PS Vita cross-platform gaming overview

Continuation Play

One of the more compelling aspects of the Vita/PS3 relationship, especially for those of us who spend a lot of time on the road, is “Continuation Play,” which enables players to save their progress in a game on PS3, load up that save in a Vita copy of the same game, and continue seamlessly from where they left off.

Above: Dungeon-crawler Warrior's Lair (formerly known as Ruin) will take advantage of Continuation Play and cross-platform multiplayer

It’s something that’s been tried before with the PSP, but the advent of cloud saves and a smaller tech gap between the PS3 and Vita make it seem more viable. Unfortunately, none of the titles that support this have hit the market yet, so for now it remains little more than a promise.

Remote Play

Like the PSP before it, the Vita supports Remote Play, enabling players to use the handheld to control their PS3s from anywhere with a strong Internet connection. And like on the PSP, the feature’s latest iteration leaves a lot to be desired, at least for now. As of this writing, it still works with only a handful of PSN and retail releases – although on the plus side, it also works with any PSOne game, making it a great excuse to play the ones you’ve probably got moldering away on your PS3’s hard drive.

Above: It also supports the PS3 version of Lego Batman. You guys like Lego Batman, right?

Take it for a ride

One of the coolest uses of cross-platform play that we’ve seen so far, while not heavily advertised, is in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The game doesn’t allow any direct play between PS3 and Vita users, but it does give Vita players free access to any DLC they’ve already downloaded on PS3 (and vice versa). It also features something that’s potentially much more interesting: the Ultimate Controller mode, which lets players use the Vita as a wireless, touchscreen-enabled controller – assuming they’ve got PS3 and Vita copies of the game, that is, which may be asking a lot of all but the most hardcore fans.

It’s not that UMvC3’s use of this feature is particularly interesting, seeing as it just adds five new “buttons” for special moves and X-Factor activation (although that’s certainly fun, and removes some of the learning curve for those who just want to experiment with the game’s 50 characters). What gets us excited is the possibility that more developers could take a similar approach and add optional touchscreen support to their PS3 games now, while the Wii U is still just a vague promise lingering just over the horizon.

Above: This could be the start of something really cool (if we're lucky)

Of course, that idea could easily go the way of using the PSP as the PS3’s rear-view mirror, but it’s an interesting one to consider nonetheless. Especially since, when the Wii U launches, developers who want to jump on that particular bandwagon will need to think of touchscreen functionality (or at least second-screen functionality) for their games anyway. Adapting those for PS3/Vita probably wouldn’t be too much of a stretch; let’s just hope developers can come up with interesting applications for it, and for cross-platform play in general, in the coming months.

Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.
Latest in PlayStation
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers
Naoe looks over at a dense, lush, green forest in Assassin's Creed Shadows from a viewpoint
Getting Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 and Xbox Series X was all about adding "dynamism" to the open world, but the devs seem most proud about the trees
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Reclaiming their crown, pacifist Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 player beats the whole RPG as "Merciful Henry": 1,741 strikes blocked, 472 knockouts, and zero kills
Latest in Features
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond helldiver using hoverpack to shoot down with hunting rifle
Talking points from the Game Developers Conference 2025 and how they could impact the future of gaming
Flexispot E7 Plus with plant, monitor, soundbar, and controller on top next to white wall lighting.
Gaming desks vs regular desks: which surface should you buy?
Google Pixel 9a smartphones on a beige background
One Google Pixel 9a feature could make it a better gaming phone than most budget mainstream models
Yasuke and Naoe ready to fight on the Assassin's Creed Shadows On The Radar thumbnail
On The Radar: Assassin's Creed Shadows coverage hub
Captain Planet #1
Captain Planet is back after 33 years with a "sexy" makeover and a message that's as important as ever: "Reality has gotten a lot less subtle"