Monday 9 September 2013

Sony had a Conference this morning!?

They most certainly did. It started at approximately 7AM over here so I wasn't able to stream it and view it myself (I was asleep! Had to prepare for a day at work. Although my bro was quick to ask who/what Nepuchūn is when I awoke as I was talking in my sleep this morning. Must've been a good dream) so Ive spent the past few hours scouring the internet and as many gaming websites as possible for tidbits of information to share. Apparently there was quite a few game announcements alongside the conference, but Im having trouble finding up-to-date information on these. I suppose only the ones of interest to mainstream sites will be picked up n shown in the west. Lets crack on with what Ive got so far then. I can always post again when I get more news.

Vita! Vita! Vita!
  In the wake of Nintendo's recent 2DS announcement, we now have a remodeled Vita to think of too. Its probably not due to the 2DS but I bet Sony are looking at stealing some of Nintendo's thunder this christmas in the East with an announcement like this. It Features all the same things as the original Vita except for 2, notable, changes. The screen is now LCD. Yes, LCD. Not OLED or even LED. It doesn't bother me as much as I thought at first, but then that all depends on what type of panel Sony intend to use. For the new remodel to even come close to the OLED on the original then Sony MUST use IPS. There is no side-stepping of the fact that if anything other than IPS is used, the new LCD screened Vita is going to look noticeably inferior to the original with regards to colour reproduction especially. At least the screen has stayed at 5". I guess we'll have to wait n see what it turns out to be at a later date though with regards to panel type. The other aspect is that it now comes with 1GB of memory built in. Sure, its not big by any means (I survive with a 4GB though due to buying retail mainly) but at least it gives adopters of the new Vita a bit of extra time without having to go out and purchase a card straight away. Its actually not bad as long as you stick with retail as it should take a while to fill up the 1GB with saves n the like. Ok, Im probably trying to put as positive a spin as possible on the built in memory. You've caught me out. But while 1GB is paltry when you start to factor in the likes of PS+, DLC and patches its fine for the casual user to use for a while till the need for more memory sets in.

There was also an announcement of PSVita TV! Yep, its basically an Apple/Android style box you hook up to your TV with using HDMI. Except, you can play Vita games on it. And remote play your Ps4 games. Its basically a Vita you plug into a TV. The only issue Im seeing at the moment is for playing games on it you need to hook up a Dualshock3. The Dualshock3 doesn't have any touch interface whatsoever so it will only be usuable for games that have touch controls you can disable (Fifa) or have none at all (Persona 4 Golden). At the moment there isnt really any info on compatible titles, except for a Japanese  list, so again its another we'll have to wait and see about. Pricing, Once converted, falls at around $95 which would put it in direct competition with the likes of Ouya on our shores.

Also, a 64GB memory card will be releasing alongside the new Vita.

No announcement of a western release for any of these yet obviously, so we'll have to wait n see but the remodeled Vita and 64GB card are a cert Id say. The PsVita TV could end up going the way of the PSX though (If you remember that)

Ps4 & Games
(Ive linked games to trailers where possible. Just click the game titles)
   Well the suprise of the conference Id say would be the launch date of the Ps4 being February 22nd 2014. When you think about it, its a pretty shrewd move by Sony. The western territories will no doubt be as hotly contested as it has been this generation between Xbox360 & Ps3. With Japan being a nation of handheld gamers, why not ensure things go well in the west and release the Ps4 a few months later back home? The Xbone One will no doubt tank in Japan anyway so Sony doesn't have much to worry about, except maybe a resurgent WiiU this christmas? Maybe. Who knows?

  • The Ps4 will be launching alongside the latest Yakuza: Ishin , which oddly enough will also be released on Ps3 (distinctly remember Nagoshi was 'finished' with Ps3 after Yakuza 5 though) and also on Vita! Still no word on a western release, and with Yakuza 5 still having no localisation announced by SEGA it leaves the Yakuza fans here in the west uneasy about its future.
  • Phantasy Star Nova is the latest Phantasy Star game by SEGA and its being developed by tri-ace for release on Vita. It will be set in the same universe as Phantasy Star Online 2, so if your a fan of that you may be interested. Its due for release in Japan next year with a western release yet to be confirmed
  • D3 has announced a new Earth Defense Force is in development for the Ps4! Great news for me personally, Still waiting on EDF 2025 here in the west though on Ps3 (February 2014 release) Also a certain Dream Club: Host Girls on Stage game was announced too for Ps4 release day. Never played the series myself but if you have, a Ps4 release is on the way.
  • Tecmo Koei have announced Dynast Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends for the Ps4 and Samurai Warriors 4 was also announced for the Vita. Looking forward to DW9 on Ps4 whenever thats to be announced. With how much the series has improved this generation it will be one to watch. Both new releases set for 2014 in Japan.
  • Namco Bandai have announced a Mobile Suit Gundam & Idolmaster title are in development for Ps4 at the moment. No release date or anything else to go on, Sorry.
  • GungHo Online Entertainment and Grasshopper Manufacture announce Lily Bergamo, Goichi Suda's latest, for the Ps4 which will emphasize online play. Rumoured to have some kind of Smartphone connectivity as well. Release penned for 2014.
  • Kadokawa Games has announed a new fantasy RPG for Ps4, Ps3 and Vita titled Natural Doctrine . It will launch alongside the Ps4 in 2014 in Japan and Im assuming on that same day for the other platforms too.
  • 5pb. Has announced that it will be releasing a Ps4 variant of its 2D side scrolling beat-em-up entitled Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive. Offline & Online co-op/competitive multiplayer confirmed, but no solid release date as of yet (also a digital release only)

This is most of the information Ive managed to come across so far. Theres a few games, like Soul Sacrifice Delta and Deep Down, Ive not really mentioned but thats due to most mainstream sites covering the title well enough. If I find anything else that is worthy of note ill be quick to let you know! As you can see though most of these games have no release date set for outside of Japan. Im hoping that will come at a later date as theres some genuinly interesting titles here so far.

No comments:

Post a Comment