PlayStation Vita Message Board older than one year ago

PS4 owners-to-be can put twiddling thumbs to use by downloading the PlayStation App, which is out now on iOS and Android in North America. As for Euro twiddlers, unless they have an Android device they may have to wait until nearer November 29, when the console launches on that side of the ocean.

North Americans still have to wait until Friday to check out of the app's PS4-based features, such as providing a screen-based keyboard for the console, or a second SmartGlass-like screen for certain PS4 games. In the meantime, there's always things like text chat with PSN friends, trophy comparisons, profile viewing, game alerts, and PS Store browsing to keep you occupied. When the console does arrive on November 15, PS4 owners will be able to use the app to download purchased content directly to their new black box.

Also, one very useful thing the app links to is the console's web-based user manual. As it happens, we can do that too.

Imagine, if you will, a giant list. Maybe it's an Excel file. Or on a whiteboard somewhere in Sony's offices. Maybe it's written on index cards.Read more...

Sony revealed that PlayStation Network users are now able to upgrade Sub Accounts to Master Accounts, ending the payment and content restrictions currently in place to protect players under the age of 18. Speaking with Polygon, Sony product manager Chris Thielbar noted that the unannounced policy change was made "very recently."

As part of the PlayStation Network's guidelines, minors must create a Sub Account under a parent or guardian's Master Account, and are subject to spending limits imposed by the Master Account's payment options. Until recently, however, Sub Accounts were unable to upgrade to Master Accounts even after a user turned 18; Sony instead recommended that "the sub account holder should create a new master account when they reach 18."

Account transition functionality is now available upon request for PlayStation 3 users, and will be accessible for PlayStation 4 owners when the console launches later this week.

Amazon US launched a dedicated PlayStation Network store on its website today, meaning customers can purchase download codes for PS4, PS3, and Vita games and DLC via the online retailer. Amazon has sold download codes for platforms like PC and Mac for a while now, but Sony is the first console manufacturer to join the retailer's digital party, making a fashionably late but certainly well-timed entrance. According to Amazon, there are over 100 pieces of downloadable PlayStation content available via its storefront at launch.

Amazon and Sony are marking the launch by chucking in $5 PSN credit (redeemable at Amazon of course) with selected purchases, including full games and season passes for Assassin's Creed 4, Batman: Arkham Origins, The Last of Us, and Battlefield 4.

Also for one day only, starting today at 9AM PT and ending tomorrow at the same time, you can get the $5 PSN credit with any PS4 game purchase. Then there's the Buy 2 Get 1 Free offer going on PS4 launch games. In other words, Amazon is very keen to be a part of your PS4 launch party this week.

The PSN storefront is restricted to Amazon's US branch for now.

You read that headline right. We're very excited to introduce the Amazon Playstation Network Store, an alternate venue to purchase digital Playstation content for Playstation 3, Playstation 4, and Playstation Vita.Read more...

Once it actually comes out, Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 HD will offer the most complete version of X-2 ever released in the US. Following earlier reports of extra content, Square Enix Producer Yoshinori Kitase told Siliconera that the remastered bundle will include X-2's content from its PS2 re-release, Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission.

"In addition to the Last Mission from X-2, additional dresspheres and the Creature Creator will be included in the game," Kitase said.

Similar to Final Fantasy XIII-2's Paradigm Pack that lets players enlist monsters as teammates, Creature Create allows players to capture monsters and swap them into their party in place of Yuna, Rikku or Paine. This was also possible for human characters, including FFX cast members Lulu and Kimahri or NPCs like Seymour Guado.

The additional costumes Kitase referred to are likely the Psychic and Festival-Goer dresspheres, both of which can be seen here.

PlayStation socialites can add 2000 of their nearest and dearest to their PSN friends list, after Sony activated the previously-announced limit increase this week. You can begin cultivating your buddy list via the Vita ahead of the PS4's launch next week, but the PS3 XMB still supports up to 100 pals only.

If your friend count goes over the 100 mark on PS4 or Vita, PS3 servers will automatically filter in active friends on the XMB. According to PlayStation Europe Community Manager Chris Owen, you'll be able to lock a preset PS3 friends list if you so wish. Additionally, Sony is planning support to display all of your friends in "most applications and games" on the system, but some games will keep to the 100 friends limit.
[Image: Stefano Tinti via Shutterstock]

Oh hey there, Mr. Vita. It's been a while. I was worried about you. Good to see you're getting some JRPGs of your own. Read more...

