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Famitsu Report: PlayStation Vita Won’t Play Game Archives At Launch

By Spencer . October 26, 2011 . 3:29am

Famitsu Report: PlayStation Vita Wont Play Game Archives At Launch Famitsu created their own PlayStation Vita FAQ with a few tidbits that aren’t in Sony’s. Some of the details like how the PlayStation Vita won’t be able to make phone calls and that the system won’t read memory sticks or SD cards have been discussed before. The magazine also confirms the 20MB size download limit and the 3G speed is 128kbps in low speed mode.

 

When you unwrap your PlayStation Vita the following features will be loaded on your system: welcome park, party, photo & camera, music, video, near, group messaging, friends, trophy, PlayStation Store, remote play, content management, options, and browser. The web browser is compatible with cookies, Javascript version 1.7, HTML5, but not Flash at launch.

 

The PlayStation Vita is backwards compatible with PSP games, but you will have to transfer save files to your system via a PS3 or PC. There’s an option for bilinear filtering that you can turn on or off for PSP titles. Sony will also release a portable charger to extend the battery life of their new hardware.

 

The biggest mystery Famitsu explains is "Game Archives" titles will not be supported when the system launches. "Game Archives" encompasses downloadable PsOne and TurboGrafx-16 games in Japan. Sony Computer Entertainment said Vita is compatible with PsOne games in their FAQ so there is conflicting information. Perhaps, Game Archives support will be released as an update in time for the US launch, which is two months later.


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  • heartless141

    does the analog always stay like that? or the pull back in when you power it off? =/ i’d hate it if the analog stay that way, would get stuck in many things =/

  • Loran Cehack

    You know… Just realize that that 3G model is completely useless. Since I stay home all day might as well get the Wi-Fi version. Thought there was going to be more for 3G. And no flash at launch meaning we can’t stream video’s via browsers? T^T

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eddie-Dominguez/1078890439 Eddie Dominguez

      yeah the fact that they wont support flash at launch is a downer.not only that, but the 3g model also has a 20 mb cap.thats just insane since most files today are way over that threshold 

      • http://twitter.com/Linka13 Linka

        Well, I’ll be honest, why would you want to download anything over 20MB on a 3G connection? You’re going to be waiting quite a long time for it to finish, in that case.

    • Locklear93

      If you have a decent smartphone with a good data plan, the 3G is useless anyway.  It’s not free; you have to pay for 3G access.  Then throw in the 20 MB file limit, and why bother?  I’ll just set up my phone with its unlimited data plan as a Wifi hotspot, and connect the Wifi version to that–not only will I not have the 20 MB limit, and not only is the wireless cost built into a bill I’m already paying anyway, but I’ll have 4G speeds instead of 3G.

  • malek86

    The memory card being pretty much a requirement (they said some games won’t even boot without it), looks like this console will be more expensive than I thought. I guess they didn’t include internal memory so they could keep the single price down… but as it is, that’s pretty much the equivalent of the old 360 Core: useless by itself.

    I’m still annoyed by the lack of SD cards, anyway.

    • badmoogle

      Yep it looks like Sony is following on Microsoft’s footsteps.

      The only difference is that when the core 360 came out no one complained that you had to buy extra hardware parts but when it comes to Sony everyone and their mothers start to whine about it.

      • malek86

        Actually, I remember a lot of people complaining that Microsoft made you buy extra hardware parts. Also, back in 2005, the lack of wireless or HDMi was somewhat understandable.

        But now we’re in 2011, even the new 360 Slim 4GB model has everything and is perfectly usable, so seeing Sony not inserting even a little bit of internal memory in a device that should be top of the line is very annoying. The 3DS has 256MB internal and includes a 2GB SD in the box, by the way. Not much, but better than nothing.

        Surely Sony could have included for free, I don’t know, 512MB or something? That would have been more than enough for simple savedata. Then, if you want to keep music and videos, buy a memory card. But just for that. I don’t see why make it necessary for games. What’s this, the PS2?

        • badmoogle

          I honestly don’t remember anyone complaining about 360′s lack of features back in 2005.And in 2006 everyone was saying how the xbox was so much cheaper than the PS3 without ever mentioning all the extra parts that you had to buy.

