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February 19, 2013

Sony's Vita Presentation Recently Streamed

By Steve Anderson, Contributing TMCnet Writer

Sony seems to have quite a bit to say these days. Not only is there still a presentation set to hit tomorrow night, but there was another presentation related to the PlayStation Vita that made the rounds very early yesterday morning.

The video was pre-recorded, launched at 5 a.m. EST, and brought in some interesting propositions for the user base.

The event was set to bring in “new information about PlayStation Vita,” and made it clear that the content that would be shown would not necessarily be for all ages, indicating that “some software may be age-restricted.”



Naturally, this got more than a few hackles up; when Sony starts talking software, it's not talking about productivity or e-mail software. It's talking about games.

Indeed, games were on tap for the streaming event, with the PS3 and Vita version of classic game “Final Fantasy X,” allowing users to enjoy awkward laughing and bizarre water polo / rugby hybrid gaming on portable devices. This alone might have been good enough news for gamers, but another slice of news also presented itself in the form of a price drop for the PS Vita in Japan.

The 3G and Wi-Fi-capable models will be declining to around $215, according to reports, representing substantial savings over their original pricing.

These announcements are patently terrific news. Portable gaming has been on something of a downward slope for some time now, having to compete with the growing platform represented by smartphones. Smartphones are already being carried by the people who would use them as gaming devices; they have an enormous array of games available on them, and the games are often less expensive than their portable gaming counterparts.

But Sony is taking the opportunity here to not only lower the cost on its Vita gaming device, but improve the value. Angry Birds will never be able to compete, graphics-wise, with “Final Fantasy X.” It's like pitting David against Goliath in a stone-free environment.

Sure, cost will still be an issue, but providing an experience like “Final Fantasy X” on the go is a major plus on Sony's side.

This may not be enough to get gamers away from smartphones and back to individual gaming devices, but it's likely to change at least a few minds. That's a good start, and if Vita can keep up its progress, it may well pose a serious challenge to smartphone dominance and make portable gaming the must-have proposition it was before smartphones showed up.




Edited by Braden Becker
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