The Recycle Bin

I know Vita sales figures (or lack thereof) has been discussed ad nauseam, but now that we are down to the wire on the U.S. Vita launch, with decisions to be made on which hardware option to order, and of course which games to pick up, I think it is fair play to throw in a couple of comments.

Japanese response (via post launch sales data) is staggering. Awful in fact. I haven’t seen anyone do an overlay of the 3DS and Vita in the opening weeks of their respective launches; that could be really telling.

Sales of Sony’s new portable fell 57 percent week-over-week, dipping below 20,000 units for the first time as it placed fourth in the hardware rankings. Since launch, weekly Vita sales have come in at 324,859 units, 72,479, 42,648, 42,915 and now 18,361.

Sony doesn’t have Mario (Kart or the tried and true platformer) or Zelda to save it. Vita needs a Monster Hunters type game (what the Japanese seem to dig), unfortunately for Sony, it is already available on the 3DS, so why would consumers double dip?

What Sony has, at least for the U.S. launch, is a handful of decent quality titles. Will that be enough for Sony to build better momentum in the U.S. (or Europe) compared to the current state of play in Japan?

I’ll probably go with 2-3 day one games, picking up another 2-3 over the next 30-60 days.

Most Likely To Purchase Day One: Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Hot Shots Golf, and a quality RPG (will have to wait a bit).

After My Wallet Recovers: Disgaea 3 Return, maybe FIFA 12, F1 2011 (would really like a good racer), and LUMINES Electronic Symphony. These all depend on the reviews, and how much my wallet recovers from Vita launch shock.

Looking Forward To: Gravity Rush (currently scheduled for May), which looks like a unique platforming experience. Also interested in Little Big Planet, which should give infinite gaming possibilities on the go.

For portable gaming bliss, I need 1-2 quality sports games, a great racer, a time wasting RPG, and 1-2 different types of games, and I’m a happy camper. I’ll have a good time seeing how the Vita helps me fill out my gaming library.

You have to love Amazon. I currently have three different PlayStation Vitas on pre-order: WiFi and 3G/WiFi from June, and the PlayStation Vita First Edition Bundle (3G/WiFi) from October. Just trying to cover all my bases.

I’ve been on the fence for a while trying to decide if I really need 3G, much less a brand new handheld system. Now that the U.S. system launch is just days away, it is time to make a decision.

The First Edition Bundle is decent enough, but how long will a 4G card hold up? Two PSN games? Once (I hope not if) PSOne support is added, that 4G card will fill up quickly. I could care less about Little Deviants, which seems to point me towards one of the basic packages.

The U.S. bundle includes a PS Vita 3G + Wi-Fi model, a limited edition case, 4GB PS Vita Memory Card, and Little Deviants game for $349.99 (MSRP). The Canadian bundle includes a Wi-Fi model, a limited edition case, 4GB PS Vita Memory Card, and Little Deviants game for $299.99 (MSRP). Best of all, you can pick up the PS Vita First Edition Bundle on February 15, 2012, so this is your chance to play before everyone else.

To make things interesting, this weekend Sony announced some special launch day bonuses for anyone picking up a 3G Vita:

With only 27 days until the launch of PlayStation Vita, we are excited to announce two PS Vita 3G/WiFi bundles. If you were one of the lucky consumers to pre order the PS Vita First Edition Bundle, in addition to the PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi hardware, a limited edition case, a 4GB PS Vita Memory Card and Little Deviants game, we will now be including an AT&T DataConnect Pass good for one free 250MB session, and a PlayStation Network game – both provided upon 3G activation. And the best part, you still get it a week before the official launch date.

In addition to the PS Vita hardware, we will be including an 8GB PS Vita Memory Card, an AT&T DataConnect Pass and a PlayStation Network game all for the usual MSRP of $299. This SKU is part of a promotional offer and will sell out immediately so we strongly recommend that you purchase your PS Vita early to make sure you get the extra value!

This is a pretty good deal; I guess Sony was not able to push enough 3G systems, so now it is a 3G “launch bundle,” but thankfully the price is not going up to compensate for the “extras,” which means they really are freebies. This is a nice switch from the evil days of forced bundles which included a ton of shit that no one really wanted. Speaking of which, see Little Deviants.

According to the comments section from the previous link at Sony’s official’ish blog, Sony has confirmed:

John Koller on January 28th, 2012 at 9:54 am said:
The DataConnect Pass provides 250MB of data after you activate and complete your first session. And the PSN game has not yet been announced but will be a $15 value.

So no free game for 30 days, and I bet there is some hidden T&C or stipulation that you have to re-up at least once to get the $15 bonus PSN game.

Now that the AT&T data plans have been announced, I am not totally scared off by 3G pricing:

The AT&T DataConnect Pass plans are month-to-month with no long term contract. All plans include complimentary AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot access in the United States. There are two plan choices:

250MB for $14.99, 30-day recurring, which starts at the date and time of purchase, with the ability to opt out at any given month.

3GB for $30.00, 30-day recurring opt out, which starts at the date and time of purchase.

