Thursday, June 30, 2011

PlayStation Vita Facial Recognition Tech Demo Shows Video Chat With Avatars

Sony recently attended the Game Tools & Middleware Forum 2011 in Tokyo, where they demonstrated face recognition technology being developed by them, in the form of a tech demo. The upcoming PlayStation Vita will be able to make use of this.



The video chat tech demo above demonstrates some of the technology’s features, with two people using their avatars to communicate with each other.

Australian Vita price comparable to the Euro pricing

The PlayStation Vita may already have a price set in the US and Europe, but Australian pricing still remains a mystery. Sony's local operations, however, have given a big hint as to what the possible cost of the new portable will be.




Sony Computer Entertainment Australia and New Zealand head Michael Ephraim said while most local gamers tend to look toward US pricing as an indicator, the unit's European pricing is a much more accurate gauge of how much the Vita will cost in Australia. The Vita is priced at 249.99 euros for the Wi-Fi model, while 3G will cost 299.99 euros. At today's conversion rate, that will roughly equate to A$340 and A$407, respectively.

Develop to host PlayStation Vita talk

Develop organisers have announced this morning that Sony will be holding a talk at the event on PlayStation Vita. The talk, which will take place on July 20, will see head of developer services Kish Hirani and Sony’s Neil Brown give the first public talk of the handheld in the UK since its NGP-filled unveil in January and Vita unwrapping at E3 earlier this month.

Develop takes place between July 19-21 in Brighton.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Sony gets a new developer, works specifically for Vita

Fresh from its earlier House-Hirai megaton this morning, Sony’s announced that its signed Barcelona-based developer Novarama Technology to an exclusivity deal, meaning the studio will solely work exclusively for SCEE and Sony platforms.


Novarama’s currently making Reality Fighters for Vita, having released Invizimals for PSP. RF will also be a launch title for Vita, Sony confirmed in the press release.

Norvama will mainly work on future Vita games as they grow in the bussiness, but in time they could start projects on other Sony platforms aswell.

PlayStation Vita wins best hardware award from E3

Sony's new handheld, the Playstation Vita, stole the show this year at E3 according to the Game Critics Awards. Even though it was formally announced in January, the handheld still out shined Nintendo's new home console and current portable in the annual awards.

The only way it could be more well received would be if BioShock Infinite was coming to the portable, it seems. BioShock Infinite received four awards overall including Best of Show, winning every award it was nominated for.

The Game Critics Awards are voted on by more than 25 members of the media.

Developer Double 11 behind the development of LittleBigPlanet Vita

Double11 is a relative newcomer to the development industry, though the experience of its staff is second to none. Formed in 2010 by ex-Rockstar engineers Lee Hutchinson and Matt Shepcar, the company has announced that it is working on the PlayStation Vita version of LittleBigPlanet.

"It's a fantastic achievement and a privilege for the studio to be working on a project such as LittleBigPlanet, particularly for such an exciting new platform," said Lee Hutchinson, CEO. "We've spent the best part of a year recruiting a crack squad of games development professionals and we're delighted that we can finally announce it."

Double11 is being assisted on the project by Tarsier Studios from Sweden, who also helped out with both of the PS3 iterations of the franchise.

Sound Shape is the best PlayStation Vita game from E3

Despite Sony's big first-party titles being out in full force, Sound Shapes was the game that dazzled us the most. It narrowly beat out Uncharted: Golden Abyss to become the Best PlayStation Vita game, which shows you how highly we regarded its innovative gameplay mechanics.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

PlayStation Vita, what does it have to offer?

When Sony first announced the original PSP. They went all out about what you could do with the handheld, from gaming to watching movies or even browsing the internet. Now that the follow-up has been fully announed at the press. We can expect even more from this handheld. So much that you probably could forget one or two things the portable will bring along. I made this handy dandy list for you all with the functionalities and options that the new portable will bring for us.


Front and rear camera


Much like the Nintendo 3DS or any modern cellphone. The PlayStation Vita will feature both a front and back camera. Both cameras appear to be capable of recording video at 120 frames per second at a resolution of 320x240, and 60 frames per second at 640x480. The maximum resolution for both pictures and video appears to be 640x480.

Augmented Reality



Much like the Nintendo 3DS. The PlayStation Vita will be able to make use of augmented reality, this means that the back camera of the Vita can use objects in the world to make "living" 3D characters or objects from them. For now this has been mainly used in mini-games, but developers are experimenting to make it work in the high budget games aswell.

Dual analog sticks



Finally the handheld gamers can experience the full flexibility of having two analog sticks. This means tons of easier to use camera's in platformers, action and adventure games. But this could easily mean that we will finally see the big shooters with easy to use controls on a handheld. Also, the sticks are clickable just like the ones from the PS3- or Xbox-controller.

Multitouch Display



A modern portable like the Vita can't live without a nice touchscreen. the Vita is packing a 5-inch OLED screen, serving up bright, gorgeous colour. Touchscreen doesn't necessarily mean tons of mini-games like the DS had during its life. Sony is already integrating touch in his big budget games like Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet. Making players have new ways to play or new puzzles to solve.

