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[consoul]

Should I be worried that I didn't deactivate the system when I did the restore to access the HK PSN store to get the Gravity Rush demo?

Short answer: No, no need to worry at all.

Longer answer: Deactivating is just 'good housekeeping'. It doesn't really matter if you don't, but on the remote chance that your hardware dies and you ever need to free up licenses for future use, having deactivated the account now would save you a phone call to Sony to have that hardware activation cancelled.

Are there benefits to having two cards though?

None whatsoever. It only makes the process of switching accounts/regions more cumbersome. I'd be happy to be proven wrong on this, but any way I look at it, the prevailing wisdom that says you should use two cards is bad advice.

 

[Epcott]

Thanks for the answers about the 3G version, guys.

Guess I'll be getting the WiFi model if I decide to get a Vita for school this fall, and probably invest in a mobile hotspot.

 

[Kerrby]

Everyone seems to think you can't use content from two PSN accounts on Vita without having two memory cards. I decided to try it for myself.

I'm pleased to report that it's not true.

This morning I connected to both the US and Japanese PSN Stores and downloaded content from both. I did not switch memory cards (I only have one), or reformat the memory card.

I am logged on with my main US account and all the content from both regions is playable.

The way I did it is still a bit of a pain, but unlike the two cards method, you only need to do mine once, and at the end everything is on one card and playable under your main account. The only limitation I've found is that I get a message telling me that I will be unable to earn trophies on the Japanese content when I start playing it from my US account.

For those of you playing at home, here's what I did:

DISCLAIMER: You might want to backup your memory card first. You really don't need to, but if you do this wrong you could wipe your card which would suck.

Choose Settings > Format > Restore the PS Vita System
Select Restore.
You'll be asked if you want to deactivate the system from your account first.
Yes, you do want that.
Wait. Deactivation occurs.
Select Restore again.
This time you'll be asked if you want to format your memory card during the restore process.
No, you do NOT want to do that.
The restore process completes leaving your card contents intact.
Set your language & timezone.
Choose to sign in with your Japanese (or whatever other region) PSN account.
The unskippable Vita intro movie plays. Make a sandwich.
Download Japanese content from the Store (or from your PS3) onto the Vita.

When you're done, follow this process again, from the top, but choose to sign in with your main account. Remember to Activate your Vita for Games when you're signed back in.

That's it.

Just did this to download LittleBigPlanet PSP and ModNation PSP but it seems those games can't be downloaded to a PS Vita. What a waste of time.

Thanks for the instructions though.

EDIT: Looks like FIFA uninstalled and my save data is gone.

 

[Freshmaker]

I'm kinda puzzled by the remote play option.

I set up the Vita with my PS3 (I've also set up a PSP with it and that worked fine incidentally) and the thing won't connect to the PS3. It says something about changing a setting the the remote play menu, but no such setting exists within the menu.

 

[xclaw]

Is there any way to get it out of tutorial/help mode or am I forever cursed with having to stare a giant click here for the manual/assistance icons whenever I want to do something?

 

[qcf x2]

My Vita won't connect to my Linksys router. It keeps saying "Connecting..." then it fails. I hate WiFi because it hates me.

 

[Gen X]

My question.

Does the Wifi model have GPS?

Nope, GPS hardware is 3G only.

I actually already thought that but figured I was wrong when I was looking on Sonys website. Maybe Sony should update their Wifi Specifications list.

Wifi contains GPS. Click on the Specifications, look at 'Location'.

 

[consoul]

Here's my screen. Guess which of my four cartridge games (middle row) I have in the system right now.

You can't tell? Neither can I. I can even go into the Live Area screens of each of them and there's no clue which one is in the cartridge slot. This is kinda ridiculous.

The only way to know is to pop open the slot cover and eject the cart, or randomly try launching each one and see which one doesn't refuse to load. smh.

As people start getting more carts this is going to get really annoying. There needs to be some visual indicator of which cart (if any) is actually in the system. Firmware update plz.

 

[Gen X]

Here's my screen. Guess which of my four cartridge games (middle row) I have in the system right now.

You can't tell? Neither can I. I can even go into the Live Area screens of each of them and there's no clue which one is in the cartridge slot. This is kinda ridiculous.

I thought about this yesterday after I stuck in a game. The little icon shakes but when you scroll down and come back up there is no notification of what cart is in the slot.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

The only way to know is to pop open the slot cover and eject the cart, or randomly try launching each one and see which one doesn't refuse to load. smh.

