Strider_Hiryu

As far as I know, Little Deviants will be available anyway as a launch title for the Vita. Big Big was a division of Evolution Studios division, so I guess part of its staff will rejoin the latter.

Awwww. Netplay would have been the icing on the cake for this game. It's absence is not just "slightly disappointing", its disappointing all the way and I can see many reviewers thinking alike.

I'm seeing lots of ports just to fill up the console's game library quickly. I'm not sure it's a good thing...

What the one above me said

Looks highly enjoyable! Well done, Nihilistic, still keeping my hopes up on a Starcraft Ghost surprise from you and Blizzard (no chances of it happening anytime soon, but why not keep the word alive?)

Sorry, but this particular art style tends to alienate me no matter how good is the game underneath the hood. On an intimate level, I perceive visual inconsistency as something wrong even while playing. That's why I'll pass on Frobisher Says. Sorry, again.

I think I'll wait for alternatives by Sundisk or other manifacturers, hoping they'll be available by the time Vita launches in Europe. That said, I totally get the push on full downloadable games by Sony, but as a long time gamer accustomed with physical releases, I cannot endorse this practice. Especially not when top tier titles like Gravity Rush are involved.

I see this as am half-full glass of wine situation: people buying your machine regardless of having games from the get-go means people getting drawn to its design, its functionalities and potential. I think the software pricing is correct, and hopefully game sales will pick up over the next weeks.

Have some nice holidays, guys. Lucky for those who already owns a Vita, I'll be joining you on February 22, and that'll be like Christmas again!

Looks great and seems to play well too. Cross-playing between Vita and PS3 is indeed a great touch, and I hope many Vita games will do the same in the future - that would greatly encourage PS3 owners to buy the handheld.

Mmmm, the framerate looks choppy, and the animations could use some more work. That's not what I expected from Zipper.

EA has a reputation for graphics in FIFA, but how they manage to squeeze so much out of a newborn system is impressive nonetheless. I hope there'll be room for improvement in the future, sometimes cracking out the best right from the start can be counterproductive.

No word about the incoming Memory Card ripoff?

@9: second that. Import purchases has never hurted anyone but those interested in cashing in on different prices applied to different regions.

What about data compatibility? Can I transfer my PSP save data to the PS Vita and see it work properly?

Can't wait to see how this translates o PS Vita from a technical standpoint. Sigma improved hugely over NG Black on the Xbox 360, so it's quite impressive to know that the new handheld can actually support that engine.

I greatly favour boxed games over digital ones. Too bad for those who will have to buy those overpriced peripherals at launch...

This will be a rockin' hit.

Big news. I'm still on my japanese launch PSP-1000 and play it in Italy without any kind of issue. The button swapping is limited to the machine's interface, in game everything works just like in any western software.

Ok, now roll (pun intended) on Yakuza 5, please.

Stilish games are good and all, but let's hope it is priced reasonably too...

@ Curt: Second that. The relevance of Tales's related announcements in the West is deeply tied to their chance of being released outside of Japan.

I wonder how many of those 18 titles will actually be relevant. There are some pretty big names in this preliminar listing and I don't think there'll be many others (maybe just a couple more), while a steady flow of relevant and big budgeted titles would be needed in the first years of PS Vita in order to seriously challenge Nintendo.

Good to know, James, I'll be looking forward to your impressions on the actual machine and it's software.

I have to say it doesn't look polished at all. This game really needs perfect gameplay to rise some eyebrows.

Reassuring direction, I'd say. When they talked about "more realistic proportions", I was in serious doubt, but the Rune Factory vibe fits the game nicely.

Battery life has been officially touted as the same of a common PSP-3000, so expect 5 to 6 hours.

Interesting!

Looks a little choppy with the frame rate, to be honest, but I don't think they'll bother fix it to perfection.

Sorry, the PS3 won't have that feature ever. It needs more RAM, and that would mean a new hardware revision. This is one of the reasons why PS Vita is loaded with extra memory.

Kind of an own goal by Sony, admitting that PS3 won't be able to implement cross game chat. But what's done is done, and the PS Vita appears extremely powerful in its configuration. Yes, it's sexy and there's no denying it.

Very attractive, but I'm wondering if SEGA will even bother bringing something new to the table. The series has been stale since ep. 3, and touch controls may not be the answer we search for (Kinect and Move weren't either). Maybe classic matches are? Anyway, another thing that doesn't resonate with me is the GUI design, which has basically stood unaltered from the Dreamcast era... Not good.

