Gaming : PS Vita to pack 512MB of RAM, support cross-game voice chat

What's the difference between Sony's PlayStation Vita and the PS3? About 256MB of RAM, apparently. In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida confirmed that the forthcoming handheld will boast a full 512MB of RAM (compared to the PS3's 256MB), allowing the Vita to support cross-game voice chat via its Party feature. Yoshida's confirmation effectively debunks earlier rumors that Sony would be halving the Vita's RAM, in order to compete with the 3DS' lower price, though the console does feature comparatively less V-RAM (just 128MB, versus the PS3's 256MB). According to the executive, however, that disparity won't make too much of a difference on the gaming experience, due to changes in the Vita's display resolution. "The resolution on the PS Vita screen is much lower," Yoshida said. "Even though it's four times the resolution of PSP, compared to the console, the amount of data you have to push is much smaller." The proof, of course, is in the pudding, but unfortunately, we probably won't be tasting it for a while.

Gaming : PlayStation Vita getting social networking apps, 'winning' hashtag making a comeback next year

Wondering how you'll be able to most efficiently brag to far away friends about your new PlayStation Vita? Sony's got the answer in the form of newly announced apps for its next generation portable. Vita Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and Skype apps will be landing in the PlayStation Store in Japan before the end of the year. The US and Europe will get their shot at the free apps in early 2012. 

 

Press Release

PlayStation Vita Expands Its Entertainment Experience by Introducing Various Applications for Social Networking Services and Communications

TOKYO, Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that it will introduce dedicated applications for Facebook, foursquare, Skype™ and Twitter*1 to PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) which will launch in Japan by the end of 2011, followed by the U.S. and Europe early next year*2.

PS Vita users will not only be able to enjoy the immersive rich gaming content but through the addition of these social networking services and communications widely used around the globe will also have an easy access and greater opportunity to enjoy communicating with friends by simply selecting the dedicated application. PS Vita, as the next generation portable entertainment system, will deliver an unrivaled entertainment experience, through close collaboration with various social networking services and communications.

The applications will be downloadable to PS Vita directly from PlayStation®Store at no charge. Users will be able to activate the application just by selecting the icon which will appear on the PS Vita home screen and enjoy easy navigation using the touch screen. Also, PS Vita's beautiful 5-inch organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen will allow users to enjoy photos and movies shared with their friends and acquaintances via Internet in visually striking graphics. Service profiles of each service are as follows:

Facebook - Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people's real-world social connections. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Over 750 million active users visit Facebook each month.
Foursquare - foursquare is a location-based service that helps users explore the world around them. Using PS Vita, users can "check in" at the locations they visit to meet up with friends, and share information about places. Users can also collect virtual badges for exploring new places, and can earn points to compete against friends.
Skype - Skype is software which enables people to communicate with others around the world using Internet-connected devices. Skype has more than 170 million average monthly connected users (for the three months ended June 30, 2011). Users of PS Vita will be able to use Skype to make free calls to others on Skype, as well as low-cost calls to landlines and mobiles virtually anywhere in the world.
Twitter - Twitter instantly connects people everywhere to what's most meaningful to them. At the heart of Twitter are short messages called Tweets, which are 140 characters or less in length. Users can follow celebrities, friends or other people they find interesting to discover what's happening around the world.


SCE will vigorously promote PS Vita towards the launch as the next generation portable entertainment platform and work towards expanding the portable gaming market.

Gaming : Sony Announces New, Super-Powered PlayStation Portable

Let's be honest. The PSP Go was a bit of a letdown as a follow-up to the original PSP. And, while most of the attention has been focused on the upcoming "PlayStation" phone (which has yet to appear with any PlayStation branding on it), Sony has been quietly working on a proper sequel to the PlayStation Portable. Codenamed NGP, the next-gen PSP packs an impressive array of hardware that would make any other portable device hang its head in shame. A quad-core ARM processor and a quad-core graphics processor will be found inside (and we're still giddy about upcoming phones packing dual-core). And that's not to mention the Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope for motion gaming, compass, and both front-facing and rear-facing cameras. The 3DS and your smartphone are probably looking a little underpowered at the moment.

There is also no shortage of control options. The NGP sports dual analog sticks (which should make current PSP owners very happy), as well as a traditional directional pad, a five-inch OLED touch screen with an impressive 960 x 544 resolution, and a touchpad on the back of the device, similar to what you would find on the Motorola Backflip.

PSP NGP

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As for games, there should be no shortage of content. The NGP will be backwards-compatible with downloadable PSP games, and will also work with the newly announced PlayStation Suite, a game store and development framework that will bring PlayStation-branded gaming to Android phones. There will also be games available on physical media, although Sony hasn't specified what that media might be. (We're pretty sure it won't be a new version of UMD.) Sadly, the NGP won't be landing until the holiday season, and Sony wouldn't give a price. However, the company has said that the handheld will be "affordable." Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go start berating our current handhelds in hopes that they'll sprout a few new processor cores.

Video : GT Academy Announce Trailer

By the time I had watched thirty seconds of that video, I knew Nissan and Sony had done something epic. The two companies have paired up to offer the best Gran Turismo 5 drivers from around the nation a chance at becoming a real world, flesh-and-blood race car driver. Just look at those spinouts. I can’t wait.

Here’s a little clip from the press release:

GT Academy will challenge gamers and racing fans alike across the U.S. to compete in a series of online time trials in pre-selected Nissan vehicles in Gran Turismo 5. Throughout the course of the competition, participants will earn free digital content just for playing, as well as have an opportunity to win prizes for winning regional time trials. The top 32 virtual racers in the country will compete in the live national finals event scheduled for March 2011 to become one of 16 GT Academy finalists. The 16 finalists will compete against each other in a series of challenges, including behind the wheel of real Nissan race cars, for a chance to become a professional race car driver as the GT Academy winner for the U.S. The winner will have the opportunity to train with elite race car drivers at international tracks and race as part of a professional team.