The Recycle Bin

Vita – PSOne Classics Incoming?

Could it be true? Soon after launch the Vita will receive PSOne compatibility?

I wonder if this will be a free patch or if Sony will try to earn a few duckets with some sort of DLC add-on via the PSN store? There will be mass rioting across the internet if Sony charges …

I have 25+ digital PSOne Classics, that I would love to port to my Vita. While many of the games are dated, the RPGs are fantastic, and some of the other gems (i.e. Twisted Metal 2, Crash Bandicoot, Destruction Derby) are fun pick up and play games. With my PS+ subscription, I continue to rack up access to PSOne Classics on a monthly basis, so in theory, the fun never stops.

Keeping my fingers crossed that the ability to play PSOne Classics, upscalled to take advantage of the Vita’s raw processing power, comes in the very near future, and of course for free.

Saturday T&A Is Back …

It has been a while since I have done any sort of T&A, eye candy, or similar articles, so why not get things rolling straight away.

The “cheeky” surfer, or as the subtitle says, “pro wave rider” Alana Blanchard is a beautiful young lady, so she keeps top billing in today’s triumphant return of eye candy, Recycle Bin style.

Beautiful? Yes, but Ms. Blanchard just offers a distracting bridge to today brilliant EuroGamer article, “Why Can’t Games Do Sex?”

That’s a point. Sex is the most natural thing in the world, and the reason you’re here. Both literally, and because you were interested enough to click through. But we don’t talk about it in videogames, or often in real life, in anything but the most generalised and softened terms.

I don’t want more sex in games. But I think the whole way we consider the topic is wrong: in mainstream games, at least, sex more often than not means clumsily-animated dolls at the end of a subplot in the mission structure. That circumstance will only change with a breakthrough.

My wife and I closely monitor our boys’ (13, 9, and 5) exposure to various media. In fact, while most of what I write is PG-13 at best, I have to think twice because my 13 year-old will start posting occasionally. This article will surely cause a snicker or two.

Depending on which boy sees/hears what, there is mass chaos when it comes to boobies, the “a” word as they call it, as in ass, or jackass, or any other manner of items considered “inappropriate” or off the table.

We are actually pretty relaxed about this stuff; parental guidance is the norm, but we are hardly uptight. For example, my five year-old received Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom for his birthday last month. Mostly because he is really into superheroes and Hawkeye is a favorite. There was glorious rejoicing and giggles when the boys saw “partial nudity” on the back of the box in the ratings section.

Of course in this context, partial nudity means cleavage. Seriously. America is so tight about breasts and nudity that animation that shows some skin, and really nothing more outrageous, is deemed worthy of being flagged.

Me? I say hooray for boobies!

Vita Update of the Day: Vita-PS3 Cross Play.

Vita update time again; don’t hate me for my enthusiasm to actually (God forbid) write daily updates. Been a while.

Multiple sources, including Sony (yet another shock) are reporting on Sony’s promise to deliver Vita-PS3 Cross Play. According to PlayStation LifeStyle

When you buy Hustle Kings and/or Top Darts for PS Vita, you will get the PS3 versions for free. If you already own these games on PS3, you’ll be able to download the PS Vita version for free.

If this really means that I really get Hustle Kings for the Vita for free, thanks to a previous PS3 purchase, color me happy. Should find out more on the 22nd with mainstream release of the Vita.

I hope some sort of deal, discount, or voucher is announced for MLB 12: The Show, but somehow I bet it is excluded since the articles only mention a handful of games, none of which sound like a great baseball experience.

Vita – First Edition Bundle Free PSN Title and Data Pass

Wow. Sony really did a piss poor job of providing simple, concise details describing their 3G Data Pass and free PSN game offering (confirmed to be Super Star Dust). More specifically, what to expect when you purchase an AT&T data pass.

Once you cut through the rumors, theories, and innuendo, gamers just want to know what has to happen next to get the free offers.

For example, this thread outlines several different explanations, which is typical of how badly Sony screwed the pooch on this offer. What happens during the official launch next week as Sony gets flooded with “where are my data pass and free game” emails? Or maybe with the 3G Launch Edition, Sony got it right and included pack-in vouchers.

The confusion starts with the official Vita page:

When you purchase and activate an AT&T DataConnect plan, receive Super Star Dust plus DLC ($14.99 value)
How to get your game:

Select and sign up for an AT&T DataConnect Pass plan.

Login to your PlayStation®Network account on your PS Vita.

30 days after your DataConnect Pass activation, you will receive a game voucher code redeemable on the PlayStation®Store.

