May 29, 2012May 29, 2012

Nico Nico: Social Video Service Coming Today to PS Vita

Hey PlayStation fans! Nico Nico is a social video networking service that allows you to view and overlay time stamped comments on live or uploaded videos. I’m excited to announce that a PS Vita dedicated Nico Nico application will be available on PlayStation Store starting today. With more than 27 million subscribers worldwide, Nico Nico consistently ranks within the top 15 most-viewed sites in Japan, so we’re looking forward to expanding the Nico Nico community by bringing this app to PS Vita owners in North America.

With June 4th just around the corner, you’ll want to keep up with all of the exciting news and games that will be unveiled at this year’s PlayStation E3 2012 press conference. Nico Nico will be the only service that enables you to watch a beta livestream of the PlayStation press conference directly on your PS Vita. Personally, I can’t think of a better way to watch all of the latest and greatest from PlayStation at E3 on the go than on your 5” OLED screen.

Future updates to the app will allow you to broadcast directly from your PS Vita, as well as upload and view your own videos. Stay tuned for more updates on PlayStation apps right here on PlayStation Blog.

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115 Comments

7 Author Replies

Kchow23
May 29, 2012 at 2:53 pm PDT

I’m pretty certain that everyone wanted Youtube and not this. Not that it isn’t neat and all though…
phatmillips
May 29, 2012 at 2:56 pm PDT

I support the_bunns’ logic in the Youtube conversation.

we need a dedicated youtube app, html exploits and javascript tricks dont help people who arent able to figure out this trick on their own.
dilbig5
May 29, 2012 at 3:02 pm PDT

First people complain that the Vita doesn’t have any games….now people complain that a dedicated gaming device doesn’t have a video service? Lol

Hmmm, what if Sony charged to download a Youtube app? Would you still complain about that?
phatmillips
May 29, 2012 at 3:05 pm PDT

What the frak
DelMurice
May 29, 2012 at 3:08 pm PDT

I can think of something better than a 5″ OLED screen. How about a 50″ plasma? Any thoughts on a PS3 app for this?
Xcaligamer1
May 29, 2012 at 3:10 pm PDT

my exact thoughts dlb
Busca-Cabezas
May 29, 2012 at 3:16 pm PDT

I have no idea what this is… Looking forward to it though! I saw the app and started its download before I even saw this blog post. Hehe! :P Let’s bring the PSVita to unforeseeable expectations, shall we? :D
phatmillips
May 29, 2012 at 3:16 pm PDT

@dilbig5

If you think Vita is just a gaming device than both you and Sony have failed.

Vita is designed, or should be designed not only to be a gaming but also a multimedia device. Capable of playing games, movies, music and browsing. It should be competing with the worlds smartphones and IPads. If all it is it to play video games then it’s going to fall extremely short to other devices that will outpace it eventually at better performances.

We as consumers are right to expect it because without a YouTube app, or a dedicated stream of apps, what separates this 250+ dollar device from a phone or Ipad that arguably offers the same if not more value and support from their own developers. You can talk about future potential, how in 1-3 years there will be a lot of games/apps for the device and it’ll be a good buy but for early adopters like me its tough looking at an IPad for example and see features that are already available for it that should be for my Vita.
dilbig5
May 29, 2012 at 3:26 pm PDT

@phatmillips

Its a gaming device first, everything else second. I bought a Vita to play games, not to watch TV on a 5″ screen.

Nothing other than a gaming device can replace a gaming device in terms of performance and quality. Only reason Vita was made was to take back the GAMING handheld market. The apps are just a nice extra.

Ipad is what, 200 maybe $300 more than a Vita? Ipad has to have everything for it to justify the price. This Youtube Downloader is better than nothing. Are you willing to pay for a Youtube App if you have to?
Iteration7294531
May 29, 2012 at 3:27 pm PDT

Every time I read these comments, I’m reminded of the overwhelming extent to which gamers have become entitled whiners.. “I’m a consumer of your product, thus, I’m entitled to this feature that you are not providing me.” I feel sorry for these people when they enter the real world, and learn that the world does not hand them things on a silver platter just because they feel they are entitled to them.
dilbig5
May 29, 2012 at 3:28 pm PDT

And if people just bought a Vita to watch Youtube or watch TV then i feel sorry for you -_-
dilbig5
May 29, 2012 at 3:31 pm PDT

And now that the Vita is getting a heavy slew of games released and announced, people are just gonna find some other reason to complain as everyone can see now.
bouncingsoul
May 29, 2012 at 3:34 pm PDT

This sounds great!
Iteration7294531
May 29, 2012 at 3:44 pm PDT

I actually downloaded the NicoNico app from the JP PSN, but was unable to figure it out. That being said, I’ve purchased a number of games from the JP PSN (Wizardry being a prime example, as it’s all text-based), and have yet to not be able to figure one out.

