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PlayStation Vita FAQ
Created: February 3, 2011 Although it trailed far behind the Nintendo DS series of portable game consoles in unit sales, the original PlayStation Portable was still a success for Sony with over 71 million PSPs sold worldwide. So it comes to no surprise that Sony has made a successor to the PlayStation Portable. If you have your own question, please e-mail us with "Vita FAQ" in the subject line. To search through this page, press ctrl+F. This guide created by PlayStation Pro 2.0. Do not steal this guide and claim it as your own.
Name: PlayStation Vita Key Features
Technical Specs
Other Details
1. What is the difference between PlayStation Vita and Next Generation Portable? Next Generation Portable was the codename for the PlayStation Vita. The word vita means "life" in Latin. It is very common for companies to assign codenames to their upcoming products during the development stages. 2. When was the PlayStation Vita be released?
Japan: December 17, 2011 3. How much does the PlayStation Vita cost? $249 for the Wi-Fi version and $299 for the Wi-Fi/3G model. 4. What cell phone carrier will the Vita use in the United States? Sony has partnered with AT&T to provide the 3G data for PS Vita in the United States. It uses the DataConnect Pass plan similar to the Apple iPad plan. This plan is pre-paid, so you won't have to sign a contract and there are no commitments and no activiation fee.
$14.99 for 250 MB of 3G data Any unused data will expire after 30 days of sign-up. After midnight on the 30th day, it will auto renew or you can disable auto renew and manually buy another 30 day bucket of data when you want, such as when you go on vacation. There are no overage charges if you go over your allotment of data. If you do use all of your allotment before 30 days, the data will simply stop working until you are ready to buy more. 5. If I buy a 3G PlayStation Vita, can I use it as a phone? Yes, but you don't need a 3G Vita to use it as a phone because it also works with the wi-fi Vita. If you install the free Skype app for the PlayStation Vita, then you may call landline and cell phones for a low per minute fee via a 3G or wi-fi connection. You may voice and video chat with other Skype users for free from your PS Vita. Vita to Vita voice chat outside of the Skype app is also free.
 Skype on PlayStation Vita 6. What other options do I have if I hate AT&T or if AT&T is horrible in my area? You don't have to use ATT if you really don't want to. Another option is to buy the Vita Wi-Fi version and then use a portable wi-fi hotspot, called a MiFi, to connect your Vita to the Internet where ever there is cellular data. Verizon Wireless, Sprint, Cellular South, Virgin Mobile USA, Clearwire and AT&T all offer MiFi devices in the United States. 7. Can I tether my cell phone to the Vita? If your phone can turn into a wi-fi hotspot, then your Vita can access your existing 3G or LTE internet data plan using that method. You cannot tether a smartphone and Vita together via bluetooth to access the internet. 8. Does the PS Vita have internal storage? How do I play games on it? The PlayStation Vita has two media card slots. In slot #1 located at the top of the Vita, you insert your game media cards (called PS Vita Cards) which obviously contain the Vita game you wish to play. These small proprietary flash cards can be purchased at retail stores such as GameStop, Best Buy, Amazon, etc. In slot #2 located on the back of the bottom of the Vita, you insert your memory card for personal storage, such as photos, music, movies, and downloaded content from web sites and the PlayStation Store. These memory cards come in 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB flavors, so you have the option to decide how much internal storage you want or need instead of coming with pre-decided internal storage.
9. Is the PlayStation Vita be backwards compatible with PlayStation Portable games? Yes, it will have full backwards compatibility with PSP games from the PlayStation Store. At this time, it is not compatible with all PSP games yet. 10. Does the PS Vita improve the graphics of PlayStation Portable games? Yes. It will upscale and smooth out the graphics on PlayStation Portable games running on the Vita. The 2nd analog stick will be usable on select games that are re-programmed to recognize the 2nd analog stick. 11. Is the built-in GPS be in both models? No, it is only built into the 3G model. 12. Will the screen have a 3D mode? No.