          I agree that the lack of internal memory for Vita is unacceptable for today’s gaming standards,but as i said they seem to be following MS’s very successful example by trying keeping costs (and price) low in order to atract the average consumer.And after the backlash they recieved for PS3′s initial price point i can’t really blame them.I think even 512MB of RAM would have required some minimum cost,so they had to “sacrifice” it in order to make the price point look even slightly more appealing.
          I wouldn’t be surprised if the PS4 (as well as all next gen consoles) also follows the same example.

          • Exkaiser

            I distinctly remember it.

        • http://twitter.com/Cudgeon Raji

          You can save your savedata on the gamedisk so you normally don’t need a memory card besides for downloadable content. And they sure do have more than 256mb internal memory, or do you think the OS that runs on those things is manually streamed from the internet? You don’t know much about technology it seems…

          • malek86

            Some games (among which Uncharted) will require a memory cartirdge, and won’t even start unless you have it inserted. It’s been confirmed by Famitsu. You don’t know much about the PSV, it seems. And if the PSV defies modern technology, it’s not my fault.

            Why do they need a memory if the games already come on a cartridge? Who knows? Maybe it’s needed to decompress some data from the gamecart (that’s unlikely). Maybe some gamecarts don’t have any extra space at all (that’s ridiculous). Or maybe they just want you to spend more (most probably). Either way, the point is still that you need a memory card if you want to play them.

            And yes, of course it will have some memory for the OS, but I don’t care for that. When I say internal memory, I mean something I can actually use myself. The 360 Core had some 16MB or so of internal flash memory for storing the OS, but games couldn’t access it and you still required a memory card to save data. For all intents and purposes, it didn’t have any internal memory.

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/jodecideion?feature=mhum TheWon and Only

        No Sony is doing what Sony always have done. The only difference is people expected more from then, but when they get less they have no problem. Now if this was Nintendo…….. All hell would be be breaking loose right now.

        • Luna Kazemaru

          You sure love to bring Nintendo into everything.

          • Joanna

            Not really, s/he has a point. If you compare the amount of complaining on Nintendo related news and Sony related news, the difference is amazing. Remember the PSN hack? There were like 2-3 people complaining on siliconera, everyone else was defending Sony (I’m not suggesting Sony deserves blame here, but can you honestly say the same reaction would have unfolded if it were Nintendo?). Whereas, additional circle pad? complaints left and right. Motion Zelda? People complaining. 3DS battery life? people complaining. I’m not saying people don’t have a right to expect certain things, but sometimes I wonder how many of those people are being extra hard on Nintendo when you compare the amount of complaining each company gets.

          • http://twitter.com/Cudgeon Raji

            Well probably because Sony knows to bring their consoles without region lock as opposed to nintendo. Because Sony didn’t make big slip ups like not release already translated JRPGs (and it wouldn’t even matter because they don’t have region locks).
            They don’t bring out Handhelds with 2-3 year old Technology in it for a clearly overblown price.
            They let you redownload your online purchases if you lose your Sony Console or buy a new one, as opposed to Nintendo.
            The list can go on and on. Nintendo does a lot of shady things these day because they are the market leader right now.

        • kylehyde

          Sad but true

    • Tom_Phoenix

      Outside of Limited Edition bundles, Sony has never included memory cards with their gaming systems. This has been the case since the original PlayStation.

      Of course, just beacuse they’ve done it before doesn’t mean it is justified. It was annoying back then and it is just as annoying today.

      • malek86

        True, well, I guess you have to exclude the PS3 (which always had a HDD, unlike the 360).

        Sony’s attitude toward storage has always irked me. Remember the Saturn? It had a cartridge slot, but also a little bit of internal memory. 512 blocks, barely enough to cover three or so games, but at least it was there (mind, if you replaced the CR2032, and you eventually need to, all the savedata was lost). And if I’m not wrong, the Mega CD had something like that too.

        I always thought that a console should include everything you need to play properly in the box. This is not the case, just as it wasn’t with the PS2, the 360 Core, the PSP, and any other device which didn’t include internal memory or at least a cartridge.

