PlayStation is just days away from embarking on another historic console journey with the launch of PS Vita — the most ambitious entertainment device you’ve ever held in your hands. PS Vita was first unveiled to the world as NGP, the “Next Generation Portable,” in January 2011 and formally christened as PS Vita during E3. In the time leading up to the big global launch day on February 22nd, we chronicled the designers as they created the world’s most advanced handheld gaming system and heard from some of the most-respected game developers in the business.
We also recently revealed what’s in the box for the PS Vita First Edition Bundle launching to early adopters on February 15th. Today, we wanted to welcome you to our world with this new video. Guy Longworth, Senior VP of PlayStation Brand Marketing, and John Koller, Senior Director of PlayStation Handhelds, show you everything you need to know to enjoy the out-of-box experience moments after you wake your PS Vita for the first time.
The day we’ve been waiting for is nearly here! Remember, kids: Never. Stop. Playing.
@42
I guess I just have a different point of view than yours. The way I see it, the majority of people who would even consider dropping $300 on a gaming handheld are already aware of the device. The target audience here doesn’t need much advertising to be sold on the device, because they will have already decided whether they’ll buy it or not. Now in the future, after the system gets a price drop, there are tons of games, and new bundles come out, I foresee Sony stepping up the advertisements.
The reason I bring iPhone owners is this: Gamers who have an iPhone and don’t know about the Vita are not part of the device’s target audience. At least not yet. If people don’t know about the Vita, that means they’re not looking for additional gaming experiences, so it is unlikely they would want to drop the cash to get a new system. I’m sure advertisements will come when the system is more appealing to the mainstream consumer (which will occur when familiar games are released on it), but it just doesn’t make sense to dump a ton of cash into an advertising campaign right now.
Wow! If this video doesn’t make you want a PS Vita I don’t know what will. I already have the Wi-Fi $250 version pre-ordered. Too bad Sony decided to release a 3G version packed with Little Deviants instead of Uncharted:Golden Abyss. That was the deal breaker for me. I believe that Uncharted bundled w/3G version will sell better than a Little Diviants version. I also wished that Sony would have released the PS Vita in the U.S.A. and Europe before releasing the Vita in Japan. Unfortunately, Japan will not be 100% for possibly decades to come after they were hit by an Earthquake and Tsunami in early 2011. No wonder sales weren’t as expected in that country. I’m surprised Sony managed to sell over 275,000+ units thus far, considering how many people were left homeless and lost many if not all family members. I wish Sony continued success with both the PS3 and the PS Vita and God Bless the Land of the Rising Sun(JAPAN). 2/22/12, Wed. cannot arrive soon enough.
Sony has a history of bad marketing, especially with their exclusives that often dont sell well. Their marketing it NOt good if you think it is then good for you I guess.
Marketing will help move the device and builds hype, Sony doesnt even try, it works its why companies have marketing and advertising departments.
A new hardware launch and no advertising is awful..
Gamers dont even know this device is out or what its features are.
um kinda unrelated but…. in the us.playstation home if you go into add-on tab the final fantasy add-on says its for final fantasy 13-3
@ItaChu
I’m asking about the digital PSOne Classics. They are supposed to be downloadable to the Vita, like they are for the PSP. It’s now being reported that the PSOne Classics will not work at launch, but will be patched in later down the line.
@42 It’s the year 2012. We can now pretty much get information on anything right on our fingertips using the internet. Yet all people do is use the internet to get on facebook and look at silly videos on youtube. Most of my PS3 friends don’t even have a clue when the Vita is releasing. I’m messaging all of them with release dates and prices of the Vita. They tespond w/”How do you know all this?.” LOL Are you kidding me?! By doing research online, reading, etc.People as a whole are more clueless then any other time in human history. Most Americans don’t even know that George Washington is our nations first president. How can we expect them to know when the PS Vita is releasing? Or what a PS Vita is or does? for that matter. lol No amount of money that Sony spends on advertisement for its new handheld will be of any good use. Sadly, this is the truth of what is going on right now. : (
@42 – Although I agree, Sony would benefit greatly by more advertisements… In the era of blogging and social networking, you most certainly can rely on word of mouth. Personally, I’m trying to do my part. I post links to Vita videos constantly on all of the social networks I’m involved with.
