Thursday, February 16, 2012

Raise your hand if you picked up a PS Vita yesterday

I know the "regular" versions of the Vita won't land on store shelves in the western world until next Wednesday (Thursday if you're an Aussie), but here in North America a "First Edition" bundle, which includes a copy of Little Deviants and a 4GB memory card, hit the streets yesterday.

Being the inquisitive sort that I am, I have to ask: Did any of you pick up one of these "First Edition" bundles? If so, what do you think of it so far? Was it worth the moolah?



If you're planning to buy one of the, er, second-edition Vitas that will be available starting on Feb. 22 (or Feb 23, if you call Australia home), please feel free to pipe up, too.

As for myself, although I'm intrigued by Sony's second foray into the handheld space, I won't be purchasing a Vita anytime soon. It's too expensive, for starters, and I'm not all that interested in the launch-window games. Plus, I'm still slowly but surely bolstering my (annoyingly meager) PSP collection. Maybe I'll add a Vita to the mix sometime in 2013?

32 comments:

Adam said...

Yeah count me out on the PsVita for now. I don't even have a 3DS yet.

Bryan Ochalla said...

I hear ya, Adam. If you could only have one of them (a 3DS or a Vita), though, which one would you have?

Unknown said...

I will have mine next week

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ah, that's great, Rob! Are you getting any games with it? If so, which ones?

Unknown said...

Uncharted 3, hopefully, it is sold out right now.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, I didn't know that. Well, hopefully it'll be back in stock soon. If you can, let me know what you think of the system and any games you get, OK? I'm really curious :)

Unknown said...

Will do

Viewtiful_Justin said...

If I'm dropping hard cash on a gaming system, it's gonna be a PS3. Nintendo has my handheld dollars, and they probably always will.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Thanks, Rob!

Bryan Ochalla said...

Yeah, that's pretty much my problem, too, Justin: I'm saving my dough for other systems at this point. First thought it that I'm saving it for a PS3, but with the Wii U coming out later this year, the PS3 might be in jeopardy. I'll probably decide after E3. Anyway, in the meantime, I've got to support my 3DS and PSP :)

Marcus said...

I didn't grab the First Edition bundle because I could care less about paying exorbitant fees for 3G I won't use. Why even go 3G when 4G is becoming the hot new standard (and then soon enough 5G)?

Anyway, for no good reason I am going completely bonkers waiting for the system to come out for everyone else. I usually am not one to need tech toys ASAP, but the Vita is doing this to me. It might just be the allure of getting many review codes though, since apparently every Vita game is supposed to be downloadable.

It just looks very cool and I will be picking mine up next week. And I'll be keeping my PSP so I can still play those games :P.

Bryan Ochalla said...

I should have known you'd get a Vita, Marcus! I agree that the possibility of many review codes does sound appealing. Of course, I rarely get review codes at this point, so it's not all that appealing to me :P

Anyway, I look forward to hearing what you think of the system after you get it next week. Are you planning to pick up any particular games alongside it?

Marcus said...

Even if review codes don't come down the pipeline a lot, I'll be happy enough with the apparent PS3-to-Vita play... or if you can play the PS2 Classics on Vitas!

I'd like to buy the new Lumines with my system but that's $40. As cool of a game as it is, I don't think it's deserving of that top-tier pricing. So I'm probably going to actually wait until there's a sale on something lol.

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Yeah...I want that Wii U like crazy. But I haven't heard enough info about it to start saving for it.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Marcus: PS2 games on Vita certainly would be cool. I always have a hard time with such things, though, as I'd probably only buy games I don't already own. (Paying $10 for a digital copy of a game I already own isn't easy for me.)

Speaking of the price of Vita games, by the way, I think it's going to be interesting to see how the current pricing of 3DS *and* Vita games plays out. Most portable games just aren't worth $40 or even $50 to me. For me, $30 or less is the sweet spot. I wonder if most other gamers feel the same, or if they're OK with spending that kind of money...

Bryan Ochalla said...

Justin: We should know a lot more about the Wii U by the end of E3, at the very least. I'm just hoping at least one first-party "killer app" will accompany its release and that it will be $299 or less.

Unknown said...

Well, as you know, I'm definitely getting one. The shameless main reason I'm picking it up on launch is that VGW needs more reviewers and I theorized that buying just a Vita and then getting review copies of the games I wanted would mean I'd probably just about break even. Sound logic, right? (hah)

You already know, Bryan, but if anyone else is curious – I'll be picking up BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend, Touch My Katamari, and Shinobido 2. Of course I'm very excited for Touch My Katamari!! Everyone needs more Katamari in their lives.

Unknown said...

Well, as you know, I'm definitely getting one. The shameless main reason I'm picking it up on launch is that VGW needs more reviewers and I theorized that buying just a Vita and then getting review copies of the games I wanted would mean I'd probably just about break even. Sound logic, right? (hah)

You already know, Bryan, but if anyone else is curious – I'll be picking up BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend, Touch My Katamari, and Shinobido 2. Of course I'm very excited for Touch My Katamari!! Everyone needs more Katamari in their lives.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hey there, Anne! I thought you might pop your head into this post :)

Hey, I think your logic is sound enough--of course, that should be expected, shouldn't it?