Rear multitouch



Yes, not only does PlayStation Vita come with a normal touchscreen. It also brings a rear touchpad with it. It could seem silly at first that Sony would add this, but when you see games like Little Deviants in action or the opportunity to tap the back of your portable to activate a skill or to reload, you will think twice before turning your back on this.

Motion Sensor



You can't imagine buying a high tech handheld or cellphone anymore with motion sensing. Just like we know from the PlayStation 3 controller or an iPhone, the Vita will come with a Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass. This will be used in games, but probably also on the internet or when you are checking pictures on your portable.

Near



Near is a core PS Vita feature composed of location-based services, that utilize PlayStation Network. Near, developed specifically for this service and the network , will be pre-installed in the system to let users find out what their friends in the vicinity are playing now or what they were playing recently. Users can meet their friends and new players virtually, regardless of what games they are playing, simply by sharing their game information across different dimensions of time and distance.

Party Chat



Cross-game chat is coming to PlayStation Vita and this feature is officially called Party Chat. It will allow people to talk to each other through the PlayStation Vita system even while playing different games, using either a headset or the microphone built into the Vita device.

LiveArea



This is the new interface that will come with the PlayStation Vita. Every game title for PS Vita will be provided with a space called "LiveArea™" where users can share the fun and excitement with other players. Users will have access to the latest information of games provided from SCE and 3rd party developers and publishers through PlayStation Network. Additionally, PS Vita users will be able to view "Activity" log that is constantly updated with accomplishments from users who are playing the same game, which in turn can trigger active real-time communication among users.

Welcome Park


Lets hope its not like this

This is developed specifically to guide every user about PS Vita’s brand new user interface such as the front touch display and the multi-touch pad on the rear, will come pre-installed. By playing “Welcome Park,” users can easily become accustomed to the three dimension-like finger motions used on PS Vita.

3G internet



Last but not least, 3G is available exclusively for people who buy the 3G Vita model (wich costs 299$/€) This model will give you access to the internet at all times, providing you are subbed with a local cellphone or internet carrier. AT&T will be providing the 3G internet for the USA, wether you like it or not. Do not forget however that 3G internet comes with a subscription model that you will have to pay each month and if you really need to have internet at all times (before you go and order one).

Saturday, June 18, 2011

PlayStation Vita: the specifications

This is the future of handheld gaming.

We clearly all love Sony's new handheld, but understanding whats inside their little new device is always nice to know. Seeing that the PlayStation Vita will need to compete with the Nintendo 3DS, iPhone 4/5/... and other cellphones, the handheld will need to be able to punch the competitors in the face with his power and features. Beneath you can see a list of whats inside this new portable, from the processor to the buttons.


Specifications

  • Quad-core ARM Cortex A9 processor
  • SGX543MP4+ GPU
  • 5-inch OLED touchscreen (960 x 544 resolution, 220ppi)
  • Rear touchpad
  • Dual analogue control sticks
  • Digital D-pad and six control buttons
  • Six-axis motion sensing technology
  • Stereo speakers & built-in microphone
  • Front and rear camera
  • Wi-Fi, 3G on 3G model
  • 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm
 The new game medium needs an easy to carry case

The medium and games


UMD discs are gone, replaced by little memory cards. This medium can store the full software titles, and also save data as well as additional game content data. Therefore, the game title can be concluded with one card. There will also be expandable on-board storage for multimedia, accessible via memory card slot (memorycards ranging from 2GB - 32GB).

Users can play PSP titles, minis and PS1 classics titles offered via digital download. So far, there is no option to connect the vita to an external TV display.

Vita to have Skype functionality?

It looks as though Skype will be made available on Vita when it releases, just as with the PSP, according to a demonstration of the handheld in Brazil. Much like the PSP, it will offer Skype functionality despite Microsoft purchasing the service last month.
 Microsoft said service contracts with Skype prior to the purchase will be upheld, and that the company will continue to offer the service on non-Microsoft products.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Sega opens new UK dev, first project is for Vita

SEGA has opened a new studio in the UK and it will work on projects for the new hardware that is yet to come. There first game will be an action-adventure and will be made for Sony's PlayStation Vita.

The new studio is still without a name, but it is SEGA's third developer in the UK. For the moment the team consist of 15 people, however this can still grow if SEGA decides to bring there game to multiple consoles. No info around the title yet, but the game is slated for a late 2012 release.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

No external UMD reader for PlayStation Vita

We already knew that Sony will abandon there UMD-format for the PlayStation Vita, but allot of PSP owners were still wondering if Sony would bring out some kind of external UMD-reader so they could play there PSP-games on the Vita. Bad news for them.
Sony thinks an external UMD-reader would just take away to much space for there new handheld, but they are still looking for way's to let players with UMD-based games get those on the PlayStation Vita aswell. Lets all hope we can get the games thro the PSN-store (for free) if we already have them on disc.

Bigger focus on Vita games compared to the PSP launch

Speaking before E3, Sony's head of WorldWide Studios Suhei Yoshida told us that the company's decision to concentrate much more on PS3 software than PSP titles was a "mistake" and hurt the handheld.