Now, to contradict my “entitled whiner” thing above, I’D LOVE to see the ability for the Vita to store placement of icons/wallpaper/etc on the memory card itself rather than on the system, because the few times I’ve switched from my 32 gig NA account memory card to my 8 gig JP account card, all my carefully crafted icon placement and wallpaper settings are wiped when I do the system restore. This makes me not want to switch to my JP account at all, and my 8 gig card is now just sitting there, unused. (cont)
Iteration7294531
May 29, 2012 at 3:44 pm PDT

(cont) Granted, I got it for free with my 3G/WiFi model, but part of the reason I got that unit was due to the bundled memory card, as I knew I’d need a separate one for my JP account. I have zero problems with needing multiple memory cards for multiple accounts. I have a slight problem with needing to do a system restore every time I want to switch accounts. I have a MAJOR problem with the restore negating all the time I spent getting my Vita looking the way I wanted it to look.

Can anyone explain why something as basic as icon placement and wallpaper settings are not able to be stored on the memory card and tied to a particular PSN account? I can’t see it having anything to do with DRM or piracy concerns…
theultimatenub
May 29, 2012 at 3:57 pm PDT

Looks like a good service
YungShep
May 29, 2012 at 4:28 pm PDT

I WAS JUST THINKING BOUT HOW I WAS GONNA WATCH THE CONFERENCE..IT WAS TAKE TIME OFF WORK OR JUST WORK AND MISS IT! SO NOW I CAN WORK AND WATCH ON MY VITA!!! THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE WIN!
- James Spahn
  May 29, 2012 at 9:59 pm PDT
  
  ROCK ON!!! I’M GOING TO WATCH IT TOO…..IN HD TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YungShep
May 29, 2012 at 4:28 pm PDT

SO IS IT FAIR TO COMPARE IT TO YOUTUBE?
ItaChu
May 29, 2012 at 4:30 pm PDT

so this is like a imported version of something like twitch.tv? ….. why didnt you guys at sony just give us the youtube app we all want…. seriously
Shedagilos
May 29, 2012 at 4:34 pm PDT

@ fb332 says:

Yea, that’s cool. Stop stalling and bring on the goods!!!!! HTML5 and Youtube app!!!!

Common now, E3 is right around the corner!
ItaChu
May 29, 2012 at 4:34 pm PDT

dilbig5 everything else second lol right, some people like everything else and gaming at the same time :) i love the vita ….but it needs lots of improvement, i hope e3 gives us lots of surprises ….and maybe an update AT LEAST on remote play *wink wink* Sony ;)
DaveGodOfWar
May 29, 2012 at 4:53 pm PDT

Well so far this app has been a failure. Every channel i try to watch that i’m interested in fails to play. how ever I was able to watch a young random Japanese girl laugh and giggle as insults ran across the screen. Where is the youtube app, We want it now!
Tchanku
May 29, 2012 at 5:48 pm PDT

After playing around with it. it’s a primarily non-English Justin.tv/Twitch.tv…With no discernible search function.

Lame.
FireDragonMonkey
May 29, 2012 at 6:59 pm PDT

I never knew that there was an English version available for Nico Nico. I’ve just downloaded it to my Vita and will try it out! I have a question though: Does the English version have access to all the same videos as on the Japanese version? Because there is the language barrier since the letters/characters are different how would you search for them?
Thanks a lot for giving us this!
iTofuMan
May 29, 2012 at 7:05 pm PDT

Had it downloaded. it seems interesting and i like watching streams especially when people play video games. Other than that though i dont quite understand the whole concept. So we basically cant (for the time being) make our own videos on the Vita? And all the time i go on it ask for something like Premium service, but it seems to good to be true. i mean it says 25 cent, but for how long? is it a month/yearly subscription, or one time fee. Its confusing things like that, that pushes me away from content like this as they are always so uninformative. Would be nice to get some clear up on that.
oakaymrt2
May 29, 2012 at 7:40 pm PDT

WOAH.
- James Spahn
  May 29, 2012 at 10:00 pm PDT
  
  WOAH, YEAH…. :)
oakaymrt2
May 29, 2012 at 7:42 pm PDT

WOAH. TOUHOU AND VOCALOID IN ONE COMMERCIAL? FANGASAM
Davenport
May 29, 2012 at 7:57 pm PDT

what a joke. where is the YouTube app?! please listen to what Vita owners want.
tsukasa1288
May 29, 2012 at 9:20 pm PDT

