Sony Support Rules

I love my Sony Playstation line of entrainment. They support they're software and hardware, non-stop.

Whether it is SingStar to the PSP, both not the biggest hits in North America. It did not matter.

You see unlike other video game companies, they introduce a product and support it to the bitter end. So if you find me talking a lot about Sony on this blog, it is for a simple reason. They care about their product and the users utilizing it.


- Posted using my iPod Touch. Happy 20th Sonic!

Achtung! PS Vita Spec Sheet Released!

Sony's impressive showing at Gamescom 2011 included the release of final spec data for the future of handheld/mobile entertainment. The press release information below includes hardware data alongside social networking connectivity, which is key to success for any portable device this generation.

In particular, I will point out one interesting element. The Vita will contain 512mb of main memory ram alongside 128mb of VRAM aka video ram. This is in comparison to the PS3 which only contains 256mb of main memory ram and 256mb of VRAM.

Wow!

It's awesome to see Sony prep this baby up for it's "10 year life cycle" and not sacrificing hardware for cost. The more news I hear about the Vita, the more I want my hands on one! ;)

Now all we need is definitive launch details, which should arrive at TGS 2011.

** Official Sony Press Release Data **

Social networking functions:

Facebook
Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people’s real-world social connections. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Over 750 million active users visit Facebook each month.

Foursquare
foursquare is a location-based service that helps users explore the world around them. Using PS Vita, users can “check in” at the locations they visit to meet up with friends, and share information about places. Users can also collect virtual badges for exploring new places, and can earn points to compete against friends.

Skype
Skype is software which enables people to communicate with others around the world using Internet-connected devices. Skype has more than 170 million average monthly connected users (for the three months ended June 30, 2011). Users of PS Vita will be able to use Skype to make free calls to others on Skype, as well as low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles virtually anywhere in the world.

Twitter
Twitter instantly connects people everywhere to what’s most meaningful to them. At the heart of Twitter are short messages called Tweets, which are 140 characters or less in length. Users can follow celebrities, friends or other people they find interesting to discover what’s happening around the world.

Vita spec list:

Platform Name
PlayStation Vita

Model number
PCH-1000 series

CPU
ARM Cortex-A9 core (4 core)

GPU
SGX543MP4+

External Dimensions
Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)

Screen
Touch screen – 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED
Multi touch screen (capacitive type)

Main memory
512MB

VRAM
128MB

Rear touch pad
Multi touch pad (capacitive type)

Cameras
Front camera, Rear camera

Frame rate
120fps@320×240(QVGA), 60fps@640×480(VGA)

Resolution
Up to 640×480(VGA)

Sound
Built-in stereo speakers
Built-in microphone

Sensors
Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass
Location
Built-in GPS (3G/Wi-Fi model only)
Wi-Fi location service support

Keys / Switches
PS button
Power button
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
Right stick, Left stick
START button, SELECT button
Volume buttons (+/-)

Wireless communications
Mobile network connectivity (3G/Wi-Fi model only)
IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)

Slots/Ports
PlayStation Vita card slot
Memory card slot
SIM card slot (3G/Wi-Fi model only)
Multi-use port (for USB data communication, DC IN, Audio (Stereo Out / Mono In), Serial data communication),
Headset jack (Stereo mini jack) (for Audio (Stereo Out / Mono In))
Accessory port

Power
Built-In Lithium-ion Battery
AC adaptor
Supported AV content format

Music
MP3 MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer 3, MP4 (MPEG-4 AAC), WAVE (Linear PCM)

Videos
MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High/Main/Baseline Profile (AAC)

Photos
JPEG (Exif 2.2.1), TIFF, BMP, GIF, PNG

Vita Power! Launch 2012 *sniff*

GamesCom is just around the corner, with TGS following a month later. These two massive game industry events will finally unveil Sony's launch plans for the PlayStation Vita.

Early word has it that the powerful handheld will not launch in the West until 1st quarter 2012. *sniff* Insert crying here...

I purchased a 32gb Apple iPod Touch for $319.99 before taxes and I got every penny of usage out of it. The Vita is designed the same way. It will browse the internet, read PDF files, watch movies, listen to music, have an Android app store, social networking features, two 5 mega-pixel cameras and brand new ways to interact with your gaming experience. Starting at $249.99 for a Wi-Fi only model, this is an awesome value. Also included is the Vita's 5-inch OLED touch screen allowing users to watch beautiful video content and read books with more clarity, providing a tablet like experience. Except of course, more portable. :)

Again back to the portability. The handheld is the same size as a PSP-3000. They are portable my friends, more than you think so. Yes, even more portable than an iPad or rival tablet.

