Borderlands 2 Vita limited to two-player online multiplayer

The PlayStation Vita version of Borderlands 2 retains much of what players know and love about its console and PC versions, but one thing that won't be the same is the online multiplayer experience, due to a two-player limit for online cooperative play.

The limitation was revealed in a PlayStation Blog post covering hands-on impressions of the game which seemed to suggest technical restrictions were to blame for preventing four players from being able to play together, as in other versions. "We checked in with the SCEA Third Party Production team, who confirmed that while they strived to include four-player co-op in the game, they made a decision late in their development cycle to focus on providing the best two-player-only co-op experience possible," wrote SCEA's Justin Massongill. "As a result, the maximum co-operative player count for Borderlands 2 on PS Vita is capped at two."

Another technical detail of note involves the all-important framerate. According to Sony, "[T]he game overall runs at a solid clip, generally hovering in the vicinity of 30 frames per second."

Borderlands 2 on the Vita offers some welcome features we've heard about previously, including cross-save compatibility with the PlayStation 3 version. It also includes several pieces of DLC released on consoles and PC, including Captain Scarlett and her Pirate's Booty and Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage. In addition to the standard four character classes, DLC characters Gaige the Mechromancer and Krieg the Psycho are available for use.

The controls have been modified to work with the Vita's more limited selection of buttons, making use of the touchscreen and rear touchpad, as shown in the graphic below. The system's gyroscope can be used to aim while looking down a weapon's sights, although this feature is optional.

Borderlands 2--the best-selling game in 2K history--is scheduled for release on the Vita this coming Tuesday, May 6, and will be available on its own or as part of a bundle with the new PlayStation Vita Slim model for $200.