I'm especially looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Touch My Katamari.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, and one more thing: Have you played the PSP version of Katamari? I've always been curious about it, despite the fact that I've read some fairly negative reviews of it. Of course, I have to imagine controlling the katamari is a bit weird with only one stick...

diaglyph said...

I'm avoiding Vita - it's expensive - $350AUD for Wifi and around $420AUD for 3G version. Sony has chosen Vodafone as the recommended provider though a lot of australian scoff at that since Vodafone has copped a lot of flack over their poor mobile network.

The GAME preorder gives Ridge Racer and surprisingly can't find any special deal with EB.

Vita games average $68 - so they are on par with 3DS games (3DS games ranage from $49 to $79). 16GB mem card is $68.

I did see a GAME store offer Vita for $179 on a trade in of a 3DS with a game!

So that's $350 + decent mem card + maybe uncharted for most people? That makes it close to $500 straight up - ahhhh no...
And I don't understand Sony's insistence on using their memory cards and not allowing SD cards - that just comes across as plain old money grab!

The only game I'm even remotely interested in is P4 Golden - but this one game is not enough for me to spend so much and have the Vita end up sitting on my desk collecting dust just like the PSP is doing right now. In the years I have had a PSP I have maybe played half a dozen games. I just don't like the games offered for PSP and I can see Vita will probably head in same direction.
Oh and recently 3 big retailers have said they will not be selling the Vita (Target, KMart and Big W - they usually deal with discounted stuff and Vita is just too expensive to sell in their stores) - and apparently Sony is fine with this as they're marketing the Vita for "core" gamers etc whatever that means LOL http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/02/three-major-australian-retailers-will-not-be-stocking-the-playstation-vita/ -- I thought they'd want more people on the system, though it kinda reminds me of their marketing of PS3 when it first came out.

Viewtiful_Justin said...

I don't want to wait that long. I hope Pikmin 3 is a launch game. Seeing how Nintendo has been with launch titles, I'm not holding my breath.

diaglyph said...

Miyamoto is currently working on Pikmin 3 for Wii U from what I've read, and Wii U is due out much later this year (probably just before xmas) - I reckon they'll have it done by then. I don't think Nintendo wants to release a system without a popular Nintendo game. It didn't work for 3DS.

Adam said...

When it comes to PsVita vs 3DS, it's 3DS all the way. Downloadable stuff and I've always been a sucker for Nintendo games.

diaglyph said...

@adam that's pretty much how I feel - I find Nintendo games and games released on Nintendo systems more entertaining.

Bryan Ochalla said...

diaglyph: Yeah, you and I are pretty much in the same boat. It just costs too much at this point in time for me, plus it doesn't have nearly enough games that appeal to me. Should those two things change, I'll likely pick one up next year or the year after (I've never had a problem with buying systems late in the game).

BTW, I've also read about some of the big chain stores not carrying Vita in Australia. It'll be interesting to see what comes of that. Is Sony telling the truth, and it's just a marketing plan to slowly introduce the system to the masses, or is it a sign of bigger problems for the system in that country and in the west?

Bryan Ochalla said...

Justin: Oh, I think Nintendo's definitely going to be smarter about its Wii U launch titles that it was with its 3DS launch titles. Does that mean Pikmin 3 will be a launch title, though? I don't know. Honestly, as much as I want that game, I'm not so sure that's really going to sell to the masses. Personally, I'd like to see the Wii U launch with some sort of Mario title -- even if it's just that buffed-up NSMBW one we saw at last year's E3.

Bryan Ochalla said...

diaglyph: I imagine Pikmin 3 will be ready for the Wii U's launch, too. That said, I'm not sure it'll actually accompany the launch. I think it's going to depend on what else Nintendo has to offer at that time. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it be held for that lull period shortly after the system launches when folks who have grown tired of their launch titles are looking for something else to busy themselves with.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Adam: You and I are of the same mind, pretty much. I know it's not the case for everyone, but for me, you really can't beat Nintendo's first-party titles--in physical or downloadable form.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Actually, I guess you and I and diaglyph -- and likely others here -- are all of the same mind, Adam :)

MimiPRGameFreak said...

*Keeps my hand down*

I'm not getting a PS Vita and don't know if I ever will. It's just too expensive. I rather buy another PS3 console before I buy a PS Vita. The games looks good, especially Uncharted. Plus I heard that the memory card is expensive since you have to get Sony's official memory card and not the ones we use like on the PSP. The battery life also last about 5 hours.

If I get one, I'll wait when the prices are lower. Then again I probably won't get it since I don't play handhelds a lot like I used to as a kid. I have a PSP and Nintendo DS and I hardly play them. The PS Vita is not for me right now.

- The Girl Gamer

Bryan Ochalla said...

I understand, Girl Gamer. I feel much the same, by the way. All of the things you mentioned here add up to one thing in my mind: No Vita for me! That said, should the price come down (a lot) in the future, and should a number of worthwhile games be released, I'll definitely consider changing my mind.