        • Tom_Phoenix

          “I always thought that a console should include everything you need to play properly in the box.”
          No argument there.

  • Gatchaman1

    Eh best to wait then see what unfolds

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_VCNJRF4QTKYIPXLGX7YKH3Q6SA Tan kar lim Toma

    It means VITA can play PSP games?

    • http://www.youtube.com/user/Kamek20xxExtra?feature=mhee Michael Stevens

      It can, but the save files have to be transferred. I think they meant that the downloadable PSP games have to be transferred to your system from Media Go (PC) or your PS3.

      • Exkaiser

        The wording in the article implies that you can download the actual PSP games off the PSN on the Vita, but to move your save files from the PSP to the Vita you would need to use a PC or PS3.

        • http://www.youtube.com/user/Kamek20xxExtra?feature=mhee Michael Stevens

          Oh. Thank you!

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/Kamek20xxExtra?feature=mhee Michael Stevens

    I really don’t care about this stuff right now, no offense. I’m still getting the system at launch (not 3G one. Wifi one only). As long as the PSvita games are available at or soon after the system’s launch, then this really isn’t such a big problem.

  • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

    Im just glad it can play psp psn games at launch. I wish they would address the $64,000 question, can it play ps3 psn games, I really want to take Shatter on the go. 

    • http://twitter.com/AnthonyFoster5 Anthony Foster

      No, it can’t. PSP and PS1 can be emulated because of how powerful Vita is, but PS3 games would need to be ported to the Vita for them to work.

      • thecowboypoet

        That’s not what they said when they announced the Vita. It was, at least originally, suppose to be able to play PSN-download only games.

        • http://twitter.com/AnthonyFoster5 Anthony Foster

          I’m sure they never said it could play PS3 games, and if they did they lied. The PS3 and Vita don’t share the same architecture, and are not directly compatible with one another. PSN titles that work on PSP will also work on the Vita because it’s backwords compatible with that system, but PS3 wont happen without some effort on the developers part for each title.

          • Solomon_Kano

            Unless you count Remote Play, but that’s not the same at all.

        • Nemesis_Dawn

          I have never heard that said, anywhere.

          • thecowboypoet

            I am sure I heard that said but you and Anthony Foster are probably right. Maybe I dreamt it… some wonderful wonderful dream………..

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eddie-Dominguez/1078890439 Eddie Dominguez

    meh i’m gonna wait it out.the launch price tag plus the memory card thingy just rubs me the wrong way somehow. i mean, if you buy the cheapest model it’ll be 250+plus tax+ memory card+tax+launch game=300+

    so all in all, the whole deal is more expensive than a ps3,thats just crazy for a handheld.nah, i will wait for a price drop and to see how reliable this thing is 

    • sandra10

      The PSP was more expensive than the PS2 at launch.

      The 3DS was (and still is) more expensive than a Wii.

      This is nothing new. And Sony of America never announced the prices for the memory cards in the US. Non-existent prices cannot rub you the wrong way.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eddie-Dominguez/1078890439 Eddie Dominguez

        yeah but you are forgetting that we are living in a tough economy right now.besides, the 3ds had to drop its price in order to sell and like others had pointed out the 3ds has on-board memory which should be standard in handhelds nowadays.btw,yeah it rubs me the wrong way because knowing sony the proprietary memory cards will likely be
        overpriced as hell.

        dont get me wrong i will likely purchase this system but not at launch

        • sandra10

          The state of the economy really has nothing to do with this – this has to do with the bill of materials. New tech costs a pretty penny. When companies like iDevice estimate the bill of materials then we’ll see if the Vita is actually worth $250 (chances are it’s worth more) even without any onboard memory. But of course there are other expenses to account for as well when determining the price.

          Will they be overpriced? Yeah, definitely. They’re not going to bleed money. Overpriced as hell? Let’s see. Sony has recently sent out surveys asking people how much they would spend on memory cards as well as what types of discounts they would like on downloadable games. If they actually use the results (assuming the results show people want reasonable prices for the cards) when determining their prices, the prices shouldn’t be that bad. Even if they are bad in the beginning, we have to remember that the market determines the prices. If people don’t buy the cards, Sony could (definitely should) slash the prices.

