Sony Vita Games Thread

[Deleted member 11852]

Game Center works here.

Game Centre uses only port 443 but Apple's online gaming service offers a fraction of the functionality offered by Microsoft and Sony. When/if Apple decide to expand their online gaming system to something approaching PSN and Live, they'll be in the same boat.

 

[Sigfried1977]

Edit: Flower's graphics look amazing for a small handheld device. Very close to original PS3 from what I can tell apart from screen resolution (although I haven't played the game in years, literally). Its control schemes on the other hand are completely impossible by the way. Feels as if I'm fighting the game the whole time rather than playing it. Just give me dual stick input and be done with it, thank you. Glaring lights reflected in the glossy vita front surface and limited angles on the viewscreen make motion controls a drag, but still slightly better than the nearly impossible touch scheme they've deviced. You need to either be ambidextrous or equipped with the patience of a madman to enjoy touch input, and I am neither!

I feel sad now...

Same here. I love Flower, so I was super excited when I noticed it in the VIta section of the the PSN store. It looks gorgeous on the Vita display. Good job there, devs. Too bad that whoever ported that thing didn't realize that twisting and turning a Vita exactly like you would a DS3 controller makes for a really uncomfortable gaming experience. And what's with the fucking touchscreen controls? Nevermind they are - embrace for incoming revelation - completely unnecessary on a device like the Vita in this case. But no, the worst part is actually just how awful the controls are even when compared to the pathetically low standarads of "virtual" touchscreen controls in general. Is this supposed to be immersive?

I'm hoping they patch more traditional controls in, but I kinda doubt they will.

 

[patsu]

Game Centre uses only port 443 but Apple's online gaming service offers a fraction of the functionality offered by Microsoft and Sony. When/if Apple decide to expand their online gaming system to something approaching PSN and Live, they'll be in the same boat.

I don't even need to look at other Sony services. It failed right at authentication.

I ended up playing PvZ2 on iPad mini the whole time in Orlando, in hotel and while waiting in line in the theme parks.

Why ? Because I couldn't complete my Tearaway download.

They won't be in the same boat since the entire iOS infrastructure is mobile-centric. They also have much better presence for the ISPs to make sure they work correctly.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I don't even need to look at other Sony services. It failed right at authentication.

It would. Sony use a bunch of non-standard ports for online. They do this on all their platforms, as do Microsoft. Apple less so thus far but as I said before, iOS online isn't anywhere near as complicated and feature rich as Live and PSN.

They won't be in the same boat since the entire iOS infrastructure is mobile-centric. They also have much better presence for the ISPs to make sure they work correctly.

So Apple will use their iMagic so engineer around the way TCP/IP routing works? I really doubt this has anything to do with the ISP, it's most likely the hotel limiting internet access to only common, web, email and chat protocols. Which hotel was it? I've stayed in hotels that inject ads into HTML streams.

 

[patsu]

There are many app protocols designed around or tunneled via http. Magic not needed.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Have you every asked yourself why nobody runs latency critical multiplayer traffic over ports 80 and 8080 (http, https) ?

 

[patsu]

The point is GameCenter worked and PSN authentication failed in that hotel. Once authentication failed, I can't use *any* PSN service at all. I couldn't download Tearaway on my Vita.

The other more advanced protocols can be addressed later. Plenty of on-the-go games support tethered gameplay. PvZ is a good example. That pinball game on Vita too.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

The point is GameCenter worked and PSN authentication failed in that hotel. Once authentication failed, I can't use *any* PSN service at all. I couldn't download Tearaway on my Vita. The other more advanced protocols can be addressed later. Plenty of on-the-go games support tethered gameplay. PvZ is a good example. That pinball game on Vita too.

And had you been able to authenticate you likely still wouldn't have been able to download Tearaway because Sony use custom ports for that too.

What I don't get it how is it Sony's fault that a hotel blocked the ports your Vita is using? Sure, GameCentre connected. It's bare bones. That's why it worked. That's the only reason it worked. I doubt a 3DS or DS would have worked either.

Which hotel was it? There are plenty I give a wide birth too because I can't connect to work servers.

 

[patsu]

^_^ To the user, the service that works is the better one. I was looking forward to play Tearaway but will probably not get a chance until weeks later.

Sony can easily avoid this problem since authentication and download are essential and "straightforward" services. Other companies have done it successfully. No need to over complicate them. Certainly no need to rewrite TCP/IP.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

^_^ To the user, the service that works is the better one. I was looking forward to play Tearaway but will probably not get a chance until weeks later.

To what extent was it working? Were you able to download games for the App Store? Were multiplayer games working on your iOS device?

Sony can easily avoid this problem since authentication and download are essential and "straightforward" services. Other companies have done it successfully. No need to over complicate them. Certainly no need to rewrite TCP/IP.

What other companies have CE devices that will re-engineer its services around blocked TCP ports?

I've had the same issue affect my PSP, my DS, my 3DS, my Vita and yes, even iPhone, where multiplayer games or games using non-Apple servers have not worked.

There is nothing broken with this; being able to reliably block ports and traffic is how the internet, and in particular firewalls, work. If the owner of the network doesn't want you using certain services, or only wants you to use a certain services, that's their call.

 

[patsu]

To what extent was it working? Were you able to download games for the App Store? Were multiplayer games working on your iOS device?

Authentication and AppStore download work. I only played PvZ2 throughout my stay there. While it's SP, the scores get updated and sync'ed to the phone when I start the same game there.

WAN mobile games don't require low latency network anyway. This is because the users may play over the cell network.

What other companies have CE devices that will re-engineer its services around blocked TCP ports?

VoIP companies have worked on this problem and pushed standards for years. Tunneling is another common approach. It is not as rare as your think, especially for mobile platforms.

