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PS Vita owner's thread - Post experiences here!


goldenegg

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I picked up the 3g launch bundle and it arrived on Feb. 23rd. I mainly got it over the WiFi version because it included the 8GB memory card. As many people now know, there is no free month of 3g service or game voucher included. You have to sign up for 3g and PAY for the first month, then the second month is supposedly free along with a game. So the claim of a free game and free month of 3g on the box is an outright lie. It actually costs an extra $15 to get the free month and game, so that certainly is not FREE. Not a big nuisance since I bought it for the 8GB memory card. I was also hoping the 3g would actually be good for something.

Here's my own personal list of pros and cons for the Vita.

 

PROS: Large, bright beautiful screen with multitouch

Analog sticks work quite well given the size

Amazing graphics comparable to a PS3, just on a smaller screen.

Rear touch pad works just as well as the front touch screen.

Bluetooth is a nice addition.

Motion sensors are nice and responsive.

Charge time is fast and battery has decent capacity if you turn off 3G and bluetooth.

There's a pretty decent launch game lineup.

Downloadable Vita games are usually cheaper than retail versions, although the memory to hold them is expensive.

 

 

CONS: 3g functionality is almost useless. Web browsing, facebook, twitter, trophy sync, wow. They should have made it with some smartphone capabilities if they were going to bother with 3G at all.

Extremely limited access to files on the memory card. I hope somebody makes an aftermarket card reader for Vita.

Remote play isn't any better than PSP's remote play. More deceptive marketing. Why can't I put a DVD or Blu Ray in my PS3 and watch it on the Vita? I know it's capable. Downloadable movies are stupid and expensive, you can only watch them on vita and they take up precious memory. Hmm $5 for a DVD that is a physical format I can watch on any player, or the same price for a movie only viewable on Vita. I even like UMD movies for PSP better.

No flash player? What the hell? I can't watch internet videos or youtube on it? WHY!?!?

Why is there no TV out option? I used it all the time with my PSP 2000 and 3000, it was a great feature.

The 4GB memory card is useless, just as bad as the 32MB card included in the original PSP bundle. My 8GB card is 75% full with a couple AR games, some game saves, and 2 demos.

I don't like live arena. The XMB on the PSP and PS3 worked great and was simple, why change it?

Not exactly easy to swap game cards. You can't tell what game is in the system because icons for all the games you own are constantly displayed. Do I need an icon for a game that I can't play because it isn't in the system?

What's with the loading times? The PSP UMD drive was often faster to load games. The 3DS typically loads games very fast.

Proprietary Vita memory is a racket. It's also a requirement for any game or application.

The cameras could be better. Not expecting an iPhone camera, but even the PSP had a 1.2MP camera accessory for it.

Download times are abysmal. I leave mine in sleep mode for days with only a couple of demos downloading and I find they still aren't completed.

Backward compatibility with PSP is a joke. Of course UMDs don't work, and many downloadable PSP games are not compatible either.

 

Granted, some of the cons can be remedied by firmware updates, but I don't count on Sony to add too many new features. I predict most of the new features added will be things you have to pay for, like skype and netflix.

 

Not trying to be overly negative, I love the Vita. I just hate how sony intentionally limits what it is capable of.

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I can't imagine a 58 second load time with this medium.

 

What game was it?

 

Either (or both?) Uncharted: Golden Abyss or Little Deviants.I also noticed FIFA '12 took a bit too.

 

I'm not trying to ruin Vita for everyone (and low_budget probably isn't either ;) ) just giving my experiences with it several times now. ;) :)

 

But,I think,that a 2Ghz next-gen PSP should load things BETTER and FASTER than any of my slower 333Mhz UMD PSP units!

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Finally got my Vita today after a lot of hand-wringing, reading about various negative issues, and having a terrible time with PSN lately (I popped GT5 in for a quick race Sunday night to be rewarded with a massive update that tied my machine up for over an hour and ultimately didn't take). If this machine doesn't work out I will be returning it, selling my PS3, and exiting Sony-land for good. SO much BS.

 

I have been planning on getting the Vita for quite awhile, as it looks so much better than the 3DS on paper. After playing with 3DS demo units at Target and TRU, I have to admit in spite of its many limitations, too-small screen, and generally cheap feel, Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 are awfully fun. Although it's obviously inferior hardware, and even considering my abundance of digital PSP content, I was getting the feeling the 3DS might scratch that handheld itch better than the Vita. So when I opened the box today, it was with a hair trigger on the Amazon return button.

 

The system was fully charged out of the box. You have to insert the memory card first or you can't even use it. Luckily I had already picked up an 8gb card off a Gamestop gift card. I should have bucked up for a 16 gig card as I'll explain shortly.

