PlayStation Blog » Jeff Rubenstein

PS Vita Livechat Starts at 3pm Pacific

Jeff Rubenstein — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:32:42 +0000

If you see a white space above here – please refresh the page – you should then see the livestream. If you’re still having issues watching, please click here.

The PlayStation Vita: after over a year of hype, the first of us will get to take one home (or on a plane, train, submarine, or hot air balloon) this week. The Vita is more than just a shiny OLED screen and dual analog sticks; it’s a complex, cutting edge device, and we know you have questions about some of its finer points.

Over the weekend we took questions via Twitter, and today John Koller and I will be answering many of them and demoing features as appropriate. No smoke and mirrors, we’ll do it live!

And for those of you who think you already know everything there is to know about PS Vita, we’ll show a few other things to you for the first time. It all starts at 3pm Pacific/6pm Eastern, so see you then!

PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read

Jeff Rubenstein — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:09:45 +0000

Good Sunday to you! With the PlayStation Vita releasing to the first North American consumers this Wednesday, we’d like to answer any lingering questions you may have about the device. So tomorrow at 3pm Pacific, I’ll be hosting a live PS Vita Q&A/demo session right here on the Blog. So if there’s anything you’d like to see demonstrated, or have any hardware or PSN-related questions, please Tweet them at us using the #PSVitaChat hashtag.

Even if you don’t have any questions to ask, we’ll be revealing some new details about Resistance Burning Skies, and maybe a few other things as well. See you tomorrow afternoon!

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of February 6, 2012

How to Download PSP Titles to PS Vita

Jeff Rubenstein — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:02:36 +0000

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).

There are a couple of ways to get these PSP games onto your PS Vita:

Purchase PSP games from PS Vita’s PlayStation Store and download via WiFi directly to your system. If you’ve already purchased a game via PSN from the list below, you can redownload it from the Download List.

If you’ve already got one of these games sitting on your PS3 XMB (or have purchased from the PS3’s PlayStation Store), you can connect your PS Vita to the PS3 via the included USB cable, and transfer the game via PS Vita’s on-board Content Manager.

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Here are the first 275 PSP titles ready to be downloaded onto PS Vita. Don’t worry if you don’t see your favorite title here now; more PSP titles will be made available for PS Vita play in the coming weeks. We’ll keep this list current and let you know when updates are made.

PSP Titles

101-in-1 Megamix
300: March To Glory
The 3rd Birthday
Ace Combat: Joint Assault
Adventures To Go!
Alpha Mission II
Archer Maclean’s Mercury
Armored Core 3 Portable
Armored Core: Last Raven Portable
Armored Core: Silent Line Portable
Art of Fighting
Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines
Baseball Stars Professional
Blade Dancer Lineage of Light
BlazBlue Portable: Calamity Trigger
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II
Blazing Souls Accelate
Bomberman
Bomberman ’94
Bomberman Land
Bomberman Legacy
Chameleon
ClaDun x2
Cladun: This is an RPG!
Class of Heroes
Corpse Party
Creature Defense
Crimson Gem Saga
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
Daxter
Dead or Alive Paradise
Dirt 2
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days
Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
Disgaea: Infinite
Dissidia 012 [Duodecim] Prologus: Final Fantasy
Dissidia 012 [Duodecim]: Final Fantasy
Dissidia: Final Fantasy
DJ Max Portable 3
Dragon’s Lair
Dragoneer’s Aria
Dungeon Explorer
Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts
Dungeon Maker Hunting Ground
Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2
Dynasty Warriors: Strike Force
Eye of Judgment Legends
Fading Shadows
Fatal Fury
Fate/Extra
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Gladiator Begins
God of War: Chains of Olympus
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus
Half-Minute Hero
Harvest Moon: Boy and Girl
Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley
Hoard
Hot Brain
IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey
Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon
Jikandia: The Timeless Land
Justice League Heroes
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble
The King of Fighters ’94
The King of Fighters ’95
Knights in the Nightmare
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend
League Bowling
Legend of Heroes, The: Trails in the Sky
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean
Lord of Arcana
Lord of the Rings, The: Aragorn’s Quest

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
Magician Lord
Major League Baseball 2K11
Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
Metal Slug Anthology
Metal Slug XX
Military History: Commander: Europe at War
Mimana Iyar Chronicle
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
MX vs. ATV: Reflex
NBA 2K10
NBA 2K11
NBA 2K12
NeoGeo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting
Neutopia
New Adventure Island
No Heroes Allowed!
Patapon 2
Petz Dogz Family
Petz Hamsterz Bunch
Petz Saddle Club
Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle
Pool Hall Pro
Power Stone Collection
Prince of Persia: Revelations
Prince of Persia: Rival Swords
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?
Puzzle Guzzle
Ridge Racer
Riviera: The Promised Land
Samurai Shodown
Samurai Shodown Anthology
Samurai Warriors: State of War
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
Shock Troopers
SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1
SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Tactical Strike
Soldier Blade
Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max
Super Sidekicks
Super Star Soldier
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Tekken 6
TNT Racers
Tokobot
Tom Clancy’s Endwar
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Predator
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Essentials
Tron: Evolution: The Video Game
UFC Undisputed 2010
Ultimate Board Game Collection
Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins
Valhalla Knights
Vertigo
Victory Run
Warriors of the Lost Empire
Warriors Orochi
Warriors Orochi 2
What Did I do to Deserve This My Lord?
What Did I do to Deserve This My Lord? 2
Wild Arms XF
World Heroes
World Sports Competition
Worms: Battle Islands
WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011
Yggdra Union
Ys Seven
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Z. H. P.: Unlosing Ranger Vs. Darkdeath Evilman