When you put a cardrige on the system, it goes right to the page you have the game bobble and its bobble keeps shaking.

The bobble is always shaking while the cartridge in on the system. Very subtle. I know there should be a better indication/notification, but at least there is some.

i get what you are saying but i mean since the battery is nonremovable, at any given time you are either -draining the battery or -charging the battery

theres no way you can remove the battery to spare its lifespan and play with the Vita just plugged into the wall...

Yes, you cannot remove the battery and use only the power cord. You will always wasting battery lifespan but that is the norm with nowadays mobile devices anyway. It is a portable, you are not supposed to play it at home very frequent (I know I use it at home 99% of the times also).

 

[hirokazu]

Does that long process of reset system settings > deactivate system > initial setup > [swap memory cards] > intro movie > activate system have to be done every single time you want to switch PSN accounts?

I mean, that is way too cumbersome and idiotic for me to care about the Vita for the time being. If you just had to do that once and then just need to deactivate system, swap memory cards, activate system without all the other steps, then I could live with it.

Also, what happens to your wallpaper and other system settings when you go through that reset system settings process, would you have to set them all over again every time?

 

[hirokazu]

Wifi contains GPS. Click on the Specifications, look at 'Location'.

OK, that's cool. How does that "near" feature and other things that use location work on Wi-Fi models compared to 3G models? Do the 3G ones do anything extra that the Wi-Fi ones can't do when it comes to location functions?

EDIT: OK, nevermind. No GPS in the Wi-Fi model, that sucks.

 

[Number45]

I actually already thought that but figured I was wrong when I was looking on Sonys website. Maybe Sony should update their Wifi Specifications list.

Wifi contains GPS. Click on the Specifications, look at 'Location'.

I'm going to assume that's incorrect. The manual says Wifi is via access points only:

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/psvita/settings/location.html

 

[padlock]

I've read that all Vita's are affected by the blotches that are visible on black parts of the screen, and that it isn't really a big deal, but I find them extremely distracting.

In my case, I see them whenever I play in a dim room (it doesn't need to be pitch black).

This is what I'm seeing:

http://flic.kr/p/bz6DtD

The White circle on the left is just the Uncharted loading medallion. My camera's dynamic range isn't great, so it shows up as white in the the photo, but to the naked eye, the medallion seems fine, and the blotches look like they do in the photo.

Is this similar to what everyone else has, or is my Vita particularly bad? I'm seriously considering exchanging my unit for another one. Should I bother, or will the new one be similar?

 

[danno1769]

I apologize if this already has been discussed but I purchased the 3g bundle and shortly after that I bought Super Stardust Delta. I now realize that its the free game for activating the 3g plan I haven't activated that 3g plan and currently don't see a need to. My question is, do you think Sony will give a crap about all the people who purchased SSD on PSN who have the 3g bundle?

The answers I have been reading online is that they are telling people they are not getting 10 dollars credit. Anyone have better luck?

 

[consoul]

The bobble is always shaking while the cartridge in on the system. Very subtle. I know there should be a better indication/notification, but at least there is some.

This is not true. Aside from when you first power up the system or put in the cart, there is no indication at all. Try it yourself. Put in a cart, the icon pulsates, then swipe off that page and swipe back to it again. Now the icon does not shake or behave any differently than every other one on the page. When you wake up a Vita from sleep mode or quit an app or change menu pages, there is nothing to indicate which cart is in the system.

 

[gabbre]

Just did this to download LittleBigPlanet PSP and ModNation PSP but it seems those games can't be downloaded to a PS Vita. What a waste of time.

Thanks for the instructions though.

EDIT: Looks like FIFA uninstalled and my save data is gone.

I've downloaded and played LittleBigPlanet on PSVita

 

[danno1769]

This is not true. Aside from when you first power up the system or put in the cart, there is no indication at all. Try it yourself. Put in a cart, the icon pulsates, then swipe off that page and swipe back to it again. Now the icon does not shake or behave any differently than every other one on the page. When you wake up a Vita from sleep mode or quit an app or change menu pages, there is nothing to indicate which cart is in the system.

This is true and probably my biggest issue with Vita. It might not be an issue with a lot of people now because most of us do not have a pile of games yet but when collections start to build, it will suck. I have 4 games right now and I cant keep track of whats in the system lol

 

[CueTheMusic]

I've read that all Vita's are affected by the blotches that are visible on black parts of the screen, and that it isn't really a big deal, but I find them extremely distracting.