Awesome. Never thought that Nico Nico Douga would come Stateside. Longtime user of the website. Glad I’ll get it use it on the go now.
NASCAR_Rcn8
May 29, 2012 at 9:44 pm PDT

OMG at that sony fanboy defending the vita’s short comings. Ok if you want to compare a ipad to a vita then yes the ipad is 2 to3 hundred more than vita and does more but….. lets also compare my ipod touch 8 gig that cost me 195 bucks and does every single thing to 98% that a ipad can do and does better than vita and has memory already built in it and a youtube app and a 720p HD Video camera not that crappy VGA vita camera. I can record, edit my HD videos on my ipod and send them to my youtube channel within minutes without a computer on my ipod. Can you do that on vita? Nope didn’t think so lol. Ipod is way cheaper than a vita that is 250 bucks with no memory. After the 8 gb card that vita is then 280 bucks. 85 dollars cheaper going the ipod route and can do more with a ipod better than a app less vita. FACT!
NASCAR_Rcn8
May 29, 2012 at 9:53 pm PDT

Also I have over 100 Apps and half of those are full games and I payed nothing for them. Games with quality close to vita graphics and sometimes even clearer and better than vita graphics. A ipod can do pretty much anything a vita can do but better on a smaller screen at that. If I want just a gaming machine then my ps3 will suit me fine. If the vita was intended for gaming only then they would’ve said so and made no internet browser or mentioned any apps. They advertise it does everything the current app phones and devices do and is more powerful and can do it better. Um I haven’t seen better since launch have you? Didn’t think so. A ipod can do AR as well and a ipod can take screen shots of everything as well just like a vita. A ipod has a web browser that matchs my laptop and can watch VIDEOS on its browser. Not much of that on vita. You get slow loading grey bars on vita still don’t ya? lol. YUP! So shove that fanboy pride in your pocket you all got lied to and the vita got hyped like everything else sony hypes and doesn’t deliver.
Elvick_
May 29, 2012 at 10:01 pm PDT

@51, 71/72: To both of you. You can’t compare a product that’s been on the market for many years, and has had many new iterations of that hardware, to new hardware… PS Vita is still in it’s infancy. If you don’t see the flaw in that logic, then lord help you.

And 72, your laptop must be terrible if Safari on your iPod matches it’s browsing experience. REALLY terrible.
tyshad92
May 29, 2012 at 10:03 pm PDT

what about having it for the ps3?
NASCAR_Rcn8
May 29, 2012 at 10:08 pm PDT

@ Elvick hahaha their isn’t anything wrong with safari brotha. It kicks a vita’s browser up and down the street anyday. I would know I’ve had 2 vitas already. I returned both already. The ipod is still BETTER. You can’t hardly do anything with a vita browser without it being super slow and grey bar blocky. Its like a tab better psp browser and the psp browser SUCKED. I use crome on my laptop moron it was just a figure of speech that a idevice browser is almost on the same playing field of quality like a computer browser. So nice try sony fanboy lol.
NASCAR_Rcn8
May 29, 2012 at 10:14 pm PDT

I’m not here to troll and lose sells for sony I’m just stating the facts and how I learned from forst hand buying a vitra and owning a idevice that what the vita doesn’t have right now and needs to be the best out there. If they give full flash or HTMl5 or what ever that is FULL SUPPORT and bring youtube app and lost more apps and games and listens to us and comes out with a better vita with 32 gig built in and a 1080p video camera built in and sells it bundled with games and a plus 3 month membership all for 300 bucks then it would whoop any idevice butt. But right not its a joke and overhyped sad to say, This is coming from a sony ps3 owner of 2 ps3’s. I have room to talk here of my facts and opinions. Not trying to hate just give sony a idea to improve it.
NASCAR_Rcn8
May 29, 2012 at 10:16 pm PDT

Lots more apps and games not lost lol. Sorry for the typo. Its very dark in here and my keys aren’t lighted so I’m hitting all kinds of wrong keys trying to type too fast lol.
brolol07
May 29, 2012 at 10:25 pm PDT

@75 how much is an idevice and what is it marketed towards… the casual gaming market if that. Now if you own a Vita, you are probably not a casual gamer, you are a hardcore gamer. It isn’t if the Vita is advertised as a do-everything device. No it is advertised as a portable gaming device PERIOD. Whatever you get app wise is a bonus i my thinking.
DeadkidNeku
May 30, 2012 at 1:30 am PDT

Will this come to Europe too? Really looking forward to it :D
thekiddfran
May 30, 2012 at 6:23 am PDT