You made me angry with my PlayStation 3, if only for a few minutes at a time. Why'd you have to do that?Read more...

A planned trilogy of games based on the long-running British sci-fi drama Doctor Who has been cut short, as the British Broadcasting Corporation confirmed with Polygon that two sequels for Supermassive Games' adventure game Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock have been canceled.

Developed in a licensing partnership with the BBC, The Eternity Clock premiered for the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PC platforms last year to a largely negative critical reception. Speaking to Polygon, the BBC's vice president of digital entertainment and games Paul Joffe noted that while the corporation's relationship with Supermassive "was and continues to be good," no further partnership projects are planned following next week's release of the PlayStation Move educational game Wonderbook: Walking with Dinosaurs.

Supermassive Games' current project is Until Dawn, a "teen horror movie"-styled game for the PlayStation Move.

While North America gets punchy with a brawler-themed sale this week, PlayStation Network members in Europe enjoy a region-exclusive round of price drops on several dozen sci-fi games for the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP.

Featured games include Platinum Games' Vanquish (now £3.95/€4.94), Ubisoft's Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (£4.79/€5.99), and Capcom's Lost Planet 3 (£19.99/€29.99). Sci-fi themed DLC also gets the sale treatment -- Saints Row: The Third's "Gangstas in Space" add-on is £1.61/€1.97, and Space Invaders: Infinity Gene's DLC sees a price reduction across the board.

PlayStation Plus members get an additional discount of up to 25 percent on all featured games. The sale will continue through November 20.

The cute-as-a-button rhythm game action found in the PlayStation 3's Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F is now making its way to the Vita handheld.

For those unaware, Hatsune Miku is the name attached to a popular synthesizer program designed to resemble and replicate Japan's young, female pop idols. Hatsune Miku is not now, nor has ever been a real person, but this hasn't stopped the electronic being from being featured in video games, anime series and albums bearing her faux-human likeness.

While all of this is quite novel in a Gibsonian futurist sort of way, the gameplay in Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F is not. Our review of the PlayStation 3 version of the game said it was "about as basic as a music game can get" and that in lieu of any major flaws, "it simply fails to do anything particularly interesting."

The Vita incarnation of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F is slated to debut in North America during the early part of 2014.

Hyper Light Drifter, the Zelda-like 2D RPG from Heart Machine, offers up a pre-alpha demonstration of its combat mechanics. Not only do we get a taste of gun-and-swordplay, but we're also given a look at some special abilities and the dodge mechanic that appears to be so invaluable when dealing with crowds of enemies.

Originally pitched as a blend between The Legend of Zelda and Diablo, Hyper Light Drifter made its debut on Kickstarter and secured over $645,000 in funds. The game is coming to PC, Mac and Linux, in addition to PS4 and PS Vita. There is also an ongoing Steam Greenlight campaign for Hyper Light Drifter, in case you feel like tossing a vote its way.

Quick heads up for PS3 and Vita owners: Sony is performing routine maintenance on the PlayStation Network tomorrow, November 7. It's scheduled to take place between 8AM and 3PM PT (11AM to 6PM ET).

We're sure most of you know the drill by now, but if you don't: As long as you've signed into PSN in the past few days, you should be able to play online and use apps during the maintenance period. Don't count on being able to use the PS Store, Home, or tinker around with your account details.

If you're still unsatisfied, this gif should keep you occupied until the maintenance ends. Don't say we never give you anything, now.

MLB 14: The Show will launch in spring 2014 for PS4, PS3 and Vita, Sony announced. Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera will be featured on the game's cover.

Developer Sony San Diego unveiled a teaser trailer that boasts the ways that the game will take advantage of the PS4's graphical upgrades. For instance, MLB 14: The Show designer and community manager Ramone Russell notes that the PS3 only allowed for 42 different character models for fans in the virtual crowd for the game, whereas the PS4 allows for over a thousand. Russell says the game will also be "feature complete" on the next-gen system, and won't lose the series' Road to the Show and franchise modes in its transition to the PS4.