 

[Simon F]

I've stayed in hotels that inject ads into HTML streams.

Presumably only once?

FWIW I stayed an a hotel blocked Skype (presumably because a) the bandwidth and b) you'd be more encouraged to use their outrageously priced telephone systems) yet failed to block yahoo's equivalent. <shrug>

Anyway, to get on topic: For those with LBP, the community "The other side" level is quite challenging. Managed to die about 100 times

 

[Arwin]

Always nice to add a link to the lbp.me page so people can queue the level from here :

https://vita.lbp.me/v/dh1f9

Been playing Tearaway before the PS4 arrived, getting quite far ... I think? Hard to tell. And the update to Rayman Legends that added the challenge levels, as well as playing this in co-op with my son now on PS3, triggered me to start playing that one more as well. Spelunky also got an update so that the daily challenges are in there as well now. Also tried Flower, and it looks quite amazing, though after getting used to the 60fps on PS4 the framerate on Vita is jarring a little. Amazing that they managed to make the game as good as it does though on Vita.

 

[Simon F]

Always nice to add a link to the lbp.me page so people can queue the level from here :

https://vita.lbp.me/v/dh1f9

Shows my ignorance

So now that I've been enlightened, this has some interesting lighting effects: http://vita.lbp.me/v/d4vkt

 

[Deleted member 11852]

WAN mobile games don't require low latency network anyway. This is because the users may play over the cell network.

Uh, like the 3G Vita?

VoIP companies have worked on this problem and pushed standards for years. Tunneling is another common approach. It is not as rare as your think, especially for mobile platforms.

Great, not rare. So which devices will route TCP connections around blocked ports?

Presumably only once?

FWIW I stayed an a hotel blocked Skype (presumably because a) the bandwidth and b) you'd be more encouraged to use their outrageously priced telephone systems) yet failed to block yahoo's equivalent. <shrug>

Yeah, I bet it's about money. Few hotels would want you squirrelled up in your room entertaining yourself and not using their facilities.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes over remote play on Vita is pretty good. The kind of game I could hole up myself in a hotel and play. Even the controls are good.

 

[patsu]

Uh, like the 3G Vita?


Great, not rare. So which devices will route TCP connections around blocked ports?





Yeah, I bet it's about money. Few hotels would want you squirrelled up in your room entertaining yourself and not using their facilities.

They have no reason to block PSN if they allowed iOS entertainment. It's a technical problem. Not a business one. A whole lot more people play on iOS even though I play only a handful after all these years.

The Vita can be spotty in joining some Starbucks hotspots too. I have encountered it 2-3 times.

It also has problem tethering to my iPad.

I have a 3G Vita btw. Was great when they gave me one month free 3G subscription. Still good for playing SP games on the go. Would be superb if it shares well with my iPad cellular link.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

They have no reason to block PSN if they allowed iOS entertainment. It's a technical problem. Not a business one. A whole lot more people play on iOS even though I play only a handful after all these years.

We're going around in circles. GameCentre is incredibly basic and does not offer the same multiplayer capabilities as Live and PSN. Because it's so basic it plods by using mostly standard TCP ports and the iOS notification infrastructure. This wouldn't work for Live or PSN. This is why basic functions tend to work on the go but if you try something that requires a persistent connection like any of iOS's realtime MMORPGs, e.g. Order and Chaos, you'll find they don't work either.

The Vita can be spotty in joining some Starbucks hotspots too. I have encountered it 2-3 times.

Yup, this is because free wifi is intended for basic web and email, not anything else. Given the limited bandwidth the router will prioritise those basic services and all other traffic is an afterthought or just blocked. Ever seen somebody Skype in Starbucks? Try it, it's blocked in my two local stores.

I have a 3G Vita btw. Was great when they gave me one month free 3G subscription. Still good for playing SP games on the go. Would be superb if it shares well with my iPad cellular link.

I'd not thought about tethering my Vita to my iPhone (4G) but have my iPad. I definitely must give this a try. I could remote play from my PSP to my PS3 from work, although it was a bit clunky, I'm confident I can setup my router.

I'm not sure I'd want to game over 4G but I think Vita second screen apps could be great - if they existed. I'm just getting into Assassin's Creed 4 and exploring the fleet management aspects which is supported in the Android/iOS second screen apps. While the iPad app is great, a Vita second screen app could be great. And a Vita is easier to carry around than an iPad.

 

[patsu]

We're going around in circles. GameCentre is incredibly basic and does not offer the same multiplayer capabilities as Live and PSN.

It's a moot point because PSN failed at the authentication stage. I can't even do simple things like download. As I mentioned above, many on-to-go mobile games don't need sophisticated MP capability. So those omissions are ok and game specific.

Ever seen somebody Skype VoIP in Starbucks? Try it, it's blocked in my two local stores.

Most people won't use Skype in a public place to begin with. They can use the Skype messaging or any messaging service.

We don't even need to go to the extent of Skype. PSN failed at authentication. *Nothing* else on PSN can be used because of it.
In 2 cases, I couldn't even get an IP from the Starbucks hotspot.

I'd not thought about tethering my Vita to my iPhone (4G) but have my iPad. I definitely must give this a try.

Try it ! I can tether my Mac to the same iPad mini. But Vita consistently failed.

There are issues with Vita's network stack. Just yesterday I had to reboot the unit to get it to connect to PSN (It got an IP from the router but failed at testing PSN connection).
One of the latter updates may have broken it.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

fl0W is now available for Vita and PS4. Free under Cross Buy if you already bought it for PS3.

 

[patsu]

w00t w00t ! After Vita 3.01 patch this morning, it can tether to my iPhone now. Yippie~