Almost a year later, is the Playstation TV worth it?

Sony’s press conference during the 2013 Tokyo Game Show introduced an interesting little gadget to gamers that had huge potential to rival popular home entertainment devices such as the Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV. The device was the Playstation TV; a tiny box that included the hardware found in the Playstation Vita that can directly connect to your television via HDMI and turn your that TV into a glorified Playstation Vita. Not only can the Playstation TV play Vita content via digital downloads or physical game cards, the device is also compatible with PS4 remote play functionality, streaming services and entertainment content through Playstation Network. While the device was exclusive to Japan at the time being, it had a ton of potential to be THE entertainment streaming device to own for families and gamers while breathing a bit of life into the Vita library. Now here we are in late 2015 and gamers happen to be singing a different tune when it comes to the PSTV.

North Americans finally had access to purchasing this device in November of last year in attempt to become a hot Christmas item for Sony, retailing at $99 for the standard unit or $140 with a packaged Dual Shock 3 controller and a copy of the Vita version of The Lego Movie game. When the device finally dropped, gamers began scratching their heads at why services like Netflix were not compatible and why a large number of the best Vita software was not playable despite running the same OS and hardware. The Playstation TV quickly became a device to scoff at, gaining poor reviews and even poorer sales. Not even the remote play functionality could save the Playstation TV
due to performance issues even when the Vita itself performed flawlessly with the PS4 remote feature.

Almost ten months later, the Playstation TV still continues to rot on store shelves. Retailers such as Amazon and Gamestop have begun selling the Playstation TV at heavily discounted prices and little to no updates have been created for the device. Even the promised Netflix functionality has not yet happened. It seems as if Sony has abandoned the Playstation TV while leaving owners a little angry and stricken with buyer’s remorse. Now that the PSTV can be purchase for as little as $40 for the base unit, is the device worth owning at a big discount despite Sony’s failure to keep it afloat? The answer depends on how this device can be utilized to make it worth keeping around.

Sure the Playstation TV can play Vita titles, but the compatibility is all over the place. Thankfully, a lot of great Vita software like Freedom Wars, Soul Sacrifice Delta, Lumines: Electronic Symphony and Persona 4 Golden are fully playable and pretty great on the PSTV. For anyone who does not own a PS Vita or isn’t interested in portable gaming, grabbing the PSTV cheaply is a great way to play some of these awesome exclusives. Sadly, some of the Vita’s most attractive software still isn’t compatible, such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, Wipeout 2048, Tearaway and Little Big Planet Vita due to their reliance on touch controls.

 

Another great reason to own a Playstation TV for a small price is to play classic PSP and PS1 games. Luckily, almost any digitally purchased PSP or PS1 game is compatible with the PSTV and can be played on a television set with superior controls via a Dual Shock 3 or Dual Shock 4. All of these classics look and play great on the PSTV and include customizable controls, making the device a cool micro retro console. Sony’s new streaming service, Playstation Now, is also compatible and fairly useful with a strong connection (preferably hard wired via ethernet port). Most Vita indie titles work very well on the PSTV too.

Aside from gaming, the Playstation TV will also allow users to surf the web, read email, view stored photos and listen to digital music online. Watching streaming content via Hulu Plus, Crackle, Crunchy Roll and entertainment content purchased throughed the Playstation Network store are also completely competent with the PSTV. While the device lacks proper Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Go support, there are still some useful options for streaming content to some extent.

 

I personally own a Playstation TV for one reason and one reason only; to play Lumines: Electronic Symphony on a large television with a good sound system. Electronic Symphony is not only my favorite Vita game, but also one of my favorite games of all-time. Being able to experience the sights, sounds and fantastic music of Lumines on a home entertainment system is all I can ask for out of this device. I honestly could care less if it could do anything else at this point, but I know I will be in the minority here.

Let’s face it, the Playstation TV is the biggest failure from Sony since the Playstation Move. The device failed to deliver on a lot of promises, dropped support so fast that it didn’t even have a proper year to improve, and the remote play functionality seems to be far inferior to what is found in the Playstation Vita. Hopefully Sony will throw some updates at the little guy soon, but as of right now the future of the PSTV is looking very grim.

That being said, the device isn’t necessarily useless. Do remember that even though the device includes 1GB of onboard storage, a pricey proprietary memory card is still required to get the most out of the PSTV, but even those can be had at discounts if you look hard enough. Playing compatible Vita games on a TV via the PSTV works well with this little guy. Classic PSP and PS1 titles work flawlessly and are great for nostalgic runs through your favorite games. Some streaming services are functional and useful. Live streaming Vita games via Twitch is now possible with this device. If you can grab the PSTV for under $40, I say it’s well worth having for the above reasons. So keep an eye out for those fire sales online and grab one at a nice discount!