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PlayStation Vita Review: Console Gaming On The Go

Jason Cipriano — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:30:24 +0000

In 2005 Sony attempted to do the unthinkable, take on Nintendo in the handheld market, with the PlayStation Portable. At that point in time, prior to the release of the Wii, it was the only place that Nintendo was still a powerhouse, having reigned supreme since the release of the original Game Boy in 1989. At the time, Sony was the clear leader in the console market, and was on the verge of announcing the PlayStation 3. The release of the PlayStation Portable came two years after it was announced at E3 in 2003, and was initially seen as a success, selling more than 60 million units worldwide, establishing Sony as a clear player in the handheld field. Now, seven years later, Sony is releasing the PSP's successor, the PlayStation Vita. The superior hardware in every way, the Vita is looking to bring console-quality games to the portable arena.

Not surprisingly, the portable landscape is completely different than it was in 2005, and Sony is now just competing with not just Nintendo, but also Apple, as well as the Android platform. While that is some stiff competition, the Vita appears to be up to the task. Over the past couple of weeks we put the U.S. version of the PlayStation Vita through its paces to see if it can hold its ground, and remain a player, with so much competition in the game. Needless to say, Sony has come along way since the first release of the PSP.
The Hardware:

At first glance, the Vita may appear to be a monster of a "portable," clocking in at 7.2 inches wide, and 3.2 inches tall, but in reality, it's only slightly bigger than the PSP's 6.7 x 2.9 inch dimensions. Additionally, the raised analog sticks add some extra (but necessary) height, making it taller than it's predecessor. The system's rounded edges cause it seem like it's a lot bigger than it is, but once it's in your hands, it doesn't feel overwhelming. Additionally, both the WiFi and 3G models are lighter than the PSP-1000 design, making it less tenuous to hold for extended periods.

The Screen
The biggest and brightest new aspect of the Vita is its screen. A 5-inch OLED touch screen, it's significantly bigger than the PSP's and either of the 3DS' screens, making it the biggest of the dedicated gaming devices. In addition to its size, it's quite bright, making every color in the rainbow pop. Sony has also taken a queue for Apple and Nintendo by making the screen touch sensitive, and encouraging developers to take advantage of this new feature. The touchscreen also makes Sony's new user interface, LiveArea, a breeze to use, putting navigation between pages or open applications at the tip of your finger.

The Controls
One of the biggest flaws of the PSP was its analog nub. While numerous developers attempted to work around it, coming up with numerous different control schemes to accommodate their games, there was really no substitute for a second analog. The Vita's dual analog sticks should not be undersold as one of its biggest selling points, as it allows for truly console-comparable controls in a portable, for the first time. The sticks feel a little on the small side, but they aren’t as uncomfortable or jumpy as the PSP's analog nub.

Connectivity
Something very reassuring to find was that the Vita played nice with everyone. It's simple and easy to connect to your PS3 or a desktop (PC or Mac), making sharing media and backing up the Vita a breeze. The PS3 will recognize the device immediately when connected with the proprietary USB cord, whereas anyone looking to connect to a computer will need to download the desktop software to take advantage of media sharing. Unfortunately, wireless connections to the PS3 are only available via Remote Play (which also sets up and works seamlessly), but not when using the Content Manager.

Cross-Platform Play
One of the ways that the Vita is thinking outside of the box is by allowing players to play outside of their box. Certain Vita games will sync up with PlayStayion 3 games, and allow players on the go to game against people tethered to their TVs. With two games in the launch line-up taking advantage of cross-platform play, Wipeout 2048 and Hustle Kings, Vita owners will get to go head-to-head against anyone that's playing on another Vita or a PS3. Taking it one step further, when MLB 12: The Show and MotorStorm RC are released they will include cross platform game save capabilities, which means they will share of progress back and forth between PS3s and Vitas.

Backwards Compatibility
The Vita also includes backwards compatibility, although it's not exactly what most fans were hoping for. This handheld has opted to do away with the PSP's UMDs, and move to a PlayStation Vita card, meaning that physical PSP games will not be able to be played or transferred to a Vita. However, digital PSP titles are available in the PlayStation Store, where they can be downloaded and played on the new system. There's a bit of a catch though: if you already own a UMD of a game, you'll need to buy it again as a download (some games come at a discount, others do not). Japan's Passport system, which offered discounts on digital titles for UMD owners, was scrapped for the States, leaving PSP owners with large UMD libraries high and dry. On the up side, PSP games can be downloaded and installed directly to the system, allowing easy access to (currently only 275 of) your favorite titles. One small problem that players may run into while playing PSP games on the Vita is that they look pretty bad. That's because bilinear filtering is not turned on by default, and will cause your PSP games to look pixilated and jaggy. Turning this on will upscale the games to the Vita's screen. Also of note: PSOne games can not currently be played on a Vita, only via Remote Play, as long as the game resides on a connected PS3.