Sony has officially confirmed that PS Vita's RAM has NOT been cut. It still bears 512 MB of system memory, 128 of which are dedicated to graphics (http://www.1up.com/news/vita-ram-wasnt-downgraded-reach-24999-price)

I'll pass on Dungeon Hunter, waiting for Blizzard to make up their twisted mind and bring Diablo III to Vita: Sony's new handheld has all the technical grunt it needs to run a worthwhile version of the game and manage its online auction system. Anyway, I'd settle for a new version of Dungeon Siege as well, as Throne of Agony on the PSP was a fantastic experience (loading times aside).

@ Slapshot: I don't blame Sony for passing on Super Meat Boy. Just like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja, it's something you can fall in love with or totally ignore and be happy anyway. On the other hand, it would be foolish for Team Meat to pass on the chance of working on Vita. With that price point for the devkits, it's very difficult to be more entry level.

Does this means all the Minis will be compatible with Vita? I think this point still hasn't been clarified by Sony, correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't know, aiming with the trackpad looks a little difficult to me, especially when you don't have a surface to lay your arms and elbows on. I'd need an hands-on to better evaluate the matter.

I think he does have a point, but he's taking it way too far. Dedicated handheld gaming consoles are not finished yet, and I think consumers still see the value of PS Vita and the 3DS. As for why one should spend 249$ on the PSP successor, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Little Deviants are there to show you.

Unless you're referring to some other unannounced game, PS3, Vita and Xbox 360 are the only platforms officially confirmed for Street Fighter x Tekken.

Good thinking, Scissors. The two games are very similar at their core, so you would get a proper idea of the franchise (which is crazy fun) while feeding your brand new Vita with a very good - and lasting - game.

Well, my personal purchase intent for the Vita stays untarnished, but thinking that the missed Christmas launch won't hurt its chances on the market would be naive.
It's something Sony will have to make up for by arranging a great launch, great advertisement and a barrage of games from the get go. They have to make people go "what game should I choose now? I like them all!"

@ James: I get where you're coming from, James. What I wanted to say, maybe with a bad choice of words, is that most of PS Vita's customers will probably own a PS3 already, so they'll get better connectivity options than the WiiU/tablet controller combo for half the price.

That said, the WiiU certainly caters to Nintendo's existing fanbase, which is very keen on embracing the risks taken by the company. But can we say the Wiipad shares the same appeal of the Wiimote? Does it looks as comfortable and easy to use? Why does it seems to take gaming back to the couch, while the Wii invited to do the exact opposite?

In a sense, it seems like they are starting from scratch: they need to have the people understand new concepts, a new way to play. And even though I consider myself an experienced player, seeing the Wiipad and the Wiimote grouped together at E3 prompted me to think "what am I gonna do with all of this stuff, now?"

@ turtlelink ("I never understood why Nintendo overpriced the 3DS"): well, because that has been their policy since the Gameboy. From a technological standpoint, all of their handheld machines has always been overpriced, but it's the absolute leader of handheld gaming we're talking about, so most people has been fine with this strategy until now.

Nintendo knew that at some point, a competitor would come and challenge them by offering more for the same price, so lowering the 3DS price mustn't have been too much of a hassle. It was foreseeable, after all.

I'm with you when you wish the best to both Sony and Nintendo, just because the future of dedicated consoles for portable gaming really is at stake nowadays. A repositioning of all prices, from hardware to software, was and is still the main condition for survival.

I think WiiU is just a part of Nintendo's much needed renovation. They need to re-establish themselves as a new IP powerhouse, which is where they lacked for years. Mario and Zelda are lovable and all, but what's in between that we don't already know since a long time?

@ Izbirdboy: second that.

Keep it up, James. The userbase will grow over time, as long as you're committed to bringing interesting, fair, professional and prompt content to the site.

@ nlifegamer: don't forget that Vita primarily caters to gamers who already own a PS3. By the time the new handheld releases, there will be a vast potential userbase, while the WiiU basically starts from zero.

Nintendo's tablet controller has no independent processors or memory, thus it doesn't allow for something like Remote Play, Continuation Play or proper portable gaming. Its dependance on WiiU is clear: Satoru Iwata itself stated it is not intended as a portable device.

The art style is so peculiar... Not everyone will love Kamitani's taste for caricature and exaggerated proportions, which is taken to a whole new level in Dragon's Crown. Anyway, the game oozes personality from every pore, and the same cannot be said for a large amount of more popular and ordinary looking products. If this would launch in the West alongside the Vita, it would be without a doubt my first purchase.

I think I will do just fine with a Wi-Fy only model in January or February. And the certainty of a Dragon's Crown localisation...

Well, it seems there are limitations in place when it comes to think about Vita as an alternative PS3 controller. Control schemes for games shared by both platforms will need to be carefully matched.