PS Vita TV

[Flojomojo]

I was hanging on to my old 32GB Vita card for when this came out. I had a little scare during which I thought I had accidentally thrown it away, but when it turned up, I ran to Gamestop and got a PSTV right away. The store clerk was surprised I actually wanted one, and asked a bunch of questions to make sure I knew what I was doing (yes, I have lots of old games and I like the Vita). This was the first they sold. It took me forever to get it updated ... for some reason the firmware file took forever and timed out on my fiber connection, but was done within a few minutes when tethered to my phone.

 

Dunno if I've already asked this, but, does it require an online account? None of my consoles ever touch the Internets.

 

You can start in a "PSN demo mode" which only asks for your birthdate (for age appropriateness). That would probably allow you to put in retail card games. Not sure why you'd keep consoles off the internet though, they're inherently way safer than PCs from a security point of view. Vita has built in wifi so it's not like it's difficult to set up. Sony learned a lot in their big system hack a few years ago and are unlikely to get personal info stolen again, at least not in the same way!

 

Very cool playing TxK on a big screen, it's a blast and it looks wonderful.

Tempest on the big screen was one of my main reasons for getting this. I know it's coming out for PS4 eventually but I wanted it now. Another reason was to play the three similar-but-not-the-same PSP Star Wars Battlefront games on the big screen with game controls. Unfortunately, despite appearing on the official compatibility list, they can't be downloaded from the store. I will try to transfer them from a PS3 or something but that's a stupid, hacky way to access games I've already bought. Needless to say, the lack of filtering or search in the PSN download list remains a big drag. At this point, I assume it's deliberate so you will pay attention to and buy new games.

 

Just to be clear. There is no PSP slot for the UMD right? To play PSP games you'd have to download them digitally? That's a deal breaker for me because all my PSP games are on discs, I never got into downloading them. There are a handful of Vita games that I want to play, but I have such a backlog already that it will have to wait.

The UMD format is dead, dead, dead. They're not going to make something to read those files. You should probably stop asking.

 

I'll probably pick it up eventually because there are Vita games that I want to play (There are two Tales games that are Vita exclusives I think), but that will have to wait.

 

I wish there was a way to turn your UMD's into digital downloads so you can use them with the PS TV. I wonder how long it will take for this thing to get hacked to play downloaded games?

There you go about UMDs again! I couldn't get rid of my UMDs fast enough leading up to when the PSP Go came out. I was so happy to have a pocketable, solid-state PSP and happily bought my favorites again. There are a few titles I liked that never got a digital release (Outrun 2006, Exit, Every Extend Extra, Ridge Racer 2, Sid Meier's Pirates, EA Replay, Atari Collection, Namco Museum), but there's plenty of fun to be had with the current digital collection.

 

A potentially bigger issue ... It installs just fine, but when I go to run it I receive a message stating it's not compatible with my console. Yeah, you know, it really would have been nice if it told me about that before I paid for the thing.

Yeah, this was a big failure. It's likely to be low priority for them to fix, because you and I were the only ones to buy this thing. Yet another dead sub-platform like Playstation Home Arcade and Playstation Mobile?

 

You must check the compatibility list I posted earlier in this thread before purchasing anything. I would only make purchases on a Vita handheld and not this unit.

[Flojomojo]

Still gassing off here ... the PSN web store treats this as yet another Vita, yet there are plenty of Vita titles that don't work here. I suspect many of the choices are not for technical reasons, but for legal and licensing. Like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Those games really should be playable everywhere, but they're deliberately holding them back even if we bought them before. I distinctly remember Star Wars: Dark Forces on the original PSTV compatibility list, but it's no longer there. It's a standard PSone title, it should be fine technically. Sigh.

[cimerians]

Still gassing off here ... the PSN web store treats this as yet another Vita, yet there are plenty of Vita titles that don't work here. I suspect many of the choices are not for technical reasons, but for legal and licensing. Like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Those games really should be playable everywhere, but they're deliberately holding them back even if we bought them before. I distinctly remember Star Wars: Dark Forces on the original PSTV compatibility list, but it's no longer there. It's a standard PSone title, it should be fine technically. Sigh.

 

Remember....if you own it (or just bought it), download it to your PS3 first. Transfer it to the Vita and then try it on the Vita TV.

 

I got Corpse Party and Suikoden to work that way.