I can hear some people complaining already.. “Why should I have to get the word out for Sony?” Well, you don’t.. However, if you love their products and, want to see them succeed, you don’t even have to make that much effort to do it. You’ll just do it, naturally. Shoot, my friends can’t get me to shut up about it.
Portland, OR is a town with a great, artsy, gamer friendly atmosphere. At noon on the 15th, there’s about a dozen of us that will be getting together at a downtown coffee shop to exchange PSN IDs, play some multiplayer, and check out each others games that we didn’t get the chance to pick up, yet. Sunday, the 26th.. we’ll be having our first UMvC3 Vita tournament at a local gaming/geek hangout.
For all of this, we’ve plastered posters, everywhere. We’ve got GameStop employees letting everyone know about our Vita gatherings. We’re DOING something about it. You can, too.
Great video explaining all the awesome features of PS Vita, but I am not sure if Near works without a Wi-fi or 3G connect like StreetPass since Canada won’t be getting the 3G version. Moreover, I really want to see PS Vita and PS3 games bundled since there’s no chance that I’ll be buying 2 copies of the same game at full price.
WOW! The Vita is about to launch and I had NO clue!? Great job on the Marketing Sony!
You could have let over a 100 Million people know in 30 seconds with 1 commercial during the SuperBowl that a amazing and new handheld was gonna be available in two weeks and you guys chose not to!? What a HUGE missed opportunity.
I know i’m waiting to see if Sony is gonna support Vita or let it die like the PSPGo and Move.
Will there be youtube on ps vita in the future?
damn dude, you need to put more effort on your trophy collection
I can’t wait any longer!
is there an officail word on whether 3g is free on teh 3G, or if the WiFi supports it?
Yeah, what happend in japan is bound to happen here, its inevitable. I remember waaaay back to the PSP’s introduction. Lots of advertising, including tv. Vita’s advertising is beyond thin, its anorexic. So far theres been one commercial featuring the vita, very late at night during an old movie. And that was for the taco bell promotion and we know who paid for that one. Not many of you would remember the mid to late 80’s and early 90’s when commodore (albeit a computer manufacturer with strong gaming connections) then atari operated on little to no advertising at all. They had very little in sales, and they relied too heavily on hardcore fans spreading the news by word of mouth. Commodore is long gone and Atari is a shell of its former self thats been bought and sold many times since. Face facts guys, Vita will not be a resounding success as is with the complete lack of advertising its had. No people do not come on this blog to find out bout new product releases by a mile. Most PS gamers spend little time here. Unless this company invests heavily in advertisng and fast Vita will have a very rough launch and poor sales through most of the year just like psp-go.
Just 2 more points here. Why is the “comment awaiting moderation” tag present with no objectionable material?
Also to the guy hassling masterofpuppetz, better think again, he’s no anti-sony basher like you might think. He’s been such a fan of this company I’ve thought he was overdoing it. For a company to alienate even its most hardcore fans that much, thats just not a well thought out plan.
Honestly its been pointed out multiple times this companies had billions in losses the past 4 years at least. Clearly the current business stragegies are not working. Nobody needs an MBA degree to come to the conclusion that either the company must turn around quick or face bankruptcy. Personally I’d prefer to see at least Playstation part of the company turn around and make improvements. But for that to happen this company must change the way it does things. Its undeniable.
Network is down again SWEET!!!!!
I feel especially lucky – getting an imported Wifi edition + 8GB memory card for only $200!
@ Blade133: Your talking utter bull crap. Sony is not advertising the Vita well. It would be dumb for anyone to just target a small audience when competition is overwhelming at the point. Targeting just the hardcore members is the dumbest idea I heard this year. They’re trying to pull away consumers from the mobile fan base. Sony doesn’t even have ANY spectacular/must have games releasing at launch. Heck I don’t even believe they’ll have one till next year. Escape Plan is their best game coming out and that’s a shame. They should have more than one original game. I got to try out the Vita and the only reason I did is because I’m a hardcore fan. Not one person on that line was an outsider of the hardcore fans.
As for me I will not get a PS Vita till some features are confirmed or included. I refuse to buy something that should blow out everything out in the market in features. Especially something that costs as much as a PS3.
