PS Vita: Online Pass Listing + Info

[admeister]

So, the good news is that the PlayStation Vita is region-free when it comes to games, just like the PS3. Unfortunately, a few publishers are ruining it for us a little by including Online Passes with their games. What these Online Passes do is block your access to the game's online modes until you redeem your code on the PSN. These passes are only included in new copies, and once they are redeemed on a console, cannot be used again on a different console. This is intended to discourage people from buying their Vita games second hand.

Unfortunately, it also has the side effect of hampering people's attempts to import some Vita games from overseas. The Online Passes are locked to the same region that the game is, so if you buy a U.S copy of Wipeout 2048, you will not be able to redeem the included Online Pass using your Australian SEN account. Of course, this isn't an issue if you use a U.S SEN account to do your gaming, but then you have the same problem when you go to buy Aussie games. Vita consoles can only be activated with one SEN account at a time, and switching them around will delete your data. So, we have a problem.

That's where this thread comes in! Through my own research and experience, as well as yours, I hope to make life a little easier for all of us by making a listing of every Vita game that requires an Online Pass. That way, we'll know which games we can't import or buy second hand, and save people from wasting their time and money. It's important to note that these games can still be played without an Online Pass, but you simply won't be able to use the online modes. So, on with the listing.

As this point in time, these are the PlayStation Vita games which require Online Passes:

Everybody's Golf
Reality Fighters
Wipeout 2048

[Master Chief]

Wipeout is meant to be pretty coo

[admeister]

So I hear! I'm not really into racers though, but from what I've played of the previous games, I can see why they're popular.

I'm really enjoying my Vita so far, Uncharted is great.

[nshady]

What do you think of the OS? It looked a bit candy for my tastes from pics but how is it in action?

[admeister]

Candy? Anyway, I really like it. I find it just as easy to use as my iPhone, if not easier. It's a big improvement on the XMB imo, and suits the Vita's touchscreen quite well. Each page is full of apps, and they can be moved around as you see fit. You swipe up or down to switch pages, and if you open an app (by touching it), you can close it instantly by swiping your finger across the screen. You can also have multiple apps running at once. For example, you can load up and start playing Uncharted, then press the home button to switch back to the OS and open up the trophy list, then open up the web browser. All three will remain running as you use any one of them, and if you switch back to Uncharted, the game will resume instantly - as it has been stored in the Vita's memory. It's all pretty impressive. You can also set your own wallpaper for the OS, and can even set a different one for each page. The OS has a very natural feel to it, I really like it.