Sony PlayStation Vita: 5 Important FAQs to Remember (Specs and Games List Included)

The PlayStation Vita is set to arrive in North America on Feb. 22 and AT&T has been allowed exclusive data plan rights. However, most buyers do not want to wait that long for the device; the lucky ones may even look to import the product from Japan. The others will have to wait till it hits the American market.

Sony's handheld gaming device has reportedly been loaded with amazing specifications, making it a must-buy for gaming fantics, once it is made available. (Scroll down for specifications)

However, these are the points to be kept in mind, before opting to buy the Vita...

The Possibility of Pre-Order Bonuses?

Sony's European Product Manager, Adam Grant, revealed, on the European PlayStation Blog, two pre-order gift packs will be made available when the system launches in February. The first includes a set of PS Vita Blue in-ear headphones and the second will provide a PS Vita wallet with a hidden compartment for 3 PS Vita cards and 3 PS Vita memory cards. Note that both packs will include PSN vouchers for various discounts, avatars and PlayStation Home items.

Multiple PSN accounts on PS Vita?
Players will be provided with the option to manage multiple PS Vita accounts. However, each account will need to be bonded to its own memory card and to switch cards and use the same Vita account, the player will need to factory reset the handheld.

PlayStation Vita 'LiveArea' - What is it?
The LiveArea is the Vita's fresh new interface, or simply, a newer version of the XMB (XrossMediaBar - a graphical user interface developed by Sony that features icons spread horizontally across the screen and navigation moves the icons instead of a cursor). The LiveArea, apparently, will be a part of every PlayStation Vita game and be regularly updated with information and activity of other people playing the same game. Nothing is known beyond that.

PSP Games on Vita?

Yes. It is possible. The feature is called UMD Passport and will allow users to transfer titles to the PS Vita at a discounted price. The UMD Passport, which has been made available for download from Dec. 6, will allow the user to register the game which will then allow the download to the PS Vita. Third-party publishers such as Capcom, Konami, Square Enix and Sega have already taken part.

How Will 3G plans Work on the Vita?
A 3G-enabled PlayStation Vita will allow the user to connect to the Internet from any location, irrespective of a hotspot. Remember that AT&T is the exclusive U.S. 3G provider and will offer two month-by-month plans without a contract. The user will get 250MB for $15 and 25GB for $25. The AT&T plans also give users free access to AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots.

According to a statement on PlayStation.com's blog, the PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi model sold in selected countries will come with a Vodafone SIM card so that users can immediately enjoy social gaming experiences on the go. Customers will also be able to buy PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi model direct from Vodafone channels, both online and in store. In addition, customers connecting with Vodafone will receive a PlayStation Network voucher to download WipEout 2048 from PlayStation Store.

What about PlayStation Vita 'Near'?
Near is Sony's new location-based social network. The program uses the PlayStation Vita's Wi-Fi capabilities to find out what people have been playing in the area. Gamers, nearby, can even gift game-related items to fellow players.

(As per IGN)

Here are the specifications for the PS Vita.

Dimension and Screen: The Vita will have a screen width of 7.2-inches with a height of 3.3-inches and be 0.7-inches thick. The Sony handheld sports a 5-inch (diagonally) 16:9 OLED display with 960x544 resolution and capacitive multi-touch screen. The rear also features a capacitive multi-touch pad.

Processor: One of Vita's strong points is its powerful quad-core ARM Cortex A9 Core processor with SGX543MP4+ GPU. It has a main memory of 512MB RAM and 128MB of VRAM.

Connectivity: The device's 3G mobile network connectivity will be provided by AT&T in the United States. The Wi-Fi specs suggest the device sports IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1x1) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode). 2.1+EDR Bluetooth (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP) has also been provided.

Supported content: The PS Vita will allow music playback in the following formats - MP3 MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer3, MP4 (MPEG-4 AAC) and WAVE (Linear PCM). Video formats include MPEG-4 Simple Profile (AAC) and H. 264/MPEG-4 AVC Hi/Main/Baseline Profile (AAC). The photo formats are JPEG (Exif 2.2.1), TIFF, BMP, GIF and PNG.

External Slots: The Vita has both PS Vita card slots and a memory card slot. A SIM card slot is available for 3G and Wi-Fi models. Other ports or slots include a multi-use port for USB data communication, DC IN, Audio (Stereo Out / Mono In), and Serial data communication. A headset jack for (stereo mini jack) and an accessory port are also included.