13. What benefits will the OLED screen have over the traditional LCD screen on the PSP? One of the biggest complaints about the original PSP screen was the slow response time. This led to some blurriness and unintentional motion trail effects. OLEDs have faster response times compared to standard LCD screens. OLEDs also offer significantly better viewing angles, brightness, and contrast to LCDs. In addition, OLEDs can have better battery life than standard LCDs. However, this depends on what is being displayed on the screen. OLEDs are very efficient at displaying black images with up to 60% power savings compared to an LCD displaying a similar black image. In a horror game that takes place mostly in the dark, the power savings will be great. In a game that takes place in snow scenery, for example; the OLED will actually consume more power than a LCD because of the white backgrounds. 14. Okay, so what will be the real-world battery life on the PlayStation Vita? Due to the large screen and powerful hardware, the battery life will be less than stellar. The battery has an output of 2210 mAh and a portable charger will be available Spring 2012 for those who need additional battery life. Official PlayStation Vita Battery Life:
Music: 9 Hours 15. Will the battery be user replaceable? Unlike the PlayStation Portable, the Vita battery will not be user replaceable because of the touch pad on the back not allowing a removeable battery cover. Of course, you can still attempt to use a screwdriver and replace it yourself, but it will void the warranty. 16. Isn't Sony behind the times by only having the device support 3G and not LTE? The PlayStation Vita uses High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), which can reach download speeds of 14 Megabit/s. This will be more than fast enough for what you will be doing with your Vita. AT&T users could expect download speeds in between 3 and 5 Mb/sec, although in some markets, 14 Mb/sec is possible for some users. Although people should expect several more years until that kind of speed is the norm. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is significantly faster, however it drains battery life very quickly compared to 3G. This is one of several reasons why the new iPhone 4S does not support LTE. 17. Will the dual analog sticks on the PS Vita be the same as the ones on the PSP? They will be real analog sticks rather than the sliding nub found on the original PlayStation Portable. In other words, they tilt instead of slide. 18. Is it true that the PlayStation Vita is as powerful as a PlayStation 3? No. However, the Vita can run actual PlayStation 3 games smoothly. For example, during "PlayStation Meeting 2011," Hideo Kojima showed Metal Gear Solid 4 running on the PS Vita. The game development kits that companies use to create Vita games has an "export" function that enables developers to create Vita versions of existing PlayStation 3 games quickly and with minimal rendering changes.
 Example of the PS Vita's Graphics Power 19. Will the Vita play PlayStation 2 games? It will not play PS2 games at launch. Maybe a year or two from now or maybe it will never happen, but we doubt that. 20. How will I play my current PlayStation Portable game collection on the Vita? If you are the owner of a PSP Go, then you can simply re-download your games into the PlayStation Vita for free. But what about your existing UMD game collection if you own a regular PSP? American UMD owners will have no choice but to keep their existing PSP to play those UMD games or re-buy their UMD game collection from the PlayStation Store and download them into the Vita. 21. Wait, so I can still buy physical copies of my Vita games? It is not different than the PS3 and PSP. Some games are download only, some are disc/card based only, and some are available in both formats. 22. Will all PlayStation Portable games be able to download from the PlayStation Store into the Vita? Probably not, due to legal and copyright reasons. It is certainly hard to understand why any game company would not want a downloadable version of their PSP game to be made because more sales equals more money, right? However, sometimes companies go out of business and the rights to a game are transferred to another company and then it becomes a complex legal mess. Don't worry though. Most, if not all the "must have" PlayStation Portable games should eventually be available on the PS Store to be downloaded into Vita. 23. Is it me or is the PlayStation Vita not made for pant pockets? It will probably have trouble fitting into a lot of pants pockets out there. On the plus side, the console is very thin and light because there is no UMD drive. Most people are surprised by how light the Vita is when they first pick it up. And don't let some of the photos of the back fool you. It really is supermodel thin. 24. How much will Vita games cost? PlayStation Vita games will retail from $9.99 to $49.99. Uncharted was the only game that started at $49.99 so far and it is already down to $35-$40. Every other Vita game has started at $39.99 or less. 25. What is the camera resolution on the front and back cameras? The max resolution of the cameras will be 640x480 (VGA). The recording framerate will be 60 FPS in 640x480 (VGA) mode and 120 FPS in 320x240 (QVGA) mode.