Battery Life
Sony promised 3-5 hours of gameplay from the Vita's non-replaceable battery with basically all of the features turned off. While that may not seem like a lot, for a portable device it actually seemed rather sufficient. The battery seems to hold up to that promise, since it only required a charge after a day's worth of standard use (gaming, media, and PlayStation Store browsing – all with the WiFi on).

Everything Else
In addition to all of the standard hardware, the Vita has offered some unique upgrades from its predecessor. Games and apps will take advantage of VGA cameras on both the front and back of the system. A rear touch screen offers up some unique and unexpected gameplay options, and could most likely serve as a worthy L2 and R2 replacement. And finally, Sony have ported over their Sixaxis motion sensing, which hopefully developers will use sparingly, because no one likes to look like they're pretend driving on the subway.

Sony: No Transferring Your PSP Discs To Your Vita In the U.S.

Charles Webb — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:30:43 +0000

Sony opts not to bring their PSP-to-Vita transfer program over from Japan for the U.S. launch.

If you were about to trade in your PSP, but wanted to play that stack of UMD games, then boy have I got some not-great news for you: Sony has decided against bringing their UMD Passport program over to the States for the release of the Vita, meaning that if you want to play that copy of Lumines, you're simply going to have to download it for full price off of PSN.

The program would have allowed UMD owners to register their game discs with Sony and then download them via PSN to their Vitas. While the pricing for the program was a little confusing with its wildly varying pricing model (or lack of one, I suppose) in Japan, it was still a sure bet for getting physical copies of your games from their outmoded format to your shiny, new handheld.

While you'll still be able to play your digitally-purchased PSP titles on your Vita, Sony hasn't provided any word for what option might be available for UMD owners at this stage. Here's the official statement from Sony:

SCEA will not be offering the UMD Passport program. U.S. consumers who already own digital versions of select PSP titles will be able to seamlessly transfer those games to their PS Vita system. What's great for PS Vita owners is that they can enjoy PSP games with upscaled video quality that's ideal for the system's 5-inch OLED screen, along with controls that are optimized for its features such as the dual analog sticks. More than 250 PSP titles (including minis) will be available at the launch of PS Vita, and hundreds of additional titles will be available post-launch.

[Source: Kotaku]

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Classic Sony-Published Games to Debut On Sony Tablets

Charles Webb — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:27:44 +0000

ESRB listings reveal PS3 and PSP classics heading to Sony tablets.

Sony appears to be wisely using its ready-made library of classic titles to fill out the list of games available for use on the Sony Tablet S, with Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Daxter recently receiving certification by the ESRB for Playstation Certified devices. They're joined by Fl0W as part of the opening salvo of current-gen and handheld titles joining the PSOne releases already available for their tablets.

Crash Bandicoot comes preloaded on the device along with Pinball Heroes on the Android Honeycomb-powered device. PSOne gaming is still relatively new to the device after a December update which provided a free download of an Ape Escape minigame collection, but this could be a pretty good sign that Sony is looking to flesh out the library beyond 10-year-old or more releases. Currently, there's no date or pricing on the PSP and PS3 titles potentially joining the lineup.

[Source: Siliconera]

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CES 2012: We Chat With Hyperkin About Game Genie, SupaBoy And More

Don Hatfield — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:00:56 +0000

Hyperkin was at CES 2012 showing off a bunch of their new gaming accessories, including the recently released SupaBoy portable Super Nintendo console and their new Game Genie cheat systems. We decided it would be a good idea to stop and chat with them about what products we should expect from them this year.

First up was the Game Genie. In a blast from the past Hyperkin is reviving the classic cheat device and they plan on launching it for just about every console except Xbox 360. The Nintendo 3DS/DS version is already available from retailers like Amazon.com and you can find details on the rest in the video below.

Awhile back we talked about Supaboy and while we were at the show we got little hands-on time with the retro gaming rig. It works great and the screen, though a little smaller than I'd prefer, was bright and crystal clear. The only real downside is the system itself was very light, almost felt hollow and didn't like it would be hard to break. See it in action and get all the details below.

