January 5, 2012January 5, 2012

Official PlayStation Blogcast Episode 006: PS Vita Goes Beyond

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With PlayStation.Blog kingpin Jeff Rubenstein out on vacation this week, today marked the perfect opportunity for a long-awaited guest: IGN’s PlayStation Executive Editor and Podcast Beyond host Greg Miller! In today’s show, Greg shares his experiences with PS Vita, including his love affair with ModNation Racers: Road Trip, insights into PS Vita’s Trophy management, and key games to watch. As Podcast Beyond listeners already know, Greg’s a passionate guy and we had a blast discussing PS Vita and upcoming games in this lively episode.

Of course, as always, we also expose the exclusive first details for next week’s PSN game releases (that’s for Tuesday, January 10th), answer a flurry of new reader questions, name a new PSN Gem of the Week, and share a pair of new user tips. A strong episode, all in all, and an effective way to bring you out of your post-holiday slump.

As always, we encourage you to leave your feedback and questions in the comments here and rate us on iTunes. And while you’re at it, let us know your most-anticipated game of 2012!

The Cast

Sid Shuman – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Specialist

Greg Miller – IGN’s PlayStation Executive Editor

Rey Gutierrez – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Specialist

Nick Suttner – PlayStation Sr. Product Evaluator

Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. Special thanks to Astro Gaming headsets for providing audio gear.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Comments are closed.

83 Comments

12 Author Replies

EvoAnubis
January 5, 2012 at 3:52 pm PST

SWEET! Greg on for a full show. Can’t wait to hear this one.
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 4:07 pm PST
  
  It’s a fun show, big thanks to Greg for making the trip!
focaldragonfly23
January 5, 2012 at 3:56 pm PST

the simspon game was press start for trophy
BlackZam
January 5, 2012 at 3:57 pm PST

BEYOND!
GameOverGreggy
January 5, 2012 at 3:58 pm PST

BEYOND!
Newcloud
January 5, 2012 at 4:00 pm PST

when does it start?
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 4:05 pm PST
  
  Click the play button above!
HeavyToka
January 5, 2012 at 4:02 pm PST

BEYOND!!
Moriarty-IGN
January 5, 2012 at 4:02 pm PST

BEYOND!
Stoffinator
January 5, 2012 at 4:06 pm PST

If Miller yells “Beyond” I am going to have to shoot him.
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 4:07 pm PST
  
  He whispers it softly, like a prayer
Zezzler
January 5, 2012 at 4:07 pm PST

Bey-own’d!
cloud_jonin_1
January 5, 2012 at 4:09 pm PST

Great podcast, love the techno music intros and stuff! My tip, (idk if it’s a good one but here goes!) is that playstation plus members can regularly upload their game saves to the cloud via the saved data utilities menu and selecting ‘copy’. This is great for keeping files safe from corruption and for tranfering files from one ps3 to another.
linkin77
January 5, 2012 at 4:15 pm PST

BEYOND!
Hooligantuan
January 5, 2012 at 4:18 pm PST

I can’t play Bethesda games on PS3 because of the RAM allocation restrictions and have no interest in other Sony products outside of RAM upgrades as a result.
wolfflame21
January 5, 2012 at 4:27 pm PST

Dear Blogcast Guys (Blogcaster? Bloggies? Pawns Of Kevin Butler?),
I was wondering, since your PSN account is tied to the vitas memory card, what if you want to get a new card with more space? I need to know just in case i mess things up. Also i need you guys to decide what game i am getting first. Army Corps Of Hell, Uncharted, or Gravity Rush? Please answer
From Wolfflame21
GameOverGreggy
January 5, 2012 at 4:29 pm PST

@wolfflame21: You’d back-up the Vita memory card to your PS3 or PC and then recover to the new card.
D-Squad3
January 5, 2012 at 4:29 pm PST

I’m hearing the Vita isn’t doing as good as it was hoped to be. Hopefully Sony announces something that will get Japan to buy more! I’m really sad to hear it not do so great because I’m very excited for a Vita but if I get it and it just becomes a failure then I feel like I wasted my money. Hopefully it will gain momentum just like how the 3DS is doing right now.
wolfflame21
January 5, 2012 at 4:31 pm PST