My wife’s Verizon data plan is $30 for 4GB, so the Vita offering is not that far off the mark. With the above announced incentives, I am leaning towards one of the 3G offerings. I just have to decide which one. Kind of a nice problem to have.

The real question is going to be if I want to spring for $90-100 for a copy of MLB for the PS3 + Vita. The integration between the two versions looks very promising.

I know there’s a lot of interest out there about our PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita integration this year so I wanted to make sure I touched on our Cross-Platform Saves functionality. This feature allows you to take your Franchise, Season, and Road to The Show save files up to the cloud where you can then access those files from either your PS3 or PS Vita. You are limited to one file per mode per PSN user account, which can be overwritten as many times as you’d like.

Now I just have to commit to getting a Vita; I have three different Amazon pre-orders on file, but have yet to order a game. MLB 12: The Show for the Vita looks like the perfect way to waste away time on a portable system, and a 3G Vita, coupled with PS+ auto save updates, sure would come in handy for anytime, anywhere MLB Cloud retrievals.

I love it when mainstream media picks up on videogames. Usually they only do because of blood, sex, and violence. Those crazy Japanese developers are at it again …

The most basic game measures how hard the user can urinate. Others involve the user removing graffiti from a wall and creating wind within the game, that then blows up the skirt of a female character on the screen.

Nothing like being rewarded with an upskirt just for doing your business … and offering up a few Yen.

Speaking of Christmas, I have been having dreams and visions of a Vita dancing in my head. Alas, I am not going to import, so the wait continues for few more weeks. Which version will I get?

I have multiple pre-orders with Amazon. An early edition bundle, Wi-Fi version, and of course the dreaded ‘how much will AT&T screw me over on pricing’ Wi-Fi + 3G version.

If I decide to go with an AT&T 3G contract, I will get the First Edition Bundle, which has the advantage of a memory stick, storage case, and a game. Honestly, I could care less about Little Deviants, but it is nice to get a bundled game. Interesting enough, Amazon no longer shows the memory stick as part of the bundle.

Still time to decide, cancel orders, and watch the Japanese Vita news and updates. Sony will fix Remote Play and support PSOne classics before the U.S. launch, right?

I love the concept of getting bonus goodies as a ‘reward’ of sorts for playing previous versions of a game. As long as the reward doesn’t cause game balance issues – either too powerful or you are shit out of luck because you didn’t play the previous installments.

PSB: Are there any special treats reserved for those who are holding on to their Final Fantasy XIII save files? Can you share any details on how that will work?

Toriyama-san: If you have any save files from XIII, they will be recognized upon the start of XIII-2, and you can get extras. Some of the bonuses include adornments for monsters that can be used in-game, and a bonus that can be obtained from the title screen. You don’t necessarily have to have save data of the finished game; you can still get something even if you’ve only played a little.

Cool concept. Now just have to actually find some time to watch, play, and finish FF XIII.

WTF is wrong with EA? I’m sure there is a very valid and reasonable explanation for EA not offering Vita-PS3-Vita game save transfer capabilities. EA is not rushing FIFA 12 to market quickly, delivering a sub-par handheld FIFA outing in order to capitalize on early Vita release opportunities.

EA must really care about their core target audience, and are showing a willingness to do anything to get the Vita version of FIFA 12 in the hands of demanding FIFA fans – because EA cares.

It would be a terrible precedent if all the first generation Vita sports franchises (looking at MLB: The Show, FIFA, and Madden) do not offer the ability to switch from console to portable gaming via game save transfers just to make an early release date. Thankfully MLB: The Show gets it and allows gamers to do just that:

Then there’s the hotly anticipated PS Vita version, which will mirror virtually every game feature, mode, and mechanic from the PS3 version and displays graphics that sparkle on the system’s 5’’ OLED screen. You’ll also be able to share your PS3 save files to the cloud, then pull them down on PS Vita and pick up your progress seamlessly.

Of course the San Diego (SCE) team behind the MLB: The Show franchise continues to push the boundaries on sports franchises. Following the same link from above, we learn:

… ultimately thought it made the most sense to recreate the entire PS3 experience on PS Vita. The Vita’s powerful enough to do that. So every single feature this year, from MLB 09, 10, 11, and 12 are all in the PS Vita version.

… research shows that handheld players play for 15 to 30 minutes, tops. We give you the ability to fast-play through a game by cutting out a lot of the presentation, the camera cuts, to shorten the length of games.

Unlike EA, Sony is going balls out with its franchise. I understand that time to market is important, but color me very disappointed with EA’s approach to FIFA 12 for the Vita.

I earned my fifth platinum Trophy earlier today after completing The Sly Collection: Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus. What a major bitch. All in all the game is not really that difficult, but some of the boss battles are … well … a bitch.

Imagine my surprise when I opened up the latest edition of Qore (#43 – December 2011 – via my PS+ subscription) and noticed some dude that is NOT Veronica Belmont doing the opening junk. My first thought – oh no, WTF is Veronica?

A quick search and a couple of clicks later revealed the harsh reality – Veronica is no longer the cute (almost sexy) hostess of Qore. Too bad. Not to say that the new guy will not do a good job. He is just not the cute and dare I say it again, semi sexy, Veronica Belmont.