Fair enough, only I didn’t receive any sort of confirmation from AT&T as part of my 3GB purchase receipt to indicate that I could look forward to a free 250MB data pass and Super Star Dust plus DLC.

Sony’s support site sort of attempts to clear up the confusion.

If you purchase the 3G/Wi-Fi PS Vita AND sign up for an AT&T DataConnect Pass plan, you are entitled to a free voucher code for the PSN title Super Stardust Delta.

However, as detailed in the program details and limitations, this code will not be delivered until 30 days after DataConnect Pass activation.

After 30 days have passed since sign-up, you will receive a game voucher code via email that can be used to download Super Stardust Delta for free.

So I am entitled to a free voucher for Super Stardust Delta, however no mention if Sony is sending this confirmation or AT&T.

What about the free 250MB data pass? Glad you asked. Sony’s help site was actually helpful; promotional code confirmed …

With the purchase of the 3G/Wi-Fi PS Vita, AT&T is offering consumers who purchase an AT&T DataConnect Pass plan a second plan for free (250MB). There is no voucher that needs to be entered in, the promotional code will be added your DataConnect account. To redeem the free DataConnect Pass, you will need to log in to your DataConnect account and redeem it there.

You must purchase a DataConnect pass before March 31, 2012 to be eligible for the free 250MB DataConnect pass.

Hopefully this article helps clear up some of the confusion over the free PSN game and free 250MB data pass offered with your First Edition and 3G Launch Bundle Vitas. I have a help desk ticket into Sony to clear up the confusion around how the PSN voucher will be delivered. I will update once I receive some sort of confirmation from Sony.

Vita First Impressions

My First Edition bundle arrived safely and securely yesterday thanks to Amazon (release day shipping) and FedEx. I also picked up a 16GB memory card, a screen protector, Lumines, Hot Shots Golf, Uncharted; Little Deviants was packed in with the bundle.

My very first impressions are that the hardware looks sexy; yes, it is the long awaited PSP2 (i.e. dual analog sticks), but so much more. This will be a common theme everywhere. Not only are the game cartridges small, but the memory card a tiny. They will get lost. In fact, as I was setting up my Vita, I had a moment of panic when I could not find my 16GB memory card, lost in the clutter of the kitchen counter. It is small.

I didn’t get off to a good start with my Vita. Upon start up, one of the first things you get to do after setting up your language and date/time is purchase a 3G data pass. As I was attempting to type in the various info boxes on the data pass form, I ran into multiple issues. The screen wouldn’t refresh properly, the text entry keyboard would not close, and so on and so forth. I finally gave up and turned off the system to start over.

This happened three times. On the third go, the Vita wouldn’t even turn off. What a mess! After doing some quick google searches, I saw that I may need to hold down the power button for 30 seconds. That did the trick.

I skipped the data pass section and moved on with the rest of the setup. It is not really intuitive. Because a firmware update was required, that had to be completed before I could link up with my PSN id (jcalvert for anyone keeping score at home).

Once that was done, I once again attempted to purchase a data pass. This time I was successful. Maybe the earlier failures were related to the firmware shipped with the Vita? Who really knows …

I do know that I purchased a 3GB non renewing data pass, which may have actually been a mistake. As posted in an earlier article, the First Edition bundle has a deal for a 250MB data pass and a free PSN game, 30 days after purchasing and activating a 250MB data pass. The AT&T insert included in the box mentions the free PSN game, but not a restriction on the data pass size. I’ll have to do some digging to see what I can turn up.

While I received a purchase confirmation email from AT&T, I didn’t get anything that noted that I would receive a voucher for a 250MB data pass or a free PSN game. Assuming I will receive these in 30 days, not knowing if the voucher is good for any game priced under $14.99 (or whatever) is going to limit my purchases during the next 30 days. Or at least until I figure out if I am going to get a voucher.

It’s not as if I’m going to be starved for games; four is a good start. If I need more, Target is offering a 2 for 1 special, which is something of a shocker for the mainstream Vita launch on February 22.

I’m not going to spend much time on the games; will just hit the high points for now. I didn’t have time to fire up Uncharted or Little Deviants.

Lumines is fantastic; really just what I was expecting. I only managed 1.5 hrs with it yesterday, but it was a rewarding 90 minutes. Is it worth $40? Hmmm … really depends on what you are after. I love zoning out and just grooving to the music; at least I did with the original PSP version. While it has creative use of the front touch screen (activate your avatar special) and rear panel (rapidly tap to restore your power up to 100%), I’m not sure casual fans will appreciate the upgrade from the PSP. Visually eye popping, yes, but as a system seller, Lumines has niche appeal.