Other products that caught our eye were the Retron3 console that will play our dusty old NES, SNES and Sega Genesis games, and the AK Striker, which Hyperkin says is there attempt to give Playstation Move gamers a more realistic feeling weapon.

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Independent Games Festival Finalists Announced

Charles Webb — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:16:10 +0000

The best and brightest of the indie game development scene get narrowed down heading to the March awards.

The IGF has posted the list of finalists for their indie-centric awards, and among the nominees a couple of titles pop out with some regularity: the much-anticipated 2D/3D platformer FEZ garnered two nominations while the The Chinese Room-developed "first-person ghost story" Dear Esther earned four nominations. The finalists were chosen from a record 570 submissions to this year's competition, so give it up for the select few who were able to make it to the short list.

Here's the full list of nominees:

Seumas McNally Grand Prize:

Dear Esther
FEZ
Frozen Synapse
Johann Sebastian Joust
Spelunky

Excellence In Visual Art

Botanicula
Dear Esther
Lume
Mirage
Wonderputt

Technical Excellence

Antichamber
Fez
Prom Week
Realm of the Mad God
Spelunky

Excellence In Design:

Atom Zombie Smasher
English Country Tune
Frozen Synapse
Gunpoint
Spelunky

Excellence in Audio:

Botanicula
Dear Esther
Pugs Luv Beats
To the Moon
Waking Mars

Best Mobile Game:

ASYNC Corp.
Beat Sneak Bandit
Faraway
Ridiculous Fishing
Waking Mars

Nuovo Award Finalists:

At a Distance
Dear Esther
Fingle
GIRP
Johann Sebastian Joust
Proteus
Storyteller
WAY

You can find the full list of finalists on the IGF Site.

The Independent Games Festival runs from March 6th-9th in San Francisco. You can find more information on the IGF site.

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Non-Gaming Game News For the Week Ending January 6th

Charles Webb — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:30:03 +0000

Duke Nukem takes on some Nazis, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 gets a new round of Minimate figures, and more.

Marvel unveils the latest batch of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 MiniMates

With series two on the way next month, Marvel is showing off the current lineup of tiny Marvel and Capcom toys with which to to reenact your favorite 3v3 matchups. Here's who's included in the current set:

Captain America vs. Ryu
Doctor Doom vs. Wesker
She-Hulk vs. Chun Li (specialty exclusive)
X-23 vs. Felicia (specialty exclusive)

Our Most Anticipated Games of 2012

Charles Webb — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:30:35 +0000

My fellow contributor Jason Cipriano and I are excited about some games, you guys. The next twelve months will see a pretty healthy selection of new and returning franchises to PCs, handhelds, and of course, consoles. We ran down the ten titles we're most looking forward to, but keep in mind, this list required a lot of narrowing down: as much as I really wanted it to, there was no room for Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and similarly, Jason couldn't quite find a place for the downloadable Alan Wake: American Nightmare.

Still, this if the games below aren't on your radar, we highly recommend you remedy that ASAP.

Mass Effect 3
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: March 6th
Why we’re looking forward to it?

Charles Webb: My enjoyment curve for the Mass Effect series hit a steep incline after the release of Mass Effect 2. This was a surprise to me because, outside of a few interesting ideas within the fiction, the experience of playing the first game was something of a chore inside of grim, hard sci-fi boxes of social conflict and awkward combat. The sequel—by dint of clever storytelling and improved mechanics for actually getting Shepherd deep into the business of killing fools—by contrast felt more alive and more dangerous and with the third game in the trilogy taking the action to Earth which is bending under a heavy invasion as well as refinements to the shooting… well, you can see how giving me more of what I liked while iterating on them to avoid staleness might appeal to me.

Jason Cipriano: At this point, the Mass Effect ship may have sailed for me. While I realize that they must be great games since everyone that spends any amount of time with them falls in love, I have just never really been inclined to explore the ME universe. Some day, maybe, when I can clear out a few months on my calendar, I'll jump in, but right now, there's more pressing matters at hand.

Mass Effect 3 Exclusive Gameplay Trailer

Runner Up: Final Fantasy XIII-2

BioShock Infinite
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Release Date: T.B.D.
Why we’re looking forward to it?

