PlayStation Vita has bad battery life, will reach Japan in December

Sony has said today that their highly-anticipated PlayStation Vita handheld will hit Japan on December 17th.

For 3G connectivity, Sony has selected NTT DoCoMo, and prices will be 980 yen ($13 USD) for 20 hours of prepaid time or 4,980 yen ($64 USD) for 100 hours.

Sony has also revealed the battery life of the console, which is horrendous, at just 3-5 hours (depending on usage) and recharge time takes a full 2:40 from 0% to 100%.

The Vita will run on an ARM Cortex A9 quad-core processor and be powered by a quad-core PowerVR SGX543MP4+ GPU.

Featuring a 5-inch capacitive multitouch OLED screen (with 16 million colors), the device will be 7.16 by 0.73 by 3.28 inches.

Despite rumors that Sony would skimp out on RAM, the Vita has 512MB memory and 128MB VRAM in its graphics processor.

The rear camera will be capable of 60fps and 640x480 resolution or 120fps at 320x240 resolution.

Sony says the Vita will playback MP3, AAC, WAV (Linear PCM) files and MPEG-4 video including H.264 AVC encodings in high, main, or baseline profiles.

Finally, Sony has announced the 28 launch games for the Japanese release, which are available here: Vita launch games

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 Sep 2011 13:03

DXR88

3 to 5 hours is pretty good, considering what this handhelds packing.

the list of initial release games however make me very Sadman, i am disappoint in Sony.

14.9.2011 15:11 #1

core2kid

Think about playing a game on your smartphone for 3-5 hours, or even making a call for that long. Most phones won't last.

14.9.2011 15:16 #2

DVDBack23

Originally posted by core2kid: Think about playing a game on your smartphone for 3-5 hours, or even making a call for that long. Most phones won't last. While that may be true for games (phone calls, 5 hours shouldn't be an issue, even for smartphones)..who wants to pay $250 to play a game for 3 hours then have to charge it for 2:40? That is pretty bad.

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14.9.2011 16:01 #3

Morreale

Reminds me of the Sega Gamegear. Six batteries, epic stuff. Loved it.

14.9.2011 16:19 #4

core2kid

Originally posted by DVDBack23: Originally posted by core2kid: Think about playing a game on your smartphone for 3-5 hours, or even making a call for that long. Most phones won't last. While that may be true for games (phone calls, 5 hours shouldn't be an issue, even for smartphones)..who wants to pay $250 to play a game for 3 hours then have to charge it for 2:40? That is pretty bad. There's no rule saying you can't play it plugged in. If I recall, 3DS isn't much better

14.9.2011 16:49 #5

buxtahuda

Originally posted by core2kid: Originally posted by DVDBack23: Originally posted by core2kid: Think about playing a game on your smartphone for 3-5 hours, or even making a call for that long. Most phones won't last. While that may be true for games (phone calls, 5 hours shouldn't be an issue, even for smartphones)..who wants to pay $250 to play a game for 3 hours then have to charge it for 2:40? That is pretty bad. There's no rule saying you can't play it plugged in. If I recall, 3DS isn't much better That's what I was going to say. Actual playtime on my 3DS is much less than that, but I also never turn the thing off. It generally spends two days without getting charged, chilling in my pocket for those short spurts of free time in public. Maybe two hours playing and something like 36 not.

So as long as the Vita can pull off as decent stand-by hours I'd be happy. My phone personally lasts nearly three days, about two if I run games and emulators; thank the gods for dev's giving us root and the ability to underclock lol. I'll end up getting one just because I'm a slave to the gaming industry, but it'll be my first as I've always held out on PSP's due to the single joy"stick" and general weight. I hope that Nintendo gets desperate again when the new 3DS comes out, was disappointed when they announced the double"sticked" one coming out right after their promotion. But 'twas the point.

It'll be cool once the price drops and Sony gets some actual games out. Only ones interesting for me are Disgaea 3 and Katamari.

~*Livin' Electronicallly*~

14.9.2011 17:36 #6

DVDBack23

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14.9.2011 18:36 #7

plutonash

These handhelds really seem for children now. Id feel so lame walking into my schools library with one of these things in my hand. I'd rather just play games on my smartphone. But I'm surprised they're even trying to compete with nintendo. Who wants to play a game that isn't about shooting arrows and jumping on koopas on a small screen. I can't imagine playing any shooters or some other game unless it's on my 43" hdtv. Eventually when sales are bad enough nintendo should develop for iOS and android.

"Cable thief is a victimless crime."

14.9.2011 19:20 #8

KillerBug

I can't help but think that if you are playing more than 3 hours of mobile video games a day, none of them close to an outlet or car cigarette lighter, you would be in the minority by a huge degree. Then again...if the batteries in Sony laptops are any indication, that play time will be under 1 hour within a year.

I wonder...will the battery be removable? If so, maybe the aftermarket will make up an oversized battery (or at least a battery made with quality cells) for it.

14.9.2011 23:05 #9

core2kid

Originally posted by KillerBug: I can't help but think that if you are playing more than 3 hours of mobile video games a day, none of them close to an outlet or car cigarette lighter, you would be in the minority by a huge degree. Then again...if the batteries in Sony laptops are any indication, that play time will be under 1 hour within a year.