Qore will never be the same …

Or rather The Last of Us looks absolutely fantastic.  These days, with so many games, and such a huge backlog of titles, it takes a lot to get me excited about a game.  And I am excited about this one, just from watching the trailer.

That’s rather unlike me, but The Last of Us looks compelling and captivating.  I doubt it is just another take on a post-apocalyptic survival horror setting, but more info needs to surface before we can be sure.

Really excited to see how this one progresses.

To me it is a major bummer that the Vita, at least upon its initial release, will not support PSOne titles. Having 25+ digital PSOne classics, many of which were obtained via PS+, available gives me more options for my PSP and Vita.

Sure these games are old, but some of the RPGs are pure gold, and the catalog is too amazing to ignore, perfect for gaming on the go.

Hopefully Sony addresses in the very immediate future.

No workout today; heading to ATL to watch the Falcons beat down the Vikings.

In order to balance Trophy whoring and real life fitness objectives, I have decided it makes sense to do at least two workouts, instead of one longer routine. This should actually burn calories, keep things interesting, and get me to those ‘complete 20 xyz routines’ that much quicker.

Hopefully I will be able to knock off a couple before Christmas.

Saturday
Started the morning off with a 20 minutes Fitness burn of 159 calories, which was good enough to bump me to Level 65.

Tracing issues on some of the floor exercise probably prevented me from going higher. I normally get solid scores on the various pushups and crunches, but not so much during this 20 minute routine. I am going to chalk this up to the morning lighting in the room interfering with the camera’s tracking.

Next up was a 20 minutes Combat workout, which burned up another 136 calories. I’m a little disappointed that more calories were not burned, but that is OK, because I actually enjoy the Combat workouts. At least the ones that track correctly with the camera + Move.

This was another solid workout, good for a 5% boost to Level 80. My second 5% boots this week; in one day.

I started to do one more 15 minute quickie, but decided to call it off so I could watch the kickoff of the Georgia – Tech game. Go Dawgs!

Friday
As has been normal this week, I started with a 20 minute Fitness workout, which was good for 163 calories.

I followed up with a 15 minute Advance Cardio routine, which, while good for 103 calories, left me huffing and puffing. Talking about being out of shape!

Of all the Mel B fitness levels, Advance Cardio may be my lowest. Some of this is due to periodic tracking problems; the sometimes gets confused and does not seem to track the Move even when I think I am following Mel B 100%. The rest has to be attributed to my poor ‘real life’ fitness level. Working on it. Working on it …

Yesterday Amazon ran a lightning deal for Batman: Arkham City for just a tick under $29. I had it locked and loaded, but in the end, I figured WTF was wrong with me?

I have decided that I need to play and experience Batman Arkham Asylum: Game of the Year Edition first before tackling what looks to be the extraordinary Arkham City. When it comes to games, I say it often, but really mean it. There are just too many great games and not enough time to enjoy them. I actually received Arkham Asylum for a Christmas present. Last year. It has been in my TO-PLAY list ever since.

Same for Uncharted 3 – I still need to play the first Uncharted, which I started, but got distracted, and never got around to finishing. Same drill with UC2; would like to actually play it before tackling UC3. At least I cannot claim owning UC2, and letting it collect dust.

More on UC3 after Christmas …

If this rumor is true, and the Vita can remote play any PS3 title, then holy heck will Sony have caught lighting in a bottle. Even with reduced resolution, the ability to play PS3 games on the game would be a huge win for Sony.

Hope this one proves true.

I got a burr in my butt and decided to break out Mel B yesterday. It has been a while; figured it was time to get off my lazy bum and get some exercise going in time to prevent catastrophic holiday weight gain. Or what I like to think of as exercising so I can eat and drink my way through Thanksgiving, Disney, three more Falcons tailgates, Christmas, and of course New Years.

Thanksgiving
I started off with a nice 20 minute Fitness 20 workout, good for 147 calories, which was good for a boots to Level 60. Fitness seems to be the hardest Mel B category for me to increase. Having a few tracking Move issues (too much sunlight) was detrimental to earning a higher score.

Before throwing some Thanksgiving ribs and burgers on the grill, I followed up with a quickie 15 minute Combat workout, good for 93 calories. Tracking issues did me in on at least one exercise, preventing me for earning a higher rating.

Wednesday
Today was my first time back with Mel B in weeks (months?), so I decided to go fairly easy. One 15 minute Fitness workout, which was good for 124 calories, followed by a 15 minute Step workout, which burned off another 116 calories.

Before I started, I weighed in at 174 lbs; the last weight Mel B had on record was 176 lbs, so I feel good that I am not a total nincompoop.

Future Days …
I’ll be at Disney this time next week, so my relationship with Mel B is going to be short lived; at least it will be start, stop, start, over the next 2-3 weeks.

I’m off my rocker, but I want to Trophy whore Mel B. I’m going after some of the repetition Trophies. I would like to earn some of the ‘Complete 20 xyz exercises’ Trophies before the end of 2011. Seems like a reasonable, yet healthy goal.