PlayStation Blogcast 012: Veni, Vidi, Vita

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PlayStation Blogcast 012: Veni, Vidi, Vita
Sid Shuman (he/him) Senior Director, Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications
26 Author Replies

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Have you guys heard about this PlayStation Vita thing? Top sources tell me that it packs a luscious 5’’ OLED screen, dual analog sticks, console-quality graphics and a host of social networking features. And it launches wide next week on February 22nd, 2012!

To celebrate the impending launch, today’s Blogcast is dedicated to all things PS Vita: Our game recommendations, our favorite hardware and OS tips, and some suggestions to make sure you have MAXIMUM FUN next Wednesday. If you’ve already snagged a First Edition Bundle, hop into the comments and let us know what you think so far!

This week’s star-studded cast includes appearances from Josh Duhamel (Transformers), Chloe Grace Moretz (Hugo), Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games), Geoff Keighley (Gametrailers TV), and a conversation with SCEA’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and PSN, Guy Longworth.

Of course, this week’s episode also delves into the rich, creamy goodness you’d expect from PlayStation Blogcast including next week’s PSN and retail game releases, a new flock of user questions, and plenty of sultry game talk (including lots of Twisted Metal discussion!). Do join us.

Official PlayStation.Blogcast - Sid ShumanOfficial PlayStation.Blogcast: Jeff Rubenstein

Official PlayStation.Blogcast: Nick SuttnerOfficial PlayStation.Blogcast: Rey Gutierrez

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The Cast

  • Sid Shuman – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Specialist
  • Jeff Rubenstein – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Manager
  • Nick Suttner – PlayStation Sr. Product Evaluator
  • Rey Gutierrez – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Specialist

    • [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.]

  • 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.
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    101 Comments

    26 Author Replies

    • KimDongHwan
      February 17, 2012 at 6:28 pm PST

      PSVita Best Handheld Ever!!, also best console!

    • Butters360
      February 17, 2012 at 6:29 pm PST

      Thanks guys for the PlayStation Vita FAQ. Now I’m gonna switch to the 3G/Wi-Do version.

      Also, Twisted Metal rocks! Looking forward to the Twisted Metal movie!

    • Blkant
      February 17, 2012 at 6:45 pm PST

      I came, I saw, …… Life….? Didn’t notice it the first time I read it honestly.

      Might as well make it Viti. :)

    • XFRod
      February 17, 2012 at 6:49 pm PST

      Vita is amazing. Uncharted: Golden Abyss is the first time that I’ve really felt like I was having a console experience on a hand held.

      This is going to be the first year that, I’ll actually be interested in who wins Best Hand-Held Game of the Year.

    • jawara
      February 17, 2012 at 6:59 pm PST

      The vita is the greatest console ever. Congrats sony… Im speechless. Tens across the board. I have little deviants, Ultimate marvel vs. capcom and Uncharted. Going to pick up ninja gaiden, rayman origins and shinobido 2 next week. Hey sid or jeff when will we get a release date for gravity rush? Im dying!!!! lol

      • Sid Shuman
        February 18, 2012 at 11:55 am PST

        Glad you like it! I also strongly recommend Stardust and WipEout :) No word yet on Gravity Rush, but I think that info will be coming soon.

    • jawara
      February 17, 2012 at 7:01 pm PST

      Oh add me everyone…looking for friends to play.

    • MartiniMan
      February 17, 2012 at 7:02 pm PST

      My poor, poor PS3, all alone and neglected now that I finally have the Vita in hand. Seriously great system with just a few things missing to make it stratospherically untouchable. Although there is pretty much no other handheld gaming system quite like this.

      I really like Near but wish there was more information to understand all it’s telling me. Figured most of it out but what does the Popularity surge! indicate? That there is a certain game that everyone is playing? And how do I send a game request through it? Just need more documentation so I can figure out all the tiny details of this very intricate system.

    • Curtisio
      February 17, 2012 at 7:14 pm PST

      You guys are great! I’m excited about my Vita coming next week.

      I hear people complaining about the Vita’s UI and slow and non-multitasking web browser, but this is just the beginning! One thing I know about Sony, they listens and, if it’s something that can be fixed without breaking something, they’ll fix it!

      • Sid Shuman
        February 18, 2012 at 11:56 am PST

        Yep. Without knowing anything specifically, I have no doubt that updates and improvements and new features will eventually come along ala PS3.

