As we mentioned back in February, we have plenty of new applications on the way to PS Vita, and we’re here today to talk more about what’s coming your way soon for your favorite handheld. First off, we’re really excited to bring you Toro’s Friend Network, PS Vita’s first social gaming application, which you can try for yourself tomorrow when PSN updates. Check out the trailer below to get an idea of how Toro’s Friend Network can connect you and your gaming buddies in a new unique way.
Toro’s Friend Network is free to download, and offers you the ability to connect with your existing friends on Twitter and Facebook, as well as giving you the opportunity to meet new friends on PSN. In addition to taking part in activities, such as building a town and adventuring into the Friend Dungeon to unlock new items, you’ll be able to purchase hundreds of items to personalize your experience, like new outfits for your avatar, ability enhancements, and new name card designs.
Also available tomorrow is an enhanced version of Paint Park, called Paint Park Plus. Those of you already familiar with Paint Park’s unique sandbox painting suite will be eager to check out the plethora of new features we’re bringing to Paint Park Plus. Paint Park Plus includes the full version of the original application, as well as more colors, pens and brushes to use, in addition to brand new coloring and “connect dots” templates. You can earn points through painting and drawing to unlock even more templates, and once you’re happy with your creation we’ve added Twitter support so you can share your drawings with your friends online. If that wasn’t enough, there are dozens of stickers, tools, and additional coloring unlocks themed from great PlayStation games like Gravity Rush, Uncharted, and of course Toro’s Friend Network available to purchase.
Last but certainly not least, we wanted to remind you that Imaginstruments, PS Vita’s first application that offers a full music creation suite, is available now. Choose from a variety of instruments and drum tracks to create your own unique music creations, and save them directly to PS Vita. The interface is robust enough for the seasoned musician, but intuitive enough for newcomers to try their hand at song crafting.
We can’t wait for you to get your hands on all three of these new applications. We have plenty more to come, so check back in to PlayStation.Blog to see what we have in store next!
Can you use Crackle on Vita yet?
I can’t seem to run it on my PS3 (Slim) anymore. It continuously locks up when trying to play something.
I’m worried it’s going to corrupt my PS3 hdd.
Also waiting for news on when and if a Crackle app and Hulu app are coming to PS Vita.
Head up on Toro app:
If it works the same way as the Asian versions, there are restrictions and micro-transactions.
You can only trade 10 cards per day. If you want to give out more, you’ll need to buy additional cards with coins, which are not earned through assignments and are only available for purchase on PSN. Coins and MP (another in-game currency, only earned from in-app assignments) cannot be traded either way.
For the dungeon, each friend can only go down a floor once every 24 hours. If you want to speed up the wait, you’ll need to spend coins to halve or skip the timer.
Finally, there are some customizations and items that are only available with coins, not MP.
This sounds bad, but it’s not because *there is nothing in the app that requires a purchase of coins to advance*.
10 friend requests per day is plenty for the app.
You can sidestep the 24-hour wait for the dungeon by having a lot of friends to pick from. :P
Also wondering about Crackle and Hulu. I’d also like to see Vudu/Amazon video, HBO Go for Vita and PS3, and did we ever get the Epix app for Vita either?
Also,
the video linked at the top of this page for Toro’s Friend Network is dead.
Never mind. It’s working again.
This is very interesting with alot of potential can’t wait to check this out tommorrow!!!!!!!!
Text plus on the Vita and more TV apps
Almost forgot about Imaginstruments. I think I tried to download but my Vita has problems with freezing when trying to download from the PlayStation Store…
For everyone looking for a notepad like app for the Vita there is an app that can suite your needs. Its called Merum. I found it on the PS Vita Playstation Store. Once there go to the PS Mobile section and then utilities. The store says its been around since 5/14/2013. Why Sony didn’t mention or promote it is a good question. It only cost $1.49 so price shouldn’t be an issue. Mercum is a memo style app that lets you categorize the notes you write. It’s been pretty handy for me when I needed to write something down. Now if Sony would make an E reader app for the Vita……
More Toro support outside of Japan in the future. Please and thank you.
I am still waiting for the Crunchyroll app for the vita.. ._.
@46 John_Maverick_22
You can use skype in the background since the last update, you can make calls and minimize the window while playing games now. So in short you can now talk on skype while playing a game on your Vita.