Speaking of which, Sony added that starting with MLB 14: The Show, players will be able to carry their save files over to subsequent releases in the series, giving players' Road to the Show athletes and other career mode efforts life beyond the annual game's limited life cycle.

Call of Duty: Ghosts leads the charge of fresh content on the PlayStation Store this week. Infinity Ward's latest is available both in the standard edition and in the $120 Hardened bundle - which includes the base game, the Season Pass and the Free Fall map.

CastleStorm, Zen Studios' 2D mash-up of tower defense and physics-based destroy-em-ups, also makes its debut today, on PS Vita and PS3. Rounding out the list of new downloads is PS2 classic The Adventures of Cookie and Cream, which is up for download at a paltry $10.

On the PS Plus front, subscribers can snag a free copy of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, Capcom's expanded re-release of its 2012 fantasy action-RPG. On top of the free game, PS Plus members can enjoy added discounts on Mortal Kombat for PS Vita, Guacamelee, Dead or Alive 5 Plus and the original Soul Calibur.

There's a ritual dedicated sports gamers go through with each new season. The excitement of peeling the shrinkwrap off the latest edition of NHL or NBA 2K quickly gives way to the realization that, once again, we're going to throw away our promising careers.Read more...

Shawn Allen is a restless game developer. And a hungry one. Growing up on welfare will do that to you. But growing up on welfare isn't enough to hold Shawn Allen back. In fact, soon, you might finally play one of his games.Read more...

The Kickstarter campaign which intended to revive Charles Cecil's Broken Sword adventure game series ended successfully a bit over a year ago, so it's about time we know more about when the follow-up will actually be here.Read more...

Come on. When Sony started teasing the return of a quirky PS1 peripheral - the PocketStation - you didn't really think they'd re-release the actual hardware, did you?Read more...

Get your Vita ready for PS4: In preparation for the PS4 launch, Sony will soon be releasing a 3.00 software update for their Vita handheld. The new software will allow you to access the PS4's remote play functionality and take panoramic photos, among other things. This video from Sony outlines the new features, and gives some tips on how to get remote play working best.Read more...

Hi everyone! We’re releasing a new system software update for PS Vita, version 3.00. This update includes some great features, like a new application called PS4 Link, which — you guessed it — allows PS Vita to connect to PS4 for Remote Play and Second Screen capabilities. We’re thrilled for everyone to see how PS Vita will be the ultimate companion device to PS4 through this application.

We made a video to highlight some of the key features in this new update. Have a look!

For an expanded list of the new updates included in PS Vita’s 3.00 system software, read on:

PS4 Link

The PS4 Link app has been added to the PS Vita system’s home screen. With this application, you can use your PS Vita to remotely control a PS4 system, and play a range of PS4 games on your PS Vita screen. When you’re playing a game on PS4 that supports second screen features, you can also display information from that game on your PS Vita and use it as a second screen.

Parental Controls

The Parental Controls application has been added to the home screen. You can now manage the duration of game play, and the use of games and videos that have parental controls. You can also control access to certain areas of the system, including the use of the Internet browser and Location Data.

Photos

A Panoramic Camera setting has been added. You can now take panoramic photos on PS Vita, and look around the photo by using the PS Vita’s built-in motion sensor.

Friends

The application layout for Friends has been improved. There are now four tabs:

• Find Player on PSN
• Friends
• Friend Requests
• Players Blocked

Messages

The Group Messaging application name and icon have been changed to Messages. The application layout has also been improved, and you can now send and receive messages with friends and players on PS4 or on mobile devices installed with PlayStation App.

Party

The icon for the Party application has been changed. You can now voice chat and text chat with friends and players on PS4.

Email

You can now sync the contacts saved in your email account from services including Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. To sync your contacts, select Contact List > Options > [CardDAV Settings] > [Add CardDAV Account], and then follow the screens.

Content Manager

You can now use Wi-Fi to connect your PS Vita to a PS3, and transfer data between them. Your PS Vita and PS3 must be connected within the same network.‎ Also, to use this feature, the system software of the PS3 you’re using must be version 4.50 or later.

PS3 Remote Play

The Remote Play application name and icon have been changed to PS3 Remote Play.

Settings

You can now download future system software updates automatically.

Trophies

You can now display Trophies of PS4 software on your PS Vita. Rarity of the trophy cannot be displayed.

