The Playstation Vita Catch-All

Stric9 wrote:

So my system seems to have settled down. Not sure if it's just that i'm not using apps that crash it or what but after crashing 3 times in the first few hours it hasn't had any issues since.

I'm having a blast with Drake's Fortune not sure what reviewers problems are with it...

Many of the touch controls are lame but almost all of them are optional and some of them I feel actually enhance the game. The gyro-aiming is actually pretty awesome when you want to fine tune your aim a bit, the touch jigsaw puzzles are a nice addition and the onscreen context sensitive buttons are a nice addition.

If you're calling most of the touch stuff 'optional' and actually game-enhancing, then I feel you really haven't been asked to do enough charcoal rubbings or wipe the dirt off of enough objects yet. Agree fully with the aiming, though - the fine tuning is excellent. Feeling love of the jigsaw-style puzzles a little less - they just smack of ham-fisted feature implementation and only served to remind me that Golden Abyss wholly lacks in the large, extravagant puzzles that I felt Naughty Dog had finally come close to perfecting in Uncharted 3.

On a side note, I noticed yesterday that Lumines is up on the UK store (which my Vita is presently tied to) at last. Heaven help me...

I don't know that I'd call the charcoal rubbings necessary. In the past this would have been you going over to an object and tapping X to collect it. That's a tacked-on gimmick, IMO.

DSGamer wrote:

I don't know that I'd call the charcoal rubbings necessary. In the past this would have been you going over to an object and tapping X to collect it. That's a tacked-on gimmick, IMO.

That's exactly what I was getting at. At least I think it was what I was getting at. It was what I was trying to get at, at the very least :p

That is, unless you were referring to the post above mine, in which case... high five?

Yep, the market's totally moved on. 1.2M worldwide, 600K during North America launch week and that's sold, not shipped. There's also apparently upwards of 75 titles currently in development for the platform. Vita's not going anywhere.

It's nice to see some good news for Sony, but I'd be dishonest if I if I wasn't more excited for the things likely to come down the line now that developers know (at least initially) that the market here is strong.

I don't think the Vita will crash and die, but I expect a precipitous dropoff in the next few weeks. The numbers in Japan were something like 350k in the first week, 75 the next.

The more important question: can the system (and 3DS) sustain quality and popularity long enough to keep dedicated portable gaming strong going forward? I think so, and I hope so.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I don't think the Vita will crash and die, but I expect a precipitous dropoff in the next few weeks. The numbers in Japan were something like 350k in the first week, 75 the next.

The more important question: can the system (and 3DS) sustain quality and popularity long enough to keep dedicated portable gaming strong going forward? I think so, and I hope so.

I do as well. The main reason it dropped off in Japan is because almost the entire launch line-up is Western centric titles and there were very few titles specifically aimed at the Japanese market at launch (plus no Monster Hunter which is to Japan what Call of Duty is to here). I think once some titles with more direct appeal to that market come out, the Vita will pick up. Most console developers are aiming for the western audience to begin with because Japan is now only a tiny segment of the overall gaming market and that country alone can't sell enough systems to make it successful. Ultimately time will tell and as I've said before, I don't think these platforms will ever do iOS numbers but they don't have to in order to succeed and I don't think even Sony and Nintendo are delusional enough to think that they will.

Is there an easy way to copy the contents of the 8GB Memory card I got to a 32GB Memory card I'm thinking about purchasing?

TheGameguru wrote:

Is there an easy way to copy the contents of the 8GB Memory card I got to a 32GB Memory card I'm thinking about purchasing?

My guess is that the "easy" way would be to use either a PS3 or the Content Manager Assistant software for PC or Mac to backup your Vita and then restore to the 32GB card.

I know that doesn't sound easy, but my understanding is that part of the reason Sony went to a proprietary format that seemingly can't be mounted like a normal hard drive, was to prevent piracy. So I don't think you can do with each card what you'd like to do. What you could do with any previous, sane media format. I don't think you can simply copy from one to the other. I think you have to go through their proprietary software and use the backup/restore features.

