vita

Game of Phones: Why Xperia Play suggests the Vita will be Sony's true PlayStation phone

Sony, you baffle me. I'm sitting down with an Xperia Play, the PlayStationesque Android phone released earlier this year. The one I had been awaiting, for a year, the so-called "PlayStation phone." CNET's already reviewed the Xperia Play, but I was sent the unit to play with a little for myself, at long last. After this year's E3, the Xperia Play sits in my hands like an afterthought. I'm underwhelmed, unexcited, bored. Partially, it's the software: a depressing suite of PlayStation 1 games and choppy frame rate Android titles. Partially, it's the hardware: the Xperia Play has its own buttons, the build quality is impressive, and the device feels good to hold, yet it lacks physical analog sticks.

Yet, what bothers me most of all, strangely, is the branding.

The Xperia Play doesn't say "PlayStation" anywhere on it. A small square with square, triangle, X and circle icons on the lower-left corner of the control pad are the only indication of any PlayStation relationship. "Sony Ericsson" and "Xperia" appear once each, and "Verizon" appears twice.

Even in the software menus or apps I could find, not once did the "PlayStation" word or logo appear. It's a branding white-out.

Does that matter?

Not really. But it's a critical statement. I can't help but be reminded of the MotoRokr E1 phone. The first phone to play well with iTunes, it predated the iPhone as a music phone by two years. However, the device lacked any clear Apple branding or iDevice labeling, or even a look that matched the iPod. The MotoRokr died a quiet death in the shadow of the iPod Nano, a precursor to all that happened after with the iPhone.

I wonder if the same story is inevitably true for the Xperia Play.… Read more

Is the 3DS in trouble?

It was the first thing that came to mind while I was sitting down at Sony's press conference last week. For me, the most shocking news to come out of E3 2011 was the price of the PlayStation Vita: $250 for the Wi-Fi-only version.

A portable console that has the graphical chops to be compared to its living-room cousin is certainly impressive, but the fact that it'll go for the same price that the Nintendo 3DS is currently being sold at is worth a double take.

I've already compared the two portables side by side in terms of specs, but now having played on the PS Vita, I'm even more curious about how the public will react when it goes on sale at the end of 2011.

In terms of overall experience, the PS Vita easily trumps the 3DS in graphics, horsepower, and even areas where Nintendo originally dominated--not to mention both of the 3DS' screens pale in comparison with the Vita's 5-inch OLED monster. The 3DS wowed us with its first-to-market augmented reality games and cards, but I found the Vita's AR interface to be much smoother and robust. When trying it out last week with the Vita launch game Little Deviants, I was told the camera-enabled augmented reality demo was running at 60 frames per second. I don't have the hard numbers on the 3DS, but I'd be shocked if it runs at more than half that.… Read more

preGame 54: E3 2011 wrap-up; Alice: Madness Returns

With Jeff back from E3 and Mark a little under the weather, preGame welcomes guest host Wilson Tang to help wrap up the highs and lows of E3 2011.

We'll discuss in-depth each major console manufacturer's presence at the show and what it was like to play with the PlayStation Vita and Wii U. We'll even have some never-before-seen footage of Jeff's hands-on time with Wii U and its tablet controller!

The first week after E3 has certainly had its fair share of controversies, so we'll leave the Duke Nukem Forever talk to The 404 and move on to what we think is this week's sleeper, Alice: Madness Returns.

Finally, we'll check out Nintendo's latest commercial for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D starring Robin Williams!

Be sure to tune in next week when we'll have a live demo of Shadows of the Damned!… Read more

preGame 54: E3 2011 wrap-up; Alice: Madness Returns

With Jeff back from E3 and Mark a little under the weather, preGame welcomes guest host Wilson Tang to help wrap up the highs and lows of E3 2011.

The first week after E3 has certainly had it's fair share of controversies, so we'll leave the Duke Nukem Forever talk to The 404 and move on to what we think is this week's sleeper, Alice: Madness Returns.

Finally, we'll check out Nintendo's latest commercial for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D starring Robin Williams!

Be sure to tune in next week when we'll have a live demo of Shadows of the Damned!… Read more

The 404 838: Where we're never going back to LA (podcast)

The 404 welcomes Jeff Bakalar back to the show on this E3 2011 recap episode. Scott Stein replaces Justin Yu, who is gone for the week.

The 404 Digest for Episode 838

Episode 838 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

E3 2011: Will 2012 be the year of the second screen?

Among all the myriad events and announcements of E3 2011--some bombastic, some evolutionary--the unveiling of the Wii U was one that, no matter who you asked, generated some degree of mixed feelings. As gaming press and players, what we saw from Nintendo's future console controller produced sensations of excitement, skepticism, ambivalence, and intrigue.

That might be due partly to the expectations that Nintendo set for itself. The Wii was a new experience, a new idea. It also might be due in part to Sony's PSVita stealing some of the spotlight a day before; the handheld device actually has … Read more

E3 2011: 5 things I learned

LOS ANGELES--Another year, another show floor filled with bright lights, thunderous music, and scantily dressed women showing off big-budget studio games. Sometimes it feels like E3 never changes.

Yet, I've been to roughly 10 E3s in my life dating back to the Sega Dreamcast debut, and in my first on-the-show visit in a few years, the landscape has subtly and definitely altered from years past.

So here are my final observations about this year's show.

Everyone wants to be accessible. The … Read more

Sony to use Vita, PS3 to deliver Wii U alternative?

Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console may soon have a competitor from Sony.

Speaking to Develop Online in an interview, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide chief Shuhei Yoshida acknowledged rumblings about the possibility of the company's upcoming portable, PlayStation Vita, being linked with the PlayStation 3 to create a more appealing game experience.

"Already people are starting to ask about linking Vita and PS3 to do something similar, in terms of using two screens, and having controls on the screen," he told the gaming publication. "That's very interesting, and we will have to experiment."

Nintendo unveiled the Wii U at the E3 gaming expo this week. Though the console, which will launch next year, will feature improved graphics, it was the device's controller that stole the show. Sporting a 6.2-inch touch screen, the Wii U's controller can be used to interact with a game on the big set. In addition, users will be able to stop playing a game on their television and continue playing it on the controller.… Read more

The 404 835: Where we're watching digital paint dry (podcast)

After an extended vacation, The 404 is back sans one Jeff Bakalar who's reportedly having a miserable time in Hollywood, Calif., for the E3 gaming expo. We've got Joey Kaminski filling in for him today, and there's so much to talk about! From Monday's Apple iCloud, iOS 5, and OS X Lion to the Sony PlayStation Vita and Nintendo's Wii U, The 404 has all of this week's tech bases covered.

The 404 Digest for Episode 835

Apple unveils iCloud, shows off features of Lion, iOS 5 How to stay synced with iCloud Sony PlayStation Vita hands-on at E3 E3 2011: Hands-on with Wii U tablet and games iOS 5 beta jailbroken in less than 24 hours

Episode 835 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

E3 2011: Will Nintendo 3DS' new games be enough?

LOS ANGELES--While Nintendo created a splash with the Wii U, its 3DS handheld remains in an awkward state of affairs after being upstaged by the PlayStation Vita debut the day before.

The 3DS has only been on store shelves in the U.S. since March, but the system faces an uphill challenge against a competitor in the Vita that has the same price and arguably more-robust technical specs, along with an impressive assortment of games.

Good games are what the 3DS particularly lacks a strong supply of, but Nintendo's press conference focused largely on firing off big-ticket franchise names … Read more