The single most interesting and surprising announcement from Sony’s Japanese conference is this; a cheap, set-top box that allows you to play PS vita games on your TV. A small, sexy little competitor to the Apple TV or Roku, the Vita TV is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
Launching in Japan this November, the Vita TV plays physical Vita games, digital PSP and Ps1 games, runs on the Vita OS and has apps for Hulu, Netflix and all of the internet streaming video goodness you’d ever need.
It’s tiny, and sexy – and uses your existing PlayStation3 controllers and remotes for input. Best of all, it’ll only cost the equivalent of $100; pretty much inline with the AppleTV. This is…amazing. There’s no word of availability outside of Japan just yet, but I’m grabbing one as soon as it becomes available.
On top of that, you can use it to remote play your PS4 games to another TV in your house…, without having to lug your console around.
A set-top media box that plays Vita games and works with PlayStation Plus to have free games all the time. Sold.
Last Updated: September 9, 2013
Tarisma
September 9, 2013 at 11:04
Ok this does sound pretty awesome, pity I’m fully saturated in terms of gaming and indoor gadgets.
Devourer of Small Bunnies
September 9, 2013 at 11:08
Yes bloody please! This looks so so so rad 🙂
RinceThisandFINALLYlvUP!
September 9, 2013 at 11:14
Ohhh, nice!
Hammersteyn
September 9, 2013 at 11:26
I wonder how Foxhound can possibly troll this?
John mul-ti-pass
September 9, 2013 at 11:27
He won’t show up until there’s mention of COD
RinceThisandFINALLYlvUP!
September 9, 2013 at 11:27
0-O And there we have it!
Hammersteyn
September 9, 2013 at 11:32
Or XBOX and Playstation
HvR
September 9, 2013 at 11:35
To summon the trolling spirit called Foxhound you have look in the mirror and say “Xbone sucks!” three times.
RinceThisandFINALLYlvUP!
September 9, 2013 at 11:30
Lol! Badly, that’s how 😉
John mul-ti-pass
September 9, 2013 at 11:31
That’s not true. Don’t you know he does it bestest?
Umar Final Fantasy 15 Hopeful
September 9, 2013 at 11:14
How would this work with games that utilizes touch controls? This is pretty awesome. Playing Gravity Rush on TV would be pretty spectacular
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
September 9, 2013 at 11:15
They’re hardly used..but I imagine perhaps holding the r2/l2 triggers (missing on the vita) and using the analogues, maybe?
Umar Final Fantasy 15 Hopeful
September 9, 2013 at 11:18
True. The DS3 already has Sixaxis for any Gyro movement too. It could be very interesting to see how they work that in. that said. This box with PSN+ could be something really amazing
Umar Final Fantasy 15 Hopeful
September 9, 2013 at 11:28
http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/130909c_e.pdf
Interesting read. shows the sepc of the system too
Not all PSvita games will be playable though
MarsRSA
September 9, 2013 at 11:15
THIS IS AWESOME! So If my PS4 is in the lounge and this guy is in the room I can go from my lounge to my room and continue playing there without lobbing my console with me
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
September 9, 2013 at 11:15
YES. YES YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES.
Cheap Ps4 slingbox.
MarsRSA
September 9, 2013 at 11:22
Thats all they need to get me sold on this! Take all my money!
Admiral Chief of Rivia
September 9, 2013 at 11:16
Wow, Sony bringing out some weapons in the war
Beaker Brain
September 9, 2013 at 11:19
Finally. If the Vita came with an HD TV cable I would have been first in the line. Now I have a reason to get one.
Hammersteyn
September 9, 2013 at 11:23
SOLD!!!
MarsRSA
September 9, 2013 at 11:25
The only thing that bothers me a bit about Sony is the lack of consistency in terms of product design. The Vita, The PS4 and Vita TV don’t really seem like they’re from the same company. Or is it just me?
John mul-ti-pass
September 9, 2013 at 11:26
Quite, but different to the other companies, all their products work, and work great.
MarsRSA
September 9, 2013 at 11:27
Oh I agree 100% its not like the look is going to defer me in any which way, I would’ve just liked if I had all this ahrdware together and they all look like they belong together if you know what I’mean
John mul-ti-pass
September 9, 2013 at 11:30
Absolutely. Makes it look like a cluttered mess rather than a set of tools of awesomeness.