Hi, is this service coming to Europe too?
deafwing
May 30, 2012 at 6:29 am PDT

i’m not sure about this feature .. niconico is like video version of icq lol … it can be so distracting and annoying sometimes and the content on their is anything but “streamlined” … don’t get me wrong youtube has its fair share of BS stored on it .. but niconico takes it to whole other level –

not sure i see the benefit of having it on their but options are nice i guess
Squiggle55
May 30, 2012 at 8:04 am PDT

I watched some folks streaming a Starcraft 2 match last night and I suspect the game streaming could become quite popular on this Vita app.
polo155
May 30, 2012 at 8:18 am PDT

nascar_CN8 really must be jelious and although he says he had 2 vita’s, why the kuf would someone who hates vita SOOOOOooo much bother buying it twice, this dude is soo full of isht it isnt even funny,… and to say that ipod games are on par or better than ps vita games know you know he is NOTHING BUT A HATERR W/O A Vita. people need to ignore his asa. i sold my iptouch 4th gento buy my vita. that dude NASCAR_RCN8 IS A JELOUS HATER HAHAHAHAH
polo155
May 30, 2012 at 8:19 am PDT

on another note: does niconico wok via 3G?
DDark
May 30, 2012 at 9:09 am PDT

Hey NASCAR_Rcn8, are you the same guy on another Vita post saying that you bought two Vitas and returned them because it sucks, but your a PS3 gamer, and you have like 20 PSN accounts that you use to rant so your real account won’t get banned? If you are or aren’t him, you are still a troll.

If you bought a product that you didn’t like and returned it, you would be done with it, and maybe review it or send an email to the company telling them what they could do to improve it. But if your constantly taking every opportunity you can to always reply to blog posts taking about how it sucks so much that you returned the two you bought. Even though your reasons may be valid, it still makes you a troll.
Grayfox2k8
May 30, 2012 at 9:41 am PDT

This looks like a very fun app. I used it a little bit on my PS Vita, and awaiting new updates. So far I’m pleased ^_^
NASCAR_Rcn8
May 30, 2012 at 12:16 pm PDT

Block me from commenting LOL FU!
NASCAR_Rcn8
May 30, 2012 at 12:17 pm PDT

You idiots and this troll crap. What are all of you little kids on here lol. Do I need to get barbie book out and sweet talk crap to ya lol. Is my truth rants too R rated for you little boys huh? Yes I have had two vita’s One on March 1st and OBLY bought it to test it out with the intention of returning it afterwards. It was without so many features that I got pissed I took my white 32 gig ipod touch back to bestbuy to buy a wifi vita which was a huge mistake. So I returned that vita and bought back a ipod but they only had black 8 gigs in stock so getting that vita made me lose a great white 32 gig one and I was pissed. Anyways months have went by and I decided to buy one for good this time since it has more stuff on it and lord behold it had screen defects that my wife and I tryed to ignore but we couldn’t so I returned it 2 weeks ago back to walmart this time where I bought it. I have a youtube video showing the return receipt!
NASCAR_Rcn8
May 30, 2012 at 12:23 pm PDT

See I knew you little name calling 10 year old boys would call me a troll cause I am expressing facts on vita. I have inside info cause I have had 2 dam* vitas. My ps3 tag shows a nice solid black color cause it was changed to that from having a vita and I’m leaving the color dark black as proof I had vitas to. You kids saying I’m a troll and jealous lmao. Jealous of what may I ask? I can go out right now as I speak and buy 3 vita’s but I don’t want to they are over hyped. It took having 2 vita in a span from march 1st to 2 weeks ago to find that out for myself. The second vita I had two weeks ago had screen defects that my wife and I tryed to ignore but we couldn’t so we returned it. I ended putting 100 bucks on my psn account and buying other stuff for my 2 ps3’s in the house. Like I said I have a youtube channel and I have posted a video showing the walmart return receipt to shut troll haters up.
LilBru
May 30, 2012 at 3:50 pm PDT

Cool, hopefully Ustream and Youtube app would be available for the PSV as well.
Chalaco
May 30, 2012 at 5:53 pm PDT

I’ve downloaded niconico.com app to my PS Vita, and so far I’m not satisfied. There has been problems playing the feeds (video and sound), plus the lagging is awful. Yet regardless, as all new apps, there time to be giving before I can really give a final verdict on any product. The to features I’m waiting for on this niconico app is “Video Watch & Upload” and “Live Streaming” features which is to be added in later installments. I honestly would mind help our wonderful PS Vita community in common news coming from a common gamer. Hee Hee! Till then, I wish niconico.com the best of luck and bravo in bring there app to the PS Vita. Really can’t wait to stream my show on my PS Vita only.