 PlayStation Vita Camera Interface 26. Can the PlayStation Store only be accessed from Wi-Fi? It can be accessed from both 3G and Wi-Fi. The download sizes via 3G are limited though. 27. Will it be in any other colors besides Black? Yes, but "Crystal Black" will be the only color available now. 28. Can I use my existing bluetooth headset with the Vita or will I have to buy a new one? Most Bluetooth headsets available today will work with the PlayStation Vita.
29. Does the Vita have a glossy or have a matte finish? The surface is glossy. 30. Will there be trophy support on the Vita? Yes. You can earn trophies, view your trophies for each game, and compare them with your friends. 31. What is the difference between capacitive and resistive touchscreens? A capacitive touchscreen requires you to put your finger on the screen to register your input but you don't need to apply pressure to the screen. The Vita has a capacitive touchscreen. Resistive touchscreens require the user to put some pressure on the screen in order for the device to register your input. Resistive touchscreens almost always come with a stylus for you to use with the screen. Or you may use your fingernail. 32. Will I be able to see my PSN friend list and send them messages without leaving the current game I am playing? Yes, via the console's "LiveArea" user-interface. The Vita actually has more main system memory than the PlayStation 3, so multitasking, such as sending messages to friends while alreay playing a game, should be smoother than it is on the PS3. 33. Will Remote Play from the PlayStation Portable return for Vita? Yes. 34. Is it true that PlayStation Vita is running Android? No. Using the software framework called PlayStation Suite, games and apps developed using PS Suite will run easily on both Android 2.3 cell phones and PlayStation Vita. This means that if a developer wants to make an app or game for Android 2.3 phones, as long as he/she used PlayStation Suite, the app or game will be compatible with the Vita with no extra effort by the developer. 35. Will I need to create a new PlayStation Network account for Vita? You will be able to use your existing PSN login and password with PS Vita. 36. How many pixels per inch (ppi) does the Vita have? The PlayStation Vita has 220 pixels per inch. Here is how it compares to other popular portable devices:
PlayStation Portable: 128 PPI 37. Does the PS Vita have a web browser? Does it use the touchscreen? Yes and yes. You may have up to 8 web browser windows open at once.
 Web Browser on PS Vita 38. What file formats does the PlayStation Vita support?
Video MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High/Main/Baseline Profile (AAC)
Music MP3, MP4 (MPEG-4 AAC), WAVE (Linear PCM)
Photo JPEG (Exif 2.2.1), TIFF, BMP, GIF, PNG Confused? Don't worry. It won't be difficult to get your personal video collection to play on the Vita. There will be video converters that do the work for you if it's not already in the proper file format.
 PS Vita Video Player  PS Vita Music Player 39. Does the GPS work even when an internet connection is not available? Yes. However, it finds your position much faster when you use an internet connection. This is called A-GPS (Assisted GPS), which uses a combination of cellular data and satellites in orbit to pinpoint your location. Using satellites alone will take some time to find your position. 40. Can the PS Vita output video to a HDTV screen or PC monitor? No. It does not have a video output function. Maybe in future models. 41. Is the PS Vita region free? Yes. You may play Japanese, European, and American games without any modifications or hacks. 42. Is it possible to be signed into PSN from my PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita at the same time? Yes. 43. Does the Vita support Adobe flash? Not yet. Probably in the near future. 44. Can the PlayStation Vita multitask? Yes. In fact, it can multitask better than the PlayStation 3. This is because the Vita has more RAM than the PS3. So by pressing the PS Button, you can switch to running applications in the background while you are playing a game and even do cross-game voice chat. The same can be done on the PS3, but the things you can do are very limited; such as messaging friends or adding new friends. 45. Can I connect my Dual Shock 3 to my Vita? How about a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse? It is not possible to connect those devices to the Vita. 46. Will the PlayStation Vita have any apps I can download? You will be able to download free dedicated applications for Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and foursquare. Of course there will eventually be more free and paid apps to download.
