for your efforts!

[Jimmyboy]

I think the update may have speeded up the transfer between the ps3 and the vita as i was able to copy over demos much quicker than before, unless I imaginged it.

[Fatbloke]

Is that a demo that has been pre-downloaded? I've always found PSN to be so slow for direct downloads.

[internetuser]

I am tempted with one of these but with a iPhone, iPad and Xbox not sure how much use it will get.

Battery life is also a concern. What type of charer do they use and what try like in the sun. Also on a sun bed o. Holiday?

[Fatbloke]

The charger is a propietry USB connection (similar to a iPhone, sort of).
You also get a converter box that plugs into the wall and has a figure of 8 end into which you can plug the USB cable. You can also recharge directly from a laptop etc.

I've not tried it out in the sun yet, but the Vita does have an adjustable brightness setting (press and hold the PS button)

[Steve Jackson]

Originally Posted by Jimmyboy

I think the update may have speeded up the transfer between the ps3 and the vita as i was able to copy over demos much quicker than before, unless I imaginged it.

I'm a little frustrated that Vita downloads on the PS3 don't go into a folder like PSN, PSOne, Mini games, etc do. They just clutter up the Games column with extra icons instead so I won't be using the PS3 for quicker game juggling / Vita memory card management.

[Jimmyboy]

That would require a new PS3 fw update which I don't think there's been one since the western release of the Vita. I'm assuming its coming though as the mini's and PSP stuff have their own section.

[internetuser]

What's the crack with online codes and what games have / don't have them?

[Jimmyboy]

There is no crack really, I'm yet to run a title that has one and the codes are for online access same as with the consoles, main game isn't affected. Wipeout has one for online I think but I bought that via PSN anyway, my US import of MLB12 has one too. I think Hot Shots Golf and Unit 13 have them as well. Most don't though.

[internetuser]

Cheers. Just susing out if buying pre owned Ames are worth it etc.

Grainier games as canny ceap 2nd hand titles, and I was wondering f it was due to online passes.

[Jimmyboy]

Yeah, most are safe to buy 2nd hand. Even Fifa has no online pass which is odd considering its EA. Rayman and Uncharted don't have them either, both must haves imo. One way to find out is to go to the PSN Vita section and look for the online passes available to buy, assuming you have access to a PS3.

[Hoskas]

oh well.

Sony replaced my second vita and instructed me to give my vita and power cables to the courier.

Low and behold a week later they deliver me another vita but no power cable.

Have now been waiting a week for sony to send me a separate power cable.

not particularly pleased. Especially as i was really enjoying super stardust.

[Fatbloke]

The Hut have a Bank Holiday discount of 10% using the code BHTEN today only - that makes the VITA 16GB card just £31 (8GB for £22).

http://www.thehut.com/10588634.html

Get there quick!

[cjx]

I got a 32gb from videogamesplus Ebay store for £59.99 delivered last night.

[Steve Jackson]

Ooh, tempting. Cheapest I've seen yet for a 32GB card, cheers.

[internetuser]

Morrisons had memory cards in. I am sure it was £12.99 for 4 gig, £17.99 for 8 gig and £30 for 16gig

What's the smallest I could get at with ?

[RichB]

Er.. 4gb at a guess

[Ono]

I got mine from Axel for about 65 squids.

Struggling to enjoy any of the games on Vita at mo. SSDD gives me cramp and Everybobys Golf is exactly the same as EG from 2001.

[willncc]

Managed to beat my Lumines score last night - up to about 180,000. Have a suspicion that I seem to be able to last a reasonable amount of time (think that score took best part of an hour to do) - but that suggests I'm not very good at score building - bonuses etc... do too much single block clearing.

Notice AshbourneJohnny has the best score on my friends list, about 230,000 - would be interested to know how long that took...?