 

There are 3, count 'em *3* card docks, two on top and one on the bottom. The memory card goes in the bottom one. Inserting a card in this system is a pain in the ass. You have to remove a door with the tippy tip of your fingernail. It takes great effort to open one of these tiny doors. It's ridiculous.

 

I could not connect to my PSN account without running a system update, and when I finally figured out how to do the update it took a while to figure out how to connect to PSN. Not a good start!

 

I connected the system to my PS3, but for some reason could not get in through the content manager. Whoo boy. I believe the problem was I had music playing at the time, and when I turned it off and reconnected the Vita, it finally worked.

 

FIrst I transferred over every available VIta demo (I downloaded a couple days ago) and the Vita Stardust game. The transfer took about a half hour, which I thought was ridiculous. That data took up over half my 8 gb memory card. Not good. Oh yeah, it automatically erases the data from the PS3 once you transfer it to the Vita. Why? What if I need to re-copy that stuff later? I have to download it again. Why?

 

I started Stardust and for some reason the system would not connect to PSN. After that jabberwocky I actually got to play the game. Good but not great.

 

I connected to the PS3 again and again had some sort of connection problem which I eventually sorted out. I went to transfer over my PSP games but nothing doing. They didn't show up in content manager. Bad, bad, bad.

 

I remembered someone had mentioned you can only add unpacked PSP games if they are not officially supported. I have 10 digital PSP games, and not a single one is supported... including mainstream titles like Gran Turismo and Little Big Planet. Bad.

 

So I redownloaded my smallest PSP game, which happens to be Super Stardust Portable. The download of this 75 mb game took 45 minutes. Insane.

 

I connected the Vita to my PS3 again and copied SSP. The game loaded up much faster than the new game without any BS. I turned on bilnear filtering (or whatever the hell that is) and mapped the face buttons to the right analog stick. Excellent. The game looked great and played great. I enjoyed it more than the Vita version.

 

Next I waited over an hour to re-download Activision Hits. The transfer worked fine, which gives me the impression that any PSP game will work on this thing as long as you copy over the "unpacked', freshly downloaded version. So overnight I'll be re-downloading all my PSP games, which given the speed of PSN at this point will take about 10 hours.

 

Activision Hits played fine. It looks a little cloudy and bilinear filtering didn't seem to change it. But at least it works.

 

Next I tried to remote play the PSOne game N2O. The load time was significantly increased. The game played fine, which is somewhat impressive since it's a fast action game, but it looked crappy. Weak color, pixelation, etc. Sony better keep their promise of PSOne support.

 

Finally I inserted a Vita cartridge, Virtua Tennis 4. Worked great. Reasonable load times, and the menus can be navigated with the d-pad (I just don't like constantly touching the screen). The game played great and the load times were reasonable.

 

Summary:

 

Good stuff:

 

-Big gorgeous screen.

-Solid build. Feels great in your hands.

-Great to have a handheld with dual analog, although the travel dsitance of them leaves something to be desired.

-Good d-pad and buttons.

-Graphics are not quite PS3 level, but better than PS2/Xbox/Dreamcast.

-If you have the games digital, this is a PSP player's dream come true. You just have to do a little homework.

-It truly, FINALLY, is the console experience in a handheld....

 

Bad stuff:

 

...unfortunately it's the *Sony* console experience in a handheld, with all the requisite networking BS and hiccups.

-you have to hold down the power button an unreasonable amount of time to power up.

-everything is activated via a bunch of bubbles. Very disorganized if you have a lot of games. Bad UI. And you have to touch it, you can't navigate via the d-pad.

-downloaded Vita content gets erased when you transfer it.

-the memory cards are so insanely tiny and it's so hard to put them in, you will NOT want to be juggling memory cards! Get the biggest one you can afford and leave it there!

-it's a pain in the ass to insert and remove game cards. I wish you could get download rights when you purchase a game, or install it via the cart. Maybe you can, I haven't investigated this.

 

So I may or may not keep this. I enjoyed Virtua Tennis a lot and can't wait to dig in to those PSP games. But this thing is an awful lot of work, and just popping a cart into a 3DS and playing... it's tempting. The jury is out.

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There are 3, count 'em *3* card docks, two on top and one on the bottom. The memory card goes in the bottom one. Inserting a card in this system is a pain in the ass. You have to remove a door with the tippy tip of your fingernail. It takes great effort to open one of these tiny doors. It's ridiculous.

Use the card to open the slot if your ape finger can't do it, lol.

 

...unfortunately it's the *Sony* console experience in a handheld, with all the requisite networking BS and hiccups.