    • nYcFrEeWiLL82
      February 17, 2012 at 7:19 pm PST

      The Vita is VERY IMPRESSIVE..but lets not forget what is NOT IMPRESSIVE…NO YOUTUBE VIDEO PLAY OR FLASH WHATSOEVER!!…NOT COOL..THIS SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE HANDHELD DAY ONE!..ALSO..THE BLUETOOTH IS NOT ALL THAT RESPONSIVE.BESIDES THESE TWO ISSUES I CAN SAY THE VITA IS A MUST HAVE FOR HARDCORE GAMERS!..BIG TOUCH SCREEN AND TWO ANOLOG STICKS IS ALL THAT WAS MISSING IN OUR HANDHELD GAMING WORLD..OR ATLEAST IN MINES..LOL – THANKS SONY AND KEEP UP THE FANTASTIC WORK! NOW ALL WE NEED IS AN UPDATE TO ALLOW US TO PLAY PS3 PSN GAMES ON THE GO!! – I WILL MOST DEFINITLY BE LOOKING FOR THAT UPDATE : SINCE WE ALL KNOW IT CAN HANDLE FULL DISC GAMES FROM REMOTE PLAY..P

    • Shadow_Kamui
      February 17, 2012 at 7:29 pm PST

      I have a question European psn blog already release Malicious on psn for Europe I wonder when this game is coming to America ?

    • sdmentor
      February 17, 2012 at 7:36 pm PST

      im listening to this on my vita :)

    • Draven71
      February 17, 2012 at 7:51 pm PST

      Great Podcast guys!! Also, I’m loving my Vita!!! When does the AR stuff hit the PSN?

    • Kanashimi
      February 17, 2012 at 8:12 pm PST

      I’ve got the Vita pre-ordered for the 22nd. First game is definitely Touch My Katamari. <3 I'm so excited since I got to play the Vita at CES and E3, so I've had a lot more exposure than most people. I'm just really happy to get it into my hands.

      Great podcast, guys!

    • Kagami2k
      February 17, 2012 at 8:24 pm PST

      I love the Vita. One thing that I noticed was that remote play works fantastic! The psp remote play was not usable at all but the vita remote play works so well I can definitely see my self using it all the time when i am way from home.
      I only wish that I could play my psOne classics on my vita.

      • Sid Shuman
        February 18, 2012 at 11:58 am PST

        Yep, I tried out Remote Play for the first time last night and was pleasantly surprised. It works great! I even played a quick game of PJ Monsters :)

    • krae_man
      February 17, 2012 at 8:27 pm PST

      Something I forgot to mention about last weeks podcast:

      It’s kinda disappointing that you guys are “laughing off” the “Grace Chan Hate”. You know full well everyone has nothing against Grace and only have an issue with the inconsistent, and late store update times.

      I think you all know that and it’s really frustrating that Sony has refused to do anything about it

      • Sid Shuman
        February 18, 2012 at 12:01 pm PST

        I know that it’s frustrating when the Store publishes a little late, but there’s a huge amount of content publishing every week and I work closely with the team who publishes it — I know how hard they work to keep things on track. That said, publish times now are much better than one year ago and vastly better than 2 years ago. It’s getting better, but it’s not an “overnight fix.” Updating PS Store is a monstrous and highly stressful job, it’s much more than just flicking a switch.

    • Kanashimi
      February 17, 2012 at 8:41 pm PST

      Also, sorry for the double post, but thank you so much for answering my question on Twitter (I’m kananetwork on Twitter). Was curious if I needed to grab a new router or not before the 22nd, so thanks for the heads up.

    • JDSSLP
      February 17, 2012 at 8:42 pm PST

      The Vita is awesome and the newness hasn’t worn off yet. Everyone who has seen it in person has commented on how good it looks. Stardust is on par with the PS3, Golden Abyss is technically very close to Uncharted 2 (and has the best shooting mechanic of all the Uncharted games), Wipeout is patched and plays much better than the videos and reviews show, Rayman has as much details as the consoles. Standby battery life uses almost no power. Yes the utility apps, ui, and browser need a few updates, but at least everything works to play the games. I would, however, trade in the Mentos-looking GUI for some dynamic themes.

