Sony’s PlayStation Vita TV Isn’t Compatible With All Vita Games

This morning, Sony announced the PlayStation Vita TV at a Japanese press conference. The $100 micro-console plays Vita, PSP and PSone titles on your TV using a DualShock 3 controller. There’s ju...
Sony’s PlayStation Vita TV Isn’t Compatible With All Vita Games
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  • This morning, Sony announced the PlayStation Vita TV at a Japanese press conference. The $100 micro-console plays Vita, PSP and PSone titles on your TV using a DualShock 3 controller. There’s just one little problem – the DualShock 3 doesn’t have the touch screen that a few Vita titles require.

    In response to that little issue, Sony has published a list of all the Vita games that will be compatible with the Vita TV. The compatible titles are those that make extensive use of button controls, like God Eater 2, Soul Sacrifice, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Rayman Origins and others.

    What you won’t see on this list are some of the best titles currently available on the Vita, like Gravity Rush or Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Both titles make extensive of both the front and back touch panels on the Vita for its gameplay, and it just wouldn’t work on a DualShock 3 controller.

    Of course, this does present a problem. When designing games for the Vita, should developers design games with the non-touch Vita TV in mind? Will it cause a split in how developers approach the Vita? Most likely not as the list of compatible games already shows that many Vita games make minimal or no use of the touch controls. That’s probably not going to change in the future. In fact, the only upcoming Vita title that makes extensive use of touch is Tearaway.

    For any current or future games that make use of the Vita’s more unique features, Sony has made it more affordable for gamers to jump in with a slimmer, cheaper Vita that even comes in multiple colors. It’s still $200 compared to the Vita TV’s $100 price point, but you are paying a premium for portability and features that make wonderful games like Gravity Rush playable.

    The PS Vita TV will be available in Japan on November 14. There’s no word yet on when, or if, the PS Vita TV will be made available in the U.S.

    [Image: playstationjp/YouTube]
    [h/t: Engadget]

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