Thursday, January 30, 2014

PS Vita Slim Coming to the UK

The Ps Vita has been out on the market for just over 2 years and some might say it is dying. However, truthfully we might be seeing a new revival from Sony’s handheld thanks in part to the PS4 and a new model. The PS Vita Slim was revealed for the UK today with a release date of February 7th. While it is already being sold in Japan, this move can only mean that Sony is planning on eventually bringing it to the U.S. sometime soon. The Slim brings a bevy of new features including 1 GB of internal memory and better battery life than the Regular Vita. In order to bring us these two things as well as a lower price Sony had to switch out the amazing OLED screen for a regular LCD screen. Other than that there really isn’t a huge negative to the Slim and could make it that much easier for PS4 owners to purchase one if and when it does come to the U.S., which they have not confirmed nor denied.

Sony is in a perfect position with their handheld as it is a must have add on to any PS4 due to remote play. Not only can the Vita benefit from the PS4, but also from some of the more recently released games and upcoming titles. One such title that may increase some of the handheld’s sales is Borderlands 2 that is set to be released sometime this year. With all of this Vita news, the Vita could see a resurgence that can hopefully get some more publishers on board and broaden the Vita’s catalog of games.

Some may say the Vita is dead or dying, but this may actually be just the beginning with a lot to look forward to. Do you think the Vita is looking up? Any games that you are looking forward to or have been must have games?

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Backwards Compatibility

Huge news on the PlayStation front has come in the form of rumors; backwards compatibility coming to PS4 in the form of PS1 and PS2 emulators. These may be more than rumors as many major news outlets have carried the story and there seems to be a bit of truth behind it. Most sites are referencing Shuhei Yoshida, who said emulators could be possible when talking about the lack of backwards capability. Now someone on the inside is talking and saying it might actually be real.

What does this mean for gamers? It means that we may be able to purchase or even use disks for classic PS1 and PS2 games on your PS4 console. If we research exactly what an emulator is we get,

Video game console emulators are programs that allow a personal computer or video game console to emulate another video game console. They are most often used to play older video games on personal computers and more contemporary video game consoles, but they are also used to translate games into other languages, to modify existing games, and in the development process of home brew demos and new games for older systems.
Wikipedia definition

Now the biggest part of this definition that is being talked about is the possibility of games being up scaled into better definition to compensate for the bigger screens of today’s TV's. This was some of the bigger complaints of PlayStation Classics on the PlayStation Store.

Now don't go throwing away or selling those PS1 and PS2 game disks as a rumor has it that these emulators very well could read games off of older disks. This would be the biggest win for gamers due to the fact that games wouldn't have to be repurchased. Take this rumor with a grain of salt as I don't see how Sony could pass up an opportunity to make some extra cash. However, it could sell even more PS4's, so either way Sony wins.

With PlayStation Now, Sony is bringing a service to allow us to enjoy PS3 games, but now it is possible that we could have a way of enjoying every single game that has ever appeared on any Sony System. Sony has done one thing when it comes to the PS4, and that is focus on gamers and what they want. I am happy to see PS4's excellent support from gamer's that shows Sony they can just concentrate on games and make everyone happy. Sony is barely winning the console wars, but if they can get all that they are promising to work... we may not see Microsoft continue their gaming system in the distant future.

So what do you think? Does this sell a PS4 system? And what is the classic PlayStation game you look forward to playing?

A Look Ahead

Looks like Sony has been teasing a "Slim" announcement and all signs including preorder listings have led to the obvious rumor of the PS Vita Slim making its way over to the U.S. Hopefully we also get an announcement about Vita TV as well. I will make sure to have you covered with the news and announcements from Sony when they make them public.

Why I Want to Write and Talk: Follow my Playstation Blog

Well it has been a bit since I wrote on here... views kinda died after the initial launch and I am not even sure many people will continue to look at this. But I have decided that I want to continue to post my opinion and information about what I love in the hopes that some time in my life I may be able to use this to get a career I truly enjoy. As it is, I currently work in the financial industry full time. This has nothing to do with the degree I received in college, and it isn't a job I love. It is simply a job that helps pay bills. If I could do anything it would have to do with talking and writing about sports and video games. Those have been my biggest two passions in life and what I like to do most each and every day.

