440°

E3 2011: Introducing PlayStation Vita, Starting at $249

PSBlog: "Just moments ago during our 2011 E3 press conference we proudly unveiled an incredible 2011 software lineup and amazing new PS3 peripherals, and also shed new light on our highly anticipated handheld gaming device, officially named PlayStation Vita (PS Vita). “Vita,” which means “Life” in Latin, was chosen as the name for our next-generation portable entertainment system because it enables a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context."

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-Mezzo-4707d ago

Sony has hit the Sweet Spot with the Price, will probably Pre-Order 2, a 3G model for myself and a Wi-Fi model for my siblings. :D

I hope they reveal the PS-VITA Game prices soon.

NeoBasch4707d ago

Nintendo's in trouble. If the rumor about Modern Warfare 3 on the Vita is true... let's not get into that. I'm already sold. Uncharted: Golden Abyss was really ******* good. $250 is quite the deal. All that's left is for Sony to announce the release date.

WhittO4707d ago (Edited 4707d ago )

This price has surprised everyone, in the right way! haha

I was expecting Kaz to say something about not having that price made fun of like PS3's ..."$599,$599,$599" haha

RankFTW4707d ago

I hope this price converts well into GBP, like it better not be any more than £230 - £250 for the 3G model.

morganfell4707d ago

@Neobasch,

Philip Early of Activision stated on stage earlier this year that a CoD title is in development for the NGP.

sikbeta4707d ago

So true, it was a nice surprise to see that price-tag, they got my money already...

DatNJDom814707d ago

It has cross chat for those that are crying for it. Sony put themselves in a very good spot. If Vita has it, its coming to PS3. Imagine talking to someone while they are on the Vita. and ur on PS3.

-Alpha4707d ago (Edited 4707d ago )

@Neo

I think the DS will be fine, but Sony is hot on their heels. The price is just very competitive, but I'm sure Nintendo will drop/remodel when the Vita releases.

All Nintendo has are the exclusives, and quite honestly, I am sold on the DS for that reason alone.

I'm anticipating more Vita games, but I'm not interested in the launch titles. 3DS has a weaker launch, but they also have no competition right now.

Vita seems to have a great launch lineup, but personally, I'm waiting for original titles I can't already play on my PS3

NeoBasch4707d ago

I don't know, the PSV really made the 3DS seem insignificant. At 250, you get graphics that easily outmatch the 3DS (which hasn't even reached the reported GameCube quality graphics and has a worse resolution than the PSP), games like Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet at launch as well as probably the best implementation of ModNation Racers, an infinitely better network, integration with the PS3 for continuous play and networking, and cross-game chat. I'd be interested to see if CinemaNow is also available to the PSV. I really don't think it's even fair to compare at this point.

Nintendo's promised games are turning into vaporware and the games that are to come are hardly that interesting. MGS3: 3D looks worse than the HD collection. Combine that with the delayed Kid Icarus and Devil Survivor (which is a port... of a very awesome game, but a port nonetheless, with an extra scenario; the voice acting is a plus) and the first year for the 3DS looks abysmal. Unless Nintendo announces a bunch of titles to come for the rest of the year, I think Sony has this holiday in the bag.

I love Sony and Nintendo, but each have their off years. This might be one of Nintendo's first in a long time. Hopefully, it will be their last. : \ By the way, I doubt Nintendo will drop price this early into the life cycle. Sony has to worry about the PS3 now. There was hardly any exciting announcements for the system save Sly 4.

-Alpha4707d ago (Edited 4707d ago )

@Neo

As the DS has already proven, it's not about raw power. It's about the exclusives and the appeal, and Nintendo has a huge demographic locked down on the appeal of their product. Not sure which games you are calling vaporware, but they do have a large list of exclusives.

I personally am much more interested in the DS for its exclusives than I am with the PSV. The power is impressive, but I look for a simpler alternative to my PS3 when deciding handhelds.