-you have to hold down the power button an unreasonable amount of time to power up.

-everything is activated via a bunch of bubbles. Very disorganized if you have a lot of games. Bad UI. And you have to touch it, you can't navigate via the d-pad.

-downloaded Vita content gets erased when you transfer it.

-the memory cards are so insanely tiny and it's so hard to put them in, you will NOT want to be juggling memory cards! Get the biggest one you can afford and leave it there!

-it's a pain in the ass to insert and remove game cards. I wish you could get download rights when you purchase a game, or install it via the cart. Maybe you can, I haven't investigated this.

-Your networking issues are goofy.

-5 seconds or whatever isn't really unreasonable. Are you in that big of a hurry?

-It's a touch screen system. What'd you expect? The UI is no better than any other touchypoke system. Ever use a smart phone? There's shit everywhere

-So?

-Ape hands

-Ape hands

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@Arkhan

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

I have a question:

 

Has anyone with a Vita tried doing a Wi-Fi DLing yet?I have done this all the time with my PSPs.I've never had to do it through a PC/Notebook/PS3 like Sony said it had to be done!It works fine with Wi-Fi,I've done it since 2006. ;) Try it!What the Hell does Sony know. :) :lol:

Edited by chris_lynx1989
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wi-fi works great on the vita, both in web browsing and dlc.

 

Okay.Just to clarify now,you have downloaded Vita files/games from a Wi-Fi hotspot without the USB cable connected to a PS3,is that correct?

 

That isn't the way Sony has said to do it in the PSP or Vita manual though. ;)

 

Just checking. :)

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Use the card to open the slot if your ape finger can't do it, lol.

 

Thanks but I think I'll use a dime instead of a $40 cartridge.

 

 

-Your networking issues are goofy.

 

PSN down for maintenance all day tomorrow. Down for over a month last year. Don't think it's just me.

 

-5 seconds or whatever isn't really unreasonable. Are you in that big of a hurry?

 

No I just think it should be on par with other systems that take a second or two to boot up.

 

 

 

-It's a touch screen system. What'd you expect? The UI is no better than any other touchypoke system. Ever use a smart phone? There's shit everywhere

 

If the idea is that touch UIs are inherently bad I disagree.

 

 

-So?

 

So if I have to get a replacement system for some reason I have to download all that stuff again. I bought a 320 gb drive for a reason. And on a philosophical level I don't like a little device deleting files from my big device without permission.

 

-Ape hands

-Ape hands

 

Hey I was complaining about the size of DS cartridges seven years ago, so just imagine how big my hands actually are. I don't like little tiny stuff. It gets lost.

 

And forget about downloading games, the memory cards aren't high enough capacity. If games are 2-4 gig and the mega $100 32 gb card is as good as it gets, I don't think I'll be able to purchase as many games as Sony would like me to.

 

The system is screwed up. But ask me again after I play Wipeout and Rayman Origins, if the games are good enough it might be worth the trouble.

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wi-fi works great on the vita, both in web browsing and dlc.

 

Okay.Just to clarify now,you have downloaded Vita files/games from a Wi-Fi hotspot without the USB cable connected to a PS3,is that correct?

 

That isn't the way Sony has said to do it in the PSP or Vita manual though. ;)

 

Just checking. :)

 

Did you foret me topten??

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wi-fi works great on the vita, both in web browsing and dlc.

 

Okay.Just to clarify now,you have downloaded Vita files/games from a Wi-Fi hotspot without the USB cable connected to a PS3,is that correct?

 

That isn't the way Sony has said to do it in the PSP or Vita manual though. ;)

 

Just checking. :)

 

Did you foret me topten??

 

Chris: yeah, i downloaded demo on wifi. by my standards it is fast, but i have never owned fast internet.

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It almost sounds like Sony is taking the throw it at the wall and see what will stick approach on the Vita.

 

A bunch of features that may or may not be useful and a bunch of half assed functionality that will probably be dropped or no longer supported eventually. Seems to me they could of at least stuck in a halfway decent camera.

 

It's almost like they seem to be lacking any sort of focus at all regarding the thing. It just seems to be a jumbled mess of ideas.

 

And what's with the crappy interface? I thought the XBM was a headache and now this?

 

To me it seems nintendo put a little more thought into their 3ds handheld and what they want it to accomplish.

 

That being said the handheld does seem to have alot of potential. The only thing that concerns me is that some of the cons seem just as bad as the pro's are good. Hence I dont imagine seeing any improvement in the cons area.

 

There are certain specific areas of functionality that I will be keeping my eye on to see what they do. But given Sony's recent behaviour in the last several years I dont have much confidence in them. So I think I will definitely be taking a wait and see approach in regards to the Vita.

