The Verge - PlayStation Vita: review, release dates, games, video, and more

PS Vita getting Hulu Plus and Crackle video-streaming apps 'soon'

2012-06-05T01:37:51Z

Sony has just announced that Hulu Plus and Crackle apps will be available on the PS Vita "soon." Both streaming video services are US-only, and have been available on the Playstation 3 for some time. Sony has been pushing apps on the Vita — Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare all have a presence on the potent portable since launch or shortly thereafter. The two video streaming apps will join the recently-announced YouTube app for PS Vita, which will launch later this month. Hulu Plus and Crackle both appeared onscreen alongside mainstays like the MLB.TV, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Sony Music Unlimited, and a curious ESPN logo. We're not going to assume quite yet that means that Watch ESPN or any of these other services are coming to the...

Sony PlayStation Vita review

2012-02-13T14:00:00Z

Sony’s PlayStation Vita represents the company’s second entry into the volatile handheld gaming market. The original PlayStation Portable found reasonable success as a largely traditional system, with console-style games being bought in boxes from stores just like other PlayStations, but the portable gaming market has changed in the six years since that console launched. With $0.99 smartphone apps like Angry Birds satiating the boredom of many commutes, just how much appetite there is for a "full" on-the-go gaming experience is debatable. Sony's answer? Pack as much as it can into a single device, and price it starting at $249.99.

On paper, the PS Vita is an astonishing piece of hardware, with a quad-core processor powering nearly...

Sony lists Vita-compatible PSP games ahead of February 22nd launch

2012-02-10T03:43:04Z

The US online store for Sony's PlayStation Vita has already come online with a number of downloadable titles, but one question that has remained open is exactly which PSP games will be compatible with the new device. The company provided an answer today, posting a preliminary list of 275 downloadable games that will be waiting for gamers, including Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection and Tekken 6. Alternative methods to get PSP games onto your Vita are also covered — if you've got compatible titles on your PlayStation3, you can copy them over via USB — but there are limitations to how many devices games can be activated on. Joystiq also reports that several additional titles work with the device as well (Valkyria Chronicles 2...

PS Vita maps and video recording: hands-on with firmware v1.6 (video)

2012-02-08T10:02:49Z

As promised, version 1.6 of the PlayStation Vita's firmware went live today, so we thought we'd check it out ahead of the system's US launch. The two headline features are a new Maps application and video support for the front and back cameras, and the only other immediately obvious change is that the Home button now glows blue whenever the power is on, instead of being reserved for notifications.

The Maps application might as well be a direct port of Google Maps for iOS. The two apps are essentially identical feature-wise, though the Vita interface has been tweaked to be consistent with other apps for the system. Where it differs from and arguably betters the iPhone app is in its presentation — with such a large screen, it can display...

PlayStation Vita car adapter and portable charger get release date and price for Japan

2012-02-07T08:18:03Z

While we haven't found the PlayStation Vita's battery life to be terrible, it's certainly a far cry from the days when you could expect your Game Boy to keep on going well into the double digits. However, last year Sony announced plans to mitigate the issue with an accessory, and it's just been given a release date. The "portable charger" is essentially a 5,000mAh battery pack that should be good for one and a half full charges of the Vita, after being charged itself for around seven hours. While the Vita's power consumption depends on a lot of factors, we'd expect the combination of system and portable charger to last for at least ten hours in total. It'll go on sale in Japan on April 5th for ¥4,500 ($58.69).

Also announced is a...

PlayStation Vita to get maps and video recording via firmware v1.6, Mac support this week (update: confirmed)

2012-02-06T05:43:34Z

Andriasang is reporting that February 8th will see the first significant firmware update for the PlayStation Vita. The update will add a new Map application, which looks to be using Google data with standard functionality like direction search, building information and so on. This may well be the first compelling reason for some to buy the 3G version of the Vita, as the Wi-Fi-only model doesn't have GPS hardware. The Photos app will also be updated with the ability to record video, a feature mysteriously missing from the launch firmware. To go with the new firmware, Sony is finally releasing a Mac version of its Content Manager application, which is required for transferring media and other data to and from the Vita. We can't confirm...

Playable PS Vita demo units at some GameStops, but call your store before visiting

2012-02-05T22:16:05Z

GameStop has announced that 3,300 store locations should have playable demo PlayStation Vita units on-hand for shoppers to try out, but we'd advise you to call ahead before making a trip. We just spent some time calling GameStop locations in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, and not a single location had a unit available for shoppers to test. We called some twenty locations in total, and every store either said they had to keep their PS Vita units under glass with a demo video running on the display (many cited security reasons), or said that they weren't getting them at all. Stores suggested we try calling higher-volume stores, but even that failed to lead to a playable Vita.

That said, if you do manage to track one...

Sony CFO on poor PlayStation Vita sales: 'We don't think we have any problems'

2012-02-04T13:32:05Z

Sony's been trying to wave off concerns over the poor sales of the PlayStation Vita, and the drumbeat continued on the company's recent earnings call. CFO Masaru Kato stated the the company sold 500,000 units in the first three weeks after launch — it's being outsold by the nearly year-old Nintendo 3DS — but that the company was bullish on its prospects. "I think we had a very — a good start," he said, and when pressed further about the months ahead stated "we don't think we have any problems."

To be fair, the Vita has only launched in Japan and a few neighboring countries at this point, but questions remain if the device can compete at its $249.99 base price point when faced with the rise of cheaper smartphone and tablet-based...