[Flojomojo]

Remember....if you own it (or just bought it), download it to your PS3 first. Transfer it to the Vita and then try it on the Vita TV.

Thanks, that's good to know that it can be done.

 

Of course, it goes without saying that this is a ridiculous thing to ask of a anyone, especially someone loyal enough to have all 3 of these consoles (plus a PS4 for streaming high end games to PSTV).

 

I'll try this when I have a big mess of time to waste. "Fortunately," I have a bunch of free storage space since many Vita games are not compatible with the PSTV.

 

If anyone asks "who is this for?" I think the only sane answer would be "the Sony fan who already has everything." The PS3 is better in every way except for portability, since many Vita games are cross-buy.

[Austin]

Yet another dead sub-platform like Playstation Home Arcade

 

 

It's funny you mention that, that's one of the things you can download (and subsequently buy games for without it warning you) but it won't load on a PS TV.

 

 

Remember....if you own it (or just bought it), download it to your PS3 first. Transfer it to the Vita and then try it on the Vita TV.

 

I got Corpse Party and Suikoden to work that way.

 

I don't own a PS3. Kind of hard to do that.

[Austin]

All right guys, I took it upon myself to act as the guinea pig. I picked up both Wipeout and Lumines. I found out that by holding down the Home button, at the bottom of its menu screen is an option to simulate touch-screen commands with the analog sticks. So with that in mind, any touch screen game (both front or rear types) should be compatible with this thing right out of the box.

 

Guess what though? These games still don't work. And I can tell you, it's NOT because of the touch functionality. The system will simply not allow them to load, period. They install to the main menu just like any Vita game does, but when you go to run them, you get a message saying they are incompatible. This is really, really asinine.

 

Oh, and I ran into a game that claims it doesn't work when you attempt to buy it in the PS Store. It's a cheaper one, an indie effort it seems, called, "Gunslugs". Yeah, I know, I should check Sony's compatibility list first, right? Well, the irony is this is a game listed in the "PS Vita Games (For PS TV)" section of the PS Store. It's in a section.. that specifically states it's for PS TV. Wrap your head around that one.

 

On a side note, I picked up a PS4 controller since it also works on this system. The only thing to note here is that the charging cable it uses is different than the one that comes in the PS TV package. Fortunately it's a common jack and my Galaxy S3 charger works with it.

 

I know it's too early to tell whether Sony intends on patching the incompatible games, but with all the trouble people have had to go through so far, I'm just hoping someone hacks/unlocks this thing and we can take matters into our own hands (if you know what I mean).

[cimerians]

It's got most of the games (RPG's) I want to play so I'm pretty happy with it but I firmly believe they are blocking games from playing rather than some kind of incompatibility thing.

[Flojomojo]

Not sure if it's so much blocking them as opposed to failing to certify them to run, but yeah, the effect to us is the same. PSone oldies like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon worked perfectly on Vita when they were accidentally made available to download a few months ago. I think there's some kind of expired rights issue going on there, that since Sony no longer owns the company and the characters, they can't put the games on new platforms. Sucks. Who knows why they're not making Wipeout 2048 work with the PSTV system except for not wanting to look backwards. Plus they dissolved the studio that made it. Boo.

 

I was able to do some messing around with transferring downloaded files from PS3 to my PSTV while inserted in my Vita. Here's what I found:

 

- Despite being able to transfer to the Vita (and it works there), the PSP Sega Genesis Collection doesn't work on the PSTV.

- Despite being on the official Sony compatibility list, Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron doesn't transfer to the Vita so I wasn't able to get it to the PSTV.

- I was able to get these games running on PSTV with my swapped Vita card:

1. Star Wars Battlefront II
2. Star Wars Battlefront Elite Squadron
3. Activision Hits Remixed

I'm happy to have a chunky, playable, solid-state, big screen, console version of SWBF2, it looks better than I expected. I always liked this one on the Vita with the right stick mapped to the face buttons.

 

Elite Squadron looks rougher, probably because it was attempting higher levels of detail and simplified controls.

 

As for Activision Hits, it's always neat to have a soft-focus, big-screen version of Demon Attack with good wireless controls and Men Without Hats on the soundtrack.

[cimerians]

PSone oldies like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon worked perfectly on Vita when they were accidentally made available to download a few months ago. I think there's some kind of expired rights issue going on there, that since Sony no longer owns the company and the characters, they can't put the games on new platforms.