      After playing the Vita for a while I played another portable console’s Metal Gear demo, and between the control scheme and the visuals, I started to feel a bit sad. There is no turning back now, the Vita has arrived. Now if only Amalur could be ported to the Vita…

    • alx681
      February 17, 2012 at 8:58 pm PST

      Vita is amazing.. I haven’t played anything on my ps3 since Tuesday night.. Can’t get my hands off the vita.. Lumines, MNR and Uncharted have been great games.. Of course it’s not a perfect console, why can’t we play ps1 classics ? And the trophy and friends list have to be updated on the ps3 side to show vita.. Overall a fantastic product and I’m sure it can only get better from here..

      Edit : btw Sid was a pleasure meeting you about a month ago at the vita social club in NYC.. Cold and rainy day it was but memorable, since it was the first day I ever had a vita in my hands.
      Never Stop Playing

    • alx681
      February 17, 2012 at 9:00 pm PST

      Oh one more thing, would be a lot of cool beans if we could get a ps blog app for the vita. : )

    • Nightowl2608
      February 17, 2012 at 9:13 pm PST

      I just wIsh they did the launch bundle with both one with the wifi /3G or just wifi.

    • Busca-Cabezas
      February 17, 2012 at 9:24 pm PST

      PSVita?? Now THIS!!!! is a real PSP!!

    • Busca-Cabezas
      February 17, 2012 at 9:26 pm PST

      I really like the new PSN ID Banner feature. It gave my PSN ID a really cool dark blue color that was not available before. Has all my PSN friends asking! :D The NEAR feature rocks!! Got to meet(and friend) a bunch of close by gamers. Woot!

    • Busca-Cabezas
      February 17, 2012 at 9:30 pm PST

      I gotta be really honest here… I thought having Lil Deviants on the bundle would suck, but my gosh was I wrong!!! The game is super fun and addictive!! Thx!! *thumbs up*

    • Busca-Cabezas
      February 17, 2012 at 9:36 pm PST

      PSVita has that real powerful console feel to it. Even re-downloading God of War Ghost of Sparta rocked!! I was really surprised when it also let me download Flying Hamster. I got that game as a gift for last years St Valentines PS+ and I never really played it… Gosh! Every single thing feels and plays so awesome on the PSVita!! We totally need to be able to download so many other games from our downloads list. Plz! Plz! Plz!!

    • Busca-Cabezas
      February 17, 2012 at 9:39 pm PST

      About Web Browsing… I’m really glad that the web browser got updated and made a bit better on both the Vita n PS3 but it sure needs a bit more work done there… But I do see the huge difference!

    • Busca-Cabezas
      February 17, 2012 at 9:41 pm PST

      I wish I could play wipEout HD n Fury on the PSVita without having to get the new 2048… I’m getting 2048 anyway… But I wish more games were compatible (cause they should n can…).

    • dlhdav7
      February 17, 2012 at 9:43 pm PST

      I want to know about the safety of the near or gps. Can you be tracked by someone when you are using the near/gps app

    • Logan22
      February 17, 2012 at 10:08 pm PST

      Can you tell the new Marketing guy to get Kevin Butler involved??

    • remanutd5
      February 17, 2012 at 10:16 pm PST

      i sitll cant believe that san diego studios left out head to head online multiplayer on modnation with all the online features the vita has , this thing is packed and even more excited with Near , man online multiplayer on the vita screams SUCCESS !!!!!

    • Emerald_Swords
      February 17, 2012 at 10:19 pm PST

      Can’t wait to get the vita! So pumped! Keep up the great work guys.

    • MarkakaJin
      February 17, 2012 at 10:23 pm PST

      You know…there should be an Official Playstation Blogcast app.

    • SukiHissori
      February 17, 2012 at 10:27 pm PST

      Any chance of Crash Bandicoot or Spyro making a well deserved and rightful appearance in the PlayStation 2 Classics? Or another good RPG such as Okage: Shadow King?=)

    • swisstylez
      February 17, 2012 at 10:51 pm PST

      listening the blogcast on my Vita =D

    • Boxster17
      February 17, 2012 at 11:05 pm PST

      Love the Blogcast, subscribe to it through iTunes as we can’t access the blog at work (and don’t worry already gave you 5 stars through iTunes).

      Anyways, this may sound a bit weird but any chance of something in the future that would allow for us to choose from some other animations when swapping between pages?