Cipriano: The next incarnation of this console generation's most hallowed franchise, BioShock Infinite takes gamers from the depths of Rapture, high into the clouds of Columbia for a whole new adventure from the mind of series creator Ken Levine. The setting is different, the gameplay is going to be different, in fact, the parallels between Infinite and the previous BioShock games appear to be in moniker only. However, I bet that the team at Irrational have few tricks up their sleeves to mess with gamers’ heads, and I, for one, can't wait to let them.

Webb: I’m pretty much going to second just about everything Jason has said up above. If you were a fan of the first Bioshock I have to imagine you got at least a momentary thrill during the pseudo gameplay trailer from last year. And I really have to give it to Ken Levine and the team at Irrational for picking up that two trips to Rapture were more than enough, giving us a new environment, new era, and new palette to mess around with when the sequel hits.

Bioshock Infinite Exclusive Trailer

Runner Up: Twisted Metal

The Darkness 2
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: February 7th
Why we’re looking forward to it?

Webb: I actually went back and forth on this choice and our runner up, Prey 2, a game which is at its heart, a bounty hunter noire set on an alien space station. There’s no part of that which does not appeal to me. Still, 2K Games’ sequel looms large on my radar because of my sometimes irrational love for horror shooters (see also: the FEAR series, Condemned which isn’t technically a shooter). The new cel-shaded art style works wonders for the tone and feel that’s been communicated in recent trailers and marketing for the game, but more than that, I’m looking forward to messing around with the quad-wielding system which will have you attacking enemies with both your guns and the demonic imps sprouting from your back. This kind of elaborate mechanical weirdness appeals to me in a very real way and even without a hands-on experience, it’s something that’s got me stoked about this release.

Cipriano: The Darkness was a pleasant surprise when it crashed headlong into the 2007 release schedule. Taking countless cues from the twisted comic of the same name, the original game was a sick romp through Jackie Estacado's messed up life. The Darkness 2 is stacking up to be even more of an intense thrill ride, and I, for one, say, bring it on. While Prey 2 looks like it may be a competent sequel, if you put the two originals head-to-head, The Darkness comes out on top, and I suspect the same will go for their follow-ups. Oh, and The Darkness has Mike Patton, so take that Prey.

The Darkness II Exclusive Artfully Executed Ability Trailer

Runner Up: Prey 2

I Am Alive
Platform(s): Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release Date: Q1 2012
Why we’re looking forward to it?

Cipriano: Some people like survival horror games, but it seems like I Am Alive is just a survival game. While almost every game from Super Mario Bros. to Modern Warfare 3 could be classified as survival game, Alive puts you in a potentially real scenario (a catastrophe ridden city), and tests actual survival skills. Announced a few years ago with an epically intense trailer, I Am Alive has been peeking the interest of gamers for too long now, but with a Q1 targeted release, it looks like players will be able to explore the ruins of Chicago sooner than later.

Webb: Consider this a case of morbid curiosity. I Am Alive is a diminished thing in my eyes after about five years in the wilderness. Initially slated as a big-budget console title for Ubisoft, its survived one of those nights of long knives that comes around when developers and publishers are looking to trim a little fat. At this point, I simply want to see what of the original vision survived the now-downloadable title.

I Am Alive World Rules Trailer

Runner Up: Papo y Yo

South Park
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: TBD
Why we’re looking forward to it?

Webb: Okay, I suspect the chances are slim that the THQ-developed South Park RPG will actually make it into the 2012 calendar year. In fact, I’m straining to remember where I heard that this will actually be a 2012 release. But given that the team at Obsidian is just now dropping details about the game, I’m still of the opinion that we won’t see it until sometime in 2013 at the earliest. Still, the active involvement by the show’s creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker is very encouraging: it’s clear the duo “get” and are enthusiastic about games and while enthusiasm does not a good game make, the premise rests in the idea of the kids at play and getting bloody, couched in a mix of mechanics that sound like a cross between classic RPG tropes and Paper Mario. This sounds like a wonderfully inventive fusion and the fact that it doesn’t involve kart racing is the most heartening part.

Cipriano: Not to be confused with Tenorman's Revenge, the South Park platformer that's slated for early 2012, South Park: The Game looks like it could set the standard for cartoon based video games. It's pretty clear that there have been some crap South Park games in the past, but titles like Chef's Love Shack and South Park Rally didn’t have a heavy hitter studio like Obsidian attached to them. The RPG gameplay of The Game should allow for the most immersive video game experience into the little Colorado town that breeds foul-mouthed fourth graders.