Cameras: The device has both front and rear cameras, with a frame rate of 120fps at 320x240 (QVGA) and 60fps at 640x480(VGA), with a maximum resolution of 640x480.

Battery: The Vita is powered by a built-in Lithium-ion battery and also includes an AC adapter. However, note the batteries are non-removable and will only last 3-5 hours while playing games. Watching videos will also reduce the battery life in nearly 5 hours. Nonetheless, listening to music will allow the battery to last 9 hours (that is, if the music is being played in standby mode). It will take, approximately, 2 hours and 40 minutes to charge Vita from a completely depleted state to 100 percent battery life.

Meanwhile, Sony is believed to be developing an external battery for the PlayStation Vita.

List of PlayStation Vita games...

North America Launch Titles (Arriving Feb. 22):
Escape Plan (PSN Only)
Hot Shots Golf World Invitational
Hustle Kings (PSN Only)
Little Deviants
ModNation Racers: Road Trip
Super Stardust Delta (PSN Only)
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
WipEout 2048
Army Corps of Hell
Asphalt: Injection
Ben 10: Galactic Racing
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus
Dungeon Hunter: Alliance
Dynasty Warriors Next
F1 2011
FIFA Soccer
Gravity Rush
Lumines:Electronic Symphony
Michael Jackson: The Experience
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus
Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only)
Rayman Origins
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen
Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (PSN Only)
TOUCH MY KATAMARI
Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
Virtua Tennis 4

North America Launch Window Titles:
MLB 12: The Show
Reality Fighters
Unit 13
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
Disgaea 3 Returns
Ridge Racer Vita
Silent Hill: Book of Memories
Supremacy MMA

Forthcoming Titles (Dateless):
@Field
Alien Spidy
Aquatopia
AR Combat Digi Q
Assassin's Creed
Battlefield of Maidens 2nd
Bioshock Vita
Broken
Browser Sangokushi Next
Build 'N Race Extreme
Call of Duty Vita
Cave shooter project [untitled]
Daito Giken Official Pachi-Slot Simulator Series
DJ Max: Technika
Dragon's Crown
Dragon's Racing
Dream Club Zero Portable
Dungeon Defenders
Dust 514
Emergency Escape Adventure: Trust or Betrayal
Falcom Project [untitled]
Final Fantasy Type-0
Final Fantasy X
Fish On
Frobisher Says!
Ginsei Igo
Ginsei Shogi Huun Ryuuko Raiden
Great Little War Game
Gyokugen Dasshutsu ADV: Zennin Shiboudes
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA -- PS Vita Version
Hideo Kojima Fox Engine Project
Jumpin'
Jurassic: The Hunted
Killzone Vita
Let's Try Bass Fishing
LittleBigPlanet Vita
Little Busters! Converted Edition
Lord of Apocalypse
Mad Blocker Adventure
Mahjong Fight Club: Shinsei Zenkoku Taisen
Mahjong Haoh
Malicious
Marvel Pinball
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
Moe Moe Daisensou Gendaiban ++
Mortal Kombat
MotorStorm RC
Mr. Ink Jet
New Kamaitachi no Yoru: Jyuichi-nin-me no Suspect
New King's Story
NPG
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD
Orc Attack
Pachi-Para Series
Project N.O.E.L.S.
Pub Games
Puddle
Pure Chess
Putty Squad
Ragnarok Odyssey
Resistance: Burning Skies
Robot Rescue Revolution
Ruin
Saikyo Todai Shogi
Sengoku Hime 3rd
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Golden
Shirotsuku DX
Shoot Many Robots
Smart As (working title)
Sound Shapes
StarDrone Extended
Street Fighter x Tekken
Sumioni
Super Monkey Ball Vita
Syphon Filter 5 (rumored)
T@G
Tales of Innocence R
Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave
The Amazing Spider-Man: The Movie (Confirmed but not for a specific platform)
The Flying Hamster HD
The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki (Full Voice Version)
The Pinball Arcade
The Treasures of Montezuma Blitz
Time Travelers
Top Darts
Troopies
Urban Trials
Wallabies Rugby Challenge
Ys Celceta: Sea of Trees
Zone of the Enders HD Collection