PlayStation Vita complaints prompt official statement, firmware updates

By Rick Marshall Published December 20, 2011

The PlayStation Vita sold over 300,000 units in the first two days it hit shelves in Japan, but a barrage of complaints about the new handheld gaming system has already prompted an apology from Sony.

“Currently, our information centre regarding PlayStation Vita as well as our usual customer service centre are receiving many enquiries,” reads the official statement on Japan’s PlayStation homepage. “We apologize if your phone isn’t connected straight away.”

Vita users have posted numerous complaints on Twitter and YouTube regarding sudden freezes, problems with wifi connectivity, and problems starting the system up. Along with posting an extensive troubleshooting FAQ on the PlayStation site, Sony released a mandatory firmware update for the system intended to address some of the issues.

“Some issues regarding PlayStation Vita can be addressed by simple procedures at home,” reads the notice on the PlayStation site.

While these early issues aren’t likely to have a long-term effect on sales, U.S. and European gamers should probably take solace in the fact that many of these early problems are being addressed well before the system hits the market outside of Japan. At this rate, many of the system’s most troubling problems will be dealt with well before February 22 comes along and the Vita hits shelves in North America.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…

Gaming

You can play this PS2 classic with multiplayer thanks to this mod

Jak and Daxter smirk at one another.

Those looking to check out PlayStation 2 classic Jak and Daxter on PC with multiplayer (we know there are a few of you) have some good news thanks to a new community-created mod that was released Wednesday.

First spotted by GamesRadar, the mod, called Teamruns, brings online multiplayer and couch co-op to the OpenGOAL Jak and Daxter project. OpenGOAL has released the first two Jak and Daxter games for PC as native ports (it's currently working on the third). Its PC port of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was released in 2022, while the port for the second game came out in 2023.

Gaming

To build a PS5 controller for anyone, Sony had to reinvent the wheel

A PlayStation Access controller sits on a table.

When Sony took the stage at CES 2023, PlayStation fans didn’t know what to expect. The company had a history of using the tech expo to showcase new gaming hardware, like the PlayStation VR2, but its plans for the show aren’t ones that tend to leak beforehand. Left in the dark, eager PlayStation fans tuned in to the CES live broadcast to see what the future of PlayStation might hold.

But nobody expected a UFO to touch down on stage.

Gaming

You’ll finally be able to play Half-Life: Alyx on PlayStation VR2 this summer

Half-Life Alyx being played with a PlayStation VR2 headset.

Sony has finally unveiled its PC adapter for PlayStation VR2, which will be released this August and finally enable players to try games like Half-Life: Alyx with the headset.

PSVR2 sports some impressive tech, but it's no secret that Sony has failed to support it with compelling games for the PS5. Earlier this year, it was teased that Sony was working on PC compatibility for the headset; now, we've learned that this will come in the form of a PC adapter that people can use with a DisplayPort 1.4 cable in order to play VR games through Steam. These are the minimum specs your PC will need in order to get the PSVR2 up and running, straight from the PlayStation Blog.