PS Vita, Triple A Titles, and Price Drop

The PS Vita and Triple A Titles.

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 9/24/2013

Written by Dustin Murphy

  A few days ago I stated that I was working on a title covering the PS Vita and the capabilities it could have in Triple A titles coming to it. Well after having done a long bit of thinking, it was hard to process this, and ultimately the argument at some points came invalid until having done some back looking. The results are quite simple I've noticed and amazing at that.

  According to several sources the PS Vita's game card houses upwards to 8GB's of data, with a 4GB to 32GB (currently, 64GB rumored this fall) memory cards that could allow for further game optimization. At the rate we are going the PS Vita is already seeing several huge games release and to be upcoming release. Lets recap those titles though, so everyone is on the same page, which would be helpful.

Triple A Titles:

• Bioshock Title (TBD)
• Borderlands 2 (announced, 2014)
• Lego Marvel Universe (10/22/2013)
• Minecraft (TBD)
• Tear Away (10/22/2013)
• Valhalla Knights 3 (10/15/2013)

  When it comes to big names, Sony is not a stranger to making a form of them for everyone, and with the PS Vita about to showcase the power of Borderlands 2 and a future Bioshock, it will not be surprising if games like Call of Duty (Declassified was a very bad attempt, so lets pretend it didn't happen, but it still did), Battlefield, Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, and even perhaps a future iteration of Diablo 3. 

  When it comes to the PS Vita and these named titles, the question boils down to this - can it run them like the consoles? Much of it may actually be no. This is due to the memory limitations as well as hardware limitations that the PS Vita has, but that's not to go without saying, if the hardware is optimized and used properly, the PS Vita could be a home to very beautiful and demanding games. We've already seen a display like this thanks to Killzone Mercenary, Little Big Planet, and even Uncharted: Golden Abyss when they released in the past year. With the announcement of that Ken Levine having displayed his interest in the PS Vita, it will not be surprising to see an entry for the PS Vita coming sooner or later, and that alone should be more than enough for developers to take it seriously. The question however comes down to whether or not the PS Vita versions of titles like borderlands 2 could truly stand in quality with their console release versions and how those games will be optimized for the PlayStation Vita.

  Though with all these huge titles and even Minecraft having become a phenomenal success, it will not be surprising if PS Vita gaming fans see the handheld 'console' hit its wall rather quickly due to hardware restrictions, and that is something that to some could or will be alarming as games get more demanding and diminish the play time that gamer's are used to. At this moment however, this doesn't seem to be a problem, and with the future PS Vita version coming out before we know it (2014) players will spend more time gaming than they do now. For those who have the first generation like myself? That wall plug will start to become our best friend. With the PlayStation Vita TV in high demand by the Western market, it would not be surprising to see that change before to long.

  With the PS Vita though we will see limitations in the future, but how far down? That's questionable. For you techie people lets take a look at specs and what they could mean for us. The PS Vita houses a Quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore CPU that can run up to 2GHz (just short of a low end laptop or desktop), 512 MB RAM, with 128 MB VRam to feed its Quad-core PowerVR SGX543MP4+ video card. What does all this mean though? For those of you familiar with tablets such as the Nexus 7, iPad, as well as the Lenovo tablet, this will all seem familiar and in truth - astonishing. The PS Vita itself houses what could be considered a mini-computer, that will allow game developers in the future to access more memory, more power, and develop games that could truly be up to tablet specs before too long. (We'll revisit the techie side of this at a later date when the new model releases and we get our hands on it - hopefully)

  With the raw power of the PS Vita and what it's capable of, it would not be surprising to see some PlayStation 4 games cross over before to long. For those of you who own or know quite a bit on the PS Vita, what's your take on it? Is the PS Vita something that peaks your interest? Is it a waste of money? Do you plan on getting one? If you have one do you see it suitable for big titles in the future?

  For now we can only stand in awe at the few PlayStation 3 games that have crossed over and gawk at their PlayStation 3 graphics. That being the Sly Cooper titles, Atelier titles, and of course FIFA 2014 that has just released in recent months.

  For those looking into the PS Vita you can easily get your hands on one now for the new price of 199.99 USD, and of course the 32GB (Suggested) memory card for a price of 79.99 USD at most major retailers and experience the splendor that is the future of gaming innovation.