Khulani Ndlovu
September 9, 2013 at 11:30
That’s awesome, i would definitely something like that, 😛
Umar Final Fantasy 15 Hopeful
September 9, 2013 at 11:30
So with this system, if your buddies have a Vita too you can play Ad-Hoc as well…so much Win….Way too much WIN
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
September 9, 2013 at 11:41
Yep. rocking.
Troll Slayer
September 9, 2013 at 11:44
My buddies would laugh at me if I bought the Vita and then they would de-buddy me.
Umar Final Fantasy 15 Hopeful
September 9, 2013 at 11:46
I see, well then you shouldn’t be buddies with idiots
Spathi
September 9, 2013 at 12:23
Soort soek soort… 🙂
Gavin Mannion
September 9, 2013 at 11:34
I have to have this… actually a few of these to run netflix on every TV.. so much cooler than an AppleTV
HvR
September 9, 2013 at 11:36
You can probably also access your media server pc from every TV.
PS4H1P5T4
September 9, 2013 at 11:43
See Zoe was right. The PS4 is teh bestest and that don’t take any logic to figure out. Apple? Who buys there cheap Chinese junk anyways? Old peoples maybe?
Marc O Polo
September 9, 2013 at 17:20
old peoples and dirty hipsters!
Jakster
September 9, 2013 at 11:40
And now you can have crappy low-res Vita games on your huge ass TV!
Skyblue
September 9, 2013 at 11:41
Watch the remote play section of that video… That is a huge game changer in any household.
MarsRSA
September 9, 2013 at 11:49
The only reason I’d buy this is for the (PS4) remote play and that in itself is a F#CKING awesome reason
Umar Final Fantasy 15 Hopeful
September 9, 2013 at 11:43
Well it looked like it scaled really well…Have you ever played PSP on your TV? doesn’t look half bad hey
Jakster
September 9, 2013 at 11:48
PSP looked worse than a PS2 which I thought looked like junk back in the day. There comes a time where you can only handle so much of blurry textures and jaggies.
Drizzt
September 9, 2013 at 14:27
Trolololol lololol lololol
Skyblue
September 9, 2013 at 11:53
They had me at Remote Play. This piece of tech has me more excited than the announcements of the X1 and PS4 combined. Wi-Fi streaming for remote play from a next gen console throughout the house!?1? Yeah Baby!!
Might be shopping a bit sooner than anticipated if this hardware debuts anytime soon after the PS4 launch.
RMKennySA
September 9, 2013 at 12:02
This could save the vita. at 100 dollars im sure they will sell this by the bucket load. And this may justify more developers to develop for the vita. Then in turn it will push sales.
MarsRSA
September 9, 2013 at 12:04
I might be taking a huge stab in the dark but do you think it (might) be possible to do local multiplayer on multiple screens using this?
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
September 9, 2013 at 12:09
Yes. Already confirmed; you can do ad-hoc multiplayer with regular Vita. 🙂
MarsRSA
September 9, 2013 at 12:11
For PS4 as well? As in, instead of split-screen have 2/3/4 full screens running of one PS4 using these to suplement the extra screens
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
September 9, 2013 at 12:18
Ooooh. No. I don;t think so. would be cool though.
MarsRSA
September 9, 2013 at 12:23
You never know! Here’s to hoping! This took Sony’s offering in the PS range to a whole new level and MAN was it delightful and REALLY surprising.
Wesley Fick
September 9, 2013 at 20:29
Shuhei already confirmed that four players can use their Vita to connect up to the PS4 and play party games that way. So what you’re asking is theoretically possible, its just up to developers to use it. It would mean that four people can do their thing while someone uses the TV to do something else. But you can’t have the Vita as a second screen like the Wii U and that game where you play as a ghost.
Wesley Fick
September 9, 2013 at 20:29
Shuhei already confirmed that four players can use their Vita to connect up to the PS4 and play party games that way. So what you’re asking is theoretically possible, its just up to developers to use it. It would mean that four people can do their thing while someone uses the TV to do something else. But you can’t have the Vita as a second screen like the Wii U and that game where you play as a ghost.
hairyknees
September 9, 2013 at 13:39
Holy crap… another reason to love Sony!!!