So far though, the 3DS has been quiet, but once both products get into the swing of things I think that they are both going to target two very distinct audiences. I dont think that the PSV will outsell the 3DS for the same reason the PSP didn't outsell the DS, and that's Nintendo's grasp on the handheld market itself

NeoBasch4707d ago

I don't think it's that cut and dry anymore. Japan is becoming the turning point. The 70 million PSP sales has to do with the recent spike for the system in Japan I'm sure. Nintendo barely manages to outsell Sony's trojan horse with 3 existing DS models as well as new hardware in the 3DS, which Japan usually obsesses over.

With One Piece, the 3DS saw a 4,000 unit spike, but that's it. I have a feeling that's not just because of software, because Nintendo has released plenty of exclusives over there already (US hasn't seen near as many). Sony will capture the hardcore audience with the close integration with current-gen systems (the graphics gap has been closed, and it has strong third-party support with existing IPs).

I think the PSV has plenty of identity. The touch screen controls are innovative. No longer does touch rely on maps or dual screens, but you can interact with the game world as if it were an iPhone. It's easier to use and has a touch screen on back if you don't want to interfere with the action. Not to mention it seems the motions are gesture based, which works extremely well with handhelds. No reason to be accurate. The Six-Axis is more suited to PSV than DualShock. The games encourage interaction in ways consoles never could.

There's no doubt the DS has numerous exclusives, but the PSV will inherit much of their PSP brethren. Games like Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, Monster Hunter 3rd, Final Fantasy 012: Duodecim, Persona 3: Portable, Persona 2: Innocent Sin are carving a new image for the PSP that users are seemingly embracing. Sad it took 'til now for that to happen, but that means much of these works will carry over to the PSV. The JRPG renaissance is strong with Sony's handhelds.

With the 3DS, Nintendo will of course have great first party support, but I don't like most of their mascots. Only appreciated 3 Mario titles (Super Mario World, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy). I like Donkey Kong, but that's about it. Something about Zelda annoys me. Maybe it's because the mythic nature of each story is so on the nose it's ridiculous. I guess there's always Metroid. Always loved Metroid, but I usually look toward more creative works like Ghost Trick, Ni no Kuni, and Professor Layton. While the Layton game for the 3DS looks insanely good, I don't see many games like it. The only one I had my eye on was a recent reveal of Tri-Ace's Beyond the Labyrinth, which probably won't come out this year.

As for the vaporware I was referring to: Shin Megami Tensei Persona, Kingdom Hearts, Etrian Odyssey, Blood Rayne, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Bomberman, Contra, Super Robot Taisen, and a whole host of others. That's not even including the list of promised third-party support that seemingly disappeared over night. Wish I still had that giant list they posted at last year's E3.

Don't get me wrong, I know Nintendo is the king of handhelds and has a nice grip on the market. I just think they're losing it and we might see a shake up by the end of this year.

NewMonday4707d ago

We are in 2011, since the DS launched the Iphone has become the thing everyone wants despite its price, it has practically monopolized "cool", the masses have no loyalty and flock to the most popular thing.

Almost everyone" thought" the 3DS was going to be the next big thing, from the media the fans and even the haters, but the market simply didn’t agree. I think Nintendo got overconfident with their success like Sony did with the PS3.

In the other hand it seems Sony learned from their experience with the PS3 and PSPGo, they didn’t get the hype get to them so far, one lesson is making the PSV developer friendly, another is the price, most were expecting 350$+ for Wi-Fi and a lot were saying they would pay more, but they surprised use with a 250$ price. Let's not forget the PSV will launch in Japan at Time of PSP domination, so over their they will have momentum; I expect a lot of PSV games at TGS.

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Warprincess1164707d ago (Edited 4707d ago )

lol yep. The Vita is like a home console on the go. The interface to the online network. It just blows away the 3ds in every category. Sony definitely gone to win the handheld war.

4707d ago
wingman32x4707d ago

Seems that way, doesn't it. Sony surprised the hell out of everybody. Great job.