Moving on to Hot Shots, I can easily see myself getting addicted. I haven’t played the series since the original PlayStation days or PSOne as it is now called. After playing one practice round of 9 holes, and managing a -3 in one of the online tournaments, I am ready for more. In the interests of full disclosure, I played a second tournament, and I was doing really well until I managed a +7 on the last hole. Ouch!

As mentioned above, I’ll post some more comments on the games later. Metacritic currently has Lumines tied with Rayman as the top rated Vita game. Uncharted and Hot Shots have also received favorable scores; Little Deviants looks to be the stinker.

I messed around a little with the Near application. The first time I fired it up, I discovered an unpopulated location. i.e. me. When I fired it up again last night, Near discovered two over Vita players, both playing Welcome Park, within a two mile radius of my house, which was pretty cool. At least in my area, other gamers are feeling the Vita love. This morning Near discovered four gamers. I’ll have to experiment some more because I’m not really sure what I can do with Near, but it is a very cool concept.

Closing comments. Don’t ask me if the Vita was worth the money. After shelling out for the Fire Edition bundle, three games, a 16GB memory card, and a 3G data pass, I have spent a ton of cash on Sony’s newest portable console. I’m happy with the purchase; honeymoon period if you will. Only time will tell if I am going to get gaming value for my investment.

Vita – Incoming

As I sit here throwing together this article, Lumines Electronic Symphony is due to arrive later today, to join Hot Shots Golf World Invitational and Uncharted Golden Abyss, sitting on my kitchen counter waiting for Big Daddy to show up tomorrow.

The wait is almost over.

Speaking of waiting, TheSixthAxis has a great article on Vita load times. To be honest, this is disappointing; I thought the move to “cartridges” and digital content would have made load times almost nonexistent.

Of my three initial games, I have to admit that I am most looking forward to Hot Shots Golf, which will probably be the first game I throw in my new system.

As of right now, after the launch I’m looking forward to MLB 12: The Show and Ciel nosurge (although I doubt it will receive a U.S. release). I’m also very tempted to pick up FIFA; will probably cave and pick this one up as soon as I can flip a few older games on eBay to cover the costs.

On a final note, I was surprised to see anything “pro” Vita in the final pre-release hype buildup cycle. While this article is UK centric, it has a couple of interesting points.

That six year run also helps the older gamers who love the PSP to have the confidence to jump on the PS Vita. The last thing people want to do is invest in something that won’t be around for long. I’m convinced Sony have dispelled that myth and that while the initial investment is high, it clearly delivers benefits over the short, medium, and long terms.

…

Ultimately I think the PS Vita is going to succeed for a very simple reason. It reaches out to a customer base that is not being served at the moment. Yes the smartphones can play games, but are those games as richly detailed as ‘Uncharted: Golden Abyss’? Do they have the depth and speed required to make ‘Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom’ the best beat ‘em up since ‘Match of the Millennium’ on the Neo Geo Pocket? Do they offer the graceful controls of your racer in ‘Wipeout 2048′?

In the end, the Vita is an expensive day one investment, but that goes for any new platform release. Day one is always at a premium, and has a lot of associated risks. Will the system fail, be poorly supported, and die a painful death?

As the author points out, Sony does support their platforms with a long lifecycle. Hopefully this also is the case for the Vita. If Sony cannot show that gamers are getting a 100% difference experience compared to a smart phone, I think Sony (and early adaptors) will be in for a world of hurt.

DiRT3 First Impressions

[Editor’s Note: My 13 year-old son takes a turn contributing to the Recycle Bin with his impressions of DiRT3. Look for future articles from Joshua as he tackles the world of gaming and sports (mostly Falcons and UGA). You can find him online via his PSN account jscFALCONS.]

DiRT3 is an amazing off-road racing game featuring tons of cars and events, mostly Rally.

DiRT3 has a career mode, single-player modes, some multiplayer modes and online mode. The career mode, DiRT3 Tour, is divided into four seasons each with different events.

I liked the variety of events to choose from. There is rally, rally cross, land rush, trailblazer, gymkhana and head2head. Rally is WRC style racing from one part of the track to another. Rally cross is like the X Games rally races with laps around a track. In land rush, you race with trucks and/or buggies. Trail blazer is very similar to rally, but you don’t use rally cars. I really don’t know what you’re using, but they are the fastest cars in the game. Gymkhana is a freestyle arena type event and you do tricks to get points. Finally, in head2head you go one on one with rally cars. You get to play these events in all modes.

