History of video games/Platforms/PlayStation Vita

History

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Development

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The PlayStation Vita replaced the earlier PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Vita was originally known as the Next Generation Portable or NGP.[1]

Just prior to launch PlayStation Vita was rumored to have it's amount of RAM halved to make it more competitive through a price reduction,[2] though these rumors were ultimately false.[3]

Launch

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PlayStation Vita logotype.

The PlayStation Vita was launched in the United States of America in February 2012 with the Wi-Fi only Vita costing $249 and the 3G enabled Vita costing $299.[4]

In early 2014 there were shortages of Vita consoles in stores.[5]

PlayStation TV

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The PlayStation TV, a micro console based on Vita hardware, was released in late 2014 for either 14,280 Japanese yen or $99 United States dollars.[6][7] The system casing was colored off white in Japan, and black in the United States.[7]

Stagnation

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First party studios stopped developing for the Vita in 2015.[8] Production of physical game cards ended in 2018.[9]

Legacy

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On March 2nd, 2019 production of the Vita ended, with no plans for a successor console.[10] The Vita is estimated to have sold between 10 and 15 million consoles.[10] Competition from the then rapidly evolving smartphone gaming scene is considered to be a contributing factor to the lukewarm adoption of the Vita.[11][12] In 2021 Sony had planned on shuttering the PS Vita store, before deciding against the decision due to consumer backlash.[13]

Technology

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Diagram of the PlayStation Vita.
 
Diagram of game media on the left, and memory card on the right.

Compute

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The PlayStation Vita has a four core ARM Cortex A9 CPU.[14]

The PlayStation Vita has 512MB of RAM, 128 megabytes of VRAM, and 1GB of internal storage.[14][15] This was a fairly decent amount of RAM for the time, and was chosen to ease development and multitasking functions.[15]

Graphics

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The PlayStation Vita has a PowerVR SGX543MP4+ GPU with 128MB of VRAM.[14]

The PlayStation Vita has a 5 inch LCD with a resolution of 960 by 544 pixels.[14] Some models featured an OLED screen,[16] an early application of this technology in a major handheld game console.

Communications

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The PlayStation Vita has 1x1 b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR.[14]

Some PlayStation Vitas have 3G cellular modems.[17] At launch in the United States of America, 3G file downloads were limited to 20 megabytes due to restrictions set by AT&T,[18] leading many to question why the value offered by the 3G model.[19]

Power

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A 3.7 volt lithium ion battery with a capacity of 2210 mAh powers the PlayStation Vita.[14]

Hardware

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Notably, both the PlayStation Vita and the Gamecube share a model number prefix with DOL.

Notable Games

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2011

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PS Vita booth at E3 2011

2012

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2013

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2014

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2015

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2016

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The Caligula Effect

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The Caligula Effect is a JRPG with a somewhat unique focus on psychology.[20][21]

Read more about The Caligula Effect on Wikipedia.

Sony PS Vita Models

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Vita 1101

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Vita 2001

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PlayStation TV

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References

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  1. "Screw the Vita, Let's Talk About the Other NGP". Kotaku. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  2. Purchese, Robert (28 July 2011). "Dev corroborates PS Vita RAM cut rumour" (in en). Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-28-dev-corroborates-ps-vita-ram-cut-rumour. 
  3. "PS Vita to pack 512MB of RAM, support cross-game voice chat" (in en). Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2011-08-19-ps-vita-to-pack-512mb-of-ram-support-cross-game-voice-chat.html. 
  4. "PS Vita launch day titles and pricing details". www.cbsnews.com. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ps-vita-launch-day-titles-and-pricing-details/. Retrieved 28 October 2020. 
  5. Tach, Dave (2 July 2014). "Where have all the PlayStation Vitas gone?" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2014/7/2/5865051/ps-vita-supply-out-of-stock-demand. Retrieved 28 October 2020. 
  6. "PlayStation TV: Release date, price and full list of compatible games". PlayStation.Blog. 22 September 2014. https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2014/09/22/playstation-tv-release-date-price-full-list-compatible-games-2/. Retrieved 28 October 2020. 
  7. a b Byford, Sam (29 November 2013). "Sony PlayStation TV review: a PS Vita on your television". The Verge. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  8. Good, Owen S. (24 October 2015). "Sony has no titles in the pipeline for PlayStation Vita, says executive" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2015/10/24/9608434/playstation-vita-new-games-sony. Retrieved 28 October 2020. 
  9. Kuchera, Ben (16 May 2018). "Sony is shutting down production of physical Vita games" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/16/17360062/vita-physical-games-discontinued. Retrieved 28 October 2020. 
  10. a b Good, Owen S. (2 March 2019). "RIP PS Vita: Sony officially ends production" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/2/18246372/playstation-vita-canceled-discontinued-production-ended-ps-vita-sony. Retrieved 28 October 2020. 
  11. Webb, Kevin. "Nintendo, Sony, and other gaming giants made colossal mistakes this decade. These are gaming's biggest failures". Business Insider. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  12. Lendino, Jamie (16 May 2014). "Sony PlayStation Vita vs. Your Phone" (in en-gb). PCMag UK. https://uk.pcmag.com/sony-playstation-2ps2-games/52514/sony-playstation-vita-vs-your-phone. 
  13. Gartenberg, Chaim (19 April 2021). "Sony admits it made ‘wrong decision’ and will keep PS3, Vita stores open" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/19/22392126/sony-ps3-ps-vita-stores-open-backtrack-psp-july-2nd-mistake. 
  14. a b c d e f "PS Vita System Specs". PlayStation. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  15. a b Yin-Poole, Wesley (18 August 2011). "Sony: why PS Vita has 512MB of RAM" (in en). Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-18-sony-why-ps-vita-has-512mb-of-ram. 
  16. February 2021, Imad Khan 16. "Forget the PS5: Why Sony should make a PS Vita 2" (in en). Tom's Guide. https://www.tomsguide.com/news/forget-the-ps5-why-sony-should-make-a-ps-vita-2. 
  17. "PS Vita – Your 3G Questions Answered". PlayStation.Blog. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  18. Miller, Ross (12 October 2011). "PlayStation Vita 3G 20MB download limit confirmed by Sony" (in en). The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2011/10/12/2486870/sony-playstation-vita-3g-20mb-limit-at-t. 
  19. "PS Vita 3G downloads capped to 20 MB" (in english). Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/stories/ps-vita-3g-downloads-capped-to-20-mb-212659.phtml. 
  20. "The Caligula Effect Review (Vita)". PlayStation LifeStyle. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  21. S, Matt. "Review: The Caligula Effect (Sony PlayStation Vita)" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 27 November 2020.