 Facebook App for PlayStation Vita 47. Won't the PS Vita be outdated in a few years because there is a new iPhone and Android phone coming out each year with improved graphics? It is true that some iPhone and Android games are looking more and more fantastic as time goes on. And some of them offer dozens of hours of enjoyment for only a few dollars. However, you must remember that touchscreen only games cannot be as complex as a console with physical buttons, analog sticks, AND a touchscreen, such as the Vita. It also goes against all logic to put the "action buttons" on the same exact screen you are using to view the game; especially in a shooting game. Sure, casual games like Angry Birds are far better using a touchscren than using physical buttons, but what about games for more serious and dedicated gamers who expect complex games that require many buttons? You can't fit them all on the touchscreen. Until the iPhone and more Android cell phones (besides the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play) come with more physical buttons, the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS will continue to have their place in the industry even if the iPhone eventually becomes more powerful years from now. 48. If I install the same PSP game on my PS Vita and on my PSP, can they play multiplayer with each other? Yes. 49. What are the icons on the PlayStation Vita home screen?
 PlayStation Vita LiveArea The PS Vita home screen is called LiveArea. From left to right: Welcome Park: Mini-games that allows you to explore all the features the PlayStation Vita offers. You can earn trophies here. Party: This is a voice and text chat application that allows you to join a party of up to 8 friends and chat with them while you do anything on your PS Vita, such as gaming or web browsing. Each person may play different games while they chat or quickly and easily jump into multiplayer games with each other. PlayStation Store: Enter the PS Store to download PS Vita games, demos, game trailers, films, DLC, and Vita apps. Group Messaging: Send messages to people on your PSN friend list, even if they are on their PSP and PS3. You may attach a photo that you've taken on your Vita to each message. Photos: Take pictures with the Vita's camera and view captured photos here. Near: This location based app will help you find new friends near your current location and challenge them to games or play cooperatively with them. May be turned off if you want privacy. Trophies: View your PS Vita and PS3 trophies here and compare them with friends. Music: Listen to your music transferred from your computer or PS3. Friends: This is your PSN friend list. Add/delete friends, see what games your friends are currently playing on Vita or PS3, and join their game or see which games you have played with them recently. You may also setup your online profile and avatar here and compare trophies. Web Browser: This icon will launch the Vita internet browser. May be used over Wi-Fi or 3G. Note: There will be more pages of icons for all your applications. To view the next or previous page of icons in LiveArea, simply swipe up or down. 50. Do I really need to buy a PS Vita Memory Card with my Vita? Can I use SD Cards? If you want to save your game progress and a place to store downloadable content, then you must use a PS Vita Memory card. Some stores such as Amazon.com have been offering free 4 GB memory cards with the purchase of a Vita wi-fi version and the current 3G bundles already come with a memory card. SD cards cannot be used on the Vita. 51. How do I transfer files from my computer to my Vita and backup my Vita files? Download and install the PlayStation Content Manager Assistant. 52. Do PlayStation Plus subscribers receive Vita benefits and extra discounts? Not yet. 53. Does the PlayStation Vita have a notification light on the outside so I know when I get new messages? Do I have to keep my Vita on for it to work? The PS Button will slowly blink blue when you have new notifications, such as new messages from your friends. The Vita will turn wi-fi on periodically when it is in standby mode (sleep mode) so there is no need to leave the Vita on for it to automatically check for new messages for you. You may need to enable automatic checking of new messages. In the "group messaging" app, go into the option menu and select the message checking interval (10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc). 54. How do I start my PlayStation Vita in safe mode? Hold the power button for 30 seconds. It is recommended you only use this mode if your PS Vita cannot turn off or if it is not working correctly. 55. How do I see my Vita's battery life percentage? It is not possible to see how much batttery life is remaining by percent. You can only get an estimate from the green battery icon.
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