I also liked the graphics and physics of the game. It looks very realistic, almost like real life. The cars in the game handle very realistically. I didn’t like gymkhana so much.

I like pretty much every part of the game so far except gymkhana.

DiRT3 is a really good game so far. I would give it 9/10.

Ciel nosurge – Fairy Dating Made Expensive

If and when Ciel nosurge gets a U.S. release, hopefully we will receive an all-in-one bundle, and not have to deal with a base game plus DLC episodes [Link: ADULT Content WARNING].

It’s my understanding that Japanese gamers eat up dating simulations like hotcakes, but maybe not so much for the Western gaming audience. Since these releases are few and far between in the U.S., they quickly gain niche and cult following status. At a minimum, I pick up anything like Ciel nosurge [Link: ADULT Content WARNING], especially in offered limited edition packages because I know I can flip them in the future on eBay for huge ROI.

Gust’s upcoming PS Vita moeblob-dating sim “Ciel nosurge” has been attracting a great deal of favourable attention online, and looks set to become the most hotly anticipated title on the Vita – at least amongst the creepy otaku demographic.

I certainly don’t think I fall into any sort of creepy demographic [so says me!]. The art style looks fantastic, which for me is the hook. Put it this way, the Vita needs RPGs, Gust via NIS America has some splendid ones, so hopefully Ciel nosurge gets a U.S. release. Besides, what’s not to like? Fairy courting? Sign me up.

Lumines Electronic Symphony – Platinum?

As a card carrying trophy whore, I have been watching the debate about Lumines Platinum status. Will it or will it not contain a Platinum?

According to James Mielke (Q Games Producer) the game does in fact have a platinum. Additionally he also makes reference to a platinum trophy on his twitter too. Despite the claims, it would seem that ps3trophies.org and many users online say otherwise.

I have Lumines on preorder, and even if it doesn’t contain a Platinum trophy, I’m sure I’ll enjoy Lumines immensely. The fire PSP Lumines was fantastic; the first Vita version looks to top it in every way.

Trophy support for the Vita will making gaming on the go that much more enjoyable.

Vita Countdown (Four More Sleeps)

February 15 is tumbling towards us quickly, along with the start of soccer practice for my nine year-old son (and yours truly co-coaching), Valentine’s Day, the newest Twisted Metal, and of course the Vita.

How are these all connected you may ask? Let’s take these in quick succession.

Soccer practice will be Monday and Wednesday, meaning that I will not be sitting on my ass playing the Vita Wednesday night. That’s OK, said ass needs a workout.

Valentine’s Day will also see the release of Twisted Metal. Play it too much, and no needful for me. With the Vita arriving just a day later, I figured I better hook my wife up with something nice – can you say jewelry from Blue Nile? Some nice garnet earrings and matching pendent; Blue Nile is truly a best friend, always helping me out of those tough spots like new a Vita and a host of games showing up as bookends to V-Day.

Which does in fact bring us to the Vita. While the anticipation is building, one of my burning desires is that the Vita turns into a quality RPG producing machine, along the lines of the PSP, which was really underrated in this respect. Hopefully the next Atelier receives a U.S. localization effort.

It was confirmed earlier this week that long suffering U.S. Vita fans will not receive a UMD Passport offer, allowing PSP owners with large UMD libraries to quickly port their content to digital media for a modest price.

While the lack of a U.S. UMD Passport program is disappointing, I can accept that the Vita will not offer a means of being directly backwards compatible with PSP UMDs. I find it very disappointing that as of right now, the Vita is not compatible with PSOne titles.

I’m not sure why Sony would not at least attempt to flip a few bucks on a limited UMD Passport offering, which would obviously be restricted to the PSP titles available via the PSN store. There are so many ways that Sony could play this, and capitalize on PSP owners converting (upgrading) to the Vita, and their desire to have some of their favorite UMDs still accessible on the Vita.

My approach will be fairly simple. I’ll keep a few of my favorite PSP titles, flip a few more on eBay, and the rest will go to one of my PSP owning boys.

I’m sure there are all sorts of licensing issues to overcome, but if Sony could in Japan, there is reason to think that Sony could have managed some limited UMD Passport effort in the U.S. It is really too bad because this sort of short sightedness could cost Sony some much needed sales.

The Trophy whore in me loves that I can now (on Feb 15th at any rate) rack up trophies on the go. I can’t imagine spending much time with Little Deviants, except to get some trophy boosting, but since it is a throw in with my early release bundle thingy, boost I will.

Whew! That’s enough for early Saturday morning. Time for another cup of coffee; truly the nectar of the gods. Happy Saturday!