I came close to working in sports radio but the economy kinda messed that up when I was interning at a local station. My boss constantly was telling me what a great job I was doing, and honestly I was doing more work than any of the interns they had. It got to a point where my boss took a week off and left me in charge. That time went great and when it ended I continuously asked about jobs with them and never really had openings and eventually were laying people off. It was an unlucky moment for me to be in. Had I done my internship a few months before or a year or so after I might be in the industry. As it was I had to go out and get a job and I was lucky at the path I took for someon doing something that had nothing to do with their degree.

Deep down though, I feel like one day I could do something I love. I don't feel like i will stay where I am and just may get to do something I enjoy doing. This is where this blog comes into play for me. Whether anyone reads it or not, I want to use it to practice my writing skills that were kind of put on the back burner being a communications major instead of a writing major. Hopefully that practice and enthusiasm can get me to a place where I am given an opportunity. That is all I am looking for: an opportunity. One day I hope that I am one of those people who is able to give fans and followers a great story that makes people believe they can do anything. All I can hope for is the idea in my head that I tried and didn't give up on doing something better.

I hope that people can give me critque's and advice, as well as have conversation over the things I bring up. The thing I like the most is conversation over the things I love and am passionate about. So please help with my dream and follow this blog, comment, and feel free to give you opinion. Every little bit helps me move a step closer. And if nothing comes of it, it still will be a way for me to express my passion in writing for others to see.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Back from Vaca!

Well I just got back last night from Vacation and boy was that needed! Got some good time in on Lego Lord of The Rings and Tearaway. Tearaway is the best game ever for Vita, a must own for any Vita owner! The use of all the controls, camera, and touch screens is unbelievable! Looking to platinum both games which I think will be doable with a little time as both are games that need 100% completion with all the collectables.

As for all the Playstation News that hit while I was gone, here is my take on them. The biggest of course being Playstation Now. I got to say, they still surprised me with the full announcement even though we knew it was coming. They didn't reveal the pricing, but did mention you could do subscription base or rent games individually. I think that was a great move for people looking to try out the service or who maybe missed a couple of last gen games. As long as the subscription isn't too much I may still be looking at doing that. I love the inclusion of Vita in the streaming hosts and was suprised at the number of platforms that can use PSNOW. So far the videos I have seen of the service shows it working pretty well, but until the beta can be in the hands of normal consumers under normal conditions I will hold out on judgement. Overall I believe this was huge news for Sony and a continuation of the right moves that Sony is making. I'm hoping to get into the Beta, so we will see more when all that info comse later this month.

This does transition into the news of the PS4 selling 4.2 million units.... WOW! that is all I can even muster up to say about that number. They were hoping to hit 5 mill after the Japan launch in the end of February, but that may be even closer than expected. Here is what blows my mind even more though, the system is not available anywhere. How many would they have sold if stock were higher? Or are the lower stocks creating a higher demand? No idea honestly but that is a rather great achievement for Sony. Not to mention like I said the Japan launch is still imminent, how many can Sony sell? 7 mill? 8 mill? 10 mill????!?!?

What these sales numbers show me is that Sony has done the right thing from day one. There has really been no negatvie news since the announcment of the PS4 and they have done everything right. Pricepoint, features, design, and announcments; Sony has listened to the gamers and really learned from the PS3's struggles. It is why I have fallen back in love with Sony: They listen. But this brings me to something that has gone into a special part of my heart: the Vita. The system continues to struggle with sales and amount of games, but has so much potential. If Tearaway has shown me anything, is what a great piece of hardware it is and what it is capable of. Not to mention how well remote play works and the potential that PSNow can bring, PS Vita has a chance to actually succeed. What exactly it will take to succeed is another story, but with such a large install of users for the PS4, I hope that those people buy PS Vita's for remote play and are able to see that the Vita has so much more to offer.

So, from this blog what does everyone think of PS Now, the 4.2 million sold, and what do you think of Vita? Comment below!