This is a console my friends. It does more than a PlayStation 3 or X-Box 360 and is nearly as powerful. Some users won't need to purchase a gaming box to have a "console like experience", the Vita does it for you and you will have it with you 24/7. That is what Sony is providing gamers, a console in your pocket.

The delay of the launch sucks. I give you that. However, extra development time for Uncharted and other launch titles will benefit. It will launch in Japan this holiday season and it will provide Sony with much needed feedback for western launches.

I can't wait to get my hands on one.

Our Way Or The Highway

It's definitely wake up time for the video game industry. Old players such as EA and Sega have been investing in mobile gaming for the iOS and Android platforms. Some spectacular results have occurred with the like of Dead Space and Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing. 3rd parties have awoken to the lure of easy, .99 cent gaming. The era of the debate of quality, great gaming would never appear on these platforms is near an end. There are great games and great value to be had.

I'm a little worried about the attitudes on both sides.

For investors, gamers and news journalists who write off console/dedicated portable gamers as a non-profitable concern is a joke.

Then at the other end of the spectrum, for Nintendo to completely write off mobile cell phone gaming as a future option is dangerous for them.

It appears to be rare that a company like Sony has gone full force into both arenas. You can have your PS3's and your Vita's alongside your PS certified phone and tablets.

I believe the market is big enough for the both of them.

- Posted using my iPod Touch. Happy 20th Sonic!

Happy 25th Samus!

Nintendo's Anniversary celebrations for some of the video game industry's biggest franchises are flat. Donkey Kong came and went. Mario's birthday last year, came in and out with a whimper.

They are attempting something of a Zelda celebration this year with musical concerts. However their attempt at reaching fans online, where most gamers are, is again flat and uneventful.

Amongst the beloved franchises, this year marks Metroids 25th anniversary. So, here's to one of our fravourite franchises and to it's star, hottie Samus.

Happy Birthday babe!

Changing Your Background

I own a HP Windows 7 Netbook. She's over a year old now and I picked her up on sale for $199.99. It's one of the easiest reasons why I still don't own an iPad. Apple's touch device is phenomenal. However, it's $620 price tag for the 32GB Wi-Fi model keeps me at arms length. We'll see in the future what the iPad 3 will offer, that may be my breaking point in a purchase.

Back to my Netbook. The model I have has a gig of RAM, 140gb hard drive, SD card slot, 3 USB ports, VGA out and much more. So, for $199.99 it was a huge value for, well, a huge value. I love it.

My only disappointment is an odd decision for Windows 7 Starter operating systems, which dominate the Netbook market. A user can not change the desktop's background from it's hypnotic Windows fair.

Now you can. Head over to Windows SevenForums and download the Oceanis change background program and you're ready to rock and roll.

Have fun!

Nintendo President Gets Spanked

I like Satoru Iwata. Back in the day he was an artist at Nintendo, contributing to the Zelda and Mario series. He helped create the Kirby series. This was before he became president of HAL in the 1990's, who are responsible of the Pokemon series of games. Finally, the early 2000's saw his rise to become the head of Nintendo after the dreaded Hiroshi Yamauchi left the company.

The point is, Iwata worked his way up within the company. He was literally there at Nintendo's video gaming beginning. He knows what it's like to be at the bottom. He has game design experience. He understands what a gamer wants, or we thought so.


His two biggest success was expanding the gaming market by utilizing touch and motion technologies. The industry needed that kick in the ass. My Grandmother owns both a Nintendo Wii and DS because of this. It made gaming easier and more attractive to everybody.

Today, is a different story.


The Wii has ran it's course. The hardcore community has moved on. The Nintendo 3DS sits on store shelves, with a gigantic price cut that happened less than six months after launch.

Like I said last post, I can not recall any piece of tech that has had it's price drastically cut in recent years. I'll also include their E3 2011 press conference that highlighted a piece of new gaming tech(the Wii U) that not only confused gamers and journalists but was demoed with, well, tech demo pieces instead of actual games. The successors to Iwata's greatest hits, appears to be gimmicks instead of groundbreaking new ways to game. The 3DS has the 3D and the Wii U has an extra screen, kinda like the DS for televisions.


Today, news has come down the line that Iwata has now had his pay cut in half. I don't think we have to worry. It doesn't mean he'll have to move into a dumpster anytime soon. He was making around 2 million dollars a year.

Source: Kotaku