TheGameguru wrote:

Is there an easy way to copy the contents of the 8GB Memory card I got to a 32GB Memory card I'm thinking about purchasing?

I think the backup feature keeps most of your content and settings, but I'm not sure if it works for different cards.

I downloaded a PSP save off the net and it worked fine. So my PSP saves problem is with my system, which will hopefully correct itself with a CFW dual-boot upgrade. Crossing my fingers.

TheGameguru wrote:

Is there an easy way to copy the contents of the 8GB Memory card I got to a 32GB Memory card I'm thinking about purchasing?

Can't you use the contact manager assistant to save your games to your PC then move them back to the Vita on a different card? I haven't tried this yet though.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I don't think the Vita will crash and die, but I expect a precipitous dropoff in the next few weeks. The numbers in Japan were something like 350k in the first week, 75 the next.

You can't claim that because it dropped off that much in Japan that it will do the same in the US and Europe. It's already been established, numerous times, that the markets are totally different and that the Vita is heavily aimed at the US/Europe market rather than Japan. I do not expect a big drop in sales, because Sony not only launched with solid titles, but they have more coming out at a steady pace. Next month is MLB The Show, the month after Disgaea 3, then Gravity Rush, LittleBigPlanet, and more. I doubt if it'll be selling 600,000 units a week for months, but I highly doubt it'll drop down to 100,000 sold in a couple weeks.

The unlockables for Hot Shots Golf are getting expensive. My latest golfer, Xiao Ling, costs 50k. Hopefully I placed high in the tournaments yesterday...

optimistic wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:

Is there an easy way to copy the contents of the 8GB Memory card I got to a 32GB Memory card I'm thinking about purchasing?

Can't you use the contact manager assistant to save your games to your PC then move them back to the Vita on a different card? I haven't tried this yet though.

Where is that software? download?

TheGameguru wrote:
optimistic wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:

Is there an easy way to copy the contents of the 8GB Memory card I got to a 32GB Memory card I'm thinking about purchasing?

Can't you use the contact manager assistant to save your games to your PC then move them back to the Vita on a different card? I haven't tried this yet though.

Where is that software? download?

Yeah. Typical of Sony it's hidden and buried.

Here's the Mac Version - http://cma.dl.playstation.net/cma/mac/en/index.html

And here is the Windows version - http://cma.dl.playstation.net/cma/win/en/index.html

I can vouch that it works quite well for backups so far. I haven't transferred between cards so I'd love to hear your feedback on how that goes in case they release a 128GB card I have to buy some day.

Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Yep, the market's totally moved on. 1.2M worldwide, 600K during North America launch week and that's sold, not shipped. There's also apparently upwards of 75 titles currently in development for the platform. Vita's not going anywhere.

That's 200K more than the 3DS at launch. Cheers for the Vita!

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Yep, the market's totally moved on. 1.2M worldwide, 600K during North America launch week and that's sold, not shipped. There's also apparently upwards of 75 titles currently in development for the platform. Vita's not going anywhere.

That's 200K more than the 3DS at launch. Cheers for the Vita!

Yeah. I'll try not to go all ra-ra fanboy here, but this heartens me. I want the Vita to do well because I want more games for it. I really liked the PSP and the PSP/Vita has settled into being my favorite handheld platform since the GBA SP. With all the SRPGs from the PSP it's already headed in the direction of my favorite handheld ever. Now with the ability to play console games... I hope it continues to succeed.

Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Yep, the market's totally moved on. 1.2M worldwide, 600K during North America launch week and that's sold, not shipped. There's also apparently upwards of 75 titles currently in development for the platform. Vita's not going anywhere.

2M software units sold as well.. I have no idea if that is a solid attach rate for a launch window or not.. I know I bought 2 physical games and 1 digital. Does Mutant Blob and Stardust count as full games?? I have no idea... but I bought them as well..

ahrezmendi wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:

I don't think the Vita will crash and die, but I expect a precipitous dropoff in the next few weeks. The numbers in Japan were something like 350k in the first week, 75 the next.

