Sony teasing PocketStation announcement for November 5th to “shake the gaming industry”

[Detective Shadzter]

Sony teasing PocketStation announcement for November 5th to “shake the gaming industry”

Leon Hurley at 11:50am November 1 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL-z60gg8t4

Sony are teasing, “an important announcement about PocketStation”, for November 5th, promising it will be, “something that will shake the gaming industry”. The betting money’s currently on some kind of additional app for PS4 along side the PlayStation app itself.

The PocketStation came out in Japan for the PS1 and was a phenomenally popular mix of memory card and Tamagotchi that let you play mini games and interact with PS1 titles away from the console.

One game, Dokodemo Issho, actually launched Sony’s Japanese cat mascot Toro who you can see in the teaser. Shuhei Yoshida has tweeted in Japanese about the “mystery video” but he’s playing along and asking whether it was something to do with “nostalgia”. He knows what’s really going on.

Thanks Polygon.

http://www.officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk/2013/11/01/sony-teasing-pocketstration-announcement-for-november-5th-to-shake-the-gaming-industry/

 

Well... this was unexpected. I remember seeing the PocketStation advertised in the Argos catalogue back in the days of the PS1 and I really wanted one. I look forward to seeing what this is all about.

[Chaos Warp]

Isn't PS4-Vita connectivity sort of a successor to PocketStation?

 

And by shake the gaming industry, I hope that's in a good way and not in a bad, DRM-related way.....................

[Solkia]

Shake them by their ankles till money falls out, they mean.

Edited November 1, 2013 by Solkia

[Marcello]

Might be a cheaper alternative to use Remote Play on PS4 games.

[Badnik Mechanic]

They're... wait... what?

 

I have an original pocketstation knocking around. Really nice little gadget too, quite interested to see where this one goes... and by where it goes I mean 'Outside of Japan? 

 

Mystery vita slot mystery nearly solved then?

[Jix Hedgehog]

Even thou I'm the last person to endorse any Sony product I have to say I'm quite fond of the Pocketstation. I picked one up in Malaysia many years ago and it made Final Fantasy 8 so much more enjoyable. The Street Fighter Alpha 3 mini game was awesome too! Why raise a weird looking ball with 2 dots for eyes when you can raise a Ryu?

[DocAzure]

The VMU rip-off that never got off the ground is getting a reboot?

 

Oh joy, because we really needed something that connected to your PS4...wait, doesn't that already exist? Oh yeah, the VITA.

Edited November 1, 2013 by DocAzure

[Phos]

They're... wait... what?

 

I have an original pocketstation knocking around. Really nice little gadget too, quite interested to see where this one goes... and by where it goes I mean 'Outside of Japan? 

 

Mystery vita slot mystery nearly solved then?

The new vita does away with the mystery port.

[Xtremer Sadiqachu]

Why does it look like a Sega Dreamcast VMU? 

 

 

Look at this shit

Edited November 1, 2013 by XtremerSadiqachu

[Badnik Mechanic]

Why does it look like a Sega Dreamcast VMU? 

 

Because they're both designed to do virtually the same thing.

 

Primarilly they're both memory cards, only difference is that Sega's VMU was standard with the machine, Sony's was an extra which was pretty much limited to Japan.

 

And when you look at memory cards for all consoles (Sega, Sony, Nintendo), they all 'look' quite similar. The pocketstation is also limited in design to what you can plug into the memory card slot since it was a device designed around what already existed as apposed to designed in conjunction with the console itself.

[Milo]

"shake the game industry"

 

I doubt it.

[Badnik Mechanic]

"shake the game industry"

 

I doubt it.

 

I suspect it might be a marketing thing, like it reacts you you shaking it or something.

[Patticus]

Taking Hoggy's idea a step further, maybe Sony's going to announce a sort of Pedometer peripheral which will reward you in PS4/PSV games according to how many steps you've taken?

 

Some sort of fitness game on the horizon to go with it and combat Wii Fit U, too?

[Phos]

Taking Hoggy's idea a step further, maybe Sony's going to announce a sort of Pedometer peripheral which will reward you in PS4/PSV games according to how many steps you've taken?

 

Some sort of fitness game on the horizon to go with it and combat Wii Fit U, too?

Or if we're being realistic, tape it to a washing machine...  As Nintendo themselves featured in a commercial for a pedometer equipped pokemon toy thing.  

[Detective Shadzter]

Sony PocketStation support comes to Vita

LCD device emulator free to PS Plus subscribers in Japan

Posted on Tuesday 5-Nov-2013 10:15 AM GMT By Chris Scullion, Games Editor for CVG UK

Sony has released a PlayStation app in Japan that emulates the PocketStation on Vita.

The PocketStation was a memory card with an LCD screen. Compatible PlayStation games allowed players to transfer a basic mini-game to the PocketStation screen so they could play it on the move and, in some instances, 'grind' to improve their stats in the main game.

The app, which is available now for free to PlayStation Plus owners in Japan, adds PocketStation support to all PlayStation Classic titles that originally had PocketStation compatibility.

On its own, the app is useless and cannot even be booted from the main Vita menu. Players must have a compatible PSOne game downloaded, and will be given the option to load the appropriate PocketStation mini-game when starting up that title.

To celebrate the app's release Sony will also be bringing Dokodemo Issho to the PlayStation Store on December 3, the same date the app will be made available to non-Plus members. This was the first game to feature Sony's Japanese mascot Toro and was considered the most popular PocketStation compatible game.

A total of 66 PlayStation games supported the PocketStation in Japan, including Final Fantasy VIII, Ridge Racer Type 4, Spyro The Dragon and Street Fighter Alpha 3.

It has not yet been confirmed whether the PocketStation app will be released in the west. If it does, it will mark the first time gamers outside of Japan can play the PocketStation mini-games without importing.

YouTube user skyghene made this detailed and comprehensive video showing the PocketStation app in use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoH9r6xYb38

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/436723/sony-pocketstation-support-comes-to-vita/

Hope this comes West

[Your Vest Friend]

Oh hell yeah, now Crash and Spyro would be even more completely played by me!

[Chaos Warp]

"Shake the games industry", huh? Well........................

 

Either way, this is pretty cool. 

[Xtremer Sadiqachu]

Woah, it that Crash? Nice to see they still know he exists. And hey, Toro's got his own game too!

[Badnik Mechanic]

Oh come on Sony, if this is free for PSN+ users give it to the west, we finally need a way to play chocobo on Final Fantasy 8!