 

Everyone scrambled to download their games but they put the wall back up rather quick. I think it only lasted like a day. I was able to download some of my stuff on that day but I completely forgot about Activision Hits. I also have that...would think it's much better using a PS4 controller.

 

Anyone know if you can resize the screen back down? (After initial setup).

[Austin]

 

Everyone scrambled to download their games but they put the wall back up rather quick. I think it only lasted like a day. I was able to download some of my stuff on that day but I completely forgot about Activision Hits. I also have that...would think it's much better using a PS4 controller.

 

I had a Vita back then and did exactly this. I don't see what the problem is and why they can't just make them available. They don't have to get them to show up in the store, just make them available to people who have already paid for these games if it's a licensing issue. They have our money already--give us access to the products ("No, sorry! Buy a PS3 or PS4 if you want that!").

Anyone know if you can resize the screen back down? (After initial setup).

 

Yes, there is an option in the main system settings to do just about all of the same things you did during the initial setup.

[TwinChargers]

This thing would be a much easier sell to the wife if it was a bit more like the set top box that I thought it was going to be. Am I correct in hearing that there is no Netflix or Amazon streaming? Kind of a deal-breaker there. If only it was a touch more like the Roku. Its not like Sony doesn't make Blu-ray players that stream these services.

[Austin]

Am I correct in hearing that there is no Netflix or Amazon streaming? Kind of a deal-breaker there.

You are correct, neither is there. Or technically, the Vita version of Netflix IS there in the PS Store, but it is incompatible with this system.

 

It's definitely a shame. A lot of us like yourself were under the impression this was going to be a decent streaming/multimedia box, or at least have support for the basic popular video-on-demand apps like Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.

[Atariboy]

I know it's too early to tell whether Sony intends on patching the incompatible games

With the action (Mostly inaction, actually) over in Japan since this appeared a year ago, I'm not optimistic.

 

I think the best case might be seeing more Vita compatible PSP releases be unlocked for the Playstation TV.

[Flojomojo]

Cimerians: if you want to change the screen setup, it's in Settings:Sound and Display:Display Area Settings, which gives you the corner-scaling screen from the initial startup.

 

I think it's fair to review this thing as it is now, not as it might eventually be. It's strictly for Sony fans as is, and only useful as a media player if you have a bunch of movies from the Playstation store.

 

I bought it as a PSP and Vita screen enlarger, because I'm kind of a dope that way. I like that it works as well as it does but wish the compatibility were less of a mess.

[boog]

I stopped at the local Target tonight to preview possible games for Sunday's B2G1 sale and the shelf that held PlayStation TVs last week was now stocked with Doritos. Checked near the OUYA shelf and the Roku shelf but there were no PSTVs to be found. I asked the electronics clerk and he said that they were removed from the floor but he could go get one from out back if I really wanted it... wonder if it's being pulled from all Targets?

Edited November 8, 2014 by boog

[+swlovinist]

I have wanted to get one, and will at some point. Not having netflix on this is just stupid.

[Austin]

Not having netflix on this is just stupid.

 

Agreed 100%. Not having Netflix basically defeats the purpose of the device. Maybe it could be a solid game platform on its own and Netflix wouldn't really be needed, but the compatibility issues makes it a generally weak gaming device too. Sony really botched the release of this thing which is a shame. So much potential they are just letting go to waste.

[boog]

Haven't seen any Black Friday deals on PSTV (or anything Vita related) but Amazon has lowered the price of the PSTV to $79 and lowered the bundle to $99. Tempted to get the bundle at $99 but I suspect it will reach clearance prices within a couple months.

 

 

Also, from an October article about netflix and PSTV:

Netflix statement is quite blunt: “We have no current support plans for Netflix on PS TV.”

 

 

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2014/10/15/netflix-have-no-support-plans-for-playstation-tv/

[TwinChargers]

Haven't seen any Black Friday deals on PSTV (or anything Vita related) but Amazon has lowered the price of the PSTV to $79 and lowered the bundle to $99. Tempted to get the bundle at $99 but I suspect it will reach clearance prices within a couple months.

 

 

Also, from an October article about netflix and PSTV:

Netflix statement is quite blunt: “We have no current support plans for Netflix on PS TV.”