@49 tln2150
You aren’t using imaginstruments right, it has a touch type keyboard that you can set notes with below and even change octaves while using filters. You can even create your own ranges with those notes. I am able to pick and change notes just fine.
What was funny is everyone told me it was terrible. I know now it wasn’t the app that is terrible, they were just terrible at making music or know very little about making music in general. I was actually surprised at some of things I could do with the app especially with all the nonsense negative remarks about it but as I said none of those people were actual musicians.
wow doesn’t look bad at all for first social game. I’m hoping someday it will be a big new world Ps home :). Do u guys have any plans for that?(hope u respond). really excited for these new apps cant wait to see more! ^_^
TORO!
Needs me a Vita. C’mon, E3, announce some price changes!
Cool, more Toro stuff in the US. Can’t wait to try it.
yes, I’ve been looking forward to friend’s network since I got my vita recently. Need to clear up som space for it!
Speaking of apps when will vita get a Call of Duty ELITE application? I would like to use it on my vita while I play Black Ops 2 or MW3. Make it happen!
interesting:
I paid a lot of money on a device that promised to emulate, via Remote Play, the library of PS3 games. When I bought, came home thinking I would play MGS 4, GTA 4, COD, BF via Remote Play in PSVITA … I am faced with a “false advertising”.
In the end, I bought a handset (almost “another PS3” because of the value) to play games in 2D and Atari.
That’s incredible. I downloaded the Mortal Kombat and MLB 13 for VITA. The graphics, according Sony promises would be equal to the PS3. When I run, MUCH WORSE than a PS2. Practically was playing a PS1 in VITA.
And then I wonder: how does SONY have the courage to promise that VITA will emulate games PS4, if neither the PS3 they managed to do this feat? (with the exception of cases of unlocking the handset / jailbreak).
Anyway, my dear friends gamers: this my comment probably smacks of two effects: either be censored by the marketing team of Sony U.S. trying to defend or answer the phone. I do not blame the writer of this matter. The guy needs the job. But I’m sure he also bought the PSVITA thinking it would play remotely the vast majority of the library.
Follow my outburst (for the umpteenth time).
ishh looks hella girly and childish. smfhh
Does Pain Park Plus have layers?, I have Colors! and it’s a great app, but it’s great to have more options. I would love to have a comic/e-book reader app for my vita, please make it happen!
TORO!! YAY~
Also thanks for the awesome birthday present!!
@ NoleHater. Where did you find the Merum app. I cannot seem to locate anywhere on the PSN Store. I am in Canada on the NA PSN store. I agree with the general consensus, we need and e-reader app, Twitch.tv app, some way to make notes like a grocery list.
Looks interesting, even though Toro is too Japanese/wacky for my taste.
Loving the news apps you announce, I’m looking forward to many more. Hopefully E3 will hold great news and announcements.
My n. 1 wish is FIFA 14 for the Vita with cloud saves.
Imaginstruments is great and all, but very limited. The UI is nice though.
Looking forward to Toro.
Sony needs to show him love outside of Japan more, and I don’t mean slapping him in LBP as a costume or being in a few fighting games. More starring roles for the little mascot that could.
Put him in a platformer please~ Even if it was just a PSN game.
@69: Dat ignorance. Link to Sony’s “promise” of remote play for every single PS3 game please, you won’t find it. It doesn’t exist. People just continue to mention a “promise”. Where did it come from? Someone’s arse.
And it’s streamed, not emulated.
Ports with bad graphics are hardly the good example of a system’s potential. And MK runs well, at 60FPS. So… that’s more important than shiny graphics.
Seems like a great social game for Japan. But I’m neither Japanese nor am I 8 years old. Sony should just bring Playstation Home to the Vita and expand it’s features. Simple as that.
I’m so happy to see North America finally getting its first Toro app. I actually really liked Mainichi Issho from the Japanese side of things back when it was around. Never tried Toro Station due to the required subscription.
I’d love to see more of these in the future!
This is awesome.
Sony – we want many more games and apps! You really need to double the game releases – I find myself too many times with no game on my Vita. But since I’m such a Vita dork, I use it still on a daily basis for general stuff – browsing, Twitter, etc.
More Vita content please!
Please add paint park plus picture sharing to LiveArea.
