When Sony teased the news we had “been waiting for” yesterday, I wasn’t sure whether to believe them or not, and whether it would be worth getting up at 6:30am to report the news on TSA if there wasn’t going to be anything exciting aside from a Japanese PS4 release date.
And I’m still not sure they gave us the news that we had waited for – that would’ve been The Last Guardian, for the majority of people – but they definitely gave me the news that I wanted, news that I felt as though I should’ve been waiting for all along; something that might not have been a big deal before but feels like one now that they’ve found a solution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ata90Y92UeI
You see, I’m about to move into a flat that’s on the other side of this (relatively small) country of Scotland. I’ve done this from September to June for the past three years of University, and I’ve always had to bring my PS3 with me if I’m ever visiting home, or face missing out on gaming and Netflix on the TV for a while.
That’s not a big deal, sometimes I’m content with my laptop, but when I do bring a console with me it usually means carrying an extra bag along with me on my long journey home. Of course, the PlayStation Vita’s Remote Play will already solve this issue in some ways, allowing me to play my PS4 games over WiFi at home, but I’d still be missing out on the full screen experience.
So that’s why PS Vita TV is perfect for me; I’ll now be able to put a 6cm by 10cm object in my bag, along with a DualShock 3 controller left over from my PS3 and play my PS4 – or even my Vita games – on the big screen. I could even take it around to a friend’s house for a game of FIFA or CoD, without the requirement of lugging around a big black box. How cool is that?
And, on top of that, I can leave the PS4 in the living room and hook up the Vita TV in my bedroom. I’ve seen people with similar PS3 throughout the house set-ups before, but only with standard definition through complex cabling. Now, all I need is something about the same size as a portable hard drive and a decent WiFi signal and I’m ready to go.
It’ll be interesting to see how its own operating system fares too – I can imagine this being a fantastic Netflix machine and hopefully even something to replace PlayTV. If Sony can create something stable enough, then this device might be worth buying even without all that PS4 and Vita interplay.
I don’t think it makes the Vita obsolete either; that’s still going to be great for on the go or for using your PS4 while something else is on the TV, as well as offering plenty of touch-based games that you can’t really emulate with PS Vita TV, despite their attempts. I can, however, see me playing games such as Killzone: Mercenary and WipEout 2048 on the big screen rather than the Vita most of the time.
There are a few downsides though. Firstly, how fast will my internet connections need to be to stream games over at 720p? Although I’ll have 60 megabit fibre at my flat, I only get two or three Mb at home on a good day, so would that be enough to stream a PS4 game to this tiny little box? I’m not convinced.
And then there are the PS4 games – there’s no way I’m going to be able to change discs from almost a hundred miles away, and although Sony are pushing downloadable copies heavily next-gen, I’m always more inclined to buy physical media.
But still, those are relatively small problems compared to the merits of the system. I’m sold if it’s under £100 (it currently translates to about £70, before import taxes and such), and of course providing it actually makes it to the West any time soon.
Regardless, Sony gave us (well, me at least) exactly what we needed but didn’t quite know we did. And the next generation is going to be very exciting indeed.
stonyk
Wonder if the os will have the store on and allow for ps+. If so I would assume anything gaikai will work on this, basically being a streaming gaming machine.
XisTG
On the other hand, I stand where Sony solved a problem that I knew I already had.
As many other players, I too bought a second PS3; not because my fatty died (knock on wood), but because I can’t have the big screen on the living room for myself every time I want. I bought a second PS3 to sit on my other room, under a smaller TV, so that I can keep playing even when my wife is watching Grey’s Anatomy (will that show ever end?).
The fact I will be able to buy something for 100€ to stream my games to this TV is the best news Sony gave me in the past months. I won’t need to stop playing because I can’t have the TV, and I won’t need to shell out 400€ more for this.
The streaming alone is worth the price in my opinion; the fact that I’ll also be able to play my ever growing Vita library on it is just the cherry on top of the cake!
quinkill
If this eventually includes Gaikai streaming of my games library PS3 or PS4 then I’m in.
DeathByNumbers
“I’ve seen people with similar PS3 throughout the house set-ups before, but only with standard definition through complex cabling.”
quick comment regarding that – I have my ps3 connected to a neet HDMI splitter (£25 online) and it mirrors the output on 2 tv’s in full HD. Can also get really thin and fairly long hdmi cables quite cheaply now. It’s not complex in anyway, I just switch on my other tv and can see my tiVO and PS3. Just in case any else wants to do that ;)
Blair Inglis
How far away is the other TV? Do you have a big, long cable going to it?
Galgomite
I love this idea. Sony’s making so many great decisions lately. BTW, Blair, seeing as Airplay and similar technologies can send HD video everywhere with no difficulty, I wouldn’t worry about bandwidth constraints on your local network. It may not be flawless but it should be more than passable.
ModernJunk
“I can imagine this being a fantastic Netflix machine and hopefully even something to replace PlayTV”
PlayTV let’s you watch and record Freeview, could PSVitaTV do the same ?
It doesn’t seem to be that way.
Genuine question though as I’d love a replacement for PlayTV assuming that it’s not compatible with the PS4.
Blair Inglis
That’s why I said hopefully – I really want them to add that functionality, somehow.
ModernJunk
Me too.
Just not sure if they could.
Maybe this isn’t even releasing outside of Japan.
Maybe we’ll get something similar with a “hole” for a tv aerial able.
Maybe we won’t.
But I hope so.
ron_mcphatty
Thinking aloud for a minute, the USB socket will presumably allow for media and save transfer to and from a Vita, but will we be able to do the same to and from a PS3 or 4? I also read an Engadget article that says Uncharted, Wipeout and a few other big games are missing from the Vita TV compatibility list, which for now is just full of JRPGs. I’m sure they can be patched to work without touch controls but it’s a bit of a worry.
freezebug2
I wonder if there’s a way to rig up our PS3 analogue game capture devices to this device for PS4 game video capture and edit, whereas as it stands now the PS4 share video thingy won’t allow editing as far as I’m aware. Hmmm….