Wow Greg answered me, BEYOND! I still waned my question answered on the cast and so far no dice but thanks for answering.
Golden_1
January 5, 2012 at 4:34 pm PST

How crazy is it that i just messaged greg about Vita stuff and then he goes and Podcasts about it! Beyond!
JukeboxAddict
January 5, 2012 at 4:36 pm PST

No PS3 Full Games? As the Europe crowd continues to enjoy Deus Ex, Rayman Origins, and Dead Island – among other games we haven’t yet received? That’s rather unfortunate. :-(
Imputed7-14
January 5, 2012 at 4:41 pm PST

BEYOND!!
Imputed7-14
January 5, 2012 at 4:44 pm PST

I have enjoyed having this Podcast and Beyond so much. I have to drive 2 hours a day and these two really make my Friday drive better. Thank you all for all you do.
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 10:52 pm PST
  
  You’re welcome! Thank YOU for listening and helping us work at jobs we love :)
wolfflame21
January 5, 2012 at 4:46 pm PST

Ok here is a PS Blog Tip!

Do you know that the ps clock sometimes gets messed up even if you set it up via internet! If you do it manually it does not go behind by 5 minutes. So try that out!
TheHakku
January 5, 2012 at 4:54 pm PST

Greg Miller? R.I.P. PlayStation Blogcast.
snakeeyes211
January 5, 2012 at 4:55 pm PST

Will the first edition ps vita’s little deviants be a full retail game or a downloadable?
Reluctant-Hero
January 5, 2012 at 5:30 pm PST

Guys, thank you for answering my questions in regards to NEAR on the 3G and Wi-Fi Vitas. Guess I’ll stick with my pre-order 3G Vita. Hopefully AT&T will have better service plans for the Vita than what they currently offer for the iPad.
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 10:51 pm PST
  
  Glad you liked it. Further 3G details will be coming before launch on 2/22, so stay tuned
Golden_1
January 5, 2012 at 5:33 pm PST

I beat Rayman as well and those bonus levels will break you :) Also I coinencedently played Pandemic at a friends place, I personally hated playing a co-op board game, I am more about the compitition I guess! Beyond!
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 10:51 pm PST
  
  Thanks for listening :)
Angelshadow_7
January 5, 2012 at 5:42 pm PST

I was excited believing that Greg Miller was going to give he’s thoughts regarding the storm on sales for PS Vita and what Sony is planning for western gamers and say THANKS SONY for hearing us and consider our share thought with Greg on he’s article on IGN yesterday… but an hour went and nothing…

Glad to hear more PS2 games coming to PSN though.
cr4zedchris
January 5, 2012 at 6:27 pm PST

Beyond! Cant wait to get my vita but I have to be honest here… I believe the weakest thing going for the vita is when it was launched… If it was launched earlier it would probably have done a lot better. Also finding out what i am about 3g Im glad im getting WiFi….
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 10:50 pm PST
  
  Thanks for commenting! Yep, 3G makes more sense for some people — it gives you the most flexibility, but Wifi is surely not a gimped experience.
Partnur
January 5, 2012 at 7:14 pm PST

Nice podcast! Greg Miller didn’t annoy me like he has before. He’s actually a pretty cool guy. Maybe it’s because he isn’t bashing SOCOM. lol Actually S4 deserves some bashing, but we disagree on what parts should be bashed. Anyway, I will be visiting Vita Hill Social Club in S.F. when I get through with Air Force Tech school in a week. I want to see if Unit 13 will be as fun as S4 CAN BE (when there are enough players). I also have my reservations that Zipper will actually deliver Daily Challenges. Otherwise, I might just play Fireteam Bravo 2 on the Vita, if the Vita allows it. I’m also very excited to hear that there’s a Call Of Duty game being planned for the Vita!
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 10:49 pm PST
  
  Be sure to let us know what you think of Unit 13! You can email us at blogcast@playstation.sony.com
gameman15
January 5, 2012 at 7:27 pm PST

I will sometime pick up the Vita when it comes out. Oh and by the way, do you guys have any plans to bring up a PS3 firmware update that will allow PS2 games on the disc to be played on the PS3 Slim yet? I own an original PS2, 19 PS2 discs (17 games, 1 demo disc, and 1 online disc), and 2 PS2 memory cards. But I wish you guys should’ve put in PS2 backwards compatiblity on the PS3 Slim in the first place.
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 10:49 pm PST
  
  Thanks for the feedback! No word on this, however.
krae_man
January 5, 2012 at 8:15 pm PST

I’m sorry guys but suggesting people delete games they don’t play to regain hard drive space since they can always just redownload them is terrible advice.

