Ok, so there's another portable console out.
And from it's from Sony, so it's good right?
Well, not necessarily.
Yes, the hardware is extremely good. Despite none of the slots being identified (except VITA game one) and you being able to shove almost anything into the memory card slot, it won't break. And everything else is pretty sturdy. Yes the two bottom loops when seen from the back seam unfinished, but that's being picky.
The problem is it's expensive, it requires a new expensive memory card (and a "small" 4GB won't be worth much...), and the games are all paid and (you guessed it) expensive.
It has also the regional separate ecosystem from other consoles, with different free demos for each (reducing the amount of free stuff you can get).
Sony has decided or kept (as Apple) that 49,99 is the same for US Dollars or Euros. That makes the games even more expensive for me.
There is no additional functionality (so far...) when compared to my trusty old PSP fat. Yes, better hardware (display), but what for? Where do you put your old games? The ones with physical support that is? I sure as hell won't be re-buying "online" and downloading them, just to play on a bigger screen. And €49,99 is just not even close to a fair price for any of the "top" new games available right now.
So how can you try and get more out of this?
Well, you can always use different accounts, one for each "market" an then login to download stuff. But on the Vita, it gets "registered" to one account and you can't even simply log out and log in. You need to format the console(!) to do so.
Still, it is possible and worthy of it especially today. You see, Scion have decided to offer the MotorStorm RC game in the US today only. So if you haven't already, register an US account, and during this afternoon, do the following:
- Go to Settings > Format > Restore the PS Vita System.
- Say YES to deactivate account (and other)
- Say NO to format memory card.
- Console will reboot.
(Note: always keep your memory stick inside the Console)
- Go through the motions... date, time, wifi, etc
- Log in with US credentials, download any/everything
To go back to your standard account, you'll need to repeat the process.
This has worked in the past to download free Demos from different markets (US and JP) that remain playable in/with other accounts. There's no assurance that it will work with a full game, but there's also no reason not to try it.
For me, it's the only way I'm getting a full game.
UPDATE
Now that I've tried some decente demos from the US Store I can tell you 2 things.
1 - Game play is "superior". The second joystick makes a big difference. Also having touch, triggers and buttons forces you to "immerse" yourself much more into the game.
2 - A 4GB memory card is very, very, very little. Especially if you want to download the games instead of buying a physical copy. Which I still recommend since it's the same price and doesn't take-up precious space form the memory card (I think...)
Still waiting on MotorStorm RC to become available...