Edited by Shannon
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I don't know about the 3ds being more focused. I like it but for as bad as the Vita's web browser is the 3ds' is even worse. In fact I don't even recall people complaining about it's web browser. It's like the Vita gets held to a higher standard. There's talk of Nintendo adding a second analog stick to it and they even have, or are going to, release an add on that works as a second analog. They have even talked about future games relying less on 3d when 3d is in it's very name. The 3ds and Vita battle reminds me of the Wii and 360 (or ps3) battle. I bought a wii for Nintendo games but I buy all multiplatform games on the 360. It will be the same for me with the 3ds and Vita.

 

I think you're right that Sony seems to be trying to do a lot of things right now with the Vita. Sony and Nintndo both are trying to see to what it will take to compete against the iPhone and iPads of the world. The Vita's apps are a little rough around the edges right now but hopefully they will listen to feedback. I really hope the Vita and 3ds are successful so companies continue to support the type of games being made on them. I dont want to see a world where the next big game everyone is waiting for is Angry Birds 4.

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I want to hear more, anybody buy this thing? How's it treatin' ya?

 

So far so good. I've only tried WipEout: 2048 because it seemed as though reviewers picked this one as the cream of the crop of what's out there right now. I would agree with that assessment as the game definitely looks like a PS3 game in a handheld and the visuals are quite awesome to behold. Digging the small thumbsticks and they feel nice, but not as nice as the 3DS's Circle Pad. Touch screen is nice, and the back one is nice too although I haven't done anything with it yet. I have Little Deviants but I've kinda set it aside as reviews haven't seemed too favorable for it so I thought I'd postpone it for a little bit. May check it out later tonight.

 

Web browser is serviceable and does do HTML5, but it's limited and a touch slow. Signing up for 3G service was a bit spotty because of some issue with filling in hidden fields and the keyboard (I use KeePass to autogenerate long, nonsense passwords with dashes and underscores and apparently it didn't like that too much or something). But this device isn't your go-to for Web browsing if you have other devices to use like a smartphone or an iPad, so that's probably ok. What you would use this for is a makeshift web browser if you don't have a smartphone and just need to look up something really quickly, or if you're in the middle of a game and, for instance, want to look up a hint or something and it's handier than whipping out your smartphone. For those uses, the web browser should be more than adequate.

 

The thing that strikes me most is size. The system itself is so huge, while all its media, and indeed the retail game boxes, are so tiny. It's a bit strange. The boxes I liken to the Atari Lynx game boxes as they were much smaller than the norm compared to Game Gear and Game Boy game boxes.

 

As for the OS, it's definitely one of the strangest OSes I've bumped into. It's not bad, per say, but it's a little confusing to get around at first. If you're used to a smartphone then you have somewhat of an idea of what to expect, but even then it's quite a bit different. After using it just a little bit, though, you do learn very quickly how to get around in it, and after that you're actually quite glad they did away with the overwhelming (at times) XrossMediaBar business the PSP and PS3 use.

 

That's my initial impression however. System seems solid, nice, and well built. Sony made a decent operating system that suits it well. Now it's time to supply the promised games. If they can do that without screwing up and making their customer base mad by doing stupid stuff (as that's always a possibility with Sony given its past), then they may have a winner on their hands in the long run.

 

I will add this however, that I do not think it will topple the 3DS. I just think the Vita will co-exist with the 3DS, and perhaps be a bit more successful than the PSP was against the DS. But I think the 3DS will keep its upper-hand, if ever so slightly.

 

 

Does it need to topple the 3DS? After all, the 3DS was an epic fail to many a members and bloggers out there. For me, Ninty gaming is different from Sony gaming by how games look and handle on the different systems, but none is superior or inferior to me. If the games come, the PS Vita is indeed a little 360 in your hands. That doens't make the 3DS a worse choice. It's a different experience after all.

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Yeah,I agree,GKC.

 

I think it'll be a sad day for handheld gaming when iOS and/or smartphone gaming is all there is for fun. :roll: :mad: That'll suck!! Hell,only simplistic Game Boy Color - type games seem to exist on phones!BIG DEAL. :mad: Some handheld or mobile progress... Hell,I saw that GB/GBC stuff 20-25 yrs ago already! :roll: Give me 2012 NOW.It's 2012 now,isn't it? ;) :)

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I didn't want to start a new thread so I thought I would ask here. Can anyone here who owns a PS3 and Vita explain to me how cross play works between the two consoles? Could you be playing a game on the PS3 and pick up the Vita and continue it on that kind of like how they are marketing the Wii U tablet to do? Are there only certain games available for it?

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