There is currently a nasty bug on the PlayStation store that causes your download history to be out of order. Sometimes when I go in my most recent downloads are at the top, other times my oldest downloads are at the top. Scrolling also seems to shuffle the order as well. I saw shatter in my download history twice one time.

My launch PS3 died and I have to spread my downloads over several months to stay under my data cap and this bug makes it impossible for me to simply “remember my place”.
- Sid Shuman
  January 5, 2012 at 10:48 pm PST
  
  It’s an option that makes sense for some and less so for others.
eaglefan129
January 5, 2012 at 8:15 pm PST

sorry, but I can never seem to pick up you’re guys email because I got a question about you’re videos (production wise)
FallenAC
January 5, 2012 at 8:17 pm PST

Ok this has nothing to do with the the podcast but I need to ask a question. Why doesnt playstation advertise? 2011 could have been the year of the playstation but i personally think it wasn’t because of the lack of advertisement. All the exclusives should have done a lot better and could have done a lot better with with some advertisement. Also the playstation vita is amazing but it sucks that the general public and a lot of gamers don’t even know what it is. Why? Because of the lack of advertisement. So as I asked before why doesnt playstation advertise (more often or better… I know they advertise but I don’t believe it’s done well or enough)? I can understand if you guys don’t know or aren’t allowed to comment on it but if you can please reply.
mastorofpuppetz
January 5, 2012 at 8:55 pm PST

@30, Sony has the worst marketing in gaming, most dont even know what a vita is. Waiting until the week is out is moronic, people need to know before hand and build hype.. And then they dont do it long enough or good enough. resistance 3 marketing was horrid, and launched at a terrible time. Kevin Butler with the sharp shooter is no way to showcase a game….

On top of this, Sony doesnt do enough bundles.

Sony marketing = clueless.

I love my PS3 had an xbox ps3 craps all over it too bad many dont know becausr Sony can’t market their products well, MS can sell water to an eskimo.
Shadow_Dancer
January 5, 2012 at 9:55 pm PST

I hope you guys take Greg and Colin Moriarity’s suggestions they outlined in an article over at IGN regarding improving the PS Vita’s marketing. For the US and European launches you should include a 4GB memory card to every pre-order.
Kchow23
January 6, 2012 at 12:13 am PST

BEYOND! Kinda lame that my new class schedule collide with the Blogcast, but will surely listen to it now.
Kchow23
January 6, 2012 at 12:15 am PST

P.S Would be great if you guys could turn up the sound a little bit on those microphones. I have to turn up the sound when you guys are talking, but not when sound effects come in or when you guys laugh loudly.
Kchow23
January 6, 2012 at 12:31 am PST

@31 I would think that maybe there will be something special around the Superbowl? Just happens to be on the calendar around the PS Vita launch :)
C_Y_P_H_E_R
January 6, 2012 at 12:42 am PST

trophies for ps vita is great. i need a real sweet surprise though. like metal gear solid 4 trophies. we need it after the rest of the series went to the evil empire of ni for shrubbery.
Ghost-of-SpartaX
January 6, 2012 at 1:33 am PST

a late sleepy BEYOND!!! from Austin,TX. Good to hear Greg! that is all …… BEYOND!
pwnrofnOObs1997
January 6, 2012 at 4:49 am PST

I”ve been a listener to BEYOND! for a few years now, awesome podcast. And my respect for the Blogcast just went up 100%.

BEYOND!
Phaetill
January 6, 2012 at 5:07 am PST

I’ll give it a listen,and a oiled up wank just for Greggy!