You can't claim that because it dropped off that much in Japan that it will do the same in the US and Europe. It's already been established, numerous times, that the markets are totally different and that the Vita is heavily aimed at the US/Europe market rather than Japan.

Fewer than 300k for all of March in the US, calling it. Was tempted to say 200k but I haven't been around stores to see stock levels since launch.

TheGameguru wrote:
Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Yep, the market's totally moved on. 1.2M worldwide, 600K during North America launch week and that's sold, not shipped. There's also apparently upwards of 75 titles currently in development for the platform. Vita's not going anywhere.

2M software units sold as well.. I have no idea if that is a solid attach rate for a launch window or not.. I know I bought 2 physical games and 1 digital. Does Mutant Blob and Stardust count as full games?? I have no idea... but I bought them as well..

Wow, just read the article and saw the bit on the attach rate. That seems pretty good. I'm sure it would be larger if the games weren't pricier, memory didn't cost so much and the system launched at a lower price. I can see the attach rate getting up there. In my household the attach rate is 8 at this point. 9 once MLB The Show releases.

DSGamer wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Yep, the market's totally moved on. 1.2M worldwide, 600K during North America launch week and that's sold, not shipped. There's also apparently upwards of 75 titles currently in development for the platform. Vita's not going anywhere.

2M software units sold as well.. I have no idea if that is a solid attach rate for a launch window or not.. I know I bought 2 physical games and 1 digital. Does Mutant Blob and Stardust count as full games?? I have no idea... but I bought them as well..

Wow, just read the article and saw the bit on the attach rate. That seems pretty good. I'm sure it would be larger if the games weren't pricier, memory didn't cost so much and the system launched at a lower price. I can see the attach rate getting up there. In my household the attach rate is 8 at this point. 9 once MLB The Show releases.

3 right now; at some point I'll grab Persona 2, 3 and 4, and I'll almost certainly get MLB.

DSGamer wrote:

I'm sure it would be larger if the games weren't pricier, memory didn't cost so much and the system launched at a lower price.

This is what has stopped me from purchasing a Vita. I can probably swing a $250 console at the moment but the memory + games ends up being way too much of an up front investment for me at the moment. Once the prices for all of these things gets lower (which will definitely happen) I think the Vita might take off more than expected.

Tanglebones wrote:
DSGamer wrote:
TheGameguru wrote:
Parallax Abstraction wrote:

Yep, the market's totally moved on. 1.2M worldwide, 600K during North America launch week and that's sold, not shipped. There's also apparently upwards of 75 titles currently in development for the platform. Vita's not going anywhere.

2M software units sold as well.. I have no idea if that is a solid attach rate for a launch window or not.. I know I bought 2 physical games and 1 digital. Does Mutant Blob and Stardust count as full games?? I have no idea... but I bought them as well..

Wow, just read the article and saw the bit on the attach rate. That seems pretty good. I'm sure it would be larger if the games weren't pricier, memory didn't cost so much and the system launched at a lower price. I can see the attach rate getting up there. In my household the attach rate is 8 at this point. 9 once MLB The Show releases.

3 right now; at some point I'll grab Persona 2, 3 and 4, and I'll almost certainly get MLB.

Mine will dip a bit once I finish Uncharted and Touch My Katamari as I doubt I'm keeping those games. So far my strategy of buying games on physical media if I have doubts is working out. The only games I've ended up "upgrading" to digital so I didn't have to pop in a card have been FIFA and Lumines. Otherwise I've either made a call that a game is a game I'm going to keep or one I'll likely sell. So far, so good. Either way unless I'm allowed to gift or resell PSN purchases down the road my attach rate is solidly at 6 games bought on PSN.

Honestly based on my own personal experience I'm kind of surprised the attach rate isn't higher.

Blind_Evil wrote:
ahrezmendi wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:

I don't think the Vita will crash and die, but I expect a precipitous dropoff in the next few weeks. The numbers in Japan were something like 350k in the first week, 75 the next.