I wouldn't underestimate the power of the word Nintendo, though.

miyamoto4707d ago (Edited 4707d ago )

The home console experience on the go dream of Sony has truly & finally been realized with the PSV.

$249.99 just hit the sweet spot right there! So much power in a very affordable price.

This is probably the most affordable Sony gaming device ever to launch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Sony PSV with eat America this holiday season.

And finally cross game chat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M-Easy4707d ago

$499 for that sweet 3D monitor, with R3, HDMI cable, pair of 3D glasses & $249 for this. Not to mention the games. I am going to be soooo broke... but entertained.

sikbeta4707d ago (Edited 4707d ago )

Sweetest deal ever, now there are no excuses to not experience 3D Gaming on the PS3...

news4geeks4707d ago

Unless you are a cheap bastard like myself who won't be buying either the TV bundle or Vita. Amazing prices still.

nycredude4707d ago

news4geeks

You aint cheap you are just broke.

ALFAxD_CENTAURO4707d ago (Edited 4707d ago )

And with great games!

I was expecting $349.

Party Service or Cross Game Voice Chat for PSV.

StbI9904707d ago (Edited 4707d ago )

Im that anyone that says anything wrong about psvita will receive all the disagrees possible from all my accounts lol.

Man, i really really dont want a 3ds anymore looool.

Below, he says for xmas, so before 2012 is more than an official date.

PSV1TA4707d ago

this is kinda off topic but am i the only one mad that the PSvita has a party system while ps3 STILL dont?

vickers5004707d ago

No, I kind of am too. I was hoping they would throw a "and it's coming to psn too" line into that sentence, but it never came :(

Ah well, it's not the end of the world.

blumatt4707d ago

Maybe that's a sign that the PS3 will get an update soon to add that feature. Although, you've got to take into account that they're implementing that feature from the get-go on the Vita. It's probably much more difficult to add to the PS3 this far into its lifecycle. But expect it to be in the PS4 for sure now. :)

Can't wait for my 3G/Wifi PS Vita!!! Awesome price, Sony. It's good to see they learned from the PS3 regarding pricing things too high. This means that the PS4 will likely only cost around $400 at launch, which would be reasonable. Can't wait for more PlayStation goodness this year and next.

TBM4707d ago Show
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GunofthePatriots4707d ago

+Solid Price
+Lots of games
+Dual analog sticks and touch screens

-ATT partner Ship
-No official Release date

Cant wait to get my hands on this

M-Easy4707d ago

I am an AT&T customer and I can confirm they suck.

Shadow Flare4707d ago

Yeah there was a bit of a reaction when that was announced. Why was that? Does AT&T really suck? I don't know what's it's like, I'm from the UK

dragon824707d ago

They don't suck where I live.

M-Easy4707d ago

Maybe its where you live but here in Southern California the coverage is awful. Dropped calls all the time. The 3G fast and works well enough but my phone is damn near useless. People get mad all I do is text, that's AT&T's fault.

Christopher4707d ago

I'm also an AT&T customer, and I've actually had no issues with them...

I think it's based on where you live. I'm in the DC Metro area and I've rarely had issues and my 3G connection has been great. I know New York is one of the worst places to have AT&T.

AT&T is supposed to be updating their 3G (*cough*4G*cough*) system over the next few months, hopefully that addresses issues with connectivity in those areas that need it.

Phantasm4707d ago

I agree. Also, when AT&T was announced during Sony's show, you could here a few laughs and moans from the audience.

Araceae4707d ago

AT&T is actually the only good carrier where I live. I think it sucks on the west coast, where most of the gaming press is from (which is why you got that reaction). So for me, if it was on another carrier I would be more upset

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DeadIIIRed4707d ago

I have AT&T and as soon as he mentioned something about an exclusive carrier I was hoping it was them. I wish they would have made it available to everyone else though.

blumatt4707d ago

I HIGHLY doubt the 3G will be free. lol That's a pipedream. haha Now THAT would be incredible.

