Sony Declares PlayStation Vita for All

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
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Sony Declares PlayStation Vita for All



Sony says its new handheld will be free of region encoding.

Even though common wisdom holds that Nintendo is the king of the handheld gaming market with the massive success of its DS system, Sony is certainly breathing down the neck of its rival. The PSP didn't make a critical splash when it debuted in Japan in 2004, but with numbers released last week, Sony claims the PSP and its variants have quietly sold 71.4 million units worldwide. a strong list of launch titles [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112089-Price-Cut-Announcement-Halves-3DS-Sales] and, now, confirming that the Vita will not be restricted by region, allowing gamers in other territories the freedom to import games and devices directly from Japan.

Back at E3, Michael Denny from Sony Worldwide Studios Europe believed the PS Vita was going to be region-free but he shied from absolutely confirming or denying that fact. The Vita is region-free "to the best of my knowledge," he said.

But today someone higher on the Sony food chain, Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida, confirmed via Twitter that the Vita does indeed have no region encoding. A Sony fan only known as Ryan or @lonelypessimist on Twitter beseeched Yoshida for a confirmation to which the executive replied a resounding yes.

"Is it confirmed yet if vita is region free?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, it is," Yoshida replied. [https://twitter.com/#!/yosp/status/114813147948384258]

The news is even more important for those of us outside of the island nation because release dates for other territories have yet to be announced. The PS Vita will be available in Japan on December 17th, 2011. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/113017-Santa-Claus-Bringing-PS-Vita-to-Stores-in-December]

Source: Edge [https://twitter.com/#!/lonelypessimist/status/114801532775563264]

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RedEyesBlackGamer

The Killjoy Detective returns!
Jan 23, 2011
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MrBrightside919 said:
I think i'll wait a few price drops before I get one...seriously, the price is ridiculous...
I keep seeing this. It confuses me. It is the same price that the 3DS was at launch.
OP: Further cementing my desire to purchase.
 

cainx10a

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May 17, 2008
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I can already taste the games I shall import for el-vita. Now Artdink, the next Gundam games better cover non-uc storylines. And no, I don't want Mustachio gundam in it. ;)
 

Atmos Duality

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Mar 3, 2010
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My 3DS already bit me, but so did the PSP1 (it sits in my room collecting dust with its dead battery).

At this point, I don't have any real interest in the portable gaming market anymore.
 

Dendio

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Mar 24, 2010
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After the price cut I bought a 3ds for my lil bro. A couple days later I read about a redesign to the 3ds that will include two joysticks. I learned my lesson when it comes to newly released hardware. Not to mention the red rings of the early 360's.

That said Sony really has some strong momentum going. Nintendo better watch out.
 

Buizel91

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Aug 25, 2008
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NO REGION CODING? WHUT!?!?!?!

*Ahem* Yeh This looks...erm shocking for me, the PSP for me was quite terrible and i have been stuck with my DS for a few years now...

This may change however...as the VITA has just caught my eye, and that hardly happens with something Sony makes (Don;t get me wrong, the Playstations and what not are cool, but they have never wowed me)

Sony...you will get my purchase.............

Sometime >.>
 

ZippyDSMlee

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Sep 1, 2007
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Dendio said:
After the price cut I bought a 3ds for my lil bro. A couple days later I read about a redesign to the 3ds that will include two joysticks. I learned my lesson when it comes to newly released hardware. Not to mention the red rings of the early 360's.

That said Sony really has some strong momentum going. Nintendo better watch out.
I thought the extra thumb stick was an add on.
=======================================
On a side note the PSP2/VITA has TV out still? Thats the only reason I'd get it.
 

ultimasupersaiyan

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Dec 9, 2008
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No region coding is F*CKING AWESOME! As an Australian who gets the short end of the stick on overall game releases this is fantasic news! I doubt I'll buy it on release since there are no JRPGs on release.
 