Arizona, Green Bay, and now NY (Giants)

What do these three teams have in common? Atlanta lost to each of them in their first playoff game three out of the last four seasons.

In 2008, Atlanta and rookie Matt Ryan lost on the road to an Arizona team that went on lose a closely contested Super Bowl to Pittsburg. Two years later, Atlanta coughed up home field advantage in embarrassing fashion to Green Bay who later went on to defeat Pittsburg in Super Bowl XLV. This year the Falcons went on the road to NY and were manhandled by the Giants, who were just anointed Super Bowl XLVI Champions.

Not that it makes me feel any better, but at least the Falcons can say that in each of their playoff appearances in the Ryan / Coach Mike Smith era, they were beaten by Super Bowl quality teams.

The Falcons could learn a thing or two from the Giants’ approach on defense:

10. The Giants’ four-man pass-rush is exceptional: Give New York credit for having an organizational philosophy that says, “You can never have enough great pass-rushers.” From Tuck to Jason Pierre-Paul to Osi Umenyiora to Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants just keep coming. Pierre-Paul is not only a great pass-rusher, but he’s one of the best in the league at deflecting passes at the line of scrimmage. He batted down two of Brady’s passes Sunday night. As a group, the Giants sacked Brady twice (both by Tuck), hit him eight times and forced him into throwing several errant, rushed passes.

Before the Falcons worry too much over a new open air stadium with a retractable roof, I suggest that the front office and coaching staff figure out how to put together a defensive line that can sniff at least a smidgen of a pass rush, and build an offensive line that can actually convert on fourth and one.

Vita 11 Days And Counting …

With the Vita a mere 11 days away, for those receiving the “super special, I’ll pay extra to get it a week early” Launch Day Bundle, the anticipation is building.

Opinions are all over the map; the launch library is solid to above average, however the hardware has been received as sliced bread, with a high degree of skepticism over the hardware launch cost.

Me? I’m all in. In fact, I am on target for the Launch Day Bundle, and I still have a WiFi and a 3G/WiFi system on preorder with Amazon for good measure. $250-$350 will do that to a my wallet; I like options, but I am 99% leaning towards getting my WiFi/3G version early on February 15.

My preorder list is currently Lumines: Electronic Symphony, Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, and Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
Of course Little Deviants, which is bundled with the system.

Lumines is just a fantastic puzzler. I’m not at all happy with the $39 price point, but I think it will be an overall good purchase. After all, I still play my PSP Lumines.

Hot Shots Golf? What’s not to like with this classic sports franchise? Plus it is going into the release window at the lower tier $29 price point.

Unchartered is the system seller; at least in the West. This should be a fantastic portable gaming experience. With that said the $49 price point is really ghastly. It downright sucks, and because Unchartered will throw up big numbers on sales charts, more publishers may get the itch to follow suit. Let’s hope not because I have no intention to flip $50 for a Vita game on a regular basis.

For good measure I also went with a 16GB memory card. This one was a tough pill to swallow, because the 3G/WiFi system was upgraded to include an 8GB card, while the Launch Day Bundle only includes a 4GB card. At any rate, before I digress too much, I went with the 16GB card because I was not willing to lay out $100 for the 32GB model, and an 8GB card seemed to offer minimal advantages over the bundled 4GB card.

The countdown is on to February 15. Happy Saturday!

UGA 2012 Recruiting Class Semi-Stellar

I’ll start off with this caveat. While recruiting is the life blood of college football programs, you always have to take a wait and see approach. I have written about it many times before, so I will spare you the agony of me spewing my recruiting spill one more time.

By all counts, Georgia has a top class; maybe not stellar, but one that any university that is not Alabama, FSU, Texas, or Florida would appreciate.

At last check, Georgia’s class was ranked No. 5 by ESPN, No. 6 by 247Sports, No. 12 by Scout, No. 19 by Rivals and No. 20 by Tom Lemming. Take it for what it’s worth.

Exactly. Take it for what it is worth, but the 2012 class is a nice building block, and momentum springboard.

Even if it did lose to the four best teams it played last season. Even if it did blow its bowl game. Even if it didn’t get every single recruit it wanted. Quibble all you want, but Georgia in 2012 resembles the Georgia of 2002. And the very nice haul of this signing day, even if it wasn’t quite so dazzling as last year’s Dream Team, showed a program primed to move from strength to strength.

Hopefully these guys will contribute right away, adding depth, and in some cases competing for playing time.

Go Dawgs!

Vita – What about the games?

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.

Vita Decision Time

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.