I'm sure they'll price the 3G similar to how you buy 3G a month at a time for your iPad. I can't see them making contracts for it. It'll most likely be month to month, or maybe a year's worth at a time.

M-Easy4707d ago

Lol nothing is free. Except PSN of course :) 3G doesn't cost extra but you have to pay for a data plan to access it.

starcb264707d ago

Isn't 3G on the kindle free?

gaden_malak4707d ago

Curious to see what the price will be in Aussie dollars. Knowing how we get screwed, probably $400

creamsoda4707d ago

YEE BOI! oh wait it's $400 in my country. OH DAMM!

Ninver4707d ago

that's were importing comes in my friend.

lugia 40004707d ago

249.99 US
249.99 Euro

Ummm... why?

BryanBegins4707d ago

Don't forget that the $249 is without taxes. Here in Canada, it's 12%. In the States, it depends on the state. But the fact is that prices in NA are excluding taxes, while in Europe it's included. So yes, Europe probably gets screwed, but not as much as you think lol

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150°

PlayStation Vita Issues Have Tarnished the Legacy of an Otherwise Great System

The Vita is a well-designed system, albeit one that Sony left for dead as soon as it hit its first bump in the road. If it weren't for a couple negative quirks, it might have even been one of the best handhelds ever made. Unfortunately, those quirks have turned into awful problems as of late, and have only served to tarnish the legacy of what has otherwise been an excellent cult system.

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playstationenthusiast.com
lptmg2424d ago

I like the Vita a lot. I actually blame Sony in putting less faith in it than it should

Prince_TFK2423d ago

I love my Vita. Fantastic system. The screen totally destroy the 3DS. Too bad that Sony drop the support as soon as the sale slow down.

I wonder what would had happened if they had used SD card instead of that expensive card.

PhoenixUp2424d ago

I'll always find it hilarious how even when Sony seemingly abandoned their second handheld, Vita still outsold Wii U which was heavily supported by Nintendo.

Never underestimate the power that third party support can do for a platform.

freshslicepizza2423d ago

Which cleary shows why it's good to have a nice balance between the two. Sony knows this but some of their fans seem to only want to talk about exclusives.

Prince_TFK2423d ago

I thought it is all about exclusive here on n4g? So third party is only important as long as we don't talk about Xbox? Oh the amount of spin.

rainslacker2423d ago

Sony had 3rd party support, and still has it to this day on the Vita. IN fact, it's about all they have. They even had some pretty good 1st party support in the first few years.

But no one would give them credit for that support, and "vita has no games" was the constant mantra being spewed on every vita article until Sony finally dropped all its meaningful support for the system.

Games are what sells a system. Doesn't matter if they're multi-plat or exclusive. Sony had a lot of both, they just failed to get more of the really big exclusives like they got with the PSP. PSP didn't really take off until they started getting things like Metal Gear or GT. When they looked like they were finally going that path, they pretty much gave up on it, and it's kind of sad, because it's a great system.

chris2352424d ago

got the vita although it was dead on arrival. mobile gaming on dedicated machines is deadder than dead. oh wait, the switch is doing stellar, even rivaling the ps4, the xbox and the new xoxbox. ok, let's forget for one second about the absolute market dominator: when was the last time you saw someone playing his or her dedicated machine outside? I can't really remember. what I'm seeing everyday though is that everybody and their little daughter got smartphones when they are on their way to go somewhere.

2424d ago
thatguyhayat2423d ago

Vita was and still amazing. Playing uncharted and gravity rush on it was simply epic. Such a shame Sony gave up on it

InTheLab2423d ago

Was...perhaps. still? Those games came out years ago. The vita is a terrible handheld that Sony pushed out with Insanely overpriced memory cards and a handful of games. It was amazing for maybe a year then reality set in.

Sony only cares about the home console. Vita, PSP, Move, and now the PSVR all rely on 3rd party support after Sony pushes them out the door.

2423d ago
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40°

Top 5 Best Cancelled PS Vita Games of All Time

Are you a huge PS Vita fan? If the answer is yes, and you absolutely adore your Playstation Vita then this video is going to be tough for you. The VitaBoys count down the top 5 best PS Vita games that got cancelled.