In my case, I see them whenever I play in a dim room (it doesn't need to be pitch black).

This is what I'm seeing:

http://flic.kr/p/bz6DtD

The White circle on the left is just the Uncharted loading medallion. My camera's dynamic range isn't great, so it shows up as white in the the photo, but to the naked eye, the medallion seems fine, and the blotches look like they do in the photo.

Is this similar to what everyone else has, or is my Vita particularly bad? I'm seriously considering exchanging my unit for another one. Should I bother, or will the new one be similar?

Yeah, those blotches are normal when playing in the dark.

 

[Leckan]

Will Vita have PS2 compatibility in the future?

 

[archnemesis]

Will Vita have PS2 compatibility in the future?

Probably not.

 

[extralite]

Is remote play noticably better on Vita than on PSP? Did anyone try to watch videos or PlayTV via WLAN remote play? On PSP it lags pretty badly and tends to desync picture and sound. Better remote play would be a nice addition to the new Sony handheld.

 

[TONX]

Has Sony stated if they're going to update PSP compatibility in the future, or is this pretty much it for PSP games on Vita?

 

[Toki767]

Has Sony stated if they're going to update PSP compatibility in the future, or is this pretty much it for PSP games on Vita?

They've said that they'll add more PSP games to the store. That probably includes compatibility with non-working titles.

 

[Orcastar]

Probably not.

And why not? The Vita is certainly powerful enough to emulate PS2 games, no? If you're worried about missing buttons, those could simply be mapped to the rear touch panel.

 

[archnemesis]

And why not? The Vita is certainly powerful enough to emulate PS2 games, no? If you're worried about missing buttons, those could simply be mapped to the rear touch panel.

I don't know if it's powerful enough. Emulating hardware can requires a lot of processing power. It's possible that Sony change their mind somewhere down the line.

 

[Jasper Avenue]

Knowing that there is a workaround to get multiple profiles on the VITA has made me very interested. Going to see if I can find one near me today.

 

[kamorra]

I'm going to assume that's incorrect. The manual says Wifi is via access points only:

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/psvita/settings/location.html

Yes, and still it has GPS. With 3G GPS is somewhat quicker and you can use it without Wifi.

 

[Number45]

Yes, and still it has GPS. With 3G GPS is somewhat quicker and you can use it without Wifi.

The Wifi model doesn't have GPS. It can use Wifi to obtain/submit location information, that's not GPS.

 

[KalBalboa]

Here's my screen. Guess which of my four cartridge games (middle row) I have in the system right now.

You can't tell? Neither can I. I can even go into the Live Area screens of each of them and there's no clue which one is in the cartridge slot. This is kinda ridiculous.

The only way to know is to pop open the slot cover and eject the cart, or randomly try launching each one and see which one doesn't refuse to load. smh.

As people start getting more carts this is going to get really annoying. There needs to be some visual indicator of which cart (if any) is actually in the system. Firmware update plz.

Just look at the cartridge. It takes all of two seconds.

 

[perineumlick]

Anyone have any success tethering with PDAnet on iPhone 4? This will determine whether I buy a Vita for my birthday or not.

 

[Mzo]

Here's my screen. Guess which of my four cartridge games (middle row) I have in the system right now.

You can't tell? Neither can I. I can even go into the Live Area screens of each of them and there's no clue which one is in the cartridge slot. This is kinda ridiculous.

The only way to know is to pop open the slot cover and eject the cart, or randomly try launching each one and see which one doesn't refuse to load. smh.

As people start getting more carts this is going to get really annoying. There needs to be some visual indicator of which cart (if any) is actually in the system. Firmware update plz.

I just realized this yesterday as well. I had been switching games around so often that it was rare for me to leave one in there and come back to a sleeping Vita only to not remember what game was inside, and have absolutely no indicator with that bit of information.

What a really weird oversight.

 

[Fuzzy]

The Wifi model doesn't have GPS. It can use Wifi to obtain/submit location information, that's not GPS.

It seems that most people don't realize that the 3G Vita has a GPS receiver while the WiFi Vita doesn't. I can understand the confusion though.

 

[consoul]

Just look at the cartridge. It takes all of two seconds.

Opening the slot cover, pushing the cart into the pokey slot to release it then pulling it out, looking at what game it is, putting it back in, closing the slot cover and waiting as the Vita reads the card and spins its little loading icon.

Please post a youtube video of you doing this in two seconds. We could all learn a lot from your ninja skills.