Akira Nishitani recently started a Twitter account, though instead of heavily-filtered brunch photos and duck-faced mirror portraits, the Street Fighter 2 director has been doling out little-known details on the seminal fighter's creation.

For instance, did you know that the periodic red hadoukens in Street Fighter 2 were not glitches, but instead easter eggs that became wildly popular among fans? Or that each pugilist was originally supposed to feature positional damaging - kicking someone in the head would do more damage than kicking them in the leg - but that the feature was cut because the game just refused to recognize hitboxes properly?

My favorite bit of trivia is the controversy over Chun Li's leggings. The development team was okay with Chun Li's borderline-equine thighs, but the tights covering them were a massive point of contention. According to Nishitani, they had to be redrawn from scratch three times before Capcom finally agreed to the outfit.

More insider information on the creation of the world's most influential fighting game can be found on Akira Nishitani's Twitter account. If you don't read Japanese however, Eventhubs offers an extensive roundup.

Akira Nishitani recently started a Twitter account, though instead of heavily-filtered brunch photos and duck-faced mirror portraits, the Street Fighter II director has been doling out little-known details on the seminal fighter's creation.

For instance, did you know that the periodic red hadoukens in Street Fighter II were not glitches, but instead easter eggs that became wildly popular among fans? Or that each pugilist was originally supposed to feature positional damaging - kicking someone in the head would do more damage than kicking them in the leg - but that the feature was cut because the game just refused to recognize hitboxes properly?

My favorite bit of trivia is the controversy over Chun Li's leggings. The development team was okay with Chun Li's borderline-equine thighs, but the tights covering them were a massive point of contention. According to Nishitani, they had to be redrawn from scratch three times before Capcom finally agreed to the outfit.

More insider information on the creation of the world's most influential fighting game can be found on Akira Nishitani's Twitter account. If you don't read Japanese however, Eventhubs offers an extensive roundup.

SideQuest Studios is flying PS3 game Rainbow Moon to the Vita on December 3. The dungeon crawler and strategy RPG hybrid supports cross-saving between the two platforms, and the Vita game's assortment of new features, fixes, and tweaks are also being patched in to the PS3 version.

As for Rainbow Skies, last we heard it was due on both PS3 and Vita sometime next year. However, its launch trajectory may be awry, after Sidequest CEO Marcus Pukropski took to the PlayStation Blog comments section to note the sequel "won't be out before the end of 2014 or maybe later."

Whenever it arrives, Sidequest says Skies will bring new combo attacks, monster taming and "up to 100 hours and beyond" of cutesy-faced RPG-ness.

The balance of global power has shifted. You’re outnumbered and outgunned. Your nation’s borders have fallen, and opposing powers have moved in to devastate an already crippled land. It’s another tremendous week in the world of PlayStation, as Call of Duty: Ghosts brings this visually spectacular story to PS3 — along with a world-renowned multiplayer suite.

In Call of Duty: Ghosts, you’ll join a small team of special forces known only as “Ghosts,” and work to survive insurmountable odds thrown against you. And just like the Call of Dutys before it, Ghosts comes packed with huge multiplayer support for all the first-person shooter fans out there just itching to dive into the competition.

Joining Call of Duty: Ghosts are a number of other games for all types of gamers. Build and destroy complex fortresses in CastleStorm, or brave the quirky story and addictive strategy found in The Guided Fate Paradox. With such a broad array of options this week, you might as well build a couch fort and prepare to undertake a hermit lifestyle. It’s the only way.

In the world of Blu-ray, Roland Emmerich’s heartpounding film White House Down hits stores Tuesday, starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx.

For a full list of games coming this week, head on down below. And enjoy the Drop.