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390°

PS Vita 2 Will Be Better Than Switch

The PlayStation Vita is such an underrated handheld device that it's almost sickening on how it just disappeared in the hands of gamers. And even though the Vita vanished off the face of the earth, this does not mean that a next gen Vita isn't welcomed. If another iteration of the PS Vita does come to be, than this could spell disaster for the Nintendo Switch.

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goodnewsgaming.com
naruga2591d ago (Edited 2591d ago )

i m calling it now...No Monster Hunter 5 No portable console for me .....if Vita 2 is to be released with games like 'portable"Uncharted&a mp;a mp;q uot; , portable "Horizon", portable Assasin Creed , is Hell NO ...portable consoles need proprietary games (ex Splatoon Monster Hunter, Gravity Rush ..games that can be played portbale) and not degraded versions of home console games (huge mistake from Sony to support Vita with Uncharted and Killzone (two mediocre appeal IPs that could only be enjoyed on pS3 because their graphical superiority) and most importantly Vita died because its main life source MHou series was stolen/went Nintendo exclusive ...

Kaneki-Ken2589d ago

Ignorance at it finest. Vita died because no one bought it and the games. The reason that no one bought it and it was because the pricey Memory Card.

2589d ago
princejb1342589d ago

One of the many reasons. My reason was because I just don't game while traveling

fiveby92589d ago

I agree the pricey memory cards really diminished the sales of the Vita. I recently read that one of teh reasons Sony stuck with their pricey card rather than standard SD cards had something to do with concerns over piracy of games. One would have thought cheap standard cards would open up software sales on the PS Store. But oddly piracy was some major concern. Regardless, I'd like to see a new handheld from Sony.

The 10th Rider2589d ago (Edited 2589d ago )

But the 3DS floundered at first and had comparable sales, however it's now a success. I think the Vita was less salvageable due to the memory card costs. On top of that, Nintendo moved development to the 3DS, resulting in great 3DS support but poor Wii U support, and Sony moved development away from the Vita, resulting in poor Vita support but great PS4 support. On top of that, Vita was clearly the more powerful device, which is great, but games with a higher visual fidelity take more time and money to develop, making it far easier for Nintendo to turn around and get games out than it would be for Sony.

The big reason I think we won't see another Vita is because Sony would have to split their development teams between PS4 and their handheld, and it would be even more powerful leading to increased dev times and cost. It may be possible to make a handheld that plays the same games as a console (in 720p) if consoles go native 4K next gen, especially if it released a few years after the home console. Other than that I don't see Sony making another handheld that pushes power. (Maybe something different that's affordable, portable, versatile, and doesn't push power though.)

freshslicepizza2589d ago

sony is about tradition, they will come out with another handheld. they invest quite a bit into in-house studios and want more than just the ps4 to sell their ip's on.

nveenio2589d ago

I don't think Sony wants a new Vita. I think they want to get Playstation Now ready on all mobile devices. Then people can play whatever whenever and Sony doesn't have to worry about the hardware headaches or being first to market or anything like that.

Erik73572589d ago (Edited 2589d ago )

Nintendo had better games on the 3DS , hence why third party sucks. Who wanted the shitty assassin game on vita?

zb1ftw7772589d ago

By saying no one bought the vita and it's games, you essentially agreed with everything naruga wrote.

He literally listed the best games on the vita and then explained why no one bought them.

