PlayStation Vita
More PlayStation Vita news has surfaced this week: Sony has reported that the maximum download size for their 3G enabled PSP Vita model has been capped at a scant 20mb. This raises questions as to how precisely Sony is expecting owners to utilise the online functionality of their Vita console.
In the lead-up to the Vita’s December/January console launch there has been precious little to criticise owing to the new handheld’s powerful hardware at a surprisingly affordable consumer pricing, yet it is for this precise reason that the Vita’s more expensive 3G model has not encountered as much scrutiny as it perhaps should have. This week Sony has cast some significant uncertainty over the functionality of their premium Vita model with the candid admission that downloads will be capped at a 20mb. In conjunction with speculation that the system’s 128kbs download/64kbs upload speeds will not be sufficient to provide stable online play in some of the more demanding Vita games, this new information raises the possibility that the Vita’s 3G connection will be more suited to playing lower tier online social games and checking Facebook statuses. Providing the ability to download moderate sized game patches on the go seems a more likely possibility than than providing gamers with lag free Call of Duty multiplayer.
With the 3G Vita sporting a controversial AT&T contract for American gamers, it certainly raises the question of why punters should commit to the 3G model as a day one purchase when the cheaper Wifi model is likely to provide a preferable gameplay experience to all but the most mobile of gamers.