I wonder...will the battery be removable? If so, maybe the aftermarket will make up an oversized battery (or at least a battery made with quality cells) for it. Well you could replace the battery on the PSPgo without voiding the warranty and it was an internal battery so it may be the same as this.

14.9.2011 23:14 #10

brockie

that is good for what it is imo still getting this day one great line up compared to the 3DS launch.

has anyone seen that horrible 3DS add on it makes it look like a game gear.

most smartphones have a terrible battery life as well.

plutonash the games your playing on your smartphone are no were near Vita quality. you would feel lame are you buying it to look cool or for games? Nin have said many times there not interested in making IOS games.

15.9.2011 00:01 #11

KillerBug

Originally posted by brockie: Nin have said many times there not interested in making IOS games. Actually, NIN did make an iOS game, but steve jobs personally stepped in to block it because the game contained lyrics from the songs that they sell on iTunes.

...Unless you meant nintendo, in which case, the only reason they are not making iOS games is because they wouldn't have a monopoly on the platform, and they are greedy corporate bastards.

15.9.2011 00:44 #12

DXR88

Originally posted by KillerBug: Originally posted by brockie: Nin have said many times there not interested in making IOS games. Actually, NIN did make an iOS game, but steve jobs personally stepped in to block it because the game contained lyrics from the songs that they sell on iTunes.

...Unless you meant nintendo, in which case, the only reason they are not making iOS games is because they wouldn't have a monopoly on the platform, and they are greedy corporate bastards. Nintendo isn't nearly as greedy as the other two bastards, in the same market though.

while 3 to 5 hours is ok, what is not ok is the charge time and i agree 2 hours is entirely to long for the amount time given, while you could increase the capacity of the battery for longer life, the recharge time would also increase. this isn't something Sony is going to be able to fix without a hardware revision, or an external accessory like a high speed battery charger.

15.9.2011 01:54 #13

KillerBug

Originally posted by DXR88: you could increase the capacity of the battery for longer life, the recharge time would also increase. Not necessarily. The aftermarket could offer better cells that charge faster because less electricity is converted into heat, so the same amount of electricity charges the battery more in a given time. In the unlikely event that the device actually has quality battery cells to start with and there is no room for an upgraded battery, they could offer replacement back cases to hold larger batteries...and these could have barrel jacks allowing you to use a quick charger. There are also inductive charging techniques now...if the battery is designed correctly, it is possible to charge it using a combination of wired and wireless charging at the same time.

15.9.2011 03:49 #14

brockie

I think you no we are not talking about nine inch nails mate kool to no that they made a game still.

just heard you can play any PS3 game on Vita with remote play if true great feature.

15.9.2011 07:34 #15

ZippyDSM

I bet they are not even using a lithium based battery.......and if they are they are using 1/3rd to a half of what they should be using.....

Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
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15.9.2011 10:07 #16

buxtahuda

Originally posted by KillerBug: Originally posted by brockie: Nin have said many times there not interested in making IOS games. Actually, NIN did make an iOS game, but steve jobs personally stepped in to block it because the game contained lyrics from the songs that they sell on iTunes.

...Unless you meant nintendo, in which case, the only reason they are not making iOS games is because they wouldn't have a monopoly on the platform, and they are greedy corporate bastards. That's why the CEO paid for the sales losses himself? Nintendo is probably the ONLY company I've seen in my life that stepped up and admitted a f***-up, then did something other than fire thousands of employees to rectify it.

15.9.2011 11:24 #17

buxtahuda

And plutonash, I'm sorry you'd feel lame for openness about being a gamer. I proudly pull out my 3DS and play some OoT or Starfox, and I'd proudly pull a Vita out to play some FF and GoW and whatever else I'd get. Of course they're oriented to younger audiences, I don't remember many thirty-somethings tripping up on Gameboys too hardcore. Kids (parents) are where the money's at. They're GAMES. Show me a decent repository of Flash/iOS/Android games that aren't childish and aimed at kids, that's the core market.

**Sorry, thought I was editing the previous one >.>

~*Livin' Electronicallly*~

15.9.2011 11:43 #18

brockie

@buxtahuda I'm an older gamer & love it hope I play still when I'm old & gray :)
a lot of gamers have grown up with them I started on a Atari.

15.9.2011 12:03 #19

xnonsuchx

How is the same battery life as before but on a much more powerful system "horrendous?" It's not a mobile phone that needs to handle up to a full day's use or more per charge..it's a portable gaming system.

16.9.2011 00:38 #20

buxtahuda

Originally posted by xnonsuchx: How is the same battery life as before but on a much more powerful system "horrendous?" It's not a mobile phone that needs to handle up to a full day's use or more per charge..it's a portable gaming system. My sentiments exactly. I just don't get enough playtime to need more, just lots of standby. And more likely than not I'll be somewhere near an outlet if I'm wanting to play for a while; it's not too absurd for our mobile devices to be primarily used still plugged in, I personally keep my phone and other devices constantly plugged until I'm actually on the move.

16.9.2011 14:42 #21

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