      Basically when setting a custom background picture it does a fade to black, and then to the picture which seems a bit awkward given the bubbles swap over instantly. I think that fading from one picture straight to the other would look a little smoother, as right now it seems almost as though it’s loading it each time (when I don’t think it is?).

      Minor gripe I know but given I love to personalize stuff like this I’ve found myself going back to the normal backgrounds and just choosing different colors as these have a perfectly smooth transition. There’s nothing wrong with the default backgrounds per say, it’s just that as someone who likes to personalize these things this was a bit disappointing for me is all.

      [Continued…]

    • Boxster17
      February 17, 2012 at 11:09 pm PST

      [Continued…]

      Also speaking of personalization, Jeff mentioned during the web special that he customized his profile background with some Gravity Daze stuff (~26min mark). Noticed through Near, that someone else also had some sort of custom themed background, so I was just wondering how one might go about doing this? Thanks!

      P.S. – I’ll quickly mention that I personally think the Vita is likely the best PlayStation product to date. You guys should be proud of what you’ve put together here and it makes me that much more excited as to what the future holds for the PlayStation brand as a whole.

      • Avatar photo
        Jeff Rubenstein
        February 18, 2012 at 11:04 pm PST

        Hey, here’s how that works. Go into Settings>PlayStation Network [wait for sign in]>Account Information [enter your password]

        Then you’ll see something called ‘Panel’. There are a lot of cool ones to choose from! I nearly used Patapon, but had to go with Gravity Rush/Daze.

    • Busca-Cabezas
      February 17, 2012 at 11:19 pm PST

      @Boxter17 : There is a new “BANNER” customization option right there where you change your PSN ID Avatar (in your Vita). I changed mine and it has this new dark blue color that it even shows on my PS3. All my friends were asking… It felt so… Exclusive! :D

    • ARCseraph
      February 17, 2012 at 11:23 pm PST

      just LOVIN’ my vita! its great, fantastic, amazing, but i cant help but want more. all these games and apps, not to mention playstation suite, there just doesnt seem to be enough. i play one thing and i have to turn it off and switch to something else 5 mins later, but not because of boredom, oh no, but sheer excitement it can do only everything…or rather will do olny everything really soon. oh hopefully some of these network issues can be resolved i have slight latency problems when using the 3G but i guess thats AT&T’s fault?

    • Busca-Cabezas
      February 17, 2012 at 11:24 pm PST

      @Boxter17 : Settings, PlayStation Network, Account Information… There u will see the “Panel” (Sorry I said “Banner” b4). And there are a few other ways to get to your Account Info customization…

    • ARCseraph
      February 17, 2012 at 11:25 pm PST

      add a few RSS apps or Vita specific updates through blog.

    • Boxster17
      February 18, 2012 at 12:25 am PST

      @Busca-Cabezas – Awesome thanks I see them there now. I just saw the blue color there before when I went checking and I assumed it was the normal swatches that we have on the PS3. Guess I know better now, thanks again!

    • ThreeLeggedFreak
      February 18, 2012 at 2:27 am PST

      Why isn’t Plants vs Zombies “free” on Vita if you already own the PS3 version? Is this a case where the publisher/developer sets the rules on whether or not they want to charge twice for the same game?

      I do think that what you guys are doing with Hustle Kings, Top Darts, etc is a step in the right direction, whereas paying twice for the same game like PvZ is a step in the wrong direction.

      • Sid Shuman
        February 18, 2012 at 11:53 am PST

        Yes, it’s ultimately up to the publisher/developer (SOE in this case). It’s worth noting that PvZ on Vita has a custom UI and touchscreen functionality, so it’s not an exact port.

    • ThreeLeggedFreak
      February 18, 2012 at 2:30 am PST

      BTW, I agree with the guy saying GOW and more retro games, I would love to be able to play my MI:SE games on the go again (at no extra cost) :). Actually, bring some more old school Lucas Arts adventure games and I’ll play them all.

      And when I say I would like GOW games, I mean I would like both series that carry that acronym……

    • Logan22
      February 18, 2012 at 3:13 am PST

      Any info on digital comics coming to Vita?