You can't claim that because it dropped off that much in Japan that it will do the same in the US and Europe. It's already been established, numerous times, that the markets are totally different and that the Vita is heavily aimed at the US/Europe market rather than Japan.

Fewer than 300k for all of March in the US, calling it. Was tempted to say 200k but I haven't been around stores to see stock levels since launch.

Ha, it's a bet! What are the stakes, just bragging rights?

Finished Uncharted, and I really enjoyed the last few chapters. Overall fun game, I'll go back and do a Hard play at some point. Specifics:

Spoiler:

Dante & Guerro fights: These were way better boss fights than the console games. QTEs they were, but using the touch screen for QTEs was a lot more fun and interactive than just button presses, and a hell of a lot more fun than running in circles trying to blow up blue pods while the boss is nearby.

Lack of supernatural elements: I really liked this. I kept waiting for the zombies, or radioactive corpses to show up, but they never did. It kept the story grounded, and was a nice change of pace after the console games.

Escaping the collapsing ruins: Exciting, particularly mixing in the shooting spots. I don't recall UC1 or UC2 doing much of this, though the set pieces were better in those. Still, it was an exciting way to end the story.

Well, Sony can add another one to their sales figures, thanks to the unexpected generosity of my lovely dad! (Not that he isn't generous normally, of course).

I picked up Uncharted, and I got a 4 gb stick free. I'm guess that I'll need to update that very quickly.

I was impressed with the demo unit I played a few weeks ago, but not so much that I raced out on launch day. I figured that I would pick one up later in the year. Now I can play without having to deal with cognitive dissonance! Yay!

I can't speak to the validity of this statement, but regarding attach rates from the comments in the Gamasutra article: "On average, each Vita owner is buying 1.66 games, whereas the 3DS, that number was 0.95."

Dyni wrote:

I can't speak to the validity of this statement, but regarding attach rates from the comments in the Gamasutra article: "On average, each Vita owner is buying 1.66 games, whereas the 3DS, that number was 0.95."

Wow, .95?!

I mean, I knew the 3DS got a lot of flack for not having enough strong launch titles, but I didn't think the average would have been less than 1 game per console. I guess enough people thought the AR cards alone were enough to keep them occupied.

Bottle wrote:
Dyni wrote:

I can't speak to the validity of this statement, but regarding attach rates from the comments in the Gamasutra article: "On average, each Vita owner is buying 1.66 games, whereas the 3DS, that number was 0.95."

Wow, .95?!

I mean, I knew the 3DS got a lot of flack for not having enough strong launch titles, but I didn't think the average would have been less than 1 game per console. I guess enough people thought the AR cards alone were enough to keep them occupied.

It was actually people planning to resell for a tidy profit. Disappointment abounded.

Bottle wrote:

I mean, I knew the 3DS got a lot of flack for not having enough strong launch titles, but I didn't think the average would have been less than 1 game per console. I guess enough people thought the AR cards alone were enough to keep them occupied.

I bought the 3DS with no games so I could mess around with StreetPass and stuff while waiting for Zelda and other games to materialize. I don't think I'm alone on this either...

It's also possible people bought the 3DS for the new hardware but used it primarily for playing DS games while waiting for other games to come out. All the same, that's totally on Nintendo for not coming out of the gate swinging with some strong software.

If you're calling most of the touch stuff 'optional' and actually game-enhancing, then I feel you really haven't been asked to do enough charcoal rubbings or wipe the dirt off of enough objects yet.

The rubbings are definitely overused and kinda lame, but don't bother me a whole lot. Correct me if i'm wrong but as far as I can think of the only times you're required to use the touchscreen are for rubbings, quick-time events, and jigsaw puzzles. Of those three things I actually think 2 of them are improvements. I like the quick-time events using the touchscreen more than I liked the QT events on the PS3 versions, and the jigsaw puzzles feel like a bit of Professor Layton fell into my Uncharted.