Funny how two people say the same thing, but word them differently and obtain different levels of likes.

toyzombie2589d ago

I kinda disagree.... They had to release the Vita at the correct price. We've already seen what happens when something is priced to high. Lets say they would have released the PS Vita at $350 with an internal 64GB of storage. People would have lost their minds because its $350. People just arent willing to spend a high dollar amount for a high quality portable device due to cell phones.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 2589d ago
conanlifts2589d ago (Edited 2589d ago )

Uncharted is a mediocre ip? Have you even played the game?

xMANB3ARP1G2588d ago (Edited 2588d ago )

the memory prices would have been forgotten and went down if monster hunter and some other games came to it the PSP memory card prices were way worse than the vitas at release. I never understand when people want the newest and greatest up till it comes time to pay. Sometimes new things cost money sucks but it is a fact of life. uncharted wasn't bad and resistance was sick but overall they misfired on this one would of loved one now built with ps4 in mind and a real mobile connection that can be used with your current plan and plan data limits for like a 10 buck a month fee better quality stick and hopefully sd card support but it would still need stuff like monster hunter Patapon LocoRoco wipeout and final fantasy games. unfortunately mobile games ruined handhelds to many ppl are ok with the garbage mobile games anymore and its a tough sale for a handheld and a handheld game now there will always be ppl like me who love portables but now with everyone owning a cell phone and every dev having at least 1 cell phone game of all various quality its hard to sell a buck cell phone game much less a full priced handheld game.

2590d ago Replies(4)
EddieNX 2590d ago

There is no PS Vita 2 lol so good luck with that. PS Vita had way worse games than the WiiU and was a disaster outside of Japan.

Kaneki-Ken2589d ago

Good Luck with the Switch having no 3rd party support from Big Publishers after Skyrim releases. After Zelda hype dies off, no a lot of people going to buy a Switch for a port Mario Kart games and Indie, a sequel that doesn't feel like a sequel *cough* Splatoon 2*cough*. And the puchies game that doesn't seem nothing new and The only good exclusive is coming out in the fall, Mario.

EddieNX 2589d ago

I was just playing Splatoon 2 before on the global test fire and I can confirm now that its fantastic, an iteration sequel like COD but its gunna be worth owning a Switch for the amount of hours you can sink into its sensationaly addictive multiplayer. Mario kart is a perfect game 10/10 the only thing wrong was balloon battle and they've fixed it made it 1080p and portable you can play multiplayer anywhere, fantastic, can't wait.

Mario Odyssey is gunna be epic, so is Xenoblade chronicles 2 and Fire emblem. Fire emblem warriors and Arms will both be great, there's a TON of amazing indie games and other games already announced, god knows what they're going to show us at e3.

Honestly, Switch is turning into my favorite ever console. The portable nature of it is amazing. Im so excited about the future of Switch and I really feel sorry for people who are going to miss out on the games I've listed above. I have an XB1S and will be getting a Scorpio as well, so I won't be missing out on any third party games. But I'll also have the ultimate portable/ hybrid console with Nintendos truly amazing games

conanlifts2589d ago (Edited 2589d ago )

"The only good exclusive is coming out in the fall, Mario"

So you think xenoblade 2 is not a good exclusive?

Prince_TFK2589d ago (Edited 2589d ago )

Kaneki-Ken

You seem to forget that Nintendo has many unannounced games that is coming such as Pokemon star, monster hunter, fire emblems...on top of that E3 is coming and who know what Nintendo has up their sleeves.

But yeah...keep putting your fanboy google on and keep on hating Nintendo, while i keep on enjoying their games.

V0LT2588d ago

I think your crystal ball has been hacked. You couldn't be any more wrong.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2588d ago
2588d ago
PhoenixUp2590d ago

Switch has Dragon Quest XI

The next potential PlayStation handheld will not.

That alone spells which will be more successful

Platformgamer2589d ago

Ps4 also has DQ XI and sony could do a cross-platform thing with a potential psvita2 so...

_-EDMIX-_2588d ago

I don't know how you came to such a strange conclusion.

The likeliness is statistically if Sony does release another PlayStation Portable it's going to be what the PlayStation 4 is in regards to strength or near it.

PhoenixUp2588d ago

If Sony couldn't get DQIX for PSP, I doubt they could get DQXI for a future handheld

Miguelitons2589d ago

There will be no PS Vita 2, that's just it!

InahimeHondaSengoku2589d ago

I love how you are always right. :-)

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