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[Tumetsu]

We need a breakthrough with battery technology soon, seriously. Too bad that chemistry makes it VERY hard.

I wonder how near at best possible (in battery life and costs) batteries Vita and 3DS have. How much there is realistic improvement possible to still do?

[AshfordPride]

Monser Hunner.

[Richard Kain]

I'm a little distressed by some of the recent developments for the Vita. The battery life isn't nearly what I had hoped. I thought that their decision to adopt cartridges for the handheld would boost the battery life over what the original PSP was capable of. As it stands the battery life will only be comparable. I suppose that the processing muscle in the Vita is to blame for the limited battery time. (and possibly the large, advanced screen and numerous inputs are also contributing factors) Battery life is extremely important to the lasting appeal of portable systems. This is going to be a hindrance for the Vita.

I'm also more than a little distressed by the new requirement of proprietary memory cards. I can't say out of hand that I disagree with this decision from a business perspective. This is a choice that will be popular with most large-scale developers. It will go a long way toward securing the Vita against piracy. And the cartridge format they adopted is going to eliminate the need for additional storage for most game saves anyway, making proprietary memory cards a premium option. At the same time, this is a limiting feature for the end user. Some consumers are not going to be happy that their existing memory formats won't work with the Vita.

I will say that I'm very happy about the recent announcement of the new Playstation SDK, and  that it will be available for small-time and even individual development. Sony is clearly looking to go after some of the App store's current development support. If they can get their store infrastructure in place, I imagine there would be quite a few developers willing to port their titles to Sony's mobile devices.

[MattG]

vita shmita. Vita will suck ass just like steam till they face the facts that SketchBrawlers is THE key title on any platform!

(Im working on my marketing skills, too humble doesnt pay as well ya know!)

[s0]

It will go a long way toward securing the Vita against piracy.

Without "piracy" (custom firmwares, though i never actually used them to pirate psp games), I'd have sold my PSP long ago.

[EssentialNutrients]

DRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWN
DRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWN
DRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWNDRAGONSCROWN
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DRAGONSCROWN

my psp 2000 is my favorite handheld, I can play GBA, SNES, NES, GB/GBC and Genesis games on it.  Also free psp games.

I love you homebrew.

[The Monster King]

how can you forget PSX aka the only thing it emulates well

[Mikademus]

It will go a long way toward securing the Vita against piracy.

Without "piracy" (custom firmwares, though i never actually used them to pirate psp games), I'd have sold my PSP long ago.

Unfortunately, piracy is an important factor for how well a system sells. If it is easy to pirate things it will sell better and, ironically enough, make it more attractive for developing for, unless it is too easy to pirate for.

Also always entertaining that Sony seems to be about five years behind everyone else (except Nintendo, perhaps), and NOW realising that homebrew, indie dev and markets is good for sales. :rolleyes:

[Bood_war]

How is Nintendo 5 years behind everyone else?

[SundownKid]

Nintendo isn't "behind" - if they did what people are recommending them to do, they would lose their only edge - unique hardware and software exclusives. Putting their franchises on non-Nintendo systems would make them a lot less "special" than they are now.

As for indie games, well, Microsoft kinda botched it anyway by not having any quality control. Considering the amount of Wii crapware on the market, Nintendo would probably do an even worse job.

[Richard Kain]

I am more than a little surprised that Sony decided to go with C# as the primary language for their new mobile SDK. What brought that choice on? I would have thought C++, or possibly Java before C#. (since their new line of mobiles are Android-based) I'm not complaining. I have used C# in the past and will probably not have any problem picking up their new SDK. I just found it a bit odd that they would go for a language originally spearheaded by Microsoft.

[Tumetsu]

Hmm, Vita's Augmented Reality looks lot more impressive than 3DS's I have seen:


Not sure how much of the video has been "boosted" and what we will never see in reality though.

EDIT: It also looks like Sony offers firstparty extra battery for Vita with 5000mAh capacity:
http://iamportable.com/psvita-external-batterys-capacity-to-be-5000mah-9-15h-of-playtime-in-total/
Sounds good though it isn't very elegant and probably rather pricey.

I also like Sony's choice for not region lock Vita. It is one of the reasons I don't right now want 3DS and rather wait next model to see if region lock will be deleted.

[Mikademus]

I like the AR caps of Vita, it has lots of potential and--being a complete cynic--I can't wait to see how high-budget titles and AAA producers will fail to make anything innovative or revolutionary with it.

I went through some ten or so of the featured Vita line-up from the Tokyo Gameshow videos (Ridge Racer, Dynasty Warriors, Little King, Legion in Hell, Everybody's Golf 6, etc.) and I can't say there was a single title that didn't seem like a rehash or with anything stirring at all.

What is with the Dynasty Warrior series? The very same game over and over. The main selling feature of every new instalment seems to be that the guys get bigger swords in some flip-the-bird kind of compensatory behaviour.

However, if we can make homebrew or indie titles for it, then the situation and the game changes completely! I would love to make stuff for the sexy, slick little wondergadget!

[SirNiko]

That AR does look pretty sweet. The tank battle at the start where it seemed to be recognizing objects like fruit on the table was pretty amazing.

[s0]

Augmented reality sucks, just sayin'.

[SirNiko]

Elaborate, CA?

I don't think it will usurp or replace standard video games, but it is pretty nifty.

[HöllenKobold]

What is with the Dynasty Warrior series? The very same game over and over. The main selling feature of every new instalment seems to be that the guys get bigger swords in some flip-the-bird kind of compensatory behaviour.

It's not even that. It's more like you get to swing it in a slightly different matter that doesn't do much to change the outcome. Or you get to swing it in a new location that is as flat as every other place in the game.

The bigger swords are for the expansion packs.

[s0]

Elaborate, CA?

I don't think it will usurp or replace standard video games, but it is pretty nifty.

It's "nifty," yes, but I haven't played a single AR game that wasn't boring, tedious to control and glitchy as fuck. Also idk but I'm not particularly thrilled by the prospect of playing games in such exciting levels as my living room or my kitchen.

[s0]

Mikademus do you like Pokemon?

The main series, not spinoffs.

[Mikademus]

Mikademus do you like Pokemon?

The main series, not spinoffs.

Too old for it when it was televised here, never got into it. So I never played the games, either. Love the special threads though. Why?