The early reviews are in! The North American launch is nearly here! The question is, “Are you going to buy a PlayStation Vita?” The reviews are generally positive. A lot of people are impressed with the Vita hardware and its capabilities. Some are not-so-impressed with the Vita’s inconsistent interface. Others are waiting for more and better games to come out. What’s your take on the Vita? Kindly vote in today’s poll and share your Vita-tastic thoughts in the comments section (please)!

As for me, I kind of have to buy one. A Vita will help me get some work and I need to keep current. That said, Sound Shapes is the only Vita game I’m truly jazzed about. I’m sure there will be plenty of Vita games that I’ll end up loving, but I’m not getting the “Must! Have! Now!” feeling I usually get when a new system launches. Part of it is that the portable landscape has changed dramatically thanks to iOS. Part of it is that I’m more excited for the iPad 3, which should be out in March.

Et vous? Share your feelings (like a Care Bear) on the PlayStation Vita.

Many of you were calling for digital PlayStation Vita games to be priced lower than their cartridge counterparts. Your calls have been answered! That’s how it works in Japan and that’s how it should work here, right? Although precise price differences weren’t announced, Sony has confirmed that digital buyers will save money by going digital. Here’s a quote from a “Sony representative” snagged by Shacknews:

I can confirm that there will be a discount on the downloadable PS Vita titles from PSN. Exact details have not yet been revealed, but be on the lookout for an announcement in the very near future.

Like many of you have said in the past, it makes sense for digital downloads to be cheaper than cartridges. The costs of physical media, shipping, retail space, etc. are eliminated by going digital and consumers should be able to enjoy the savings. That said, I wonder if Sony’s retail partners are pissed about this and if their pissed-off-edness will limit the digital discount.

Any guess as to how much cheaper digital Vita games will be?

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Sony Computer Entertainment America has revealed the prices for PlayStation Vita accessories. The list includes memory cards, cases, cradles, headsets, chargers, and more. As expected, the memory cards come at a premium price since they use a proprietary format. Check out the list below and share your thoughts on the pricing (please!).

SCEA Launch Day Titles
Escape Plan™ (PSN Only)
Hot Shots Golf®: World Invitational
Hustle Kings™ (PSN Only)
Little Deviants™
ModNation™ Racers: Road Trip
Super StarDust™ Delta (PSN only)
UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss™
wipEout® 2048

Launch Window Titles
Gravity Rush™
MLB® 12 The Show
Reality Fighters™
Unit 13™

Third Party Publisher Launch Day Titles
Army Corps of Hell © (Square Enix, Inc.)
Asphalt® Injection (Ubisoft, Inc.)
BEN10™ GALACTIC RACING (D3 Publisher of America)
Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND* (Aksys Games Localization, Inc.)
Dungeon Hunter Alliance (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Dynasty Warriors Next (Tecmo Koei America Corporation)
F1 2011™ (Codemasters®)
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer (Electronic Arts, Inc.)
Lumines ™ Electronic Symphony* (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Michael Jackson The Experience (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Plants vs. Zombies™ (PSN Only) (Sony Online Entertainment LLC)
Rayman® Origins* (Ubisoft, Inc.)
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only) (Drinkbox Studios)
Touch My Katamari™ (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3®* (Capcom Entertainment, Inc.)
Virtua Tennis™4: World Tour Edition (Sega® of America)

Launch Window Titles
LEGO® Harry Potter™: Years 5-7 (Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. Inc.}
Disgaea ®3:Absence of Detention (NIS America, Inc.)
NINJA GAIDEN® Sigma PLUS (Tecmo Koei America Corporation)
Ridge Racer® (Namco Bandai Games America Inc.)
Silent Hill Book of Memories (Konami Digital Ent. America, Inc.)
Supremacy MMA: Unrestricted™ (505 Games)

Here’s my favorite videogame commercial of 2011. Surprisingly, it does not star Kevin Butler. I’m a huge fan of the ads starring Sony’s fictitious vice president, but the “Michael” spot outdoes them all. It’s just awesome to see so many different characters from so many different games hanging out in the same room. Worlds collide…and it’s awesome.