      • Learii
        • sandra10

          That pic is taken from a survey where Sony also asked what the surveyor would pay for the cards.

          No official statement has been made on the costs.

  • http://twitter.com/FaithlessMr Bruno Silva

    Yeah, I’m glad I don’t buy any type of hardware at launch. I’ll just wait until Sony gets it right. I play lots of ps1 classics on my psp, and I’d like to keep on doing so in the Vita.

  • SpectralRaiden

    What is with these portable systems and Flash? Can they not support or is it a copyright thing? But the PS3 had Flash and they said the Vita won’t have it at launch, so perhaps (and most likely) we can count on a patch?

    I really wish Apple devices supported Flash. QuickTime isn’t the worst, but still:-/

    • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

      HTML5 is the future.

    • malek86

      Frankly, the quicker we can get rid of Flash, the better.

  • http://twitter.com/DanijoEX DanijoEX

    Well, at least that’s good. As for the memory cards, I’ll just wait and see.

  • http://twitter.com/Shadowmen19 Shadowmen #19

    Lucky for me I have a PSP game I never got rid of.

  • kupomogli

    So why are people complaining it doesn’t use Flash, etc, at launch and that they won’t buy it?  It needs an update, that’s it. 

    On the other hand, I’ll be playing the worlds tiniest violin just for you.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1246707513 Shuga Suenaga

      Lmao this reminds me of spongebobsquarepants episode when the crab plays a sad song in his tiny violin

  • http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/members/55321.html FinalArcadia

    Honestly, nothing is going to deter me from getting a Vita at this point. And seriously, this isn’t anything major or unfixable.

  • Guest

    oops

  • Guest

    Definitely getting the Vita

  • thebanditking

    Whatever the outcome its not a big deal. Certainly something that can easily be addressed with a firmware patch, and with memory card prices being what they are I don’t think I will be getting a card for my vita big enough for my 50+ PSone games anytime soon, lol.

  • SirRichard

    Oh no, that thing I will never use doesn’t have a feature that would be useful if I were to use it.

    The only way they can mess this up for me is if the launch line-up is abysmal. So far, that doesn’t seem to be an issue.

  • LezardValeth

    Dat feel of playing Einhander on a handheld…..

    HNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

    • amagidyne

      Sounds like you’d be playing it einhändig.

      • LezardValeth

        Sounds difficult…..

  • Solomon_Kano

    What!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOO! It’s not enough that I can play PS1 games on every other Sony system there is!

    Actually…yea, yea it is. The Vita has a nice enough launch line-up/launch window release schedule that that’s not even an issue. Besides, it’s coming later. Chill folks.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kevi-Johnson-el/100001847029873 Kevi Johnson-el

    eh I dont really care since I will be playing vita games for awhile plus they will add it later so its all good

  • fanoultimate

    adquire HTML5, disregard Flash

    nothing wrong there.

  • http://www.falgram.com/ Falmung

    Just playing psp games is enough for me on the vita. PSone support will probably be added later just as they did with the psp.

  • PrinceHeir

    i just hope they add this on a later date.

    im guessing they want to release Vita as soon as possible eh???

    no flash support??? hmm not sure if it’s good or not.

    will just have to wait and see :P

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003039138490 Ogbonna Hafuruchi

    that is the mm b that i like

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Gabriel-Biolena/100000321849059 Mark Gabriel Biolena

    guys listen to me i know all about the ps vita ok when you buy a 3G/WI-FI Model you will have 18 games its true i saw it on us.playstation.com the listed of games when you buy3G/WI-FI Model you will have a free game you really want to know ok i tell you what are the games, the games are uncharted:the golden abyss,hot shots golf:worl invitational,sound of shapes,little deviants,gravity rush,hustle kings,littlebig planet,Modnation racers,rayman origins,reality fighters,super star dust delta,dynasty warriors next,resistance:the burning skies,ruin,virtua tennis,ultimate marvel and blaze blue continuum shift and the price of the ps vita of 3G/WI-FI Model is not $349 its $299 thats it.

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