 

 

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2014/10/15/netflix-have-no-support-plans-for-playstation-tv/

 

They could lower it to $40 for all I care. If the system doesn't do what I would want it for, I cannot justify the purchase. You are Sony, how can you not lure a company like Netflix to one of your platforms? Why would you not have all of the software available for the console working on it? All of the problems that the PSTV have could probably be easily fixed but I don't see Sony want to take care of it. For someone who was pretty interested I this mini-console initially, they have struck out majorly in every area I had interest.

[Mord]

Holy shit...it's a Vita console. Its an actual Vita handheld turned into a console. LOL

 

That's actually a surprise? Before they started calling it the Playstation TV, it was called the Vita TV or something similar. I've known for a long time it was nothing more than a Vita with the screen axed off...

 

I think the reason they stopped calling it the Vita was because they hate the Vita. Well, more seriously, I suspect the reason is because they realized that a good portion of actual Vita games would not work at all, or would be highly unplayable on the TV version due to the lack of the touch screen and rear touch pad which many games make use of if not depend entirely on. They cobbled on something to simulate the touch pads, but from what I read they were just not going to work for much beyond menu control.

 

They probably expected a shitload of complaints headed their way from people expecting to run their entire Vita library on the thing on launch day and stopped calling it that in favor of a more generic "playstation tv" that just happened to play some Vita titles in addition to the PSP and PS1 etc titles.

[Algus]

I finally bought one of these. Verdict seemed to be its the device to own for JRPGs and I do love my JRPGs. Somewhat related holy shit what happened to Vita? I thought a new model came out this year but it seems dead at retail. I might buy one from Amazon. I had a launch Vita but ended up getting rid of it. But there were so many good PSP RPGs and I've seen a few Vita games I was interested in. I have high hopes PS TV will slake my thirst.

[cimerians]

They probably expected a shitload of complaints headed their way from people expecting to run their entire Vita library on the thing on launch day and stopped calling it that in favor of a more generic "playstation tv" that just happened to play some Vita titles in addition to the PSP and PS1 etc titles.

 

Who knows...but maybe so! I've had it for a short while now and have been playing Conception 2 on it. I use no other features on it other than playing games so for me it's basically a small gimped Vita console with no screen. Too bad it doesn't play all the Vita games....

 

I finally bought one of these. Verdict seemed to be its the device to own for JRPGs and I do love my JRPGs.

 

Yeah the Vita is becoming a nice JRPG handheld, kind of what the PS3 is turning into lately. Before I bought it I checked to see which JRPG's would work and most of the one's I wanted (including PSP games) work fine so thats pretty much the reason why I got it. I don't really like playing those for lengthy periods of time on a handheld. Would rather sit back and use a real controller and enjoy it on a TV.

[Rex Dart]

Well, I finally jumped on a deal for a Vita TV, $65 shipped from Antonline. Looking forward to playing TxK.

Anybody know of any deals on accessories like memory cards? TxK is small enough, but the wife wants to play Persona 4 and other JRPGs, which I figure will require a good chunk of storage.

[Algus]

I been keeping an eye on Amazon. This thing is godly for PSP games...a much better solution than using the PSP's video output capabilities. It's a fabulous machine for Persona fans too because all the titles from the main series are playable on it lol. But yeah, lots of data gets eaten up real fast. I have Persona 4 Golden on a game card but it didn't take me long to fill the shipped 8 GB card with downloaded games.

 

The only thing that annoys me about it is that it doesn't have as many video on demand options as other devices like Amazon Fire TV. IE Netflix is available but is only compatible with Vita. So it hasn't really replaced my Apple TV.

[cimerians]

Well, I finally jumped on a deal for a Vita TV, $65 shipped from Antonline. Looking forward to playing TxK.

Anybody know of any deals on accessories like memory cards? TxK is small enough, but the wife wants to play Persona 4 and other JRPGs, which I figure will require a good chunk of storage.

 

 

I have Persona 4 Golden on a game card but it didn't take me long to fill the shipped 8 GB card with downloaded games.

 

You can fit quite a bit of stuff on a 32GB card. I think I have 4 or 5 Vita games and a dozen PSP games and still have 10GB left. Depends on the game though and it still costs a lot of money. Currently 60 bucks on Amazon.

 

I usually check Amazon or Kinja Deals on twitter for deals on them.

 

Since it has a cartridge slot I tend to buy physical copies of Vita games to save space.

 

I fired it up a few nights ago and I still have to say its so sweet playing these games with a controller on a TV.