If this issue doesn't bother you, good for you. Please don't pretend its a non-issue for everyone.

 

[KalBalboa]

Opening the slot cover, pushing the cart into the pokey slot to release it then pulling it out, looking at what game it is, putting it back in, closing the slot cover and waiting as the Vita reads the card and spins its little loading icon.

Please post a youtube video of you doing this in two seconds. We could all learn a lot from your ninja skills.

If this issue doesn't bother you, good for you. Please don't pretend its a non-issue for everyone.

It's really a combination of my incredible memory and ninja skills, but I also bet they'll add some sort of green dot or whatever to signify that a game is inside the machine. If you've forgotten, that is.

I guess I just don't think it's worth getting up in arms over, so I'm sorry that it's such a "ridiculous" hassle for you.

 

[Tain]

He's rightfully criticizing a weird oversight and asking for a firmware update.

 

[chickdigger802]

So knowing that gamesave and game 'data' are tied together...

What are the transfer speeds of this thing? How long does it take to say copy over uncharted (biggest game?) from your pc/ps3 to vita?

 

[consoul]

I'm sorry that it's such a "ridiculous" hassle for you.

Apology accepted.
My point wasn't that it's a ridiculous hassle, but that it's a ridiculous omission from the UI.

 

[famousmortimer]

I made a shoddy, shaky video of how to do certain things. Here ya go, with timestamps.



How to move icons and set a custom background: http://youtu.be/eUZxGV5EqCw?t=49s


Saving images off the browser and then using them (or any saved image) as your lock screen: http://youtu.be/eUZxGV5EqCw?t=2m46s


Change the banner background in your friends list: http://youtu.be/eUZxGV5EqCw?t=5m39s


Download a MP3 off a site and play it as a custom soundtrack in a game (great for podcasts): http://youtu.be/eUZxGV5EqCw?t=7m44s


Posting a screenshot from your vita to neogaf: http://youtu.be/eUZxGV5EqCw?t=10m26s

 

[AgentP]

And why not? The Vita is certainly powerful enough to emulate PS2 games, no? If you're worried about missing buttons, those could simply be mapped to the rear touch panel.

The PS2 has 4MB of edram, which is very hard to emulate.

 

[KalBalboa]

Apology accepted.
My point wasn't that it's a ridiculous hassle, but that it's a ridiculous omission from the UI.

Yeah, I hear you. I bet we'll see some sort of minor patch that addresses that very thing.

 

[eagledare]

Can you use both Vita sticks to control PSP games that originally worked with dual shock 3 (e.g. Resistance:Retribution)?

Scanned the thread and didn't see this answered.

 

[consoul]

No, not really. The Vita can't utilize Retribution's special DualShock control scheme, but like all PSP games, you have the option of mapping Vita's right analog stick to do what either the PSP's left stick, d-pad or face buttons did in the original.

So in this case, the right-stick can be mapped to the face buttons so that it controls the camera.

 

[qcf x2]

So Content Manager is telling me the Vita doesn't like any of my video files, even the MP4s. What do I need to convert them to for success?

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

Do you think a retailer warranty is recommended? Or should I just save my money?

Thinking about getting a 2 year warranty with the system, but I'm not sure if I should spend the extra $30 for it.

 

[Ozzykamikaze]

Download a MP3 off a site and play it as a custom soundtrack in a game (great for podcasts): http://youtu.be/eUZxGV5EqCw?t=7m44s

Whooooooa, awesome! Nice find! Thank you.

 

[Fox1304]

I'm currently on holidays and can't manage to connect to the hotspot from where I stay. It's a wifi where you have to login on a webpage after having connected to the network.
I access to the login page, enter the login/pass, and it keeps goinf back to this page.

Is the Vita not compatible with this kind of security ?

 

[llaannccee]

So Content Manager is telling me the Vita doesn't like any of my video files, even the MP4s. What do I need to convert them to for success?

Handbrake real easy to use and quick.

http://handbrake.fr/

 

[gabbre]

Is it possible to share games purchased on PSN? http://www.ps3hax.net/showthread.php?t=4330

Does the JAP PSN has more demo than the EUR one? How can i browse it from my PC?

 

[eagledare]

No, not really. The Vita can't utilize Retribution's special DualShock control scheme, but like all PSP games, you have the option of mapping Vita's right analog stick to do what either the PSP's left stick, d-pad or face buttons did in the original.

So in this case, the right-stick can be mapped to the face buttons so that it controls the camera.

Still a cool alternative. Thanks!