@ mastorofpuppetz: I agree. That’s all I have to say.
I’m so ready for this thing to drop. Hoping my local store has a midnight event for it. I am a little sad that we aren’t getting any of those fancy colors i saw awhile back. That orange PS Vita was sexy!
Dear Sid Shuman, Rey, Jeff,
I finally got to meet you at The Vita Hill in NYC. I asked you about the party chat and if it was going to be available to be tried out that day. Well I have a couple of questions that I hope you or someone can answer because I will not purchase a PS Vita till I have confirmation about these features coming to the Vita or being included already.
My friends which don’t really care for handhelds were amazed when I told them that PS Vita is going to have Party Chat because that’s the main reason why they still have a 360. They weren’t completely convinced. I know these two features I’m about to ask about will completely convinced them into buying the Vita.
Part One
Questions/Features:
1. Would or can the PS Vita play online multiplayer through remote play? For example, I would have NBA2k12 running on remote play and would like to play my friends THAT ARE ONLINE ON A PS3 while I’m on break at work or anywhere.
2. Does the Cross Platform Gaming feature include online? For example, if I get the PS Vita version of MLB12 The Show and go to the online multiplayer would I be able to go up against someone who’s playing MLB12 The Show on a PS3? And with any other games that are both for the Vita and the PS3?
Thank you
syk1288
Part Two
Finally got to meet Sid. Sorry for not making that clear.
It always makes me laugh when people say the Vita will be outdated when the iPhone 5, iPad 3, and next Samsung Galaxy come out. They will be very powerful; no doubt about that, but iOS and Android games stink. I will admit I have dozens of paid iOS and Android games, but I’m so tired of them now. Most of them are so basic and are for casual noobs. Even the more hardcore smartphone games that are 700 MB in size cannot offer the same experience to a good Vita game.
Madden NFL for iOS stinks. It’s a water-downed piece of crap. If EA isn’t lazy, Madden for Vita could be very, very close to the latest PS3 version. This is why I’m buying a Vita. I’m so tired of playing watered-down smartphone games.
First, I’d like to apologize if it seems as if I’m attacking mastorofpuppetz. I have no doubt that they’re a huge fan of PlayStation and I respect them deeply. I’m just trying to present a possible explanation as to why Sony isn’t advertising as much as many of us expected.
@syk1288
Sorry we don’t see eye-to-eye, lol. I’m not saying that Sony should never advertise the Vita towards mass market consumers. Just not right now. In my opinion, there is nothing Vita offers casual gamers that would convince them to buy into the product. I think launching a huge campaign directed towards them would really just be a waste of cash. I agree that more consumers need to be aware of the device, but as of right now, it wouldn’t do Sony any good. They’re not going to convince casual mobile gamers to spend hundreds of dollars on another device. Not at launch at least. But that’s what makes the device unique; it’s aimed towards the hardcore gamer. And hardcore gamers don’t need as much advertising because they’re already “in the know.”
Interesting discussion guys. Thanks for being a part of it.
@ Blade133: lol at Eye to Eye. Your being close minded. They don’t just need casual gamers they need CHILDREN. The hardcore fan base don’t even touch the millions in the US. Only in Japan is that they should care so much about the hardcore fan base.
If anything, Sony is probably waiting for the PSV to actually be out and available to buy before starting a TV advertising blitz.
Great video! I look forward it, as well as all of the great Vita games and access to my PSP and mini games.
Can we get the following apps?
– Sony Reader
– Digital Comic Reader
– Google +
He said html 5. which means youtube…..riiight?
making Feb. 22 harder to wait for
Still no 3G vita in Canada!!!?I had one preorder and I had to cancel it. Anybody at Sony can tell us what’s going on. Is it still coming? can we expect it soon? what’s the deal?
Thanks
Just one more week!! HURRY THE F!@K up!!!!!!
@ 10:30 he says 5 inch OLED screen…….WRONG!!! lol
the waiting is killing me, these 5 days are going to be rough for me T_T….. PsVita I Need UUUUUUU
Absolutely fantastic introduction video. This just makes me giddy. The 15th can’t come fast enough. Thanks so much for the video. I actually found out some things I didn’t know about the PSVita.