Avaholic03

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May 11, 2009
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RedEyesBlackGamer said:
MrBrightside919 said:
I think i'll wait a few price drops before I get one...seriously, the price is ridiculous...
I keep seeing this. It confuses me. It is the same price that the 3DS was at launch.
OP: Further cementing my desire to purchase.
You mean the 3DS that sold poorly and recently dropped its price? What's confusing? They were/are both overpriced.
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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RedEyesBlackGamer said:
MrBrightside919 said:
I think i'll wait a few price drops before I get one...seriously, the price is ridiculous...
I keep seeing this. It confuses me. It is the same price that the 3DS was at launch.
OP: Further cementing my desire to purchase.
The 3DS was extremely ridiculous, though, so one ridiculous price doesn't make another immediately sensible.

However, I think the Vita is PROBABLY a good value for its launch price. Probably.
 

GeorgW

ALL GLORY TO ME!
Aug 27, 2010
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I love it, it's like Sony's watching the 3DS and taking notes what not to do. Damn it Nintendo, I don't want to buy both, get it together, I want mario!
 

]DustArma[

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Mar 11, 2011
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Avaholic03 said:
RedEyesBlackGamer said:
MrBrightside919 said:
I think i'll wait a few price drops before I get one...seriously, the price is ridiculous...
I keep seeing this. It confuses me. It is the same price that the 3DS was at launch.
OP: Further cementing my desire to purchase.
You mean the 3DS that sold poorly and recently dropped its price? What's confusing? They were/are both overpriced.
The hardware the Vita is packing makes it a far better value for its price than the 3DS.
 

RedEyesBlackGamer

The Killjoy Detective returns!
Jan 23, 2011
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Zachary Amaranth said:
RedEyesBlackGamer said:
MrBrightside919 said:
I think i'll wait a few price drops before I get one...seriously, the price is ridiculous...
I keep seeing this. It confuses me. It is the same price that the 3DS was at launch.
OP: Further cementing my desire to purchase.
The 3DS was extremely ridiculous, though, so one ridiculous price doesn't make another immediately sensible.

However, I think the Vita is PROBABLY a good value for its launch price. Probably.
But the tech in it is so advanced that I think it is justified. Devs being able to simultaneously develop for the Vita and PS3 really shows the Vita's potential.
 

Dendio

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Mar 24, 2010
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ZippyDSMlee said:
Dendio said:
After the price cut I bought a 3ds for my lil bro. A couple days later I read about a redesign to the 3ds that will include two joysticks. I learned my lesson when it comes to newly released hardware. Not to mention the red rings of the early 360's.

That said Sony really has some strong momentum going. Nintendo better watch out.
I thought the extra thumb stick was an add on.
=======================================
On a side note the PSP2/VITA has TV out still? Thats the only reason I'd get it.
The Article I read described how the 3ds is capable of making Gamecube quality games. Nintendo apparently dropped the ball including only one joy-pad since games that are beyond the N64 era require 2 joysticks. Sony has two for its Vita and as such will be able to support a broader range of games. If Nintendo wants to have 3rd party support the 3ds will need two sticks. The add-on is expected to support the current iteration. The add-on makes the portable pretty bulky. Eventually a 3ds redesign will have the two sticks included and more streamlined.

I personally think Nintendo is holding back the technical capabilities on the 3ds to resell its N64 stock before moving on to the Gamecube classics. The Vita has been rumored to be near ps3 capable. Sony is pushing the industry foward with its powerful technology and Nintendo is being forced to play by their rules for third party support ( Look at how many third party games skipped the Wii due to its suboptimal capabilities ). If Nintendo played the 3ds to its capabilities then instead of a Ocarina of time remake we might have gotten Windwaker.

On your second point: I don't know about the psp tv but the 3ds has netflix access, which works out pretty well if you have wifi available.
 

Mahorfeus

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Feb 21, 2011
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Meh, I'll stick with my 3DS, hasn't failed me yet. I might pick one of these up eventually, but none of the titles really shout out to me.