PlayStation Minis

3, 2, 1…SuperCrash!
4×4 Jam
5 in 1 Arcade Hits
Ace Armstrong Vs. The Alien Scumbags!
Actual Crimes: Jack The Ripper
Aero Racer
Age of Hammer Wars
Age of Zombies
Alien Havoc
Alien Zombie Death
Alpha Mission
Ancient Game Treasures: Mill
Apache Overkill
Aquattack!
Arcade Darts
Arcade Essentials
Arcade Essentials Evolution
Archibald’s Adventures
Arctic Adventures
Athena
Babel: The King of the Blocks
Bashi Blocks
Beam ‘Em Up
Blast Off
Blimp: The Flying Adventures
Block Cascade Fusion
Boom Beats
BreakQuest
Brick Breaker
Bubble Trubble
Bunny Dodge
Burnin’ Rubber
Busy Sweets Factory
Car Jack Streets
Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter
Caterpillar
Charge! Tank Squad!
Circles
Coconut Dodge
Cubixx
D-Cube Planet
Deflector
Digi-Tiles
Doodle Fit
Dr. MiniGames
Dynogems
Earthshield
Echoes
Express Raider
Flick Fishing
Flying Hamster
Fort Commander II: Counterattack
Fort Commander: King’s Gambit
Fortix
Freekscape: Escape From Hell
Funky Punch
Gold Fever
Hello Flowerz
Heracles Chariot Racing

HISTORY: Egypt Engineering an Empire
HISTORY: Ice Road Truckers
Hot Shots Shorties: Blue Pack
Hot Shots Shorties: Green Pack
Hot Shots Shorties: Red Pack
Hot Shots Shorties: Yellow Pack
Hysteria Project
I Must Run!
Influence
Jane’s Hotel
JellyCar 2
Jewel Keepers: Easter Islands
Kahoots
Legend of Kunoichi
Let’s Golf
Lock ‘n’ Chase
Love Cupid
Mahjong Solitaire
Me Monster: Hear Me Roar!
Mighty Flip Champs! DX
MiniSquadron
Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess
N.O.V.A.
Normal Tanks
One Two Boat Racing
Pallurikio
Panda Craze
Pinball Dreams
Pinball Fantasies
Quiz Animania
Ramen Heaven
Reef Aquarium
Retro Cave Flyer
Robin Hood: The Return of Richard
Rocks N’ Rockets
Route 66
Shapo
Sheep Defense
Shogi
Smash Break
Space Shooter for 2 Bucks!, A
Spaceball: Revolution
Spot the Differences!
Stellar Attack
Sweet Reversi
Tehra: Dark Warrior
Telegraph Crosswords
Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro
Urbanix
Vempire
Vibes
VT Tennis
Who’s That Flying?!
Widget’s Odyssey 2
Widgets Odyssey
Young Thor
Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam
Zenonia
Zombie Tycoon

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus Confirmed for Vita Launch, Details Here

Jeff Rubenstein — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:33:48 +0000

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.

Ninja Gaiden was one of the best looking games around when it first debuted, and NGS+ still looks nice on PS Vita. While it doesn’t approach an Uncharted Golden Abyss level visually, it’s better looking on Vita’s OLED than an 8 year old game ought to look.

Tecmo’s Team Ninja has added a number of features to take advantage of the new Vita hardware, such as six axis arrow shooting and touchscreen prompts to enhance your Ninpo magic attacks. I had trouble adjusting to the new controls in first-person view, but fortunately, they’re optional.

The most significant addition to NGS+ is the new Ninja Challenge mode, a series of snack-sized trials can be completed in just a couple of minutes – geared toward gamers on the go. Each of these 76 missions provides a straightforward goal, such as clearing a certain amount of enemies, taking on a boss character, or engaging in a weapon-specific objective. This is also where you can use use alternate character Rachel, and try out new costumes and weapons that you might not have earned yet in the story mode.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma arrived on PS3 before the advent of PSN Trophies, so NGS+ is the first to incorporate the addictive baubles. I took a look at the Trophy list, and most of the rewards involve killing lots of dudes with each weapon, or by mastering techniques such as the powerful Izuna drop.

I can confirm that Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is no longer a “launch window” title – it’ll be ready for launch day. If you’re picking up a PS Vita on February 22nd, or are looking for a primer for the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 3, you should give Ryu Hayabusa’s first modern adventure a look.

PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read

Jeff Rubenstein — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:19:04 +0000

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)

PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read

Jeff Rubenstein — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:57:51 +0000

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)

PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read

Jeff Rubenstein — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:09:15 +0000

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)

Meet PlayStation’s President: Andy House

Jeff Rubenstein — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:00:18 +0000

At last week’s International CES, I had the opportunity to meet head of Sony Computer Entertainment, President and CEO Andrew House. House ascended to the role 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 his goals 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.

PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read

Jeff Rubenstein — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:34:35 +0000

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)

CES 2012: PS Vita’s Augmented Reality Transforms Your Table Into an Arena

Jeff Rubenstein — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:19:21 +0000

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:

Bonus points if you spotted the Men in Black 3 alien who walked through the frame. Vegas is weird.

Table Soccer is just one of the augmented-reality games you’ll be able to play for free if you pick up a new PS Vita on February 22nd. We’ll highlight more closer to launch right here on the PlayStation.Blog.