! -BEYOND- !
camiwaits_us
January 6, 2012 at 5:25 am PST

Please don’t ever have Greg Miller back.
onslaughtree
January 6, 2012 at 5:47 am PST

First off, BEYOND !!!. Good to see you guys still going strong all these years. I am a old follower of your podcast, so this is a great welcome back to me. My question to you Mr. Miller and cast is, What do you guys think of the Vita Not having a 16 GIG Hard Drive built in, like the PspGo does ? I will love to hear your thoughts. As always , BEYONDDDDDDDDDDDDD.
krae_man
January 6, 2012 at 6:52 am PST

I agree it’s an option Sid, but only when it’s working correctly and currently it is not.
kiratachibana
January 6, 2012 at 7:24 am PST

Again, give us multi-account support. Switching account with all those troublesome steps =/= able to sign in multiple account on one console. It is even a step backward from PSP! I want something like PS3.

Some Reasons:
1. Able to play games and its DLC from different regions (mainly Japan and US/EU) without the need of resetting the console.
2. Trophies can earn in one account.
3. Families who can only afford one console can share PSV.

Sorry to say, I was going to pre-order a PSV in Hong Kong (there is where I’ve relocated, and hard to buy US version games) and be a proud owner, but I hesitated because of the account problem…

Or maybe you can come up with an idea that I can use only one account to play games and DLCs from another region?
Crash15
January 6, 2012 at 7:37 am PST

@krae_man I too had that bug issue I sent them an email providing pictures and I got an email that their fixing it. So far since I got that email I haven’t experienced it anymore.
Here’s a PSone Tip: If anyone bought Parasite Eve 1 and have it on your PSP. There is a bug that keeps it from to the intro well I found a solution. Click PS button>other settings>disc speed>set it to fast and it will play fine. I noticed it cause someone asked me about it thru my forums and I bought the game a week when it came out and they were having the same problem. Funny that 2 weeks ago I listened to Blogcast then went to beyond and Rey was there and now this time Greg pops on Blogcast. Hopefully Colin or Ryan can make an appearance in the show.
krae_man
January 6, 2012 at 8:03 am PST

@Crash15.

I sent many emails on the issue. At first they insisted it was a problem with my PS3. When I told them I did a full restore on my launch PS3 and provided photographic and a youtube video as evidence of the problem still occurring, I was told security restrictions prevent them from accessing the photos and video I provided and responded like I’m mistaken and what I was telling them is just not possible.

They then said I’m confused and apologized for my confusion.

I can’t tell if they flat out lied to me because they did not want to admit the problem exists or just refused to believe me because what I was saying contradicted their cut and paste responses and they are not allowed to think critically because they cannot meet their speed of service targets if they do.
Garylisk
January 6, 2012 at 8:51 am PST

I second what gameman says about PS3 Slim and PS2 support. I have over 50 PS2 games, and while I can still play them on my PS2, I would love to play them on my PS3. I did recently buy Odin Sphere on PSN because I love that game, I think it’s a bit unfair to have people buy them again. I always bought PSOne games on PSN for the ability to play them on PSP, but the PS2 games, which are only playable on my PS3, just make less sense. If anything, they need to be priced similarly to the (already overpriced IMO) PSOne games.

But being able to play my PS2 discs would be ideal.

And on the PSOne front, can we get some better sorting options for the PSOne Classics and PSOne Imports sections in the store? It’s hard to figure out which ones are new releases unless you remember. It would be nice to be able to sort by release date. Especially for the imports.

And speaking of imports, can we please get Einhander, Bushido Blade 1 & 2, and IQ Remix on the NA store? I bought all those from the JP store a long while back, but ever since the PSN hack, NA users are banned from the JP store, so I can’t give them any more of my money. (Lame? Yes, lame. Y U NO WANT MY MONEY?)
Hogwild333
January 6, 2012 at 8:56 am PST

Here are two questions that hopefully make it on the show or get answered here. Thanks for the great podcast!

1. Do you anticipate that there will start to be a free Vita game included every month as part of PS Plus? I love PS + and free Vita content would probably help sell the system to those on the fence.

2. Are there any plans to re-instate the Copy to PSP feature to PS3? After the latest PS3 firmware update you can no longer download your Minis to PS3 and then copy them to the PSP (when it is connected via USB) by hitting the Triangle button on the game. This feature is described in the PS3 manual (http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/game/copypsp.html) so I assume it was removed accidentally when the Vita functionality was added.
Hogwild333
January 6, 2012 at 9:05 am PST

One follow-up to my previous comment about PS Plus and Vita: I already think PS + is a great value and I will continue to subscribe even if there are no new benefits (and I think most people that have given it a try would agree with that statement).