    • Christian399
      February 18, 2012 at 4:51 am PST

      You know, this is my first listen through of a Blogcast, and I must say its changed my perspective a bit. I’ve had the sense that you were just suits or posers tossing off the company line to defer real inquiry, but you can really hear the genuine enthusiasm of your passion(s) for gaming in your voices. I’ve been a Sony consumer for a very, very long time and a visitor on this Blog since it launched. Last year my consumer confidence was at an all time low, I dallied with Apple and the iCraze silliness for a while (which is turning into a micro-transaction cess-pool) and came back for the Vita launch. If it was crap, I was ready to toss in the towel on gaming for the foreseeable future. This was my one last commitment to the brand and over these past few days with my new Vita, I have been so impressed with the software, games and design that my confidence in the brand is reinvigorated.

      Now, I’m more excited than ever to see what the future holds for Vita and the PS brand. It is Sony’s most profitable division (gaming). Lets hope that you guys keep building on the feature set and library of this awesome tech.

      Have a good weekend all. And sorry for the occasional snark. I have a rather barbed tongue.

      • Sid Shuman
        February 18, 2012 at 11:52 am PST

        Thanks for the kind words, and don’t forget that real people (and yes, real gamers!) work here :) Glad you like what you’ve been seeing with Vita. I have, too!

    • Christian399
      February 18, 2012 at 4:54 am PST

      Oh, and an e/pdf reader and media streaming would eliminate the need for me to have an iPad. And keep working on a decent remote play solution for all PS3 games please. That would trump the WiiU right out of the gate (and MS’ rumoured tablet 720).

      On a sidenote, I must mention that t the Vita screen size is perfect? Its large enough that it can rest at a comfortable distance away from the eyes. Put it too close and it blurs even.

    • Christian399
      February 18, 2012 at 4:58 am PST

      114 people in my area on Near this morning too. And that’s just FEBs. Anecdotal, but I really hope this is indicative of a massive NA launch.

    • Boxster17
      February 18, 2012 at 9:25 am PST

      Also just noticed this but is there a reason that they decided to remove the note saying when a friend was last online for a reason? When looking through your PS3 friends list you can see this but for some reason it was omitted on the Vita and was just curious as to why?

      I’ll also say that I’m surprised by how many people having been popping up in Near already considering the size of my town that I live in here. I have about 10 people so far which is a lot more than I expected especially considering we haven’t had the full scale launch that’s coming on the 22nd.

      Have yet to listen to this particular blogcast as well so not sure if it’s mentioned, but an official PlayStation Blog app for the Vita would be awesome. Not to mention it could be a great device for setting up a video blogcast in the future, where you might be able to show gameplay demos and such of those games you’re talking about. I know you guys have mentioned it here and there but you should totally make that a reality at some point!

      • Sid Shuman
        February 18, 2012 at 11:49 am PST

        The more I hear about people’s experiences with near, the more intrigued I get by the possibilities. Thanks for the thoughts on the PSB for Vita, I’d love to see that happen some day. For now, you can use the web browser :3

    • Elvick_
      February 18, 2012 at 11:47 am PST

      Am I the only one not able to get near (or maps) to get my location? My iPod Touch can do it. D’;

    • Elvick_
      February 18, 2012 at 11:54 am PST

      Anyhoo, I love the PSVita. The hardware is so amazing. It’s all I could ever want from a handheld.

      Been playing Uncharted: Golden Abyss, beat it and like Drake’s Fortune saving over your original save removes your chapter select. From my menu it seems it removed all my treasure progress too. :/ D

      Also playing Rayman: Origins, Hot Shots Golf: World International, I’m starting to get the hang HSG. No longer do I get all bogeys (or worse). xD Thanks to both developers for putting BUTTON controls for the game’s menus. I hate that Uncharted needs to swipe for the menus, not even tapping works. smh

      Wipeout 2048 is pretty awesome as well. Escape Plan is great. Can’t install Super Stardust Delta, one of the ones I wanted to play the most. xP

      So happy with the games available already. Announce an online patch for ModNation Racers and I’ll buy that one too. Will pick up Blazblue on PSVita as well. I can only imagine how sexy that is since Rayman looks so gorgeous.

    • The_Xomas
      February 18, 2012 at 12:11 pm PST

      All I’ve gotta say is Little Deviants’ blaster levels… OMG so fraking fun! I’ve pretty much played this game non-stop for the past 3 days. I haven’t even unwrapped Uncharted or Little Big Planet yet. Now I am just waiting for the AR Card games to go active on the 22nd and for the eventual PSOne game play-ability since that is most of my downloads.

      Oh and try out the Dungeon Hunter Demo.. that game is pretty fun too.

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