However, it is not a mistake that Sony will make twice.


"We are doing about the same number of titles [on Vita as on PS3] so that means a lot," "One of the things we didn't do to well to support PSP was that right after PSP came out we moved on to working on the PS3 launch titles. "So we shifted too much resource out of PSP so after a couple of years the PSP support when quickly down."
They tried making up for the lost time a phew years ago, but Sony thinks it was already to late by then. This time around, Sony will balance PS3 and Vita production evenly and bring out allot of triple-A games for both systems.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Street Fighter x Tekken visuals for PS3, Vita “pretty much identical”

You've all geard it before that Street Fighter X Tekken will be coming to the Vita aswell and with the ability to play against each other (Vita vs. PS3), but this is a first to hear from Yoshinori Ono
“Right now, because we haven’t finished tuning and optimising everything, the frame rate occasionally will stutter. We’re looking to fix that. But the actual visuals themselves, the actual textures and everything, look pretty much identical. It’s virtually a one-to-one match at this point.”

Vita will be surpassed by smartphones in 2 years

In an interview with John Carmack, the man implied that it’s going to be a bit hard for Vita to compete in the “post-smartphone world.”

 he believes Sony has “learned a lot from the PS3, and they’ve gone out of their way to make sure that the development is as easy as possible,” on Vita.

“However, I wouldn’t want to be the executive making the decision to launch a new portable gaming machine in the post-smartphone world,” said Carmack who thinks Vita could end up competing with Sony’s Xeperia.

“I think that they’ve picked as eminently a suitable hardware spec as they could for that, they’re going to have you program for it like a console, so it’s going to seem twice as powerful as a smartphone with the exact same chips in there.

“But of course, by the time they actually ship, there may be smartphones or these tablets with twice as much power as what they’re shipping with on there. And a year or two after that, it’s going to look pretty pokey. You make a game that’s fun and quick to do, and you grab low-hanging fruit with the technology there. So, even if that plays out, such that people find that they can easily bring over their full-on, full-blown AAA console titles and put it on [the Vita], that’s going to give it a reason for existence.”

Epic’s Rein keen on Vita

Mark Rein is a key figure behind one of the most successful and prevalent engines in our industry, the Unreal Engine. So when he likes a new bit of tech – say, the PS Vita – it’s time to pay attention. In his eyes the handheld blew him away and he wanted to take one home with him immediately.
Commenting that he’d “love” to do games for the system, Rein said Vita is an entirely new kind of device.

“The PSP was never that kind of a device,” he said, adding “People are worried about where Vita lives in the world of iPod Touch and iPhone, but it’s a completely different device.

“It’s hard until the device is in the market and people know how users are gonna respond, but I came away really lusting for one.”

Sony's Jack Tretton not concerned about smartphones

When asked if Sony is concerned over the phenomenal rise of gaming on Apple's iOS platform, Tretton replied: "No."
"The great thing about gamers is that they have tremendous influence over what they want to play. If their parents say I'm getting you an iPad and that's your device, but their friends are playing a dedicated console like a PSP, then the kids will find a way to get a PSP." 

Lets all hope the good man is true. We will know for sure when the handheld is on the market for a phew years. Out this year, Sony will sell the Vita for $249 for the base Wi-Fi model, or $299 for a 3G-equipped version.

Tekken creator interested in PS Vita possibilities

Katsuhiro Harada, the father of Tekken, doesn’t have anything in the works for PS Vita, but he’s intrigued by the possibility of GPS-based features for the fighter.
“We have so much Tekken at the moment … Even though there’s a list of things I would like to do, and Vita is one of them, it’s hard to do that at this point. But I’m interested in the hardware,”

The Tekken creator would like to use the ghost feature from there Tekken games (wich has there own ranking and play more human-like) and use it in a PlayStation Vita version. The build-in GPS could help people find those "ghosts" and challenge them to see who is the true King of Iron Fist.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Rayman Origins is coming to PlayStation Vita

Perhaps its not a surprise if you know who is developing the title. But Ubisoft announced earlier that there gorgeous platformer Rayman Origins is coming to Sony's Vita (and Nintendo's 3DS). It will be the same game as the consoles version and it will feature a co-op for up to 4 players.

Street Fighter X Tekken will feature Vita/PS3 connectivity

Capcom has confirmed that they are planning to implement cross-platform play for the both the PS3 and PlayStation Vita versions of upcoming fighting game "Street Fighter X Tekken.


 Capcom Producer Yoshinori Ono also confirmed that InFamous protagonist Cole MacGrath will be playable character in both the PS3 and Vita versions of the game. Street Fighter X Tekken is is slated for release in 2012 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, with a Vita version soon to follow.

Monday, June 13, 2011

PS Vita memory sticks pictured

Even tho Sony showed the new memory cards at the E3. The developer still hasn't commented on wich format the new cards will be. It sturely isn't Pro Duo like the original PlayStation Portable, but its also not quite the same as regular SD-cards.

For now the only thing we do know is that the memory cards will come in 4, 8, 16 or 32GB. We also have a nice picture of them, wich you can view below.