Earlier today we posted the latest episode of Inside PS Vita that shows some of the ways that PS Vita and PS3 interact. Such breakthroughs as playing the exact same game on a home console and portable, and enabling players to compete in the same arena whether they’re in their bedrooms or in the park, are closing the gaps between what we traditionally expect in a home game experience and a portable one. Maybe you disagree with me entirely – that’s where the Weekend Debate comes in.
Whenever I’m in an interview about PlayStation Vita I find myself asking the subject the same question: what’s the difference between a perfect home console game and a perfect portable one? None has given a gold-plated answer yet so I thought I’d open it up to the community. This week’s debate is:
Is there any difference between a game best suited to a home console and one best fitting a portable, or is the whole gaming world too diverse to try and make a distinction?
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55 CommentsAdd Yours
51
Posted on 13 February, 2012 at 5:40 am by bow7
For a game to work as a portable experience to my mind it has to have three elements. (1) it has to be quick to get into the gameplay (2) it has to be quick to put away (without losing progress) and (3) it has to make you feel like even a short period of gameplay leads to advancement.
I think that the PSP showed that (1) and (2) are actually achievable for just about any game with the right hardware support. The PSP sleep mode created a nearly instantaneous resume and pause function for every game.
In contrast (3) is really up to the game developer. Most games it feels like include some kind of progression mechanic so that every time you do anything you get a little more XP or cash. This means that even a quick play session leaves your more experienced or richer than when you started. But not every game does this and there is nothing more frustrating than ending a play session in the same place (or worse) than when you started.
I suspect it will always be the case that there will be games that work better on a home console but the gap has definitely narrowed with the Vita. My circumstances don’t permit as much gaming at home as I used to and I am really looking forward to playing some high quality games on the go.
52
Posted on 13 February, 2012 at 10:17 am by TheKillerSnowman
games are better to PS3 than PSP and vita
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Posted on 13 February, 2012 at 11:51 am by Chr15toff3e
I’m Hoping that Uncharted: Golden Abyss will eventually jump to the Ps3. Just looking at it on a screen like that, to me, doesn’t do the game justice. This would be a game that I would say is more suited for a console. But saying that, the level design on this game seems more compact than the console versions, and some parts of the game involves using the touch screen. Designed for the Vita, but Uncharted should only be played on the Ps3.
54
Posted on 13 February, 2012 at 12:19 pm by Carnivius_Prime
@Chr15toffe
I disagree. I’ve been wanting Uncharted on a handheld ever since the first PS3 game. It’s my favorite game series of all time and exactly the sort of thing I’ve wished I could play on PSP the many hours I’m away from home and bored (though the PSP itself had a huge variety of high quality games that kept me entertained). Ok so now I got to buy a whole new handheld console to do so but the Vita’s got plenty other stuff to offer me too so that’s ok. I’m really not a fan of touchscreen controls though (I hate anything, even my own fingers, obscuring the screen of any device I’m using) but they say Uncharted has options for that.
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Posted on 13 February, 2012 at 1:02 pm by Chr15toff3e
@Carnivius_Prime
Fair point. But there are some games that demand the big screen and I think UC is one of them, it’s just because the games are that good. I mean, look at Chains of Olympus and Peace Walker, another two that made the crossover to Ps3. And even though the PsP wasn’t paralell in terms of visuals to the Ps3, the games were good enough to play on a console. If what they say is true about the Vita and that it could match up to the capabilities of the Ps3, then I’ll be hoping this game will eventually end up there. I just can’t see myself playing UC on anything but the Ps3.
You seem to have a good enough reason to buy one because you travel a lot, but I find that for me, one great franchise isn’t worth investing in something that could easily be played on a console.
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