Runner Up: Ni No Kuni

[Rumor] Game Ratings Hint At 'Simpsons Arcade' For XBLA and More

Charles Webb — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:32:52 +0000

Twenty years after its arcade debut, could The Simpsons Arcade Game be making its way to XBLA and PSN?

Over the weekend, XBLAFans dropped a list of games that have recently received ratings certifications in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and other territories, pointing to the existence of some games we haven't heard about while confirming a few that we did.

The big one (for me, at least) is obviously The Simpsons Arcade Game, the 1991 Konami release that allowed you to rampage across Springfield in four-player co-op. A console release here isn't a big surprise after EA released a pseudo remake back in 2009 for iOS. If this title is incoming, I'm wondering how well the gameplay holds up and if Konami (assuming they're the publishers here) plans on including any kind of bonuses or special features for the release.

Here's the full list of titles with some details on some particularly interesting titles.

A.M.Y.: A Lexs-developed survival horror title where you attempt to survive a viral outbreak

Babel Rising: A puzzle game from Bulkypix.AMAit's already been released on mobile so is this indicating a console/handheld release?

Bang Bang Racing: A colorful NASCAR-style racing game from Digital Reality for PSN, XBLA, and the PC

Deep Black, Episode 1 & 2: unknown

Defenders of Ardania: PC, PSN, and XBLA, this is a tower defense game from Paradox Interactive

Dungeon Fighter Live: I'm assuming this is Nexeon's F2P MMORPG

Happy Action Theater: A Kinect minigame collection from Double Fine

Haunt: Another Kinect title, this one a haunted house game published by Microsoft and developed by Nana On Sha

I Am Alive: Ubisoft's much-delayed survival game for PSN, PC, and XBLA

Nexuiz: An FPS originally based off of a Quake mod from the team at Alien Trap

Quarrel: Originally released over the summer on iOS, this is a Denki-developed strategy word game

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc: The HD remake of the Ubisoft 3D platformer for XBLA, PSN, and the PC

Retro City Rampage: Coming to Wiiware and XBLA, it's a top-down parody of the pre-3D

GTA games; developed by VBLANK Entertainment

Saints Row: Money Shot: A downloadable Saints Row title for PSN, XBLA, and PC

Scarygirl: Based on the work of artist Natha Jurevicius, there's a Flash game on his site

Shank 2: This is a sequel to the hack and slash, and stab, and shoot-em-up from KLEI Entertainment; coming to XBLA, PSN, and the PC

The Simpsons Arcade: Yup.

Sine Mora: Grasshopper Manufacture's upcoming shooter, this will be an XBLA-exclusive

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2: Recently announced by Sega, this next episode is coming to XBLA, PC, and PSN

Spelunky: Developer Mossmouth describes this a cave exploration/treasure hunting game. It's coming to XBLA and the PC

Tetris Party Challenge: It's Tetris, y'all.

Warp: Developed by Trapdoor and published by EA, this game permits you to warp through objects in the environment and then explode them; coming to PSN, PC, and XBLA

World Gone Sour: Capcom's platformer based on the candy; coming to PSN, XBLA, and the PC

Wreckateer: No info

[Source: XBLAFans]

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[Op-Ed] Here's Your 2012 Game Industry Resolutions

Charles Webb — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:00:12 +0000

And here we are in 2012, the midst of the nice, quiet season where the deluge of games slows down and we can contemplate in this less busy news cycle. It's also a great time to look back on the last year and think about what the industry at large did well and what they should perhaps be doing in the future. This was the year where Modern Warfare 3 didn't just predictably sell well, it broke entertainment records at large, and where a surprising number of your friends were probably talking about Skyrim that might not otherwise.

And today, a lot of game production teams are coming back from the holidays refreshed, reinvigorated, and ready to start creating the next unit shifter. What I've come up with is a list of ten areas where I'd love for the game industry to be thinking and exploring in the coming months as they develop the next crop of 2013-2015 releases. Nearly all are geared towards continuing to expand the gaming audience in some way. A few of these are old news, and some are my own particular interests, but that's why it's an Op-Ed and not an "Op-Everything to Everyone."

10. Explore some new points of inspiration for your music

A unsurprising number of outlets placed the soundtrack for the WB Interactive-published Bastion at the top their lists for 2011 and I think deservedly so. Instead of the usual rock or broad orchestral scores found in many big budget releases, Bastion took its cues from folk and bluegrass. And it was a match for the material, a melancholy adventure with its nameless protagonist in a shattered world.