@darkedgex premium? do you think we well have to pay to use 1 an 2? because you don’t, LMFAO, really you hate the memorysticks, i like the memlorysticks, the umds suck, have you seen any unboxing for the vita? they have some in english from people that live in japan, if you did you would know that the vita has the same charger the psp go did an you would also know the vita has 1 thing i only seen in youtube vids that sony has never shown or talk about, i seen someone open the slot right by the game card an the people didn’t know what it was but to me it look like a hdmi output, i could be wrong about what the thing is but here a vid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSL8EEOFknQ) skip to 4:05 in the vid to see him open it, im also surprized no one else is talking about this on here
@syk1288 i don’t agree with you, so im i being closed minded??? NO you are, i agree i with blade, i have friends who like phone games but they only play them when there bored an the main reason they brought them was for the phone not for the games, they play my ps3 but there not interested in handheld gaming devices even thro they play phone games, 1 last thing stop putting people down just bbecause they don’t think like you or believe in the same things as you
@FORMIK i read or saw a vid that said that everything from the psp go would be avaible on the vita an that should include the Digital Comic Reader that the psp go had
I can has Gravity Rush demo on Feb 22?
@XFRod LOL you must not be a twisted metal fan
Admiring my reciept the 3g/wi-fi bundle, right now. Can’t wait to feel my palms with this piece of technology. Sony for life!
Really annoyed that Amazon shipped everything but my WiFi Vita. I have all the parts staring at me and nothing to use them with.
No Torne/ PlayTV App? I was looking forward to streaming live tv via psv/ps3. Guess I’ll have to wait until the idea catches on.
Just got my uncharted from amazon and my 16gb coming tomorrow. Now I can’t wait for the vita. Feb 22. Omg hurry up
@ all concerned about Vita’s marketing: I somewhat agree about Sony’s conservative marketing campaign- yet they are on a budget & ads are costly. Still I find it strange when reading statements like: “Oh my buddies are heavy gamers and they’re like ‘What is the Vita? When is it out?’ ”
Yeah OKAY… to whom that said that alot of a company’s marketing is already done by the consumer via the Internet, that’s a reality. Where do these people get there gaming news or buy their games/console hardware? Websites like IGN, Gamespot, Joystiq, etc., all have Vita articles & ads. Gaming print media also have ads for the Vita. Someone wins a Vita every 15 minuets buying a $5 box @ Taco Bell campaign. Lastly, there’s the Vita Social Club that will stay in their perspective cities (I went to the NYC location) till the end of February (I think) showing off the Vita & having contests w/ prizes. Oh & there are Vitas in Gamestop & Bestbuy (not sure about Toys r’ Us).
Vita is not a launch product in hiding. If a gamer was interested in the product (or any product, really) they would know the release dates/prices. If I search Google & find no results, then I’ll be worried.
Cant wait!!! I tried it today at my local Gamestop and was AMAZED, IMPRESSED, etc. VITA!!!
why didn’t sony put L2,L3 and R2,R3 in the ps vita
This has been a looooong wait. Only five more days!!!! VIIIIIIIITA!!!
OMG! couple days left to go can’t wait i want the vita sooooo badly!!!!! stop taunting me!!!!!!!!!
Is Vita 3G coming to Canada on launch day?????????????????????
I will buy PlayStation Vita on 22nd WiFI version because I not even in need of 3G version oin Canada My ISP has best WIFI coverage in North America Shaw Communication has Canada wide WIFI coverage with Gigabit Network and 250 Mbit per second I don’t need more and it’s free of charge to access hot spots Canada wide as long as you their Customer… To those who complaining about marketing that Sony does…. They have 2nd biggest fan base worldwide MS is 3rd Nintendo is 1st they put out their products with minimum effort maximum outcome when Price will drop they will push out advertisements with put a lot of power on Social Networking and it will pay out well in the future STOP BLAMING THEM AT WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DOING VERY WELL my Estimate s on Vita sales 500 k to 1.2 Million devices only in Canada day 1not including Memory card and 2-4 games that will be bought I will buy on that scheme and even after spending nearly 600$ I will say thanks Sony keep impress us Is that you bad marketing strategy? They spend enough time on promoting and I put good effort to spend nearly 1000 bucks in February without feeling any pain in my bank account