MLB 13 The Show on PS Vita missing some features because they 'won't fit'

MLB 13 The Show will be available on PlayStation Vita — it's the franchise's second year on the platform — and that version is still missing a few features from its bigger PlayStation 3 sibling because they literally "won't fit" on the PS Vita cartridge, according to developer Sony San Diego.

One of MLB 13's major new features is Postseason Mode, which lets people play through a customizable playoff bracket. It includes numerous presentation elements that differentiate postseason games from regular-season games, including graphical overlays, different camera angles, new cutscenes and playoff-specific commentary.

All those features, especially the audio, take up a lot of storage. According to Sony San Diego community manager Ramone Russell, a PS Vita game can be no larger than 3 GB or so, whereas MLB 13 on PS3 boasts 6 GB of audio just from Postseason Mode.

"We could fill up the [cartridge] with audio alone and still have three gigs left over," Russell told Polygon. So while Postseason Mode is available in the Vita version, much of its distinctive audio had to be cut.

The PS Vita cart for MLB 13 is full to bursting as it is, Russell explained, which is why the Vita version is also missing online leagues and the Diamond Dynasty mode again this year — "just because it won't fit."

However, MLB 13 on Vita does include just about everything else that's new to the PS3 version of the game. Beginner Mode is there, along with improvements in areas such as hitting, fielding and baserunning. Overhauls to finances, player progression and scouting in the Franchise and Road to the Show modes are also present in the Vita title; the modes must be essentially identical on both PS Vita and PS3 because they offer cross-platform save functionality. And the Online Home Run Derby will also be playable across both platforms.

MLB 13 The Show launches March 5 on PS3 and PS Vita.