I'm not saying the sound designers for the next crop of games need to start thinking about banjo infusion in 2014's Modern Warfare, but imagine if a game's soundtrack truly embraced the John Carpenter-esque synth elements in the Battlefield 3 menus? What kind of wonderful, odd alchemy could we see if Hans Zimmer wasn't the overriding influence and we got all-new soundscapes over the next few years?

9. Death to the QTE

I've already nearly burst a vein ranting about this, but seriously game designers: think about why you're putting a QTE in your game and figure out if you might want to do something a little more interesting, something that explores the mechanics you worked so hard to create in your gameplay. You'd be surprised what kind of curious direction you can go in when you simply wall off a toxic, unengaging, and simplistic means of gameplay and storytelling.

8. Expand and get creative with the Season Pass model

What did you guys think of these, because as something of a cheapskate, I kind of liked them a lot. This past year saw titles as diverse as Mortal Kombat, L.A. Noire, and Gears of War 3 offer a discounted DLC bundle if you got in early. Now to be fair, the—if I recall correctly—$15 price tag (or 1200 MSP) for the Mortal Kombat character pack was a little steep to be sure but bundling all of the new characters together like that was an incentive: I wouldn't have paid $3 for each of the character individually, but packing them together and telling me they were on sale... well, I'm easy like that, I guess. Likewise, Epic was savvy in offering all of their Gears DLC for a nice 2400 MSP (discounted over the holidays to 1800) and I have to imagine that telling users upfront that they'll save a third if they just commit to getting the DLC right of the bat must have grabbed some converts.

And by "creative," I'm going to be honest and say I have no idea what this would entail. I just hope publishers will look at this like retail sales and figure out cool and interesting things to bundle in with a season pass beyond a nice chunk of DLC—maybe throw in a PSN/XBLA version of Unreal Tournament 3 with the purchase of a DLC bundle for the next Epic retail title or the original Mortal Kombat 3 with the inevitable Mortal Kombat 2.

7. Start saying "no" to the apocalypse, nukes, and zombies

I'm saying it right now: the decade of doom has passed. The last ten years have been defined with being on the brink, being afraid that someone is going to slip in a dirty bomb or that our beef with Russia or China will escalate, or that the living dead will rise up and blah, blah, blah. If we could have one present-day modern shooter without the threat of nukes or the same tired old nexus of generic terrorists or Cold War reignited bogeymen, if we could get past the fact that yeah, zombies are cool (that's why there are so many damn games about them), then I think there might be room for some new, not at all stale scenarios for the upcoming games.

Oh, and no vampires unless it's for a Darkwatch sequel, okay?

6. Figure out the promise of the cloud, already

OnLive is still attempting to carve out a niche for itself while the 360 and PS3 both have functionality now that allow you to save games and content to the cloud. Similarly, the movie industry is really pushing consumers to adopt the cloud digital copy as a feature in recent Blu-ray releases. So there's a nebulous push to figure out make the cloud a thing people should be excited about in terms of delivering content. And I'll admit, being able to take your game save from one console to another without a memory card or external drive is kind of cool but is that all it's really good for?

I'm genuinely asking here. Both Sony and Microsoft have created tiers where you can save a little bit for free and save a little bit more for a sum but I'm not sure that I'm especially excited about having my game saves hiding out on some servers which might then be a victim of, say, a pernicious hacker attack or a simple service outage. Right now it's just a simple feature and nothing anyone is trying to push on gamers, but I have to imagine there's more promise to it than simply an invisible hard drive for your stuff.

Three New PSP 'Dual Packs' Landing In January

Don Hatfield — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:41:42 +0000

Earlier in the year Sony introduced PSP Dual Packs that gave gamers the opportunity two buy two popular UMD games in one package for an affordable price. Surprisingly, they aren't giving up on the UMD dual packs and have revealed another three that will be available from brick-and-mortar stores and PSN as digital downloads.

The new dual packs throw together Twisted Metal: Head On and Motorstorm: Arctic Edge; Patapon and LocoRoco; and Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee and Hot Shots Tennis. Each dual pack will be available beginning sometime in January (yea, they weren't very specific).

It will only take about $15 of your hard earned dollars to grab one of the new dual packs, so if you've been waiting for a good deal on any of these games the wait is almost over. Unless of course you're waiting for the Vita, in which case you'll be waiting until February 22nd like the rest of us.

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