@ timeismoney0. You have to use the ps store on your vita to find it. Once there go to the ps mobile section and then utilities.
I freakin love Sony. Toro’s app looks real cool
What’s the file size on the toro app?
64GB memory card and a comixology app please!
INSTAGRAM FOR PS VITA!!!! That is all….
I am def downloading this ! It looks rather interesting, and I love Toro ^.^.
looks like they straight up copied 3ds’s street pass + mii plaza.
Its very addictive. Can you please:
-Add Google Plus support
-Automatically import people on your friends list into the game
-Get Sony to let you post pics on LiveArea, and remove the 20 comment limit
-Speed up the GUI, I have 25 friends in the game, and I cant keep up anymore. I’d like to be able to hold R to speed up text and auto-click OK buttons. Or even make a faster menu system altogether where you can manage everyone instead of on a one-to-one basis. There’s even some OK buttons that don’t respond to the X button! I’m literally in a loop of managing only 3 areas, cause by the time I’m done one, another has !!’s waiting. Perhaps remove a lot of the popups? I feel like Sisyphus
-There are times Toro says meow instead of Nyaa, can you please change them to Nyaa?
-Remove the 24 hour waiting period to use people in the S&M dungeon. That really puts a damper on the game
-The PSN store wont let me buy coins, cause I want the pink sorcerer outfit…
-Let us collect friends without adding them to our PSN list, I don’t like strangers on it
-It claims my friend’s Hustle reduced work time by X minutes, but they keep working. Shouldn’t them being done, mean they are done?
@EmperorKorea: You’d be wrong.
Weird that Paink Park Pro has trophies and Toro doesn’t. Toro seems more like it would make sense to have trophies for than a drawing app.
Not complaining though.
i´m really disappointed, i expected more from you Sony, PSP was the best Portable I ever had, even the Xperia play is most funny, i´m planning trade my PSVita for a 3DS.
Toro’s Friend Network is a pretty fun game to play. So far it’s addicting and hopefully they add trophies for it later in the future.
@John_Maverick_22 Don’t worry we won’t miss you…
I already have 100 friends on the PSN. Toro won’t let me exchange name tags without sending a friend invite… which I can’t do. Help?
@thrown_hammer, I am in the same situation, and I knew this would happen when I tried the Toro app in my Japanese PSVita. What I came to terms was to get rid of those friends that I haven’t been able to contact for more than 3 – 4 months.
If you have a PS3 you can see how long since they last logged in to PSN. On the PSVita, look in the friends app for activity, or last trophy.
Love Toro. Downloaded Paint Park + but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. I’m a bit spoiled from Colors! on 3DS. (being able to use a pen is just really handy!)
I have the same issue of starting this game at the 100 friends limit. It would be really nice to see that limit raised a bit. I’m slicing people left and right, or pleading with them to download the app. xD
Dont get me wrong I loved the toros friends network I enjoyed playing it but I tested something I purposely removed it to see if I would still be receiving friend request and I did. Is there any way I can truly deactivate the game or will I forever be haunted with friend request just because i downloaded the game?
@dandichu Colors! is on Vita too
More things that need fixing:
-Doesnt work offline
-Characters need larger hitboxes, or selection via dpad/buttons
-Multiple notifications per character need combining, badly
-Also, the list of friends to choose from needs to be sorted in ascending level order, as that’d also speed things up. As well as respond to buttons/dpad!!!
-I’ve reached 49 friends in-game, meaning my PSN friend list is now full and I can’t add anymore. While this is better than the guy stuck at 5 friends, I don’t know any of the people I added. And as for the ones with drug references in their names, I don’t want to.
-When selecting people to bring with you in the dungeon, it’d be nice if you could sort it (like the equipment lists) to show only people you can pick to add to the party. Going through my list of 49 people is a pain.
-Many popups need to be removed entirely. I shouldn’t have to click on people to get patted or register a job as complete. A toast popup (like the system/trophy notification pops up) telling me of it, or even a list of notifications like when you click the top-right corner of Vita’s menu.
one reason toro friend network is completely useless, until this is fixed: limited friends
your goal is to get a 100 friends but with the psn limit that is not a happening thing, with only 37friends on the toro friend network I have already hit the limit and would have to delete my legit friends that I play games with in order to increase my friend count on toro. that is completely and total bull!