[BLOG] PlayStation Vita TV launches in Japan: What You Should Know

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CrimsonShade
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[BLOG] PlayStation Vita TV launches in Japan: What You Should Know

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Yesterday, Sony's cloud-based solution to playing Playstation Vita games - as well as past and (some) present Playstation console games - on your TV became a reality when the PlayStation Vita TV launched in Japan. In case you haven't been following it, the Vita TV is a miniaturised "micro" console that connects to your TV via HDMI; and is primarily intended to allow you to play games from the Playstation Vita hand-held console on the big screen, but is also capable of playing some other titles available on the PSN Store as well.



Some committed gamers have already imported the Japanese console, but trying it out has revealed a roadblock. While the Vita TV does not appear to be region-locked - despite only being launched in Japan, some non-Japanese region games are available on the console already and appear to be perfectly playable - users who have attempted to sign in to the console using a PSN account registered outside of Japan have been unable to get in, with the console reporting "This service is not available in your country/region". It appears right now, only Japanese PSN accounts can login to the console - and this also applies to the games, with the console refusing to play games bought from Western accounts even if the title is supported. It's assumed the Vita TV to PSN compatibility, like the console itself, has only been launched in Japan so far, so this situation may change when launches are made to other Asian regions next year.



Thankfully, thanks to sources like Kotaku, we have been able to see how the console works to users who have been able to access it. Setting up the console is, apparently, an identical process to that on the Vita itself, with a short series of screens asking you to choose your language (English is supported already), enter your location, set the clock and give your PSN login credentials if you so wish. Once this is done, games can be sent to the console by downloading them from the Playstation Store; while you can grab your Save files by plugging in the Vita Memory Stick with the saves you want to use or, if you're a Playstation Plus subscriber, pulling them from your PS+ Cloud.



What games? Sony have an official list on their Japanese website of compatible PS Vita games, which at time of writing lists 153 different titles. Interestingly, while some of these titles are big-name games, a far greater number are smaller affairs such as bargain-bin puzzlers or titles intended as study tools for Japanese school kids. Also, some of the supported titles, like Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD Remaster, are currently unreleased - planning for the future, Sony? However, while the console currently only plays compatible games bought on Japanese PSN Accounts, non-Japanese titles are supported if they're available on the Japanese PSN Store, such as the North American Lumines Electronic Symphony. It seems Sony are serious with the list of "compatible" games, as if you try to load a game the Vita TV does not yet support, Vita TV will not be able to start it at all.



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If 153 titles seems a bit paltry to you right now, you may be pleased to know that the Vita TV is also able to play games from the original Playstation Portable (PSP) console as well as classic games from the very first PlayStation (PS1) home console, as long as those games are available for download from the PSN Store. This expands the collection of games currently available to thousands, if you don't mind a little nostalgia. More titles will likely be added over time.



Controlling the games on the console is possible through connecting a PS Vita to the Vita TV; or by using a DualShock 3 controller - the DualShock 4 controllers available for the PS4 are not yet supported, but a software patch in the future will change this. One problem with this approach is the DualShock 3 has no touch controls like the PS Vita or the newer controllers, but many of the games that will be available on the Vita TV expect some sort of touch-screen input. Thankfully Sony have thought about this - sorry Wikipedia, your claim that "certain games are not compatible with PS Vita TV, such as those that are dependent on the system's touch-screen, rear touchpad..." has just been proven false - through touch-screen emulation.

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The Vita TV contains a virtual touch screen, which can be enabled in the console's Options menu. When enabled, pressing R3 or L3 turns the thumbsticks into mouse pointers which you can use to “touch” the screen. Pressing R3 gives you two pointers for the front panel, L3 gives two for the back, and both R3 and L3 at the same time gives you two cursors pressing front and back at the same time. Some games have to be patched to support this feature - but if so, the Vita TV will make you aware of this and offer to automatically download the patch before you play.



Currently, there is no news for a Western launch of Vita TV - but we'd be surprised if it never happened. Stay tuned!
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