The Silent "I"

Help! My PS Vita Won't Charge!

What do you do when your beloved PlayStation Vita - WiFi won't turn on? If you're like me, you probably panic, thinking that you've broken it.  Never fear, there is a simple solution that doesn't involve swearing, throwing it against the wall, or sending it back to the manufacturer:  Just turn over the connector cable so the PlayStation logo is facing up, as shown in the picture above.

You're welcome.

Last weekend, I was going to use my PS Vita to see if I could advance my creepy new friends Lil and Laarg out of the helium-sucking chamber in Escape Plan. Lo and behold, when I pressed the power button, nothing happened, even though it was connected to the charger over night. I asked my son, who only recently gained Vita privileges, what on earth he had done to it, and he swore he was not to blame.

I did some searching on-line and found a few user forums where the question had been raised, and the best advice seemed to be to hold down the power button for 30 seconds, so I tried it.  Nothing. Nada. Zero.  Zilch. After some additional searching, I finally found an answer:  turn over the charger cable so the logo is up, and voila! power is restored.

I seem to have a black-thumb when it comes to electronics, so I have had this happen on other devices.  I've learned to check everything before sending it back to the manufacturer.

Some other helpful tips if your device seems dead:

• Check your outlet to make sure it's a live one.  We have plugged things into outlets only to find that the wall switch was off or the outlet just didn't work.
• Check the connections on all the cables to make sure they are secure.
• Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to see if this will reboot the device.
• If the battery is completely drained, it may take about 20-30 minutes of charging before the device will come back to life. Just leave it alone during that time and don't try to play with it.
• If you are charging it through your PC and the USB port, it may not have enough power. Try plugging it directly into a wall socket instead.
• If all else fails, contact PS Vita Customer Support.

Have fun!

 Disclosure: I received a loan of a PS Vita and copies of the games at no charge, courtesy of PlayStation.  I did not receive any other compensation or incentive to write this post. All opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of PlayStation or Sony Corporation.

Photo Credits:  © Glennia Campbell 2012. All Rights Reserved. 

PS Vita: Living in a Gamer's Paradise

 

Alex Checks out the PS Vita

A few months ago, I was honored to be asked to join PlayStation Family, a group of tech-savvy mombloggers who were invited to work with PlayStation.  I have to admit, we just bought an Xbox last summer, and already had a Wii for several years.  I wasn't sure if we really needed another gaming system. PlayStation was kind enough to loan us a PS 3 for a year, so I figured we would be a good test family since we had some inside scoop on the competition.  Over the years, we've had more than our share of Gameboys, PSPs, DS, DSI and other small handheld gaming systems. Honestly, I thought I'd seen it all.

In February, PlayStation released its new handheld gaming system, the PS Vita, to the US Market.  The PlayStation Family group was offered loaner units to try out.  My 11 year-old son thought he'd hit the jackpot, since none of his friends have one yet.  Unfortunately for him, mama had other plans.

I never really considered myself a gamer.  Sure, I spend hours on Facebook shooting balls out of a frog's mouth and playing solitaire, but I've always thought of gaming systems as things for kids.  We had Pong when I was a kid, which was a little more exciting than watching TV static late at night when the broadcast signal ended for the day.

I decided that the PS Vita was going to be mine first, because I knew that once he got his grubby paws on it, it would disappear into the chasm of doom known as his room and I'd never see it (or him) again. Fortunately, I have a kid with a great respect for property rights, and he has not absconded with it yet.

The only problem with this plan is that I have no idea what I am doing on a gaming system.  It took me at least a week to figure out how to play Wii bowling without making the remote fly across the room and take out a lamp or two along the way.  Despite being someone game-challenged, I decided that the Vita was my baby.

I carefully opened the package and read all the inserts.   My son hovered around me like a hyperactive bumblebee descending on an azalea festival, asking repeatedly if he could play with it, help me set it up, or just observe what I was doing. I banished him to his room and completed my task.  I was quite proud of myself that I was able to set it up in about ten minutes, with no swearing and no tears (except for the kid's). 

The first game I dove into was ModNation Racers Roadtrip, a madcap racing game in which you can choose a location and race around some scenic courses all over the world.  I've played this type of game in arcades and thought I would know what I was doing.

I was wrong. 

I had no idea how to use the tiny joysticks to steer the car and crashed into walls, viewing stands, directional signs and everything else along the way.  My little driver ended up in last place, with a possible concussion.  I realized I needed some coaching on how to use the controls.