We’ve just recently learned about AT&T’s 3G pricing structure for the PS Vita Wi-Fi + 3G model. We’ve also known from past reports that, on 3G, the PS Vita would be limited to 20MB downloads. This meant that the PS Vita with 3G would be capable of download small games, DLC material and updates for gaming. On the social side, trophies, chatting, and location updates in addition to GPS could be used to enhance your experience. So where does this leave gaming on the PS Vita with 3G?

After talking with several members of the PlayStation team during CES, it seems that the PS Vita with 3G won’t be gaming on 3G after all. The possibility is left open for some small games that might require light internet connectivity like Words with Friends (this is purely an example and I’m not indicating such a game is in the works for the PS Vita); games like wipEout 2048 and Call of Duty have been ruled out. The limitation in this case is purely reliant on the lack of 3G strength, speed, and fluctuations of signals that one can encounter versus a lack of power from the PS Vita. It’s also to easy to see why developers might not want to support something like this if they can never properly rely on the number of users in a game with proper up and down speeds. Although this might seem like bad news, the frustration that one can encounter when trying to frag someone online while they skip around due to lag is a good enough reason to not support it in my eyes and keep online multiplayer to Wi-Fi only. Multiplayer fans should be hopeful of the future with 4G coverage growing and the potential to an updated PS Vita 4G model in the future.

Discuss:

Do you think Sony was wise to not enable 3G online multiplayer?