Consider this a warm up for next week’s Coffee Talk columns when I’ll be asking you about your favorite game, videogame graphics, electronics, etc. of 2011. For now, please let know what your favorite videogame commercial of 2011 was and embed it in the comments section if you have a chance.

Sony is off to a promising start with the PlayStation Vita in Japan. According to Famitsu (via Andriasang), 321,407 units were sold during the first two days of availability. This is nearly double what the PlayStation Portable sold in its first two days (166,074) and nearly as good as the Nintendo 3DS (371,326).

The PlayStation Vita is slated for a February 22, 2012 release in North America. It will be interesting to see how the U.S. launch compares to the Japanese one. Personally, I’m way more interested in the Vita’s launch than I was the 3DS’ launch. The initial software is just more interesting…and I have a soft spot in my heart for underdogs.

Any of you getting Vitamania yet? How do you think the Vita will fare outside of Japan? Are you surprised by the great success Sony has had with the Vita so far?

Source via Andriasang

The PlayStation Vita has been getting a lot of press on how it uses PlayStation Network accounts. Apparently it’s one PSN account per Vita. If a friend or a family member (a-huh-huh-heh-huh…member) wants to use a different PSN account on your Vita then a factory reset is required. Some people feel that this isn’t a big deal at all. Others think that it’s an antiquated approach. Today I want to hear your opinion on the matter!

From the standpoint of a traditional handheld-gaming console, I can see why some people don’t care. A lot of gamers don’t share their portable consoles. Certainly I’m a selfish bastard when it comes to my DS, 3DS, and PSP — I just don’t like other people using a device that’s so personal to me. Prior to the last generation of handhelds, portable gaming was almost always a solitary activity, so one account per device will feel right to many longtime gamers.

From the standpoint of modern devices, I can see why some people think Sony is being backwards. The Vita is more than just a portable gaming system. It’s a diverse multimedia device that competes with smartphones and tablets. Since it’s supposed to be modern or cutting edge, shouldn’t it be able to easily handle multiple accounts like many of today’s multimedia devices do? Take the iPad 2 for example; it’s super easy to switch between different iTunes, Game Center, etc. accounts on the device. A factory reset in order to switch accounts on the Vita seems excessive.

There’s a lot of information stored and pulled from PSN. In some respects, I understand why a factory reset is required. In others, it just seems like not enough thought was put into account management. What do you think? How do you feel about a factory reset being required to switch PSN accounts on the PlayStation Vita?

It’s a Nintendo sandwich this week with Super Mario 3D Land kicking things off and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword wrapping it up. In between those Nintendo games are fine titles like Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Need for Speed: The Run, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Saints Row: The Third, Rayman Origins, and Kinect: Disneyland Adventures.

Any of you picking up new games this (absolutely loaded) week?

PSP owners will have to download a program, insert their UMD games into their system, and connect to the PlayStation Store. Once this is done, a downloadable version of their (participating) game will be available on the Vita for ¥500 to ¥2,400 (roughly $6.50 to $30). An initial list of participating publishers and games was posted by Sony but, again, this applies to the Japanese market.

I like that Sony is rewarding its PSP customers with this program. I also expect many gamers to bitch about having to re-purchase their games. The reality is that there was no easy solution for this “problem”. No matter what Sony did, it was going to get dinged. I see it as a, “Hey, they’re trying!” situation.

What do you think of the UMD Passport program for PlayStation Vita? Is Sony doing its best to reward loyal customers? Or is it double dipping?

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Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced details on the PlayStation Card — a Visa credit card by Capitol One. The card earns points that can be used “for PlayStation games, accessories, and PlayStation Network content — along with other great products from Sony”.  It offers some nice bonuses for gamers that frequently buy PlayStation games and Sony electronics. Here’s the rundown:

• 10X points on all PlayStation Network purchases
• 3X points on all PlayStation and Sony purchases at Sony stores and Sony.com
• 3X points at quick service restaurants, at movie theaters, and on your mobile phone bill
• 1X points on all other purchases

Any of you going to apply for the PlayStation Card?

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