New PlayStation Releases This Week The Adventures of Cookie & Cream PS2 Classic — Digital Bring a friend along for this classic adventure that stars the titular Cookie and Cream, as they move through stages cooperatively. Help the opposite player to reach the end of each course by clearing obstacles. A-men 2 PS3, PS Vita — Digital Prepare for tactical puzzles and destroy enemy droids with an old team of friends. Cross buy supported. Ben 10 Omniverse 2 PS3 — Digital, Retail It’s up to you and Ben to fight off a brand new alien threat with Ben’s own incredible alien powers. Written by the writers of the Ben 10 Omniverse TV series, this Ben 10 experience comes well stocked with action. Call of Duty: Ghosts PS3 — Digital, Retail The legendary shooter series returns with a new, exhilarating campaign and a colossal multiplayer offering. Also features a new mode, Extinction, in which four players face an inhuman threat together. CastleStorm PS3, PS Vita — Digital Build a castle, prepare your defenses, then unleash hell upon your opponent. It’s knights versus vikings in this physics-based battle for supremacy. Cross buy supported. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collection PS3 — Retail Battle the malevolent darkness in this collection that includes the original Lords of Shadow, the downloadable Reverie and Resurrection packs, Mirror of Fate HD, and a Lords of Shadow 2 demo. Final Exam PS3 — Digital Face a writhing horde of monsters in this action-packed side-scroller, inspired by the teen and horror movie genres. Wield baseball bats, chainsaws, and parade floats! The Guided Fate Paradox PS3 — Digital, Retail It’s an everyday trip to the mall, until you win a raffle and become god in this quirky roguelike. Fight through randomly generated dungeons, upgrade your hero, customize your equipment, and guide the fate of humanity. How to Survive PS3 — Digital Shipwrecked and isolated, your only chance for survival is to explore, collect gear, and fight through the legions of undead around you. A top-down survival game with plenty of guns and gore. Demos and Betas Castlestorm Demo
Final Exam Demo
Grid 2 Demo
How to Survive Demo

The information above is subject to change without notice.

Sony unveiled next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will receive a slate of free games for the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PlayStation 4 in time for International Turkey Day.

Sony's subscription service hosts its first batch of PlayStation 4 freebies in November, as early adopters will receive free downloadable copies of Compulsion Games' shadowy puzzle-platformer Contrast and Housemarque's Defender-like shoot-'em-up Resogun. Contrast serves as a last-minute replacement for Driveclub, which was originally scheduled to take part in next month's PlayStation Plus lineup before its recent delay.

Capcom's Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and Sega's Binary Domain headline November's PlayStation 3 offerings, joining Sparpweed's co-op action game Ibb and Obb. PlayStation Vita owners can expect to see Sony's Monster Hunter-inspired action-RPG Soul Sacrifice, along with an upgraded HD version of Just Add Water's Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath.

PlayStation Plus members in Europe will receive Konami's Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance starting next month, along with Remember Me, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD, and MotorStorm RC.

Sony counterbalanced a profitable first quarter with net loss of ¥19.3 billion in the second, converting to around $197 million. That represents a 24.5 percent year-on-year increase in Q2 net loss, despite a revenue boost attributed to currency exchange gains and increased smartphone sales. Significantly, the company adjusted its net profit forecast for the fiscal year down by 40 percent to ¥30 billion, or $305 million, due to decreased expectations for sales of "certain electronic products."

As for the PlayStation division, there's no indication those decreased expectations apply to the PS4. Sony expects to ship a combined total of 15 million PS4 and PS3 units by the end of March 2014. At the Tokyo Game Show, SCE President Andrew House said his company was aiming to sell 5 million PS4 units specifically within that time frame. Regards the PS3, Sony shipped 2 million units worldwide across the three months of July to September.

The PlayStation division also benefited from exchange gains, with revenue increasing 5.1 percent year-on-year to ¥155.7 billion, or $1.59 billion. Overall figures for PS3, PS2, and PSP units decreased year-on-year in Q2, although PS3 software shipments did rise. Meanwhile, the Vita price cuts announced in August contributed to an operating loss around ¥800 million, converting to $8 million.

After working on the Siren series for years, Director Keiichiro Toyama and his team made Gravity Daze (AKA Gravity Rush) for the PS Vita. A bit of a jump in genres, you might think – though not from his perspective. Now it sounds like Toyama wants to go back to his horror roots.Read more...

Sony has been running a rewards program for years, but as of today Sony Rewards is getting Playstation-specific incentives that Sony gamers should definitely take notice of. Doing the obvious things like spending money on PSN will earn you points, and you can get 100 points just for signing up, but there's a lot more to it. You can upload ticket stubs after seeing a Sony movie in theaters, or really maximize points with a Sony credit card. You should take advantage of the limited time sign-up bonus even if you don't plan to use it. Tons more info here. [Sony]Read more...