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How to Download PSP Titles to PS Vita
+ Posted by Jeff Rubenstein
PS Vita will begin making its way into gamers’ hands in just a few short days! Day one Vita owners will have many, many games to choose from, with 25 titles announced for launch on February 22nd. Actually, make that 26 — Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is now a confirmed launch title as well.
If you’re being thorough, however, that number is off by a bit… like by 90%. Hundreds of classic PSP titles and minis will also be available to play on PS Vita on day one via the PlayStation Store. Even better, if you’ve already downloaded a compatible PSP title, you can download it directly onto your PS Vita at no extra cost (please note that some limitations do apply).
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If you’re a fan of ninja games, PS Vita won’t leave you wanting – or waiting. The system’s upcoming launch will be supported by two ninja-centric titles: Shinobido 2 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus, and I spent some time with the latter this weekend. NGS+ is an updated version of an early PS3 title, which itself was an enhanced version of an original Xbox game that debuted back in 2004. Despite some control choices which have clearly evolved over the past 8 years, the source material holds up pretty well in 2012.
Playing through the first few levels of the NGS+, memories from nearly a decade ago came flooding back to me: the placement of treasures, decapitating enemies with a single charged slash (hold down the triangle button to, um, execute), and the difficulty. The Ninja Gaiden series resides firmly in the “tough, but fair” challenge department. When you die – and you will – it’s usually not due to AI cheapness, but rather a mistimed block or a delayed dodge. That doesn’t mean the game can’t get frustrating, but when you prevail, the frustration melts into delicious satisfaction. For those having trouble, NGS+ adds Hero Mode, which helps automates some blocking and dodging to help you along. There’s no shame in it.
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Most people have their Super Bowl plans locked up by now (I’ve got a rack of ribs with my name on it), but what about tomorrow? If you’re in the SoCal area, why not head on down to the Santa Monica Vita Hill Social Club for our (free) Tester Season 3 launch party. You can compete with Tester participants, meet host Meredith Molinari (she’s sweet!) and the judges, as well as my coworker Will “68 Platinum Trophies” Powers. And, you know, play some PS Vita. Click here for details.
Oh, and: Giants or Patriots? As an Eagles fan, I find the whole thing very depressing. Pass me another rib.
The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 30, 2012)
Finally – games are coming out again! This Tuesday brings us some high-profile new releases, including Final Fantasy XIII-2 (find a couple of reviews below). You’ll be able to find the week’s entire release list (retail and digital) right here later on today.
Don’t forget: if you’re in the Bay Area, please join us on Thursday for David Jaffe’s Twisted Metal tournament at Mezzanine.
The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 23, 2012)
- A Fast-Paced Tour Of Final Fantasy XIII-2 Battles – Siliconera
- Vita’s Mutant Blobs Attack has a silly credits theme – Destructoid
- Best Buy stores getting PS Vita demo units – Destructoid
- Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Destructoid
- Don’t Play Gravity Rush Out In Public – Siliconera
- Sony Speaks Out on its Relationship With Insomniac – PlayStation 3 News at IGN
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We were humbled this week by the massive turnout at this week’s Vita Social Club meetups. We had never held more than one in a week, and here we were in five cities over two days, and close to 1500 of you turned out. That was awesome, especially considering the conditions in places like Chicago, where it was really damn cold!
If you weren’t able to make it out to one of our grand opening events last week, fear not, as we’re open in eight cities through launch. Click here for details. We’re also in the planning stages of four more events – look for details here soon.
The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 16, 2012)
- I Cannot Wait to Replay Jak and Daxter – PlayStation 3 Preview at IGN
- Bethesda Outlines Skyrim Patch 1.4 – PlayStation 3 News at IGN
- Momiji Returns For Ninja Gaiden 3 (And Do Ninjas Carry Machine Guns?) – Siliconera
- New screenshots for Vita game Dynasty Warriors Next – Destructoid
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At last week’s International CES, I had the opportunity to meet the top man at Sony Computer Entertainment, President and CEO Andrew House. House ascended to the role, replacing Kazuo Hirai, after working for Sony in Japan, Europe, and here at SCEA over the past two decades.
In this show floor discussion, I ask House about PlayStation Suite, his outlook on the Western launch of PS Vita, and what he plans to accomplish as CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment.
If you’d like to hear how Andrew House got started in the industry and rose through the ranks, listen to his “origin story” on the Official PlayStation Blogcast Episode 007.
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We’re at the halfway point of what is for most of us a long holiday weekend. Early tomorrow, I’ll be on a jet to Chicago for one of five PlayStation Vita meet-ups to take place this week. We’ve never done social events in Atlanta, Chicago, or Miami, so I’m quite looking forward to meeting new PlayStation fans – even if it means I’m going to have to buy some gloves.
If you can make it to one of the events, be sure to RSVP here so we know much food to bring!
The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of January 9, 2012)
- Skyrim Set in 2012 Is a Lot Less Appealing – Wired.com
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review in Progress – PlayStation 3 Feature at IGN
- The Most Exciting PlayStation 3 Games of 2012 – PS3 Feature at IGN
- “Sorcery” PlayStation Move Brian Upton Interview
- Uncharted 3 leads AIAS 2011 award nominations – Joystiq
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A couple of months ago, a video surfaced that showed off some cool-looking augmented reality apps running on PS Vita. Since then, it’s been confirmed that Vita will come with six AR Play Cards and a voucher to download a handful of free augmented reality mini games via the PSN. Today at CES, we were able to see one of these games in action: Table Football (it will be called Table Soccer in the US, because we already have football).
Backstage, Sony Santa Monica Sr. Manager Dave Thach dealt the AR Play Cards on a table, and a soccer pitch sprung to life through the window of the PS Vita’s luscious OLED display. The actual game is kind of like a turn-based soccer match – it reminded me of a 2012 version of paper football. But enough talk, let’s see it in action:
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