Sony announced its new TV game console called the PS Vita TV back on September 9. When the PS Vita TV was first announced, there were more than a few gamers disappointed in the fact that it was launching in Japan only. It seems the popularity of the PS Vita TV in Japan has Sony […]
Sony’s new console, the PlayStation 4, releases in November. At launch, gamers won’t be able to play PS3 titles, but they’ll have the ability to do so next year. At the Tokyo Game Show today, President of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, revealed that a digital library of PlayStation 3 games will be streamed through the company’s Gaikai cloud services to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2014. Since the processing will be done in the cloud, gamers will also be able to play PS3 titles on the recently announced PS Vita TV.
It hasn’t been revealed as yet which titles will be the first ones to be supported by next year. Yoshia has said that Sony will support a “decent number” of games when the service launches, and that it will continue to expand the library over time. Back in February this year, Yoshida had announced that PlayStation 4 would not come with native support for last year’s console’s games. This alternative will no doubt be welcomed. Gaikai, known as the “world’s leading interactive cloud-based gaming company,” was purchased by Sony last year for a rumored amount of $380 million. After the acquisition many hoped that Sony will use this technology to offer streaming of games, the company has finally followed through.
Sony Will Stream PS3 Games To PS4 And PS Vita Next Year original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Earlier this month, Sony did announce the PS Vita TV which certainly took a number of people by surprise, and that announcement was accompanied by yet another high profile mention – that the Sony PS4 will arrive in Japan, Sony’s home country, a good three months after the PS4 experiences a launch in the US sometime in the middle of November this year. That is certainly a bummer when it comes to fans of Sony who live in Japan, as this compact device known as the PS Vita TV will deliver a kind of functionality that is somewhat Vita-like in nature, albeit with a DualShock 3 controller as well as TV output. I suppose in a way to “appease” the masses, the PS Vita TV is set to launch in Japan this coming November 14th.
It seems that feelers on the ground at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show event in Japan has revealed that the Sony PS Vita TV will also arrive on store shelves in other Asian countries, where among them include China and Korea, this coming January 2014, although pricing details for the PS Vita TV in those countries and territories have yet to be confirmed or announced. Will Europe or the US ever get the PS Vita TV? Only time will tell.
Sony Says PS Vita TV To Launch In Asia This January 2014 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Yesterday Sony introduced a gaming device that’s as surprising as the Nintendo 2DS. Alongside its announcement of a new PS Vita model, Sony also introduced the PlayStation Vita TV. But while Nintendo wants to grab new mobile gamers with its new handheld, Sony seems to be going after its existing customers with the PS Vita TV. You’ll see why I say that in a bit.
If the 2DS is a 3DS with no 3D screen, the Vita TV is a Vita that has no screen at all. It needs your TV or HD monitor as its screen. It measures just 2.6″ x 4.1″ x o.54″ and weighs just 110g (~0.24 lb.). It can play many games PS Vita games as well as the PS One Classics and PSP games in the Playstation Network store. It will use the DualShock 3 controller, which was originally released for the PS3. The Vita TV has a Vita game card slot, an HDMI port, a USB 2.0 port, an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi connectivity and a slot for Sony’s memory cards.
Another compelling feature of the PS Vita TV is that it will also have its own version of Remote Play when the PS4 launches. If you have a PS 4 connected to one TV, you can use the PS Vita TV to stream games to another TV as long as both PlayStation devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. You can see this feature at around 0:44 in the video below:
The PS Vita is also a digital media player. But it’s going to be launched in Japan first so the announced services are mainly for Japanese customers, with the exception of Hulu. Finally, like the 2DS, the PS Vita TV is also cheaper than its full featured kin. It will launch in Japan on 11/14/13 for ¥9,954 (~$100 USD).
It’s not all good news though. As you may have deduced already, the PS Vita TV cannot play all Vita games. That’s because some games, e.g. Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Tearaway make use of the Vita’s touchscreen, which the DualShock 3 doesn’t have. PlayStation Japan has a list of the games that will work with the PS Vita. The obvious answer to this dilemma would be the DualShock 4, but Sony didn’t say if this functionality will be added in the future.
As with the 2DS’ lack of 3D, the disparity between the Vita and the Vita TV could create a lose-lose situation for Sony. If developers keep on making Vita games that require a touchscreen or a touchpad, owners of the Vita TV will be pissed off that they can’t play those games. On the other hand, if more Vita games in the future won’t require the touchscreen, that may render the Vita’s touchscreen and rear touchpad useless. I think Sony should order developers to require the use of Vita’s touch hardware only on games that are meant to be played on the go. In short, only on games designed for a mobile device. Because that’s what the Vita is and that’s what the Vita TV is not. I don’t think Vita TV gamers would care much for an endless running game or a tower defense game.
Another drawback of this strange new microconsole is that it’s not really as cheap as it seems. Sure, at only $100, it’s 50% cheaper than the PS Vita. But the microconsole doesn’t come with a DualShock 3. Japanese customers will have to buy a bundle that costs about $150 if they want a controller included with their PS Vita TV. Then there’s Sony’s most irritating quirk: its memory cards. The PS Vita TV has only 1GB of internal memory, which means pretty soon you’ll have to splurge on Sony’s vastly overpriced proprietary memory cards.
Like I said, the PS Vita TV seems to be aimed at loyal or would-be loyal fans of the PlayStation ecosystem. If you already have a PS3, then you already have a DualShock 3 controller. Got the Vita? Then you have Vita games and at least one memory card. If Ouya and other microconsole makers want to stay swimming with this big fish, I think they have to attack that one weakness: sell cheap and go for casual and retro gamers.
[via PlayStation Asia & Engadget]
Here we are with a few announcements from Sony already, including a spanking new PS Vita that will be thinner and lighter than its predecessor, not to mention that Japan will be on the receiving end of their Sony PS4 from February 22nd onwards next year. As part of the announcement, it does seem as though Sony Computer Entertainment Japan will reveal the PlayStation Vita TV, which is a system that hooks up to the PS Vita handheld gaming device, the PlayStation 4, as well as the TV in your living room.
Apart from that, the Sony PlayStation Vita TV will enable users to hook up to PlayStation devices across their homes thanks to Remote Play. For instance, a user is able to access and play PS4 games from the comfort of their bedroom, even though the PS4 is connected to the living room TV. For those of you who are interested in picking up the PlayStation Vita TV, it will cost 9,480 yen before tax when it rolls out in Japan later this November 14th, while another bundle is available for the Vita TV which will include a DualShock 3 controller as well as an 8GB Vita memory card which will cost 14,280 yen before tax. Those price points would cost $96 and $143, respectively, after conversion.
Sony PlayStation Vita TV Announced original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Today in Tokyo, Sony introduced PS Vita TV. It is a six centimeter by ten centimeter device, making it one small piece of PlayStation hardware.
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